Destination Void

I don't even mind the 80s art but it's annoying when I specifically tried to get the 60s art. I feel tricked.

Destination: Void is an excellent novel by Frank Herbert. It explores some very deep and interesting concepts, such as consciousness. Although It may be tough to get through, It is definately worth the effort. What makes it tough to get through at times is the technobabble, but if you don't pay too much attention to it, you'll be just fine. The copy I read was an older one, that had no separation of the text (i.e. chapters) and that along with the deepness of the book gave me many headaches, but I wouldn't change that for anything. As for the end of the novel, it completely blew my mind. I can say with confidence that the ending was probably the best I've ever read. I highly recommend this novel, as well as its sequel The Jesus Incident.

Destination: Void is perhaps my favorite Frank Herbert novel. Mind-blowing dialog discusses the nature of consciousness while the action unfolds at a lively pace. The description of computer circuits seems at once arcane (reflecting the 1966 publish date) but strangely fresh and compelling. Somehow, Herbert's extrapolation from 1960's computing machinery makes the computers more entertaining and more tangible (there are lots of wires and flashing lights instead of chips, for instance). Additionally, Herbert's characters have their own realistic-sounding mathematical jargon that makes it fun to try to understand what they are saying. In this respect, it reminds me of the descriptions of the math of "psychohistory" in Asimov's Foundation.The real strength of the book, though, is the constant narrative and ruminations on thoughts of artificial intelligence and consciousness (and fortunately Mr. Herbert only indulged himself with an expected but brief discussion of "consciousness-expanding" drugs in a subplot!)

I happened to come upon a yellowed, 75 cent copy of Destination: Void while browsing through a used book store. The title intrigued me and I was familiar with Herbert's writings so I bought it. When I finally got around to reading it-- I was amazed! It followed a storyline that seemed, at first, to be a cliche sci-fi plot of colony-ship-meets-computer-intelligence, but emerged as an incredible tale. It is, I must admit, a bit technical. Jargon and concepts from computer programming and other areas of science were prevalent, but could be understood from context without an extensive scientific background. Aside from all that, the dialogue between the four primary characters developed into a discussion on the nature and origin of intelligence, religion, and life itself. No new age factless speculation here: arguments were carried out on a firm and cogent level palatable to academics of all sorts. I firmly recommend this book to any mature person who wishes to investigate what it is we mean when we say we are 'conscious'.

Having glanced at the reader reviews "Destination: Void" has collected so far, I cannot pass by on the other side. True, it is 30 years since I read it in college. But it is still among the best ten books I have ever read - and I have read many thousands since then. The difficulty is that it is deliberately aimed at a rather limited audience. In a world of commercialism run wild, this is refreshing indeed.Herbert does not complicate matters wilfully, but on the other hand he makes no concessions whatsoever to his readers' ignorance. He assumes that they are interested both in technology and in the problems of existence, consciousness and religion. There should be plenty of people like that out there, right? Maybe they are all too busy doing useful work to read SF novels!The upside is that Herbert is a real expert, and even allowing for the 30 years that have elapsed (a huge chasm in terms of technical progress) this book is vastly superior to the schlock that passes for SF today. The Tin Egg has the authentic feel of an experimental interstellar spaceship, whereas starship Enterprise is basically a flying playpen.As for the science, it isn't too clear just where the facts leave off and the fiction sets in - and that is good, too. Suffice it to say that we still aren't any closer to cracking artificial intelligence yet, let alone artificial consciousness. (See Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" for another approach to the latter). So Herbert's speculations have hardly dated at all.Personally, I rate "Destination: Void" as Herbert's best book, ahead of Dune, The Dragon in the Sea (Under Pressure), Dune Messiah, and The Dosadi Experiment. A matter of taste, I guess.

Sure this book isn't gonna challenge anything by Michael Crichton in the excitement/suspense category, but that's not what Herbert is going for. This is an INTROSPECTIVE novel. It's about the interaction between three minds that barely even leave a single room.If you want dinosaurs and car chases go somewhere else. If you want to expand your mind then read this. Obviously the addition of Ransom in the works that continue this saga was meant to make them more "User Friendly" ah well, what are you gonna do?