Destiny's Road

ISBN: 0-812-51106-9 Order from: Amazon.com

An episodic and somewhat choppy plot of adventures used to describe interesting social and biological conditions is fascinating in places, but fails to generate a consistent sense of interest in the hero or the society.

Reviewed by David on August 01, 1999

Genre: Science Fiction (Regressed Colony, Biology)

Synopsis: Destiny is a colony founded at great expense by the strained Earth. Unfortunately, the colony has suffered from the dereliction of its starship, as well as subtle but deadly nutrition problems. Generations later, the society is still holding together, but at a low and precarious technological level.

Jemmy Bloocher, a young boy living in the Spiral Town, dreams of planetary exploration. When a tragic fight forces him to flee his home, he starts on the road of exploration, frequently as a fugitive. As years pass, Jemmy finds out about the fragmented societies surviving on Destiny, as well as the secretive merchants who hold the fragile civilization together with superior firearms and a stranglehold on vital food suplpements.

Full Review: Niven has always been a good storyteller, and this book proves that he continues to be one. He also has a fascination, and a knack, for describing how humans can evolve in strange environments, usually by using solid and plausible scientific speculation.

The problem with this book is lack of emotional continuity. While this may well be reflective of real life, in books one prefers a plot which maintains tension and leads in a consistent direction. In this one, Jemmy has a number of adventures, including several interesting but somehow emotionally flat romantic ones. While lack of sentimentality is a benfit, the lack of emotional involvement makes for lack of sympathy. In addition, the main character seems to go through several phases of brief struggle followed by long periods of stagnation.

While an interesting exploration of a society in unusual circumstances, this novel lacks the emotional impact that comes from deep sympathy or antipathy that more exciting books are able to invoke towards characters or societies.

Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6.5;

ISBN: 0-812-51106-9 Order from: Amazon.com