Rating: 
Summary: An unforgetable read
Review: I read "The Dark Beyond the Stars" shortly after its original publication in 1991 and was blown away by it at the time. I lost track of both the name and the author, but the plot stayed with me. Thanks to Google, I've rediscovered the bibliographic details and plan to reread the book in the near future.This book is an engrossing piece of SF that blends many disparate elements into a coherent whole. It takes place on a decaying generations ship whose mission has been to search for sentient life. Robinson ably depicts the necessities of life in such a closed environment, but he also uses them as a backdrop against which to spin out other themes--the protagonist's search for identity, the captain's obsession with the mission and his endangerment of the crew, plus portrayals of love, friendship, rivalry, competition, and above all, loneliness. The many plot twists and reversals make "The Dark Beyond the Stars" an exciting read, but what lingers afterwards is the humanity of its characters and their sense of aloneness in a big, dark universe.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: I was just randomly choosing a second hand book at a bookstore and happened to pick this one up. The cover looks cheesy but there was something that made me feel that the book was going to be a good read and so, here I am writing a review about it! The characters are nicely developed and the climax builds up at a good pace (not too fast and not too slow). Most of the plots are explained in the end, although they may seem strange when the plots are happening. Mainly the theme of this book deals with the question of whether there is life out there in the vast universe, pitting both extremes against each other in the form of the mutiny, with Sparrow (the main character) being caught in the middle. There are also many interesting ideas of the changes in culture and customs in a closed environment of the generation-ship. Overall, this is one of the best sci-fi stories that I've read in a long time!
Rating:
Summary: Great sci-fi even for the casual fan
Review: I'm a periodic sci-fi reader and must be interested to finish a book in this genre. This met my needs--a thrilling page-turner that's a fine blend of sci-fi (without too much science) and suspense. I heard about this after finding it was a Lambda award winner in 1991. After reading it, I'm surprised it won a "gay" award--though that occurs in the book, it's in the context of how all of society feels. I wouldn't call it a "gay" novel.
The story is of 17-year-old Sparrow, who, after an accident, has no memories. He's on a ship called the Astron, which has been in space for centuries looking for other life. As others and events begin to seem vaguely familiar, he discovers a secret movement aboard--some want to go back to earth. They've been to hundreds of planets and found nothing and believe earth truly is the only source of life.
Things are at a crisis point now. They must enter the "dark," a part of space where there are no planets to explore. After they will pass through it (which will take a whopping 100 generations), they will enter an area of more planets to explore.
This story kept me gripped, and the main character and other characters were well-drawn. I was surprised at the level of sophistication in the characterization. Fine points usually found only in literary novels make the characters a rich tapestry. The spaceship environment seems likely and real. Apparently Frank M. Robinson has not written a lot of sci-fi, but I am sure to read the rest of his books.
Rating:
Summary: Slow starter that grips and won't let go
Review: Looking back on the book I can't recall why i thought the opening was slow because, in light of the evolving plot, the opening now seems just as fascinating to me as the rest of the book. This book is like an artichoke: multi-layered, each layer different, with a spiky flower lying at its core. It's a tale of a fascinating, life and death quest of discovery by an amnesiac on a generation starship. A few seeming inconsistencies don't spoil my joy in this discovery. It's been a long while since Frank Robinson has written anything, so take your time with this one, and savor every sentence.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to finish
Review: Not a very good book. It starts off okay, but soon begins to read like an unrevised first draft--the characters are cardboard, the dialogue sounds nothing like people really talking, important events are summarized instead of depicted in detail, the author seems to forget that it's a zero-G environment, and events that should be significant (e.g. the protagonist steals a weapon from the captain's personal quarters) have no consequences. Some of the speculation on the ship society is interesting, but the faults make it impossible to suspend disbelief, which make this book a very hard slog. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Best SF book I've read
Review: Robinson is able to weave such an amazingly intricate character study into the backdrop of an interstellar ship that's been voyaging for thousands of years. Extremely readable, gripping, and enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: It is one of the most original books I have ever read.
Review: This book is one of the best in this feild, in my humble opinion. A man can only take so much human-dominant destruction-fests commonly called science fiction, and this book is definitely a break in that trend. This is not just another trashy sci-fi novel. Don't get me wrong, I love good science fiction, but some of the more recent books I've read leave a lot to be desired. This book will change the way you think about science fiction. A must read for any lover of literature in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable.
Review: This book was highly entertaining, and peppered with big surprises. Just when you think you've got things figured out...
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable.
Review: This book was highly entertaining, and peppered with big surprises. Just when you think you've got things figured out...
Rating: 
Summary: Time Waits For No-one
Review: This immensely thought-provoking sci-fi extravaganza must surely be the most vibrant depiction ever of the generation-ship concept. The Astron, once the shining zenith of humankind's technological achievement, has been in deep space searching unsuccessfully for alien life for two millennia, and is now rapidly falling into decrepitude. Robinson paints vivid pictures of the grime-smeared bulkheads, the fetid stench of recycled air, bland reconstituted food and gradually failing life support systems. In this daunting environment however, the ever hopeful spark of human spirit shines forth like a diamond. The few hundred crew represent a true microcosm of humanity. Good, bad, noble and treacherous; everyone has hidden depths and all the time in the world to reveal them. The skillfully depicted dynamic human interaction would be enough in itself to recommend this book. But there's more, much more. Our hero - Sparrow's quest for his missing memories reveals intrigue and mind-blowing secrets of Machiavellian proportions, which lead to a breathtaking conclusion. Throughout, Robinson's prose is flawless - I'm sure I shivered whilst reading the description of the frozen methane hell of Aquinas II. My only criticism would be that the novel does take rather a long time to gather momentum. It is a substantial work (over 400 pages) and its measured pace may not appeal to lovers of more conventional action-packed sci-fi. The poignancy in the book's denouement, generated by relentless turning of the wheel of time, has a profound philosophical edge to it and will certainly make you consider your own humanity. I am very glad to have read this book.
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