The epic voyage of the spacecraft Leonora Christine will take her and her fifty-strong crew to a planet some thirty light-years distant. But, because the ship will accelerate to close to the speed of light, for those on board subjective time will slow and the journey will be of only a few years' duration. Then a buffeting by an interstellar dustcloud changes everything. The ship's deceleration system is damaged irreperably and soon she is gaining velocity. When she attains light-speed, tau zero itself, the disparity between ship-time and external time becomes almost impossibly great. Eons and galaxies hurtle by, and the crew of the Leonora Christine speeds into the unknown.
Tau Zero
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Book Description
'The ultimate hard science fiction novel' James Blish
About the Author
Poul Anderson was born in 1926 in Pennsylvania and educated at the University of Minnesota where he gained a degree in physics in 1948. Among his many fine novels are BRAIN WAVE, THE AVATAR, WAR OF THE WING-MEN and THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS, as well as the Fantasy Classics THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS and THE BROKEN SWORD.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
Look - there - rising over the Hand of God. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Look - there - rising over the Hand of God. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Grindell
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book moves quite slowly, and the only flaw is that it could be quite a bit longer.
Now then, I have to say this, with as much care as I can. This is THE only ScFi book I have ever read where it is certain, quite certain, that everything could actually happen. This is quite a remarkable claim, and I have to be very cautious! Perhaps some of the real terror in the book is becasue of this extreme realism. The ship could be built. The navigational difficulties would indeed be related to the spacial distortions of the star field. And the red shift and blue shifts are just like that... What we know about relativity points to the bizarre flight of the ship really holding up.
Poul makes a real attempt to convey the awful separation and exile of the inhabitants. To lose not only the earth... but anything which could remotely be called human, or even his descendants... This is the basis for the worst sort of nightmare for many of us. The claustrophobic nature of the ship and the equalling unsatisfactory nature of the relationships... And yet, there is an ending which satisfies in some sense.
This is novel in which there is a overwhelming, quite overbearing sense of grandeur. You will probably read certain sections quite frequently - I have literally worn out previous editions. But beware, you will feel a strong empathy for these lost souls, and my goodness, it would be nice to make sure that you don't sleep alone, Pascal was right when he spoke of the terror of the great spaces.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Runmentionable
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Tau Zero exemplifies much that came out of the pulp SF tradition. On the credit side, the idea is brilliant, and it's eloquently described in the Amazon "Product Description". The novel is probably SF's most thorough attempt, at least at time of publication, to explore the implications of relativity for travellers on a starship that's approaching light speed.
The trouble is, those implications are so far-reaching they don't really leave any room for a plot - they ARE the plot. Anderson correctly realised he needed some strong human interest to make this into a novel. Unfortunately, he wasn't up to the task of providing it. The weak characterisation, which comes as standard with a lot of SF, is more of a problem than usual because Anderson is trying so hard to avoid it, but failing so badly. The attempts at characterisation mainly come from dialogue rather than action, and said dialogue is among the most excruciatingly implausible you'll ever encounter (I kept hearing Tony Curtis, in Some Like It Hot, imploring "No-one talks like that!" as I read it). The cast speak in psychobabble paragraphs rather than demotic conversational language. And they all sound the same, so it's really hard to tell who's who. The only character who stands out at all is the hero, the ship's security chief Charles Reymont. Unfortunately, he's a Randian superman, or, in plain English, a complete eejit, and he causes irritation after irritation as he goes through his obligatory duties of demolishing straw man arguments and giving some sweet space lovin' to the women on board, all of whom, as nothing more than wish-fulfilment figures, can't resist whatever it is he's packing in his spacesuit.
Tau Zero is highly regarded by a lot of SF fans, possibly because it reasserted "traditional" SF virtues at the height of the New Wave era, possibly because it at least tries to have some characterisation and human interest, and possibly because Anderson was so widely liked in the SF world. To be fair, while he was never a great writer, he was far from negligible, and he wrote much that is better than this.
I read to the end with increasing annoyance but stuck with it because I was genuinely interested in what happened to the ship. I didn't care about the people on it though. Which is odd, because I'm not normally a huge fan of hard SF. So: five stars for the idea, one star for the characterisation, three stars as the halfway point between the two.
The trouble is, those implications are so far-reaching they don't really leave any room for a plot - they ARE the plot. Anderson correctly realised he needed some strong human interest to make this into a novel. Unfortunately, he wasn't up to the task of providing it. The weak characterisation, which comes as standard with a lot of SF, is more of a problem than usual because Anderson is trying so hard to avoid it, but failing so badly. The attempts at characterisation mainly come from dialogue rather than action, and said dialogue is among the most excruciatingly implausible you'll ever encounter (I kept hearing Tony Curtis, in Some Like It Hot, imploring "No-one talks like that!" as I read it). The cast speak in psychobabble paragraphs rather than demotic conversational language. And they all sound the same, so it's really hard to tell who's who. The only character who stands out at all is the hero, the ship's security chief Charles Reymont. Unfortunately, he's a Randian superman, or, in plain English, a complete eejit, and he causes irritation after irritation as he goes through his obligatory duties of demolishing straw man arguments and giving some sweet space lovin' to the women on board, all of whom, as nothing more than wish-fulfilment figures, can't resist whatever it is he's packing in his spacesuit.
Tau Zero is highly regarded by a lot of SF fans, possibly because it reasserted "traditional" SF virtues at the height of the New Wave era, possibly because it at least tries to have some characterisation and human interest, and possibly because Anderson was so widely liked in the SF world. To be fair, while he was never a great writer, he was far from negligible, and he wrote much that is better than this.
I read to the end with increasing annoyance but stuck with it because I was genuinely interested in what happened to the ship. I didn't care about the people on it though. Which is odd, because I'm not normally a huge fan of hard SF. So: five stars for the idea, one star for the characterisation, three stars as the halfway point between the two.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By S. James
Format:Paperback
'Tau Zero' achieves a very difficult task. This is a 'Hard' sci-fi book that bases a story upon what could be some confusing scientific ideas. Time dilation and relativity are the key ideas that propel the story. Were they presented in a way that was superfluous to the story, or incomprehensible to the reader, the book would flounder. Instead, it soars.
The crux of the plot is simple. A 'generation ship' a vessel full of families that will take several generations to reach it's destination, is sent to establish a colony on a distant planet. During the journey, there's an accident, and the ship is left unable to reduce it's speed. As the vessel accelerates, the time outside the ship speeds by faster and faster, meaning that days, months and eventually years pass in what the helpless crew would perceive as meer seconds. Unable to stop or get off the ship, the protagonists hurtle towards the edge of the universe, and the end of time itself.
Tau Zero is a success because it balances characterisation, scientific concepts, and a compelling plot perfectly. The story is more than a show-case for clever intellectualism and the drama as the crew resolve a problem only to face something much greater is superbly written. Anderson expertly portrays the fear, hope, despair, ingenuity and even tedium experienced by the heroes on their eon-spanning journey as the story heads towards an amazing, but credible ending.
If there's anything bad to say about the book, it's the rather tepid scene-setting at the start. But once the ship is underway and the plot properly kicks in, it's an utterly thrilling, white-knuckle ride that's as smart as it is entertaining.
I read it one sitting during a night-shift at work, and, ironicaly, didn't realise where the time had gone. A superb story.
The crux of the plot is simple. A 'generation ship' a vessel full of families that will take several generations to reach it's destination, is sent to establish a colony on a distant planet. During the journey, there's an accident, and the ship is left unable to reduce it's speed. As the vessel accelerates, the time outside the ship speeds by faster and faster, meaning that days, months and eventually years pass in what the helpless crew would perceive as meer seconds. Unable to stop or get off the ship, the protagonists hurtle towards the edge of the universe, and the end of time itself.
Tau Zero is a success because it balances characterisation, scientific concepts, and a compelling plot perfectly. The story is more than a show-case for clever intellectualism and the drama as the crew resolve a problem only to face something much greater is superbly written. Anderson expertly portrays the fear, hope, despair, ingenuity and even tedium experienced by the heroes on their eon-spanning journey as the story heads towards an amazing, but credible ending.
If there's anything bad to say about the book, it's the rather tepid scene-setting at the start. But once the ship is underway and the plot properly kicks in, it's an utterly thrilling, white-knuckle ride that's as smart as it is entertaining.
I read it one sitting during a night-shift at work, and, ironicaly, didn't realise where the time had gone. A superb story.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 56 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A thought-provoking read
Tau Zero is a book that focuses heavily on very serious themes, such as the will to survive and disconnection from the world around oneself. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Brendan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Sci-fi, still though provoking
I've read a couple of Poul Anderson novels, such as Jem and Man-Plus. This is by far the hardest Sci-Fi I can recall reading from him, although he does touch upon it similar... Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Doyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Awe dwelt beneath the prosaic words
The blurb on the back of Poul Anderson's 'Tau Zero' lauds it simply as, 'the ultimate hard science fiction novel'. Read more
Published 9 months ago by the messenger
4.0 out of 5 stars
But a speck in the distance...
This book explores the twin paradox and the related psychological and philosophical questions a faster than light journey raises:
- What would you do knowing you will... Read more
- What would you do knowing you will... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Matthew Gwynne
5.0 out of 5 stars
A scifi masterpiece that you won't want to forget
My mission to get to know some of the masters of science fiction continues and although it's barely begun I consider myself very fortunate to have read Poul Anderson's Tao Zero. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Kate
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book but...
..don't buy this particular incarnation. The book looked as if it had been produced on a 30-year old inkjet printer which was on it's last legs using ink that was even older. Read more
Published on 6 May 2011 by I. D. Bell
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good read but that's about it...
I enjoyed reading the book but would not recommend it as the best sci-fi book on the market. The characters lack depth and on the whole, the plot is a bit far-fetched.
Published on 14 Nov 2010 by Mr. David Queva
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is an equation.
What happens when your spaceship reaches the speed of light and you can't slow down? This book is excellently-written, and conveys the claustrophobia and terror of the characters... Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2010 by HeecheeRendezvous
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good old-fashioned space adventure
Poul Anderson uses the real scientific concept of time dilation at high speeds to create an interesting human conflict. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2010 by Humphrey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
This book is really a brilliant read. From the very start it draws you into the world in which the characters live, from moments of joy to the deepest depths of despair. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2010 by Mr. Smeaton
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
