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A review by debthebee13
The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A.E. van Vogt
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was recommended this book by a colleague with a similar background in biology and love for science fiction and even though this is one of the oldest science fiction books I read so far, it was quite interesting.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle follows a ship crew full of scientists from different fields who look to document life on other planets. On their journey, they meet four different alien species, all presenting a different challenge for the crew, physical, mental, and psychological, each from a different earlier piece written by Vogt: Coeurl from Black Destroyer, Riim from M33 in Andromeda, Ixtl from Discord in Scarlet, and Anabis from War of Nerves. In parallel with the threats imposed by these aliens, we also follow the internal politics and decision-making among the ship's crew, where one scientist in particular, who integrates knowledge from all sciences, struggles to be taken seriously. It's entertaining to see other scientists bully him just because they see him as an all-knowing nerd that makes them feel less than.
My favorite thing about this book is that it alternates between the aliens' POV who are encountering humans for the first time and try to survive and come up with strategies how to conquer them, and the crew's discussions about the aliens they are encountering from the point of view of Elliot Grosvenor, the Nexialist, where we go through many topics, mostly from astronomy, history of civilizations, physics, chemistry, and biology, as they try to outsmart the aliens and survive this expedition.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle follows a ship crew full of scientists from different fields who look to document life on other planets. On their journey, they meet four different alien species, all presenting a different challenge for the crew, physical, mental, and psychological, each from a different earlier piece written by Vogt: Coeurl from Black Destroyer, Riim from M33 in Andromeda, Ixtl from Discord in Scarlet, and Anabis from War of Nerves. In parallel with the threats imposed by these aliens, we also follow the internal politics and decision-making among the ship's crew, where one scientist in particular, who integrates knowledge from all sciences, struggles to be taken seriously. It's entertaining to see other scientists bully him just because they see him as an all-knowing nerd that makes them feel less than.
My favorite thing about this book is that it alternates between the aliens' POV who are encountering humans for the first time and try to survive and come up with strategies how to conquer them, and the crew's discussions about the aliens they are encountering from the point of view of Elliot Grosvenor, the Nexialist, where we go through many topics, mostly from astronomy, history of civilizations, physics, chemistry, and biology, as they try to outsmart the aliens and survive this expedition.