Void Capt Tale

Do not make the mistake of thinking The Void Captain's Tale is science fiction. It is not. Yes, the entire novel takes place off the ground, in spacegoing vessels. But this novel is an exploration of the universe not in terms of its physicality but in terms of its ultimate essence, i.e. the great unknown. Why exactly have we never found other civilizations? What lies beyond the limits of knowability? What is the "Great and Only"? It is also a disturbing story of a man's incomprehensible drive toward self-destruction, and a morality tale like I have never before encountered. I'm not a writer (but Spinrad is, and he's amazing), so don't expect this mini-review to even begin to adequately describe how I feel about this book. It's not an easy read - it takes work to get through it, and understand it. But what rewarding work it is! I have read (parts of) a couple other of Spinrad's works. They were OK. This one is different, way different and way better. I will go out on a limb and describe The Void Captain's Tale in a way I rarely describe anything. In my opinion, it is Great Literature. Don't miss it.

Transcendence is no simple affair. It's certainly no literal matter. Religions try to manipulate our impulses to transcendence but religions are easy to refute because they reek of human inventiveness but try so hard to hide that. And religious tales of transcendence are full of holes, so instead belief is demanded and submission to the authority of a few is encouraged. To the contrary, Spinrad's tale of transcendence, however fantastic, is not readily dismissed. It lingers, having pointed directly at the human dilemma, being torn between what's practical and what our hearts really long for. But Sprinrad is no scripture writer, no temple is erected, and yet every reader can be enpowered. Who needs a contrived God when anyone can look out at the stars and feel overwhelmed by the Void, when everyone's heart feels ready to make the Blind Jump? ... Did you jump? The others seem to have forgotten. But Void Pilot Dominique Alia Wu is not to be forgotten. Can you captain the Void? This remarkable book with intoxicating language may help you answer that.

In this novel of the "Second Starfaring Age", Norman Spinrad has us on the starship Dragon Zephyr, a ship that instantaneously jumps from point to point in it's travels between star systems, covering several light years with each jump. The pilot of the ship (always a female) is an integral part of the jump circuit, and she enters a seemingly subjective state of ecstasy during these jumps. Captain Genro Kane Gupta becomes infatuated with the pilot and this leads to a terrible conundrum. In addition, there are also many passengers on this starship, and they lead a life of luxury in a complicated cultural and erotic lifestyle. The emotional lives of the crewmen and passengers are meticulously detailed by Spinrad, this being a well done and positive aspect of the novel, lending support to a superbly structured plot. My only criticism is that I felt that Spinrad used a convoluted sentence structure much of the time, that coupled with frequent use of arcane words really did make this novel a chore to read, at least for me. Overall though, well worth reading.

I have to admit that when I first started Spinrad's novel I found the tone and the use of so many foriegn words pretentious and irritating. However, a third or half way through, I was hooked; Spinrad's description of the human relationship that develops between the captain and the unique pilot, and of the tension the captain feels between his duty and his obsessive lust for the transcendent experience the pilot opens his eyes too, are compelling. Spinrad creates a strange alien setting, but uses it to describe emotions and dilemmas that are timeless and universal, with which most readers should be able to identify.

Dragon Zephyr Void Captain Genro Kane Gupta delivers goods and passengers to Estrella Bonita. During a stop Genro meets beautiful Dominique Alia Wu. The woman is a shocker because she is a jump pilot. Everyone knows that jump pilots are physically wasted, as they are the keys to interstellar jumps that each time kills them a little more. This makes Dominique an enigma. Dominique asks Genro to jump blind. His failing to set the proper navigational mix will free her so that she lands in eternal ecstasy inside the Void. Fascinated by her, he leans towards neglecting his duty to his crew, passengers and himself because no one knows what will happen if a ship jumps blind. Though at times the use of "modern vernacular" slows down the story line because the reader needs time to interpret, THE VOID CAPTAIN'S TALE remains a strong science fiction novel. The theme compares sexual prowess with power and the hold that sexual needs have on humans (Freud must have been a passenger on the Dragon Zephyr). The tale is different, but works on several levels because readers can feel the magnetic tension between the Void Captain and the Void Pilot. First released in the 1980s Norman Spinrad's novel still spins quite a tale...