The Reefs of Space

The Reefs of Space is a dystopian science fiction novel written by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson in 1964. It is part of the Starchild Trilogy, a series of three books in which mankind is ruled by a brutal totalitarian government known as the Plan of Man, enforced by a computerized surveillance state. The other books in the series are Starchild (1965) and Rogue Star (1969).

The Reefs of Space was serialized in If in 1963

Plot

The novel is set in dystopian future in an Earth where a computer named Plan of Man operates a harsh surveillance state. The main character is a genius scientist, Steve Ryeland, who is trying to build a new type of rocket drive. While Ryeland is struggling with amnesia, he has a computer companion named Oporto. Due to Ryeland's anti-government actions in the past, the Plan of Man Computer deems him to be a security risk, so he is forced to wear a bomb-equipped collar, which he is hoping to be able to remove.

Reception

Joachim Boaz' review in Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations' calls it "an enjoyable read" and he praises the "quick prose", action, and dialogue that keeps the reader interested.[1]

gollark: If you multiply the `(x-1)` by `(ax^3+bx^2+cx+d)` it should expand out into having an x^4 term.
gollark: I'm probably explaining this badly, hmmm.
gollark: Then set the x^4/x^3/x^2/x^1 coefficients and constant terms on each side to be equal and work out a/b/c/d.
gollark: Set it equal to `(x-1)(ax^3+bx^2+cx+d)` (the thing you know it's divisible by times the generalized cubic thingy), and expand that out/simplify.
gollark: It would be annoying and inconsistent if it was 0. It's 1.

References

  1. Boaz, Joachim (2 June 2010). "BOOK REVIEW: THE REEFS OF SPACE, FREDERIK POHL AND JACK WILLIAMSON (1964)". sciencefictionruminations.com. Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
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