Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Del Rey (New York, 1977). 1st edition, 1st printing. 360 pages. $1.95.
Description
Entered by a thousand unsuspected gateways -- built by a race lost in the clouds of time -- the planet its dwellers called the Well World turned beings of every kind into something else. There spacefarer Nathan Brazil found himself companioned by a batman, an amorous female centaur and a mermaid -- all once as human as he. Yet Nathan Brazil's metamorphosis was more terrifying than any of those...and his memory was coming back, bringing with it the secret of the Well World. For at the heart of the bizarre planet lay the goal of every being that had ever lived -- and Nathan Brazil and his comrades were...lucky'...enough to find it!
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
Space freighter captain Nathan Brazil, who is older than he looks and more important than he realizes, receives a distress call from an archeological expedition on a dead planet that was once inhabited by a powerful alien race. He arrives to find the expedition murdered, whereupon he and his
I really should not have liked this book as much as I did. The plot is easy to find fault with, if you're inclined, what science it uses is terrible, and it glosses over a lot of practical and psychological issues that really should have been problematic. Worse, practically the whole novel consists of lecturing: characters lecturing each other, the author lecturing the reader, examples of the dreaded "As you know, Bob..." dialog. Stuff that really annoys me. And yet, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot. It was wonderfully imaginative, and as soon as I opened it, it was as if I'd somehow regressed to my teenage years, when I had more capacity for sense of wonder than I did for reading critically. I have absolutely no idea how this book managed to do that for me, but it was fun.
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passengers are sucked through an ancient alien portal. They arrive on a bizarre artificial world made up of a patchwork of environments, each inhabited by a different intelligent species. Those who enter this world find themselves awakening in random environments, transformed into whatever species lives there. And somewhere on this planet is the murderer, who seeks the ultimate power that this godlike technology can provide.I really should not have liked this book as much as I did. The plot is easy to find fault with, if you're inclined, what science it uses is terrible, and it glosses over a lot of practical and psychological issues that really should have been problematic. Worse, practically the whole novel consists of lecturing: characters lecturing each other, the author lecturing the reader, examples of the dreaded "As you know, Bob..." dialog. Stuff that really annoys me. And yet, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot. It was wonderfully imaginative, and as soon as I opened it, it was as if I'd somehow regressed to my teenage years, when I had more capacity for sense of wonder than I did for reading critically. I have absolutely no idea how this book managed to do that for me, but it was fun.
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LibraryThing member TheGreatBDB
Very good series. Recommended.
A planet designed into "hexes" - hexagonal sections - where differing laws of physics apply. 3 types, high tech, low tech, & no tech. (anything goes, only up to steam power, and nothing beyond the simple machines (lever, pulley, etc.) will work.) Not a good idea to be
A planet designed into "hexes" - hexagonal sections - where differing laws of physics apply. 3 types, high tech, low tech, & no tech. (anything goes, only up to steam power, and nothing beyond the simple machines (lever, pulley, etc.) will work.) Not a good idea to be
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flying in a plane and cross into a no-tech hex! eeeerrrRRR*BOOM!* Of course, to fill 10 books, there's a little more to it than that. Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
This is the first book in the series after the ending I have to wonder what is in store for the next 4 books!
Nathan Brazil is a space captain bringing a cargo and several passengers when they get a distress call from a planet they were 'passing' near. So they stopped to check it out. They got the
It was a rather interesting book and we meet a lot of strange beings, and all trying to live their lives. Jack Chalker had a wild imagination and actually has some great ideas to think about in his books. Though his one big fault is his exposition in the beginning of books could use a little work.
Nathan Brazil is a space captain bringing a cargo and several passengers when they get a distress call from a planet they were 'passing' near. So they stopped to check it out. They got the
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surprise of a life time. The ancient city of a long lost race had a secret, a one way ticket to the Well World. Two men discovered a secret to giving them the ultimate power to rearrange the universe how they see fit. So it became a race to see who would control this power. It was a rather interesting book and we meet a lot of strange beings, and all trying to live their lives. Jack Chalker had a wild imagination and actually has some great ideas to think about in his books. Though his one big fault is his exposition in the beginning of books could use a little work.
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LibraryThing member Grumpus
This book caused me to read the rest of the series and another series by this author in the middle of a school year. I was amazed at the amount of creativity that went into this series. This book will get you hooked on the rest.
LibraryThing member Karlstar
While this is original, at first glance, I was never really thrilled with this series. The Well World reminds me too much of Farmer's Riverworld, with lots of people stuck there with no idea how they got there, and morphed into different forms than in their previous life. The writing is good and
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the characters are interesting, especially if the strangeness is something you like. Show Less
LibraryThing member dpitt75
Some strong sci-fi but weak on alien characters.
LibraryThing member NogDog
This one is a bit difficult for me to rate, so I settled for a middling-good 3-star ranking. I liked the author's imagination and the way I was able to quickly and clearly envision the varied settings and characters.SPOILER ALERT: no details, but some general stuff you may not want to read before
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reading the book.On the downside, it shares a sort of deus ex machina issue with other sci-fi stories that take place in some situation where things can be essentially "magic" -- namely stories where you find everything takes place inside a computer simulation, or in this case where the universe is, in effect, a simulation. That's not to say that it is an invalid plot device: there are some respected physicists who say that such a view is, at the very least, worth considering as one way to explain some of the peculiarities of quantum physics. My only problem with it is in its effect on story-telling, as it essentially allows anything to happen, removing any requirement for cause and effect. And, since the protagonist is, at least for all practical purposes, a god; ultimately, what was his challenge, and how am I supposed to relate to him?Ultimately, it was worth a read, but I'm not sure I'll continue with the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member iansales
I’ve had this series on my bookshelves for several years and I’m not entirely sure why. I think Chalker was an awful writer, slapdash, fixated on a handful of not very original ideas, and content to pad out the thinnest of stories to trilogy, and longer, length. I don’t think he wrote a
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single good book, but he does have legions of fans. Which, I guess, makes him much like every other science fiction author. Anyway, Midnight at the Well of Souls is the first book in Chalker’s The Saga of the Well World series, which had reached seven books by the time Chalker died in 2005. A group of archaeological students studying a Markovian ruin on a dead world are murdered by their instructor after he has figured out how to access the Markovian world-computer. He, and the one surviving student, find themselves transported to the Well World. Some time later, spaceship captain Nathan Brazil is transporting a handful of passengers through space when he receives a distress call. It’s from that same world where the instructor murdered his students. And so Brazil and his passengers find themselves also in the Well World. Which is an artificial planet in another dimension or something, and is divided into 1,560 hexagons, each one 355 by 615 kms and containing a completely different ecosphere and associated alien races. Brazil and his passengers are scattered across different hexes, each transformed into a native of that hex. Well, except Brazil isn’t. Because it turns out he’s some sort of immortal, and he knows how to work the Well World’s controlling computer, which is just as well because the aforementioned instructor wants to use the controlling computer for his own ends (and which will in consequence destroy the real universe). So Brazil and allies must trek across half a dozen hexes, having adventures along the way, in order to reach the equatorial wall and the secret entrance to the control room. It’s science fiction by numbers, light on invention, characterisation, rigour and, er, substance. It has all the originality of a basement RPG session by a group of twentysomething nerds. I doubt I’ll be continuing with the rest of the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
The Well World can be entered by a thousand gateways but everyone who enters gets turned into some strange creature. "There spacefarer Nathan Brazil found himself companioned by a batman, an amorous female centaur and a mermaid -- all once as human as he. Yet Nathan Brazil's metamorphosis was more
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terrifying than any of those...and his memory was coming back, bringing with it the secret of the Well World." Show Less
LibraryThing member Razinha
An all time favorite. Imaginative. Intelligent. And so open to follow ons(obviously, given the four plus three plus two that did follow...).
LibraryThing member bibliosk8er
I made the decision this year not to read novels over 250 pages, because I read so slowly, and I tend to lose interest. Plus, a lot of longer novels just really could be cut down a lot. But I started this one, and it actually kept me engaged. Big ideas. The plot certainly has a bit of "Forbidden
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Planet" element to - not copied at all, just in the same tradition. Anyway, it moves really well and is a lot of fun. No wonder this series was on every bookstore SF shelf I ever saw back in the 1980s. I'll probably read more from this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member usuallee
This book and I have a history. My parents were both huge fans of Chalker and this book in particular. To hear my mom tell, I was very nearly named Nathan, after the protagonist Nathan Brazil. Then I actually read this as an impressionable teenage nerd which kinda kicked off a whole science fiction
Just re-read. Showing its age in some ways but holds up pretty well. The concept is a genuine mindbender, very imaginative. Story breezes along, although I wish there had been one more revision to tighten up the prose.
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obsession. I was a very popular high schooler. Not. lolJust re-read. Showing its age in some ways but holds up pretty well. The concept is a genuine mindbender, very imaginative. Story breezes along, although I wish there had been one more revision to tighten up the prose.
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LibraryThing member talon2claw
Fantasy/Sci-fi books are my favorite genre. I particularly like the character of Nathan Brazil and how he ends up on the Well World. There are quite an imaginative number of creatures throughout the book, and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
LibraryThing member skeletor_999
This was a really tough book to rate. I loved the world that the author created, but I don't think I can give the book higher than 3 stars, as the writing (Chalker abused adverbs throughout) and plotting was a bit clunky at times. That aside, I'll still probably try the next book in the series.
LibraryThing member skeletor_999
This was a really tough book to rate. I loved the world that the author created, but I don't think I can give the book higher than 3 stars, as the writing (Chalker abused adverbs throughout) and plotting was a bit clunky at times. That aside, I'll still probably try the next book in the series.
Subjects
Awards
Locus Award (Nominee — Science Fiction Novel — 1978)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1977-07 (First US Edition)
1981 (First UK Edition)
Physical description
360 p.; 6.9 inches
ISBN
0345257685 / 9780345257680
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