Space Visitor

James Blish (1970) praised Mack Reynolds for his sophisticated political and economic view of the world, but he deplored Reynolds' style of writing. The criticism is not unwarranted. And I will note that later critics of Reynolds will frequently give his books a split rating: high marks for their content but low marks for literacy. Mack Reynolds was an ex-soldier and mercenary, a self-described maverick socialist, a globe-trotting journalist, and a political gadfly. Reynold's _Space Visitor_ (1977) is an average science fiction suspenser. The novel opens with a scene with five characters from different countries, with a variety of national and racial prejudices, engaged in a game of liar's dice. Enter a sixth character, Werner Brecht, who delivers a bombshell announcement to the group: Several years ago, he discovered the remains of a high-tech, alien spaceship. All of a sudden, _everybody_ wants to get their hands on the spaceship. But Brecht won't reveal its location for a very simple reason: he says that Earth is not yet civilized enough to deal with this discovery. And as we watch more and more of the other characters in action, we begin to suspect that Brecht may have a point. There are a number of twists and turns before all is resolved, but the plot is a touch on the predictable side. The novel is not quite in the same league as the author's _Rolltown_ (1976), _The Five-Way Secret Agent_ (1969), _Space Barbarians_ (1969), or _Looking Backward from the Year 2000_ (1973). But it fits in comfortably with _Galactic Medal of Honor_ (1976), _Space Pioneer_ (1966), and _Of Godlike Power_ (1966). It challenges us to think a bit about our own prejudices and blind spots.