A Wreath of Stars (Classic S.F., No 10) (Gateway Essentials)

by Bob Shaw

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.

• ISBN10: 0575021349
• ISBN13: 9780575021341
• Publish Date: 3 June 1976
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 18 October 2003
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 192
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Gil Snook avoids contact and entanglement, passing through society like a human neutrino. But, having ended up in the new country of Barandi, he finds himself caught up in a startling discovery about an anti-neutrino world only barely interacting with ours.

Review
Bob Shaw’s strength was in his characters, though he didn’t always succeed with them. Here, he largely does, with Gil Snook, determined to interact with others as little as possible; and Boyce Ambrose, trying to redeem himself as a true – or at least famous – scientist. While Snook and Ambrose are engaging, Shaw’s maneuvering to get them into position for the main story is on the bare bones side. And, while Snook is determined to limit his commitments, somehow a pretty face seems to be all it takes to break his concentration.

Despite those flaws, the characters carry the story through, and even the ending – a bit on the expository side – works fairly well, and without the Hollywood climax the story sometimes leads you to expect. It’s not really a book that will stay in your mind for long, but it’s a fun, readable mid-70s SF story you’ll enjoy while you’re in it, with some nice moments of humor.