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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Fourth time reading Clement, and at this point I know what I'm getting. Camaraderie between human and alien, extreme physical environments, "plot" as a series of physics/chemistry/engineering puzzles.
Mesklin is a unique setting, at least. A lozenge of a planet, with 3 Earth gravities at the equator, grading to 700 at the poles. The Mesklinites are thus terrified of heights, as even a fall of an inch is enough to kill them, and the concepts of "throwing" and "jumping" are alien to them. Clement gets a lot of mileage out of this concept, as he's worked out the physics and chemistry of this world, and how beings would live in it. The planet spins so rapidly that days last less than 10 minutes, thus the Mesklinites have no diurnal cycle, and will work through consecutive days and nights. A long running mystery involves the Mesklinite belief that the world is a bowl, and the horizon curves upward. The book is littered with things like this.
Characterization is simple, but not totally wooden. Barlennan is the Odysseus-like captain of his ship, Dondragmer his more intelligent, yet less adventurous first mate, the human Lackland a companion and occasional teacher. Together the two Mesklinites have their assumptions about reality challenged both by the science of humanity, and the inventions of other cultures of their own planet, culminating in Clement has a knack for these surprisingly emotional endings, perhaps aided by the relative dryness of the majority of the material.
Clement returned to Mesklin with two short stories, "Under" and "Lecture Demonstration", and a sequel featuring Barlennan and Dondragmer, Star Light. Along with an essay on the development of Mesklin, "Whirligig World", these were collected in the omnibus Heavy Planet.
Love this entry of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. The description was quite light in the book, so Barlowe has some freedom with the shape of the mouth and layout of the eyes, and the false head at the rear, fitting for the comparison with a caterpillar. The pose is very cute. My only quibble is the lack of legs on the front of the body. While Barlennan's Mesklinites are described as being able to lift their fronts, they only did so in the low gravity latitudes. It seems unlikely they would lift their bodies often, if ever, in their native latitudes, and they'd probably have legs all the way up to the head.
Mesklin is a unique setting, at least. A lozenge of a planet, with 3 Earth gravities at the equator, grading to 700 at the poles. The Mesklinites are thus terrified of heights, as even a fall of an inch is enough to kill them, and the concepts of "throwing" and "jumping" are alien to them. Clement gets a lot of mileage out of this concept, as he's worked out the physics and chemistry of this world, and how beings would live in it. The planet spins so rapidly that days last less than 10 minutes, thus the Mesklinites have no diurnal cycle, and will work through consecutive days and nights. A long running mystery involves the Mesklinite belief that the world is a bowl, and the horizon curves upward. The book is littered with things like this.
Characterization is simple, but not totally wooden. Barlennan is the Odysseus-like captain of his ship, Dondragmer his more intelligent, yet less adventurous first mate, the human Lackland a companion and occasional teacher. Together the two Mesklinites have their assumptions about reality challenged both by the science of humanity, and the inventions of other cultures of their own planet, culminating in
Spoiler
Barlennan's demand for an education in addition to his material pay.Clement returned to Mesklin with two short stories, "Under" and "Lecture Demonstration", and a sequel featuring Barlennan and Dondragmer, Star Light. Along with an essay on the development of Mesklin, "Whirligig World", these were collected in the omnibus Heavy Planet.
Love this entry of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. The description was quite light in the book, so Barlowe has some freedom with the shape of the mouth and layout of the eyes, and the false head at the rear, fitting for the comparison with a caterpillar. The pose is very cute. My only quibble is the lack of legs on the front of the body. While Barlennan's Mesklinites are described as being able to lift their fronts, they only did so in the low gravity latitudes. It seems unlikely they would lift their bodies often, if ever, in their native latitudes, and they'd probably have legs all the way up to the head.
This book was not for me. I kept reading and I couldn't get into the characters or the plot. I ended up skipping stuff unwilling. It was a chore and I am in a place of mind that I don't want reading to a chore but enjoyable. It's a shame because it's a classic. Damn it.
I didn't get exactly what I was expecting here. But then, do you ever with lesser-known classic Sci-Fi books? Mission of Gravity doesn't follow the first contact formula we usually see today. But was the first contact formula even a formula back in 1954? These days it's the norm for the aliens to be gradually revealed to the reader through the eyes of the human protagonist. Following the getting-to-know-each-other process as it evolves is usually one of the main payoffs. You get none of that here.
You are thrown right into the mix from page one as the story begins from the alien's point of view, the whole first contact having happened several months prior to the book's opening. So we don't get to experience, what I would consider the most interesting portion of the first contact scenario, the introduction. With Clement's approach, we very quickly learn the dynamic between aliens and humans with everything already well established. The drive is the understanding and mutual benefit each offers. Humans are the brains and the aliens are the muscle. Or so we're led to believe.
To be honest, there is little by way of progressive plot in the first third of this 203-page novel. The author spends this time setting the scene and fully introducing the relevant characters and world. But things take a bit of a turn at this point, leaving no doubt that this is where the scene setting ends and the story really begins. At least, this is where the pace picks up and the action and tension begin to build.
However, this book's main focus is not on the characters or situations as much as it is on the planet itself. Discovering the topography and unusuality of the environment and gravitational importance are the drives behind the entire novel. Mission of Gravity is definitely about the ideas more than the narrative. If this kind of thing appeals to you, I'm sure you'll gain a lot from reading it. Personally, I prefer a more character-driven premise.
I have no real complaints. I always try to keep my mind firmly in the era of the book's origin while reading to keep my expectations honest. But there were a couple of aspects I found quite irritating. The main human character, Charles, rarely, if ever, comes up with ideas of his own. He's constantly taking inspiration from colleagues and the aliens around him. Call me finicky but, shouldn't an astronaut charged with discovering new worlds be a thinker? An individual who is more than capable of solutional thinking? Also, I found the writing a little childish - well, not exactly the writing, but more the mentality behind the writing.
Not a favourite by any means, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I was uninterested or bored.
Wow! You read all that!? If you'd like more www.blogthatbook.co.uk
You are thrown right into the mix from page one as the story begins from the alien's point of view, the whole first contact having happened several months prior to the book's opening. So we don't get to experience, what I would consider the most interesting portion of the first contact scenario, the introduction. With Clement's approach, we very quickly learn the dynamic between aliens and humans with everything already well established. The drive is the understanding and mutual benefit each offers. Humans are the brains and the aliens are the muscle. Or so we're led to believe.
To be honest, there is little by way of progressive plot in the first third of this 203-page novel. The author spends this time setting the scene and fully introducing the relevant characters and world. But things take a bit of a turn at this point, leaving no doubt that this is where the scene setting ends and the story really begins. At least, this is where the pace picks up and the action and tension begin to build.
However, this book's main focus is not on the characters or situations as much as it is on the planet itself. Discovering the topography and unusuality of the environment and gravitational importance are the drives behind the entire novel. Mission of Gravity is definitely about the ideas more than the narrative. If this kind of thing appeals to you, I'm sure you'll gain a lot from reading it. Personally, I prefer a more character-driven premise.
I have no real complaints. I always try to keep my mind firmly in the era of the book's origin while reading to keep my expectations honest. But there were a couple of aspects I found quite irritating. The main human character, Charles, rarely, if ever, comes up with ideas of his own. He's constantly taking inspiration from colleagues and the aliens around him. Call me finicky but, shouldn't an astronaut charged with discovering new worlds be a thinker? An individual who is more than capable of solutional thinking? Also, I found the writing a little childish - well, not exactly the writing, but more the mentality behind the writing.
Not a favourite by any means, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I was uninterested or bored.
Wow! You read all that!? If you'd like more www.blogthatbook.co.uk
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
More a scientific exploration than a narrative experience, enjoyable nevertheless.
Since reading Mission of Gravity, I've gone through everything of Hal Clement's that I can find.
A year later, I can say that Mission of Gravity is definitely his best.
It has a few scientific problems in the harsh light of the 21st century, but overall it's fabulously well-thought-out hard science fiction.
Mission of Gravity features a limited cast of characters, a slow but steady progression of trials and setbacks and a satisfyingly optimistic conclusion.
A year later, I can say that Mission of Gravity is definitely his best.
It has a few scientific problems in the harsh light of the 21st century, but overall it's fabulously well-thought-out hard science fiction.
Mission of Gravity features a limited cast of characters, a slow but steady progression of trials and setbacks and a satisfyingly optimistic conclusion.
So far the only Hal Clement I've read are this and Noise, both essentially scientific problem-solving novels. I see this as a spiritual descendent of Stanley Weinbaum's Martian Odyssey, with a sympathetic alien protagonist.
Interesting concept and ideas. However, it failed for me at some levels: as an alien race, the Mesklinites are not that convincing and not that different from their human counterparts. They are way too smart for a species living on a planet that has the living conditions that Mesklin has and also taking into consideration their physical form. They also understand way faster than they should the human science. The character development is almost non-existent.
However, Clement did try to make the planet as convincing as possible, I'll give him that.
However, Clement did try to make the planet as convincing as possible, I'll give him that.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Hard scifi often has the fault of having cardboard characters. Mission of Gravity has both a highly researched world based on real world science and also manaages to add loveable characters.
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes