LA ÚLTIMA ASTRONAVE DE LA TIERRA, pese a su título, también es una historia de amor, amor imposible, que por supuesto son los más dramáticos. El mundo que imagina Boyd se divide en castas basadas en la profesión familiar. Si tus ascendientes ha sido matemáticos tu vas a ser matemático. Si te llamas Haldane IV es porque tu padre se llama Haldane III y tu abuelo Haldane II. Por supuesto, hay castas y castas, cuanto más cerca del centro de poder, más poder, valga la redundancia, si no tienes cualificación, o eres trabajador manual, mal asunto, puedes ascender en el escalafón, pero es difícil, por no decir imposible.

aardig, maar gedateerd, verhaal. ( )

Reading Science Fiction written in the past (in this case the late 1960s) creates a situation where what was posited as a story of the near future becomes a story of an alternate history. In this cae the novel is set in a dystopian society in the very near future. In the world of this story, Jesus did not die on the cross, but was killed leading an assault on Rome. He was the Messiah that people expected. The government of John Boyd’s world is a global government run by Christians along “scientific” lines, where psychologists and sociologists in conjunction with the Church and an AI Pope rule the world. People marry and mate because of their genes, reminiscent of the film Gattaca. The central character is Haldane IV, a mathematician, in a caste-based society. Unfortunately Haldane meets and develops an attraction for Helix, a mere poet. By law and social custom Haldane is expected to have nothing to do with her, but as you’d expect he falls in love with her.

Haldane IV also becomes interested in investigating Fairweather, a famous mathematician who lived shortly before his time. He has lengthy discussions about Fairweather with his father learning about his son Fairweather II, whom he discovers led a rebellion, which was defeated. Eventually Haldane IV is given a show trial and deported to another planet, where he meets Fairweather II.

This story presents a society that is displays totalitarian characteristics. For example Haldane is betrayed by his roommate who tells the authorities about his illicit love affair with Helix. The caste system is extremely rigid and the government is unforgiving. Haldane compounded his criminal behavior by impregnating Helix. The society is gradually developed through conversations and allusions while the deportation or banishment, if you prefer, is the beginning of a denouement that is somewhat amazing in its revelations. I cannot predict whether you will enjoy the way the story ends or feel that the prologue was not worth it. Fortunately this is a slight read of less than two hundred pages, or not so fortunately for those who would like more detail about yet another dystopian future for mankind. ( )

Some pleasant moments, and a nice (if implausible) twist of the plot as we finally leave Earth for the distant prison planet of Hell; but on the whole this book has a very dated feel. The "Brave New World" dystopian society in which the book spends most of its time seems inherently unstable, ruled by an elite of scientific sociologists and psychologists, with professional castes controlled by strict eugenics, and yet also dominated by a quasi-Christian church in which the pope has been replaced by a computer. Boyd doesn't seem to have any real sense of what life in such a regime might be like, since his characters are liberated and absurdly articulate university students. The pulpish geek romance element is almost stifling: this is the kind of world in which a boy might chat up a girl by discussing his latest take on Schrodinger's equation, while she humanizes him by introducing him to the poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Time travel and indefinite longevity are thrown in near the end, apparently just as a way to tie up loose ends of the plot so far, and to drag it to a rather pointless finale involving Jesus and the Wandering Jew.

MB 12-x-2012 ( )

This book has several familar themes in it.
Themes that bring to mind "brave New World" by Huxley, "1984" by Orwell, "The World Inside" by Silverburg (which came out two years later),"The Eyes of Heisenberg" by Herbert, "Methuselah's Children" by Heinlein. Even a movie "TXH 1138" by Lucas.
In an Alternate time line Haldane Iv, M-5,138270, 3/10/46 meets and falls in love with Helix, A7, 148361, 13/15/47. He is a mathematician she a Poet.This is a forbidden love in a society were all marriages are planed for the greater good of the society as a whole. After she becomes pregnant they are arrested and charged with the crimes againt the state. For this these crimes they are punished with being banished to the planet Hell. Where they are given imortality treatments, and Haldane Iv, M-5,138270 is sent back in time to change things.
The story on a whole is very sixties, and some of it is dated. The overall tone was humorus and irreverent and fun to read. ( )