Subject: ETERNAL LIGHT by Paul J. McAuley

From: [email-masked]
Date: 22 Nov 91 20:48:38 GMT

ETERNAL LIGHT by Paul J. McAuley

A Review by Andrew J. Walley (copyright 1991)

	In his first two novels and some of his short stories McAuley has 
explored a single future history where the Earth and the colonised worlds are
under the control of the ReUnited Nations and the Golden, the near-immortal
people who hold the source of an anti-longevity drug, are the only other major
power faction. In EL McAuley returns to this setting for easily his most
ambitious novel to date. One faction of the Golden, led by Duke Talbeck
Barstilkin V, has discovered a star system travelling close to the speed of 
light which is on a collision course with the solar system in 1200 years time.
The RUN has suppressed this knowledge and Talbeck and the RUN Navy race each
other to the system in search of ancient weapons left by the Alea, a race that
Man has just succeeded in wiping out in the BD20 system where they had been
encountered.
	The Alea have a genetic predisposition to eradicate all rivals and over
a million years ago they were forced to leave the galactic core by the shadowy
marauders. They were then found by Man at BD20, where Dorthy Yoshida, an
empathic Talent, made mental contact with them before they were destroyed. EL
is her story, as she travels to the hypervelocity star and on into even stranger
places. It is hard SF of the highest order, on a par with the recent 
visions of Greg Bear, and McAuley's background as a biologist once again leads
us to encounter strange and alien life. The action is well-plotted and the 
characters involving and the story is without the peculiarly pessimistic tone
of McAuley, which should make it more palatable for the American market. This
is not to say it is unrealistic though which is pleasing. Compared to "Xenocide"
this is SF of a very high standard, streets ahead of his first novel, and I 
would not hesitate to recommend this for the highest awards in the field.

%T Eternal Light 
%A Paul J. McAuley
%I Victor Gollancz Limited, London
%D 1991
%? pp384
%P 14pounds 99pence
%G ISBN 0 575 04931 6