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Mission to the Heart Stars (SF) - James Blish ***

It's interesting, going as I have from reading this 1965 science fiction novel to a modern one. The good news is the modern ones are better written and less sexist. The bad news is that the modern one is far too long (at least three times the length), weighs four times as much (it's bigger format too) and is, inevitably, book one of a series, where most 60s novels were standalone.

That last comparison is a little unfortunate as Mission to the Heart Stars is the second of James Blish's 'Heart Stars' novels - but still there were a lot more individual novels back then. It's only by going back to my old books that I can find a novel I can read in a couple of days, and that's something that can be very satisfying. I blame Dune and the successors in Herbert's series for giving us the doorstop SF book. I loved Dune back in the day (though I find it a bit heavy-handed now), but it still has a lot to answer for.

One advantage of the short SF novel is that the author could use it to explore a specific topic - and that's what Blish does in a tradition that goes back to the likes of Erewhon and Gulliver's Travels. (In fact, Blish actually references Butler's book), by exploring the implications of different ways for civilisations to exist. The future Earth describes itself as 'post-civilisation' which is an interesting choice of terminology. It is contrasted with both that of the dolphins (now recognised as sentient) and various alien worlds briefly visited on the journey to the titular Heart Stars near the centre of the galaxy.

Blish's 'post-civilisation' is a reflection of how the Earth might end up if, as was forecast by some observers back in the 60s, we would end up with energy too cheap to meter. This is a world of abundance where no one need work - but to keep the place stable, only those who do work can vote or breed. The suggestion is that although this approach has its totalitarian aspects, it's the only way to have a stable society in a world without energy limits. Whether or not you agree with Blish, it's an analysis that makes the reader think - although dressed up as a neo-classical expedition story (the ship is called the Argo), the book is really a vehicle for ideas.

There are two aspects here that put this novel firmly in period. One is its gender imbalance. There is only one female character, a reporter - but the three central characters are all male. The other is a collection of flops in the imagination of future technology. Blish is often the exemplar of this in one of his early books, where he states you couldn't have electronics in Jupiter's atmosphere as the pressure would cause the vacuum tubes to implode. Here we have solid state electronics, 3D TV and lasers and computers. But the slide rule still exists, computers output their results on paper tape and photography requires a darkroom. It's interesting to ponder what the modern equivalents would be (though I still don't understand why the idea of a pocket computer/calculator didn't occur to SF writers sooner - they just loved their slide rules).

All in all, then, not a great novel, but an interesting one both for its ideas and as a peek into mid-60s thinking. One last thing you wouldn't see today - Blish ends a useful foreword, where he berates Aldous Huxley for apparently being unaware of most science fiction written since the 1920s, with what appears to be his home address, a rather pleasant looking New York apartment block.

Out of print in paperback (secondhand available) - but available in Kindle thanks to Gollancz's excellent Gateway series. The cover shown is of my 1965 edition.

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Review by Brian Clegg

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