Dark Beyond Star

I'm a periodic sci-fi reader and must be interested to finish a book in this genre. This met my needs--a thrilling page-turner that's a fine blend of sci-fi (without too much science) and suspense. I heard about this after finding it was a Lambda award winner in 1991. After reading it, I'm surprised it won a "gay" award--though that occurs in the book, it's in the context of how all of society feels. I wouldn't call it a "gay" novel. The story is of 17-year-old Sparrow, who, after an accident, has no memories. He's on a ship called the Astron, which has been in space for centuries looking for other life. As others and events begin to seem vaguely familiar, he discovers a secret movement aboard--some want to go back to earth. They've been to hundreds of planets and found nothing and believe earth truly is the only source of life. Things are at a crisis point now. They must enter the "dark," a part of space where there are no planets to explore. After they will pass through it (which will take a whopping 100 generations), they will enter an area of more planets to explore. This story kept me gripped, and the main character and other characters were well-drawn. I was surprised at the level of sophistication in the characterization. Fine points usually found only in literary novels make the characters a rich tapestry. The spaceship environment seems likely and real. Apparently Frank M. Robinson has not written a lot of sci-fi, but I am sure to read the rest of his books.

I read "The Dark Beyond the Stars" shortly after its original publication in 1991 and was blown away by it at the time. I lost track of both the name and the author, but the plot stayed with me. Thanks to Google, I've rediscovered the bibliographic details and plan to reread the book in the near future.This book is an engrossing piece of SF that blends many disparate elements into a coherent whole. It takes place on a decaying generations ship whose mission has been to search for sentient life. Robinson ably depicts the necessities of life in such a closed environment, but he also uses them as a backdrop against which to spin out other themes--the protagonist's search for identity, the captain's obsession with the mission and his endangerment of the crew, plus portrayals of love, friendship, rivalry, competition, and above all, loneliness. The many plot twists and reversals make "The Dark Beyond the Stars" an exciting read, but what lingers afterwards is the humanity of its characters and their sense of aloneness in a big, dark universe.

This is a beautifully-told, fascinating story that begins in a fairly straightforward, but enjoyable, direction and takes several 180-degree turns--moments that make you say, "Yes! That's exactly how it has to happen! And yet I had no idea that *that* was going on!" I love it when authors can do that. The best advice that my old creative writing professor gave us was that the ending of a story should be "surprising yet inevitable." Robinson does an incredible job of accomplishing that very thing, not once but *twice*.One caveat: Do not read this book just because it is a Lambda Literary Award winner, and do not pay attention to the note on the back that claims it is "a powerful epic of interstellar travel, alternate sexuality, and overpowering obsession." The so-called "alternate sexuality" is a *very* minor aspect of the book, and it is really closer to what I would call "normal" (i.e. people are generally bisexual--although even in this case, there are conspicuously few gay pairs). Nevertheless, it is a beautiful, enthralling story that I couldn't put down, and I urge everyone to get their hands on a copy.

DBTS is one of the more fascinating sci-fi novels I've ever read (and I've read hundreds). One of the things I love most about it is that in a very short novel, Robinson manages to develop a really well-rounded protagonist, while still leaving plenty for you to think about on your own. The story line is great and while there are many interesting and unexpected plot turns, they all end up making sense and furthering the story (unlike some plot devices used as red-herrings). Another thing about this book that's so fabulous is that it plays with alternate lifestyles and human relationships very convincingly. I can't give many details without possibly ruining your pleaseure, so just get a copy of this great novel and enjoy.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The Dark Beyond The Stars made me think about what it means to have LIFE. This is a beautiful book whose ending brought tears to my eyes. It is a book not just about life, but also about death. I enjoyed the first person narration as well as the author's pacing and resolution. I love books that make you think and this was one whose primary question I will think about perhaps for the rest of my life. The Dark Beyond The Stars made an impact on me and I think that any authors greatest achievement. Simply a powerful novel. It is ashame that works like this share the same genre with campy sciece fiction "thrillers". Robinson's Sparrow was as good for me as Zelazny's Corwin (Amber) or Wolfe's Severian (Shadow). The story stays with Sparrow and never drifts so you can latch onto Sparrow and enjoy the read.