- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; paperback / softback edition (31 Oct 1985)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140073345
- ISBN-13: 978-0140073348
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,482,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Once, long ago, a robot factory-ship flew too near a star unexpectedly gone nova. After suffering extensive damage, it continued blindly for millennia.
A million years passed...
Then, in the twenty-first century, a colony ship destined for Mars was surreptitiously rerouted to Titan...and only the leaders of the military industrial complex knew why.
In addition to its flight crew, the interplanetary transport carried parapsycholoy researchers, linguists, psychologists, representatives of industry, an ambassador...and elite military units from several Western nations. Clearly something was up.
But no one was talking! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
A million years passed...
Then, in the twenty-first century, a colony ship destined for Mars was surreptitiously rerouted to Titan...and only the leaders of the military industrial complex knew why.
In addition to its flight crew, the interplanetary transport carried parapsycholoy researchers, linguists, psychologists, representatives of industry, an ambassador...and elite military units from several Western nations. Clearly something was up.
But no one was talking! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The premise of this work is interesting enough: what would happen if there were a world where "life" was mechanical and biology was "technology"? Is it possible for mechincal "life" to evolve? Hogan posits such a world, and sets up to backstory in a short prologue. Then, he sets about bringing humans and his mechanical lifeforms into contact with one another, and explores how -- or whether -- they will be able to communicate -- and cooperate -- with one another.
The premise is interesting, and Hogan is an accomplished story-teller, as can be seen in another of his works, *The Two Faces of Tomorrow.* However, this story is marred by a central character -- a bogus psychic -- who stands for most of the book as a straw man to prove that *any* belief in the supernatural is based on fraud and/or ignorance. Hogan redeems his character after a fashion, but much of the book will bring great glee, if not enlightenment, to the militantly anti-religious camp within SF fandom.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I discovered this book while flipping through a copy of "The Immortality Option" and immediately added it to my summer reading list, anticipating a good time. It didn't exactly turn out that way.
While this story has some good moments, I didn't feel any better for having read it. The most annoying thing about it is its narrative structure - in the prologue, where the necessary story background is provided, the author uses an omniscient viewpoint that works very well: complex, but flowing. Later in the book, however, instead of using the same viewpoint, the author has the characters carry out ridiculous and boring discussions in order to provide plot exposition, the kind of discussion that begins "Tell me again why we're here..." or something akin to that. Plus, I feel that by providing so much information in the prologue, the author ruined the chance for the rest to measure up - once you've been given a fantastic set-up discussing the evolution of a race of robots, why would you want to go back to reading about a bunch of boring humans??? This book could have been so much better, but hey, I haven't published anything, so I'll shut up.
Format:Paperback
Pedestrian narrative about hard-to-follow plot. OK if you are taking a techie approach, but for that, the detail was lacking-can the ship travel six million million miles in a million years from a thousand light-years away? etc
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I guess I missed the point...
I'm surprised at the number of good reviews for this book. The premise is VERY intriguing: humans making contact with a "race" of evolved robots. Read more
Published on 5 July 1999
One of the best science fiction novels ever.
As someone with a background in biology and computer science (my degree was in cellular biology, but I work in computer software), I found Hogan's Code of the Lifemaker awesome. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 1999
one of the best books ive ever read
The book manages to give many new perspectives on commonly asked questions about religion, life, death, science, and the universe without ever getting dull. Read more
Published on 22 April 1998
Proves even robots believe in evolution
From the prologue about how this mystical world came about I was completely hooked. Also loved the robots 'reversed' scientific abilities and the reason behind it.
Published on 16 Mar 1998
A unique look at the origins of species
Millions of years ago, an ancient civilization sent out robot ships to find uninhabited planets with rich resources, to mine them and manufacture products to ship back home. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 1998
A must-read for computer science and AI enthusiasts
Reading the prologue was like witnessing the birth
of the human race. This book takes the question
of Darwinism versus Creationism and through a unique perspective --... Read more
of the human race. This book takes the question
of Darwinism versus Creationism and through a unique perspective --... Read more
Published on 11 April 1997
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