New look at old horizon

Press, 22 October 1983, Page 18

New look at old horizon

Beyond This Horizon. By Robert A. Heinlein. New English Library, 1983. 204 pp. $21.50 (Reviewed by Rod Dew) The evolution of humans into a race of super-beings is a recurring theme in Robert Heinlein’s science fiction writing. His recent novel, “Friday,” concerns a young woman of unusual strength and lightening reflexes who struggles to gain acceptance among ordinary people. More than 30 years earlier, Heinlein completed “Beyond This Horizon,” which has as its main character Felix Hamilton, who is the product of a breeding programme designed to transform humanity into a super-race. ’‘Beyond This Horizon” has just become available again in hard-cover form after an absence of some 15 years. Its reappearance invites comparison with “Friday,” but this can only result in disappointment. Heinlein’s writing has matured considerably since his first short stories were published in the early 19405. “Beyond This Horizon,” regarded almost as a science fiction classic when it was new, is not so freeflowing or convincing as more recent novels.

Nevertheless, science fiction enthusiasts will welcome the chance to obtain this vintage Heinlein novel of the future. Felix Hamilton, who lives in a world with every semblance of perfection, but which is at times dreadfully dull, finds himself involved with a group of fanatics planning a revolution. The danger to Hamilton, a vital link in the evolution of mankind, worries his superiors more than: the threat of the revolution. Heinlein has now had 43 full-length

novels published, which puts him among the most prolific and popular science fiction writers of all time. Against Infinity. By Gregory Benford. Gollancz, 1983. 215 pp. $25.50. Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter, is gradually being transformed into a habitable world by complex biological engineering. The project is complicated by the presence on Ganymede of a large, mysterious, ancient quasi-living alien artifact, the Aleph, which burrows beneath the moon’s crust, emerging briefly and unpredictably on the surface from time to time. The chief characters are all obsessed with the Aleph and determined to immobilise it so it can be studied. This is a fascinating novel, well written and, above all, thoroughly believable. Gregory Benford earned respect for his earlier novel, “Timescape,” and this loses nothing in comparison. His descriptions and characters stand out vivdly. The plot is a credit to the author’s imagination and the scientific speculation contained in it is acceptable. Prince Ombra. By Roderick MacLeish. Hutchinson, 1983. 305 pp. $28.75. Roderick MacLeish’s compelling novel is unusual in that it has children as its central characters. But this is no children’s fairy story. “Prince Ombra” combines the supernatural and the mundane to fine effect, maintaining a consistently high level of excitement which leaves the reader craving for each succeeding chapter as the story unfolds. The hero is an unlikely lad, just eight years old, Bentley Ellicott, who was born with a twisted leg and the ability to recall past times and weave spells of protection. He is the thousand and first of a line of heroes and he knows that someday he must do battle with Prince Ombra, the personification of all evil. Throughout the minor adventures and happenings leading up to the great confrontation, the reader remains unconvinced that an eight-year-old boy can defeat the Prince of Darkness, but the desire to discover the conclusion never departs. The fate of the world depends on the outcome. The author, a radio news commentator in the United States, has an enviable command of the English language. He uses this to lead the reader through a complex plot which builds up to a splendid climax and a satisfactory conclusion.