Scan barcode
ailsahatton's review against another edition
5.0
I'm five starring this just for how unexpectedly clever and good it was. It covers a lot of ground for such a short read, and has some really interesting things to say about religion, utopian worlds and the way people and society work in general.
For a book that I definitely read because of the phrase 'Nathan Brazil found himself companioned by a batman, an amorous female centaur and a mermaid', I really got a lot out of this. And still enjoyable for the reasons I went into it in the first place, so, expectedly great AND unexpectedly great, A++.
For a book that I definitely read because of the phrase 'Nathan Brazil found himself companioned by a batman, an amorous female centaur and a mermaid', I really got a lot out of this. And still enjoyable for the reasons I went into it in the first place, so, expectedly great AND unexpectedly great, A++.
telerit's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely a SF book from the 70s. The concept was interesting, but the book lacked something and I can't articulate it.
smiorganbaldhead's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading the book. The setting was very interesting and imaginative, and the plot kept me intrigued. I also liked the backstory about the Markovians and their search for meaning and purpose. I was somewhat disappointed by the ending, otherwise I might have given it 5/5. I didn’t mind the big reveal, which made sense to me given the themes of the book. However, the handing out of karma at the end felt corny. Still an entertaining read, and the ending didn’t ruin it for me. I’ll probably try the next book in this series.
torturedfiber's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
haartless's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bonnienoire's review
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Like reading someone else's dnd campaign. It was enjoyable, but in a superficially fun way.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Violence
michaellouisdixon's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book and will probably read more titles from this series.
I only gave it three stars because, even though I liked it, there really wasn't anything about the story that made me excited enough to say I "really" liked it.
If you enjoy a good old fashioned Fantasy/Science Fiction quest then I think you'll enjoy this book.
I only gave it three stars because, even though I liked it, there really wasn't anything about the story that made me excited enough to say I "really" liked it.
If you enjoy a good old fashioned Fantasy/Science Fiction quest then I think you'll enjoy this book.
cassandragraph's review against another edition
The premise of the Well world was fascinating, but the writing was meh and the descriptions of certain female characters made me cringe (like dude, boobs are not a personality trait you don’t need to continually mention them). I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and found I was just listening for the narrator’s voice.
trike's review against another edition
5.0
Two sections, non-spoiler then spoiler.
———
I loved this book when it first came out in 1977. I was 12 and had just seen Star Wars. I’ve just reread it after 37 years and I still like it. I’m kind of amazed at how much of it I remembered. It’s clunkier overall but still pretty great.
The whole concept is brilliant: a race of beings attains godhood by mastering reality and they look around and ask, “Is this it?” It’s the ultimate metaphor for consumer culture, but also for attaining your goals. Once you have all you need and you get what you want, you find the empty place is still unfilled. These creatures had utter mastery over the universe, over all space and time. Yet they felt something was lacking.
So these immortal, omnipotent, omniscient creatures — called Markovians by the humans who discovered their abandoned worlds — decided to start over. They built the Well World to experiment with different types of creatures, creating thousands upon thousands of different alien races. Once those races were proved viable, they then created planets with evolutionary histories that would result in the designed creatures. The Markovians would then volunteer to live the rest of their mortal lives as these aliens, to see if the new variations might uncover that missing spark which left the Markovians spiritually bereft.
The last 1560 races created were left on the Well World once all the volunteers had gone out into the new universe. Each race has a hexagonal homeland, called a hex, that is designed specifically for them. Lizard people live in a volcanic hex; mermaids live in a water hex; centaurs live in a pastoral hex; etc. Every kind of creature imaginable populated the Well World, leading to endless opportunity for stories about different societies. Giant spiders, bat-like peoples, insects, yeti, talking beavers, plant people — some fiercely individual, some having a hive mind, some densely populated, some sparsely. The variety is endless. It’s basically the cantina scene from Star Wars with an unlimited budget.
And that’s just in the Southern Hemisphere, which is reserved for carbon-based life. In the northern hemisphere live truly bizarre creatures. Some that resemble floating paint smears. Energy beings who have a symbiotic relationship. Mobile rocks. Intelligent sparkles. Sentient crystals. The Markovians didn’t know what the missing ingredient might be, so they covered all the bases.
The Well World itself is a giant planet-sized computer that keeps the entire universe running. And all of this is just the concept. It’s one of the coolest in sci-fi that I’ve ever encountered.
The Well World from space:
The story is a basic quest. Two people have figured out the underlying mathematical key that the Markovians used to control everything. One is the genius cloned product of an authoritarian world while the other is a brilliant but monomaniacal researcher who will stop at nothing to uncover the Markovian secret, and he despises these cloned communal humans, willing even to commit mass murder. They each understand enough to give commands to Markovian computers, but neither is evolved enough to be trusted with that power.
But the thing is, the gates the Markovians used to in their experiment to populate the universe are still out there. Every so often someone will blunder into one of those gates and be transported to the Well World. It’s a one-way trip. Once you get there, you are given a basic overview of the place and then sent through the gate which connects to all the hexes. The Well master computer sizes you up and then determines which hex you would be best suited for, changing you into one of those creatures. You will feel totally natural in that body (it controls every aspect of the universe, so this bit is trivial) and you can understand the language and you’re given a young, fresh body. The ultimate do-over. If you wake up a six-armed walrus-snake (that’s a real species on the Well World, called Uliks: https://images.app.goo.gl/mFZPw81REzB5Hcsy9), it’s fine. That new body will feel perfectly normal to you.
The problem now, however, is that those two guys who have figured out how to get Markovian computers to do what they want have now been transported to the Well World. They each want to access the master computer and remake the universe as they see fit. So the race is on.
One thing SF is prone to is infodumps. I typically don’t mind them but I appreciate when they’re done well. Here they can be as clunky or as smooth as needed because every time someone wakes up in a new body in an unfamiliar hex they have to ask around to figure exactly what they are and how things work. Some of them have things fully explained to them while others have to figure it out on the fly. Chalker gets to use a variety of infodump styles because his concept is so flexible.
Because there is a computer running everything, that concept even allows for what appears to be magic. It’s a form of Hard Fantasy because what seems to be magic is really just creatures being able to tap into the Well World computer and altering local mathematical equations to effect change. That’s what is so brilliant about the concept: it allows for every cool thing in the SFF genre, from teleportation to precognition to magical spells. The whole lot is just being able to hack the math that runs the universe.
The concept also allows for both evolution and intelligent design. The Markovians evolved naturally, but their creations didn’t. As with allowing for things like FTL and magic, Chalker’s universe is a very “eat your cake and have it too” situation. Ingenious.
Chalker said that his inspiration was the mystery of the missing Krell from the classic film Forbidden Planet. He used it as a jumping-off point for his tale of the mighty Markovians and their planet-sized computers. This scene in particular: https://youtu.be/HHXfMjp2zqI but also a bit of this: https://youtu.be/f2BYyeS-fIU You can see how Chalker took that idea and ran with it.
Spoiler section:
Fortunately the Well World is smarter than the scattered planetary computers and arranges for the last surviving Markovian to come fix this mess. Enter Nathan Brazil, diminutive Jewish captain of a freighter plying his wares between planets. Back in the day I pictured Brazil being played by Dustin Hoffman, just to give you a visual. Hoffman is too old now, but there are plenty of younger actors who could do the job.
Brazil variously claims that he’s the last Markovian, that he’s God, the one who created the Markovians, and that he’s no one in particular. There’s no way to tell. But what’s known for sure is that the Well recognizes him as its controller, transforming him into a Markovian, which looks like a giant slime-covered human heart with six tentacles and who smells like rotten meat. And he is millions of years old. So he might be a little crazy. And able to change literally anything in the universe.
When he passes judgement on the various people who accompany him into the Well control center, you kinda hope he’ll be a Just and merciful god, but it’s by no means certain. I was super relieved that he is, ultimately, a good guy, who practices fair play and is rational despite everything.
Putting three passengers on Brazil’s ship, Chalker gets to fill out the political system of his universe. Vardia is a clone diplomatic courier whose mind is erased after each mission. Datham Hain is a drug dealer who is a minor functionary of an interstellar cartel which is using an alien plant to control the leaders of numerous worlds. Wu Julee is Hain’s sex slave and sample to others; a living, desperate example of someone forcibly addicted to a drug that destroys your higher brain functions if you aren’t given the antidote.
The clone worlds are basically communism taken to its logical conclusion. Hain and his ilk are corrupt capitalism pushed to its extreme. The underlying message is cynical: every political persuasion and society is rotten to the core, because the Markovians were spiritually bankrupt, and they are the source of everyone everywhere.
But Nathan, sweet, sad, cynical Nathan, he’s the exception that proves the rule. He cares. He cares so much that it physically hurts him. He hopes for the best but expects the worst. I completely identify with Nathan Brazil, probably more than with any other character I’ve ever encountered.
In the original paperback, it runs 360 pages. When we first encounter Brazil, he’s grumpily transporting his three passengers and a cargo of grain to a planet that’s suffered a cataclysmic food crash. Vardia is unaware it’s being used as a tool to assert political and economic influence over the planet in exchange for the grain supplies while Hain is on a mission to take over the planet’s rulers for his drug cartel. After everything is said and done, Brazil is back on his ship by himself while everyone else has had their deserved fates meted our to them. The last lines are, “He sighed a long, sad sigh. The memories would fade but the ache would remain. Whatever becomes of the others or this little corner of the universe, he thought, I’m still Nathan Brazil. Fifteen days out, bound for Coriolanus with a load of grain. Still waiting. Still caring. Still alone.” He ends up exactly where he began, a perfect 360-degree return. It’s heartbreakingly perfect.
Again, Chalker’s concept covers all the bases. The people who deserve happy endings get them. The ones who deserve punishment get that, too. And Nathan exists in endless limbo, perpetually hoping but always alone. Hollywood ending but also not. Love it.
I never could imagine how this might be pulled off as a TV series, but now with Avatar and the Marvel movies showing the way, this could be accomplished with CGI. It’d be expensive but man it would be epic.
———
I loved this book when it first came out in 1977. I was 12 and had just seen Star Wars. I’ve just reread it after 37 years and I still like it. I’m kind of amazed at how much of it I remembered. It’s clunkier overall but still pretty great.
The whole concept is brilliant: a race of beings attains godhood by mastering reality and they look around and ask, “Is this it?” It’s the ultimate metaphor for consumer culture, but also for attaining your goals. Once you have all you need and you get what you want, you find the empty place is still unfilled. These creatures had utter mastery over the universe, over all space and time. Yet they felt something was lacking.
So these immortal, omnipotent, omniscient creatures — called Markovians by the humans who discovered their abandoned worlds — decided to start over. They built the Well World to experiment with different types of creatures, creating thousands upon thousands of different alien races. Once those races were proved viable, they then created planets with evolutionary histories that would result in the designed creatures. The Markovians would then volunteer to live the rest of their mortal lives as these aliens, to see if the new variations might uncover that missing spark which left the Markovians spiritually bereft.
The last 1560 races created were left on the Well World once all the volunteers had gone out into the new universe. Each race has a hexagonal homeland, called a hex, that is designed specifically for them. Lizard people live in a volcanic hex; mermaids live in a water hex; centaurs live in a pastoral hex; etc. Every kind of creature imaginable populated the Well World, leading to endless opportunity for stories about different societies. Giant spiders, bat-like peoples, insects, yeti, talking beavers, plant people — some fiercely individual, some having a hive mind, some densely populated, some sparsely. The variety is endless. It’s basically the cantina scene from Star Wars with an unlimited budget.
And that’s just in the Southern Hemisphere, which is reserved for carbon-based life. In the northern hemisphere live truly bizarre creatures. Some that resemble floating paint smears. Energy beings who have a symbiotic relationship. Mobile rocks. Intelligent sparkles. Sentient crystals. The Markovians didn’t know what the missing ingredient might be, so they covered all the bases.
The Well World itself is a giant planet-sized computer that keeps the entire universe running. And all of this is just the concept. It’s one of the coolest in sci-fi that I’ve ever encountered.
The Well World from space:
The story is a basic quest. Two people have figured out the underlying mathematical key that the Markovians used to control everything. One is the genius cloned product of an authoritarian world while the other is a brilliant but monomaniacal researcher who will stop at nothing to uncover the Markovian secret, and he despises these cloned communal humans, willing even to commit mass murder. They each understand enough to give commands to Markovian computers, but neither is evolved enough to be trusted with that power.
But the thing is, the gates the Markovians used to in their experiment to populate the universe are still out there. Every so often someone will blunder into one of those gates and be transported to the Well World. It’s a one-way trip. Once you get there, you are given a basic overview of the place and then sent through the gate which connects to all the hexes. The Well master computer sizes you up and then determines which hex you would be best suited for, changing you into one of those creatures. You will feel totally natural in that body (it controls every aspect of the universe, so this bit is trivial) and you can understand the language and you’re given a young, fresh body. The ultimate do-over. If you wake up a six-armed walrus-snake (that’s a real species on the Well World, called Uliks: https://images.app.goo.gl/mFZPw81REzB5Hcsy9), it’s fine. That new body will feel perfectly normal to you.
The problem now, however, is that those two guys who have figured out how to get Markovian computers to do what they want have now been transported to the Well World. They each want to access the master computer and remake the universe as they see fit. So the race is on.
One thing SF is prone to is infodumps. I typically don’t mind them but I appreciate when they’re done well. Here they can be as clunky or as smooth as needed because every time someone wakes up in a new body in an unfamiliar hex they have to ask around to figure exactly what they are and how things work. Some of them have things fully explained to them while others have to figure it out on the fly. Chalker gets to use a variety of infodump styles because his concept is so flexible.
Because there is a computer running everything, that concept even allows for what appears to be magic. It’s a form of Hard Fantasy because what seems to be magic is really just creatures being able to tap into the Well World computer and altering local mathematical equations to effect change. That’s what is so brilliant about the concept: it allows for every cool thing in the SFF genre, from teleportation to precognition to magical spells. The whole lot is just being able to hack the math that runs the universe.
The concept also allows for both evolution and intelligent design. The Markovians evolved naturally, but their creations didn’t. As with allowing for things like FTL and magic, Chalker’s universe is a very “eat your cake and have it too” situation. Ingenious.
Chalker said that his inspiration was the mystery of the missing Krell from the classic film Forbidden Planet. He used it as a jumping-off point for his tale of the mighty Markovians and their planet-sized computers. This scene in particular: https://youtu.be/HHXfMjp2zqI but also a bit of this: https://youtu.be/f2BYyeS-fIU You can see how Chalker took that idea and ran with it.
Spoiler section:
Spoiler
So the two smart guys are investigating a Markovian world and because they have a basic understanding of the math, the Markovian planet-brain they’re standing on recognizes their desire and the local gate transports them to the Well World. This is very bad, since they have the ability to figure out how to give commands to the computer that runs everything, which means they can commit genocide on a universal scale by remaking the whole shebang.Fortunately the Well World is smarter than the scattered planetary computers and arranges for the last surviving Markovian to come fix this mess. Enter Nathan Brazil, diminutive Jewish captain of a freighter plying his wares between planets. Back in the day I pictured Brazil being played by Dustin Hoffman, just to give you a visual. Hoffman is too old now, but there are plenty of younger actors who could do the job.
Brazil variously claims that he’s the last Markovian, that he’s God, the one who created the Markovians, and that he’s no one in particular. There’s no way to tell. But what’s known for sure is that the Well recognizes him as its controller, transforming him into a Markovian, which looks like a giant slime-covered human heart with six tentacles and who smells like rotten meat. And he is millions of years old. So he might be a little crazy. And able to change literally anything in the universe.
When he passes judgement on the various people who accompany him into the Well control center, you kinda hope he’ll be a Just and merciful god, but it’s by no means certain. I was super relieved that he is, ultimately, a good guy, who practices fair play and is rational despite everything.
Putting three passengers on Brazil’s ship, Chalker gets to fill out the political system of his universe. Vardia is a clone diplomatic courier whose mind is erased after each mission. Datham Hain is a drug dealer who is a minor functionary of an interstellar cartel which is using an alien plant to control the leaders of numerous worlds. Wu Julee is Hain’s sex slave and sample to others; a living, desperate example of someone forcibly addicted to a drug that destroys your higher brain functions if you aren’t given the antidote.
The clone worlds are basically communism taken to its logical conclusion. Hain and his ilk are corrupt capitalism pushed to its extreme. The underlying message is cynical: every political persuasion and society is rotten to the core, because the Markovians were spiritually bankrupt, and they are the source of everyone everywhere.
But Nathan, sweet, sad, cynical Nathan, he’s the exception that proves the rule. He cares. He cares so much that it physically hurts him. He hopes for the best but expects the worst. I completely identify with Nathan Brazil, probably more than with any other character I’ve ever encountered.
In the original paperback, it runs 360 pages. When we first encounter Brazil, he’s grumpily transporting his three passengers and a cargo of grain to a planet that’s suffered a cataclysmic food crash. Vardia is unaware it’s being used as a tool to assert political and economic influence over the planet in exchange for the grain supplies while Hain is on a mission to take over the planet’s rulers for his drug cartel. After everything is said and done, Brazil is back on his ship by himself while everyone else has had their deserved fates meted our to them. The last lines are, “He sighed a long, sad sigh. The memories would fade but the ache would remain. Whatever becomes of the others or this little corner of the universe, he thought, I’m still Nathan Brazil. Fifteen days out, bound for Coriolanus with a load of grain. Still waiting. Still caring. Still alone.” He ends up exactly where he began, a perfect 360-degree return. It’s heartbreakingly perfect.
Again, Chalker’s concept covers all the bases. The people who deserve happy endings get them. The ones who deserve punishment get that, too. And Nathan exists in endless limbo, perpetually hoping but always alone. Hollywood ending but also not. Love it.
I never could imagine how this might be pulled off as a TV series, but now with Avatar and the Marvel movies showing the way, this could be accomplished with CGI. It’d be expensive but man it would be epic.