Down the Stream of Stars

Rating:
Summary: SF lite...not Carver's best.
Review: Down the Stream of Stars is a reasonably enjoyable adventure. It's the sequel to the much better and more mature From a Changeling Star. Stream focuses on a little girl aboard a colony ship that is travelling down the faster-than-light passage created by the supernova in the first book.

The ship is threatened by the Throgs, a race of non-corporeal beings intent on destroying life, or so it seems. Willard Ruskin and his compatriots have survived (in a way) the destruction of the star in the first novel. The new group consciousness makes itself known to children, supposedly because they are the most open. Ruskin tries to help the ship confront the Throgs.

There are some effectively eerie scenes involving the childrens' encounters with the group-mind of Ruskin, and with the Throgs. Besides that, it's mainly a light weight adventure. The novel almost seems targeted to a young audience, with all the children characters, helpful robots, and even friendly animal companions.

If you've read other Carver books, check this one out for completism, but otherwise stick to his Chaos Chronicles, and books like Infinity Link and Dragons in the Stars.

Rating:
Summary: SF lite...not Carver's best.
Review: Down the Stream of Stars is a reasonably enjoyable adventure. It's the sequel to the much better and more mature From a Changeling Star. Stream focuses on a little girl aboard a colony ship that is travelling down the faster-than-light passage created by the supernova in the first book.

The ship is threatened by the Throgs, a race of non-corporeal beings intent on destroying life, or so it seems. Willard Ruskin and his compatriots have survived (in a way) the destruction of the star in the first novel. The new group consciousness makes itself known to children, supposedly because they are the most open. Ruskin tries to help the ship confront the Throgs.

There are some effectively eerie scenes involving the childrens' encounters with the group-mind of Ruskin, and with the Throgs. Besides that, it's mainly a light weight adventure. The novel almost seems targeted to a young audience, with all the children characters, helpful robots, and even friendly animal companions.

If you've read other Carver books, check this one out for completism, but otherwise stick to his Chaos Chronicles, and books like Infinity Link and Dragons in the Stars.