Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Barcelona Edhasa D. L. 1979
Description
Ironically, for Gilbert Snook - who considered himself the human equivalent of a neutrino, a particle able to travel through the Earth without disturbing any other particle - it all started with the panic that followed the sighting of the anti-neutrino planet as it approached Earth. Earth was unaffected but Snook ended up in a small African Republic teaching English to diamond miners. Then the miners started seeing ghosts and Snook found himself at the centre of a bizarre and far-reaching scientific discovery - and in the middle of some very dirty political infighting.
User reviews
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
The story opens with the discovery of a large planet-like mass of anti-neutrinos that narrowly misses the Earth in a spiralling orbit around the sun. A scientific curiosity, spectacular even, but otherwise irrelevant to the everyday lives of people on Earth. But when miners in an equatorial African
Bob Shaw brilliantly blends conceptual hard sf ideas (though some of the science may now seem quaint) with his usual exceptional characterisation. His depiction of the political machinations in a post-colonial African nation is both humane and prophetic and the personal struggles of the main characters in the story are as gripping as the overall narrative. The book itself is short, the prose sleek and stylish, reminding us once again just how enjoyable it is to read the works of the 70s SF 'new wave' masters. This one is highly recommended.
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country start seeing ghosts in the deepest mine shafts a chain of events is set in motion that will have an impact on the lives of everyone on Earth.Bob Shaw brilliantly blends conceptual hard sf ideas (though some of the science may now seem quaint) with his usual exceptional characterisation. His depiction of the political machinations in a post-colonial African nation is both humane and prophetic and the personal struggles of the main characters in the story are as gripping as the overall narrative. The book itself is short, the prose sleek and stylish, reminding us once again just how enjoyable it is to read the works of the 70s SF 'new wave' masters. This one is highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member ropie
A Wreath of Stars is plain, honest, old fashioned, one-big-idea SF, with a nice cast of characters with some depth to them, and a surprisingly light touch with the use of language both scientific and literary. Bob Shaw does a great job of conveying the events as they happen, but lacks something in
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the telling that gives the grand scope of an author like Arthur C Clarke. It's still an exciting story, though, and the ending is particularly satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member ikeman100
This is my second book by Shaw. He is a really good writer. I did not like the story idea as much as his "Night Walk" novel, so I'm only giving it 3 stars for average. I will continue to look for his works as I peruse the used book shops.
LibraryThing member LamSon
An anti-neutrino world exists inside earth. An astronomical events disrupts synchonous rotation, and now 'people' from that world are being seen with special low-light lenses in mines in Africa. Eventually contact is made with unintended consequences. An enjoyable read.
Subjects
Original publication date
1976-06
Physical description
196 p.; 18 cm