The Tachyon Web

I read this book in one day, and thought it flawless. I've read and loved Christopher Pike's books since the late 1980's, but had never gotten to The Tachyon Web for some reason. I think it's important that you be a fan of science fiction, although as usual Pike blends in deeper, more symbolic (and sociological) elements that transcend genre classification if you read between the lines. I definitely noted the influence of other science fiction writers, but simultaneously perceived a very unique storyline. I especially liked the way Pike went against the grain of the usual sci-fi fare by portraying the alien civilization as weaker and less technologically advanced than ourselves. I was impressed to find out that this was one of his first show more published works, if not the first. In sum, The Tachyon Web is a quick, light, yet meaningful read that I highly recommend. show less

I loved Christopher Pike's horror books as a teenager and never knew that he wrote sci-fi until recently. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the sci-fi genre and I probably wouldn't have read this if it wasn't Christopher Pike.

That said, the book was fine. It wasn't really what I was expecting based on the description and I actually read the description again midway through the book because I thought that maybe I was remembering it wrong or I misread it the first time.

Like in most sci-fi books, this story is an allegory. There's the humans from Earth, who are advanced and have faster than light travel. Then there are the Karaulians, who are a primitive humanoid race and they have space travel, but not faster than light. show more Miscommunication and assumptions ensue.

This book has a good message: Even if someone is a different color than you or has a different technology level than you, it doesn't mean that their lives are worth less than yours. We're all in this universe together and we should help each other whenever possible. show less

A friend of mine recommended this to me, saying it was surprisingly good. The plot is surprisingly good - a group of teenagers borrow a spaceship to cross the barrier around known space, only to practically destroy their spaceship and also meet aliens - but the 90s sexism has not aged well.

Somewhat terrible, but nevertheless enjoyable. I was lead on by the promise of awesome space adventures made possible by the graviton drive. The cast of characters was almost perfect for this premise. However I was forcibly eased into the backseat of teenage sexual frustration, much like Eric Tirel forcibly eased himself into Vani's lifestyle. Thus I went from feeding off exploration anticipation to passively wondering how Eric and Vani would get along in various stages of the future. I feel kind of bad about it.

I loved Christopher Pike's horror books as a teenager and never knew that he wrote sci-fi until recently. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the sci-fi genre and I probably wouldn't have read this if it wasn't Christopher Pike.

That said, the book was fine. It wasn't really what I was expecting based on the description and I actually read the description again midway through the book because I thought that maybe I was remembering it wrong or I misread it the first time.

Like in most sci-fi books, this story is an allegory. There's the humans from Earth, who are advanced and have faster than light travel. Then there are the Karaulians, who are a primitive humanoid race and they have space travel, but not faster than light. show more Miscommunication and assumptions ensue.

This book has a good message: Even if someone is a different color than you or has a different technology level than you, it doesn't mean that their lives are worth less than yours. We're all in this universe together and we should help each other whenever possible. show less

This is one of my favorites from my young adult years. It was one of my first introductions to science fiction and I found it to be a quick read. I must echo the other reviewer's delight in it bucking the SF norm by portraying the aliens as a weaker, less technologically advanced race. I found the sociological and philosophical implications to be riveting as a teen. This is a fantastic introduction for young adult readers to literary themes in SFF, while still being an easy read.

I read this in high school. Yes. In high school. And I still love it. Blame the SF geek in me. Yes, convenient plot devising. Yes, corny romantic interest. Yes, Disney ending. But I enjoyed every last bit of it. LOL. Yes Chris Pike is known for his horror/thriller books. But this is my favourite book of his. HOHO. So there.

You can't fight with impressionable-mind-life-stage memories consarned it!!

XD!