Destination: Void

Rating:
Summary: Interesting set-up to the Pandora series
Review: I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I picked up "Destination: Void" from a seedy little used book store. I'd been a huge Herbert fan for years (one read of "Dune" is all it took for that), but I'd heard very mixed reviews of this particular novel. This is different from a lot of his other works, in that the plot is completely secondary to the philosophical/technical issues he raises. Usually Herbert weaves an intricate plot around his ideas that keeps the pages turning, but that just wasn't the case here. In some areas it becomes a tad tedious to read, but if you pay attention, it's a very insightful novel, even if the technology that's discussed is a tad dated.

One of his favorite themes has always been consciousness, how we define it, what levels can be attained by humans, and is there something more that we're lacking. In "Destination: Void", the characters are forced to attempt the creation of artificial intelligence for their very survival, and all of these questions are called in to play, not to mention the ethical ramifications of their "playing God". Eventually they succeed in creating "Ship", and thereby set the basis for the entertaining, if bizarre Pandora series.

This is not the best book for someone hoping to read a story, but if you love Herbert and have an interest in philosophy, then he will take you on a great ride and share his perspective with you in "Destination: Void".

Rating:
Summary: Interesting set-up to the Pandora series
Review: I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I picked up "Destination: Void" from a seedy little used book store. I'd been a huge Herbert fan for years (one read of "Dune" is all it took for that), but I'd heard very mixed reviews of this particular novel. This is different from a lot of his other works, in that the plot is completely secondary to the philosophical/technical issues he raises. Usually Herbert weaves an intricate plot around his ideas that keeps the pages turning, but that just wasn't the case here. In some areas it becomes a tad tedious to read, but if you pay attention, it's a very insightful novel, even if the technology that's discussed is a tad dated.

One of his favorite themes has always been consciousness, how we define it, what levels can be attained by humans, and is there something more that we're lacking. In "Destination: Void", the characters are forced to attempt the creation of artificial intelligence for their very survival, and all of these questions are called in to play, not to mention the ethical ramifications of their "playing God". Eventually they succeed in creating "Ship", and thereby set the basis for the entertaining, if bizarre Pandora series.

This is not the best book for someone hoping to read a story, but if you love Herbert and have an interest in philosophy, then he will take you on a great ride and share his perspective with you in "Destination: Void".

Rating:
Summary: Interesting set-up to the Pandora series
Review: I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I picked up "Destination: Void" from a seedy little used book store. I'd been a huge Herbert fan for years (one read of "Dune" is all it took for that), but I'd heard very mixed reviews of this particular novel. This is different from a lot of his other works, in that the plot is completely secondary to the philosophical/technical issues he raises. Usually Herbert weaves an intricate plot around his ideas that keeps the pages turning, but that just wasn't the case here. In some areas it becomes a tad tedious to read, but if you pay attention, it's a very insightful novel, even if the technology that's discussed is a tad dated.

One of his favorite themes has always been consciousness, how we define it, what levels can be attained by humans, and is there something more that we're lacking. In "Destination: Void", the characters are forced to attempt the creation of artificial intelligence for their very survival, and all of these questions are called in to play, not to mention the ethical ramifications of their "playing God". Eventually they succeed in creating "Ship", and thereby set the basis for the entertaining, if bizarre Pandora series.

This is not the best book for someone hoping to read a story, but if you love Herbert and have an interest in philosophy, then he will take you on a great ride and share his perspective with you in "Destination: Void".

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic but a little dated
Review: If you didn't get the plot/motives in this novel then you missed alot. Yes, Herbert had a penchant for technical jargon, but the ideas are intriguing, the dialog is great, and the characters' interactions are true Herbert.

Some of the unique premises of this novel:

How can you push man to the higher state of consciousness necessary to see past his conscious limitations and achieve a breakthrough of creation, yet do so in a controlled, manufactured environment?

Where would you get the human/lab-rat stock to repeat such an experiment again and again until some objective is reached?

Herbert recognized the most fundamental and basic force that drives man's intellectual evolution is, indeed, the drive for survival. The novel presents an organization who's mandate is to create an autonomous AI but has so far failed. Only by placing brilliant people (actually, clones of brilliant people) in a senario where their very survival *depends* on that objective do they have a hope of reaching their goal. However, the outcome is more that what they expected...

I credit Herbert for being among the first sci-fi authors to explore the possible nature/creation of artificial intelligence. However, countless authors have explored them since, to the point of embedding such "Frankensteinian" themes into our pop-culture and watering-down the effect of a classic novel such as Destination: Void.

If for nothing else, this novel is the required lead-in to The Jesus Incident. Now THAT is some work!

Rating:
Summary: Jerry Springer it ain't
Review: Sure this book isn't gonna challenge anything by Michael Crichton in the excitement/suspense category, but that's not what Herbert is going for. This is an INTROSPECTIVE novel. It's about the interaction between three minds that barely even leave a single room.

If you want dinosaurs and car chases go somewhere else. If you want to expand your mind then read this. Obviously the addition of Ransom in the works that continue this saga was meant to make them more "User Friendly" ah well, what are you gonna do?

Rating:
Summary: The best Frank Herbert book
Review: This book is exciting from page one and never gets boring. It is however extremely technical and that might frighten away many people. The plot is very clever and the ending quite a surprise. The book will actually make you understand the Dune saga better, as it takes place some thousand years before.

Rating:
Summary: One of Frank Herbert's best novels.
Review: This book is not typical Frank Herbert. There is no complex political interaction and the span of time covered in the book is relatively small. The book is set on a fascinating premise. Artificial consciousness experiments have proven to have disasterous consequences. When the threshold of consciousness is broached by a powerful machine, it develops the power of creation. However, it maintains the frailties of the creatures which built the machine. Notwithstanding other reviews, I found the book an interesting and quick read. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible!!
Review: This is not a story. This is a discussion of what an artificial intelligence computer should be like. There is absolutuley no progression of events, no new ideas, and the ending is a farce. It is a complete waste of time to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Frank Herbert at his Best
Review: This novel is by far what I consider to be Frank Herbert at his best.
The novel revolves around what the different characters think constitutes consiousness and those ideas are manifested in their attempts to build the necessary artificial intelligence that is required for their survival.
The novel does have a tendency to be rather hard to read during the technilogical sections however the discussions on ethics and other questions of conciousness are absoulutely priceless.
This novel should not be read quickly. I should be read slowly, carefully contemplating and pondering upon each of the chapters main topics.
Frank Herbert is a purposful writer. There is no sentence or word that does not have signicance. So my advice is to read it slowly and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: The premise for a series. The sequels are better.
Review: Unlike Dune, this series has been out of print for some time. Shame! No one does it better than Herbert but Dune-Mania has left too much of his best work unread and unknown. Dune was a masterpiece, no question. But the series devolved into action novels - the work of creating his universe did not have to be re-done so the rest was just what happens next (and as Brian continues the series, what happened before). The Voidship series is different. Beginning with Destination: Void, which establishes the premise, each novel must reestablish the world in which it is set. Each set of characters has very new hurdles and new forms of intelligent life(? at least self-awareness) to deal with, each with their own world view. A good marketing bet would be to reintroduce these novels in paperback, capitalizing on the popularity of the Dune series. Let the new generation of sf readers discover the other worlds of Frank Herbert. This review refers to the series - Destination: Void, The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect, and The Ascension Factor