Book Discussion 16: The Stars Are Also Fire by Poul Henderson
1This was a very boring science fiction story. No matter what setting, technology, or situations that you establish, any story will fall apart without a meaningful conflict. Though there is the illusion that there is conflict in the story, it doesn't hold water, isn't engaging, and isn't reasonable or realistic. The events of the past seem to have held more conflict than what is supposed to be the main thrust of the story, what's going on in the present.
To summarize the basic premise and conflict: Human beings have all of their needs met, but are discontent. A small handful of people stumble upon highly classified information (of which there doesn't seem to be sufficient cause for it to matter that much either way), and even they can't figure out why it has to remain confidential. They still have some pep and will though, and wind up being pursued so they don't let the cat out of the bag. On the one hand the, "Antagonists," are an all-powerful network and intelligence that refuses to let this secret get out. Yet on the other, they pull their punches and allow the protagonists to leak the secret. That's how the story ends. An unimportant secret is exposed to the public, who can now colonize a distant asteroid, when there are already other colonized asteroids and planets. Surely, this will upset the delicate balance of everything.
I regret reading this book immensely and can't recommend reading any part of this series, as I'm not the oddball in this case. Very few people seem to have any regard for this series. Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Stars-Are-Also-Fire/dp/0312855346