The Last Starship from Earth

The Last Starship From Earth (1968) by John Boyd Upchurch - 182 pages - rating: 8/10 What do you get when a Poet, Historian, Social Critic and Scholar of Literature decides to write the classic Science Fiction story ? You get The Last Starship From Earth. I must be honest and tell you that I almost quit reading this novel after the first 60 or 70 pages. It seemed nothing more than word games and poetic gobbledy goop. By the end of the fifth chapter nothing of any interest or consequence was happening or had happened. The author seemed more intent on demonstrating his vocabulary. Then suddenly the story takes off and I couldn't stop reading it. Many classical science fiction themes are incorporated effectively and intelligently into the ensuing plot which will go places I guarantee you will not expect but will thoroughly enjoy ! Claus Kellermann 2006 April 17 [email protected]

John Boyd wrote that his ideal reader "should have the mentality of a Southern stock-car racer, be a Baptist with a sense of detachment, have a well-developed sense of the absurd, and be fascinated with the quirks and accomplishments of the human animal." His dystopian novel, The Last Starship from Earth, is witty, intelligent, playful, subtle, ingenious, and evocative. I've read it many times over the last twenty years. Boyd's later books, although interesting, never equalled this debut effort, which was very well received when it came out in 1968. I guess you're only as good as your last movie, book, etc. A unique sensibility, nonetheless.

I picked up a copy of this book because it looked like it would appeal to me as a nice piece of 1960's pulp scifi. And while this book had a light pulp feel to it, the story surprised me quite a bit. This is definitely a fun book to read through, and is one that you can read through more than once and get a different perspective each time. Pick up the book, it's a lesser known jewel of the science fiction genre.

The writing is brilliant, both intellectual and concise, poetic and awesome, and consistently brief in words that are long in meaning or unusual in definition. The story is extremely well-woven and fun. Use your dictionary for greater enjoyment! This work easily stands among the best-of-all-time science fiction writers and stories, and once read will be remembered with them. My question is: Who is/was John Boyd and where is a list of all of his science fiction publications, together with a bibliography of the author?

This is one of teh best and most thoughtful science fiction books I've ever red. But its very self-conscious, so if you dont like science sci-fi, steer well clear