作品情報
The Forge of the Eldersは、題名が呼び込む世界を手がかりに、人や時代の輪郭を静かに浮かび上がらせる。
『The Forge of the Elders』は、L・ニール・スミスによるSF。共産主義が支配する別史の宇宙開発を舞台に、異星文明との遭遇と自由の理念を描く。 受賞作としての読みどころは、題材の珍しさだけでなく、人物や出来事を通じて時代の空気を伝える点にある。読者は、物語や論述の進行に沿って、背景にある社会や価値観の変化までたどることができる。
書籍情報
- 出版社
- Baen
- 発売日
- 2000-04-01
- ページ数
- 544ページ
- 言語
- 英語
- サイズ
- 16.51 x 4.45 x 25.4 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780671578596
- ISBN-10
- 0671578596
- 価格
- 2599 JPY
- カテゴリ
- 洋書/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/Adventure
Capitalist Monsters from Outer Space! Just when the 21st century thought it was safe to throw Marxism on the ash heap of history once and for all, a worldwide economic collapse suddenly made freedom seem less desirable than security, and the Total State turned out to be the comeback kid.In the US, where the power elite had long shown heartfelt affection for collectivism and making the trains (nationalized, of course) run on time, communism had a second coming. Which meant that Earth was now the Red Planet. The few holdouts and counterrevolutionaries would be dealt with in good time. Of course, collectivization only made the worldwide depression worse. But then the People's Astronomers noticed an asteroid with unusual spectrographic properties, seemingly a treasure trove of valuable minerals that might rejuvenate the Earth's economy. So three aged NASA shuttles were pulled out of mothballs, crewed by a team of hand-picked misfits whom no one would miss, and sent to the asteroid. However, someone else was there first, under an airtight canopy made by genetically engineered trees. And they weren't human, even if they were from Earth. The Elders were "nautiloids," like intelligent squids in Volkswagen-sized shells, from a parallel universe where they were Earth's dominant species. Worst of all, they were CAPITALISTS!
レビュー
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From the frying pan into the fire...
This is a three-in-one book, publishing Contact And Commune (renamed First Time The Charm), and Converse And Conflict (named Second To One), with the third and, maybe, final book in the series - Third Among Equals. The asteroid, 5023 Eris, has turned out to be a ship - a very, very old space ship full of danger but little in the way of answers for the Elders. Then there is ANOTHER murder. Also it turns out that the ship isn't uncrewed. And, what do you know, the Banker, one of the most powerful men on Earth, may still be alive. Eichra Oren and his friend Sam have their hands (and paws) full. Enemies are coming from every direction - from within their ranks, from within the asteroid and maybe from beyond the stars! Toss in the Galactic Confederacy and you have WHOLE other Universe thrown into the mix. It makes you want to toss in your sword, scream Uncle and get drunk. Great ending, maybe, to the series. I keep saying maybe because you never know with Mr. Smith.
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Not for everyone, heavy on the philosophizing.
Libertarian philosophy and a few plots in three parts (in this one ebook). Science Fiction in an older vein, with sufficiently advanced technology.
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The message is the forte.
The political and moral message of this book overcomes its less-than-excellent writing style and oversimplification of some characters. As a Libertarian, I saw this as much more than a science fiction adventure. Somewhat annoying was that LNS tells you what to think of his characters, instead of presenting them and their behavior, and letting YOU decide what to think of them. Still, a fine read for those interested in liberty, statism, the role of government, and evolution as it applies to behavior. Others have said it better (like Ayn Rand) but not with as much fun and whimsy!
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Not his best work.
An interesting diversion in the endless universes of the Probability Broach, El Neil is humorous, and certainly does wear his idiology on his sleeve. I have read the first two books of this triad, and I must admit that while the ideas are interesting, the story is rather...dull. Sorry, Mr. Smith, I gotta say what I think. I believe that the third book was originally dropped not because it was "too radical", but because the books weren't selling. I intend to purchase this book, first because I do wish to know how it all turns out, but also for completeness. My original copy of The War Dove and The Galatin Divergence are lonely. Every OTHER L. Neil Smith book that I've read I have enjoyed very much. Hopefully, the third triad of Forge will redeem the first two.
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FORGE IS COMPLETE AT LAST!
Finally! After years of waiting, we get to learn how this story turns out. Originally to be published as a trilogy, the fianl book was cancelled by the publisher for being too radical! L. Neil Smith does his usual fine job of blending outlandish aliens, humor and political philosophy to produce a cracking good read. A fun adventure story which takes a few well-aimed shots at some of the sacred cows of today. This one is pure pleasure!
関連する文学賞
- プロメテウス賞 第23回（2001年） ・受賞