If the Stars are Gods
by Gregory Benford, Gordon Eklund
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A collaboration of two science fiction greats, Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund, the original If The Stars Are Gods was quite well received when it appeared in the spring of 1974 in the hardcover Random House anthology Universe Four. It went on to win a Nebula Award in 1975. A few critics found the central protagonist, Bradley Reynolds, to be a bit over the top -- but then, who among us would invite Captain Ahab over for dinner, drinks and a video afterward? In this expanded novel length show more version of If The Stars Are Gods, which appeared in 1976, the rest of the life of Bradley Reynolds fell into place--meeting strange aliens, forging out into the realms of the solar system, always questing. This 2013 edition includes a new introduction by Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund -- the story of how their two science fiction writing careers grew out of this work, If The Stars Are Gods. show lessTags
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If the Stars Are Gods is a philosophical exploration of the concepts of life and humanity. Throughout the book, we encounter various forms of extra-terrestrial life, including Earth germs on Mars from a "contaminated" landing, stereotypical flesh-and-blood aliens on a spaceship from another star, gaseous beings in the atmosphere of Jupiter, and crystalline beings on the cold moon of Titan. The main character is a high-minded scientist who has to continually work against Earth's political machine to continue his work on extra-terrestrial life and intelligence. The political situation becomes even more charged after Earth creates and then tries to expunge a small number of genetically-enhanced humans, who seem better equipped to show more understand the strangeness of the forms life can take. While it's blatantly obvious that humanity, obsessed with its petty squabbles, is not ready to deal with other intelligences, it remains an open question whether a devoutly scientific man or even a genetically-enhanced person is either. The tone of the book is very reflective and encourages the reader to think upon the central theme--can the human mind comprehend the strangeness of life? show less
isbn is right but the cover is wrong
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239+ Works 22,469 Members
Gregory Benford, was born on January 30, 1941 in Mobile, Alabama. He is a physicist and science fiction writer who earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, in 1967. He is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a consultant for NASA. Benford's first novel "Deeper than the Darkness" (1970), which was revised as "The Stars in Shroud" show more (1978), gave him notice as a serious Science Fiction writer. His most popular work is "Timescape" (1980), which was the winner of the Nebula and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards; it presented a hard physics approach to limited time travel. "In the Ocean of Night" (1977), "Across the Sea of Suns" (1984), "Great Sky River" (1987), "Tides of Light" (1989) and "Furious Gulf" (1994) were all a part of the Galactic Cluster Series. He has also written the juvenile novel "Jupiter Project" (1975), "Against Infinity" (1983) and the thriller "Artifact" (1985). He has been nominated for 12 Nebula Awards (winning for "Timescape" and for the novelette, "If the Stars are Gods"). Benford, writing alternately with Bruce Sterling, produces science fact articles for the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. They took over after the death of regular columnist Isaac Asimov. He has also co-edited theme anthologies with Martin H. Greenburg, which include "Hitler Victorious" (1986), "Nuclear War" (1988), "What Might Have Been, Volume 1: Alternate Empires" (1988), "Volume 2: Alternate Heroes" (1989) and "Volume 3: Alternate Wars." (Bowker Author Biography) show less
56+ Works 2,582 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- If the Stars are Gods
- Original title
- If the Stars are Gods
- Original publication date
- 1977
- People/Characters*
- Bradley Reynolds; Paul Smith; Colonel Samuel J. Kastor; McIntyre; Loretta Morgan; Jonathon (show all 20); Richard; Vonda Kelly; John Sims; George O'Hara; Bruder Ling; Carr; Mara; Tom Rawlins; Corey; Arthur Vance; Kurt Tsubata; Catherine McClair; Norah Mann; Najima
- Important places*
- Mars; Mond; Afrika; Jupiter; Titan
- Epigraph*
- Ein Hund kann nicht heucheln, aber er kann
auch nicht aufrichtig sein.
Ludwig Wittgenstein - Dedication*
- Für:
Boyd Raeburn, Norm und Gina Clarke, F. M. und Ellinor Busby, Bob Tucker, Dean Grennell, Dick und Patricia Lupoff, Carol Carr, Sidney Coleman, Bob und Barbara Silverberg, William Rotsler, Jim und Hillary Benford, Dick... (show all) und Pat Ellington und vor allem für Terry Carr. - First words*
- Es war eine Tatsache, überlegte Major Paul Smith, während er auf das von Kratern übersäte Gelände starrte, das an ihm vorüberjagte, daß auf dem Planeten Mars Leben existierte.
- Quotations*
- Mit Politikern umzugehen ist das gleiche, wie in den Wind zu pissen. Man kriegt nie das zurück, was man will.
Gott erfand den Orgasmus, damit wir wissen, wann wir aufhören müssen. - Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Bradley Reynolds dachte in diesem Augenblick an den Tag, da ein Sternenwesen herkommen würde, um hier zu wohnen, und er sandte ihnen ein lautloses Lebewohl und wandte sich wieder dem Spiel zu, das er mit den Fluxgestalten spielte, die er kannte, und er durchlebte noch einmal die Agonie auf Titan, und er ...
Lächelte.
Immerfort.
Lächelte. - Publisher's editor*
- Alpers, Hans Joachim
- Blurbers
- Zelazny, Roger
- Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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Statistics
- Members
- 334
- Popularity
- 94,641
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.32)
- Languages
- English, German, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 9
