Full Tide of Night

by J.R. Dunn

Book Overview

Once the Erinye were human until they forsook their bodies for a timeless, virtual existence, then lashed out like jealous ghosts to destroy all they had left behind. One starship escaped the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380790505
• ISBN13: 9780380790500
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Harper Voyager
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

New science fiction from a rising star in the genre.

J. R. Dunn is definitely a science fiction writer for the nineties. In his latest book, Full Tide of Night, he tackles the subjects of terra forming, artificial intelligence, religion and revolution in his own inimitable fashion. The hardware-driven stories of the past are not his forte. If I have a quibble with Dunn's writing style, it would be that he tends to over-analyze his subject. I tend to like a more direct writing style, one that moves along at a brisk pace with less time spent at the scenic rest stops. Yet, this very aspect of Dunn's writing is what makes it so memorable. You close his book on the final page of the final chapter and find yourself thinking about what he so punctiliously taught you about the human condition. Full Tide of Night is a classic "What if?" story, as is so much of science fiction. What if you could leave the problems and mistakes of earth behind and start all over again somewhere else? Would you avoid the pitfalls of those historical figures who went before? Would the society you create be a utopia? Would the place you adopted as your new home become a second Eden? Dunn focuses his laser intensity on these subjects, providing a thoroughly interesting read in the process. Some complaints have been made regarding his political and religious views, as reflected in his writing, but I feel he handles each divergent point-of-view with a surprising amount of even-handedness-developing sympathy in characters many would write off as despicable. Dunn isn't a gadget writer of science fiction. He doesn't trot out all the hardware and revel in its "gee whiz!" features-like a car salesman. He introduces what future technology there is in matter-of-fact terms and as it would be in real life. Sometimes he has some fun examining it through the eyes of people not familiar with it but, for the most part, his futuristic technology is viewed by his characters as we would view a plane, a VCR, or a cell phone. Even when he deals with artificial intelligence, it is highly anthropomorphic. I feel he does this on purpose, for AI is a construct of man, and what would we be most comfortable with? As science fiction goes, this is a five star read. Full Tide of Night is easily as good as his previous book, Days of Cain. I'm impressed with his choices of subject matter in each of his novels. Dunn seems at home in any milieu. At the end, we realize Full Tide of Night is, as are all memorable stories, a people story. We also realize that Dunn is, after all, a writer of people stories. They may be dictators, heroes, or fools but they are first and foremost people.

Fascinating

This book is a page-turner in some ways. I was particularly interested in the technology presented. I would definitely like more of a sequel in that universe -- particularly against the ongoing fight against the Erinye although that was simply part of the background. The characters themselves -- I particularly liked the Dame of Midgard although she was in the beginning very remote and inacessible, and Cariola the AI who betrays the Dame and the people of Midgard. The character of Tony Perrin was not as well developed. We do not quite understand why he likes the Dame of Midgard although without him -- the story wouldn't much progress! Moreover, I thought that the Rigorists were pretty much one dimensional. Simply there to introduce the civil war without any explanation why anyone would choose such a totalitarian/communist philosophy willingly. But in sum, it was a page-turner and I read it in one sitting. Much more enjoyable and interesting than much of the dreck that is on the market.

Powerful and entertaining.

In his latest masterwork, Full Tide of Night, J.R. Dunn brilliantly transplants the essence of 20th century sociopolitical conflict into the architecture of a classic play. Full Tide of Night's recognizable elements may come from history, but its future setting, emotional power, and suspenseful execution are the result of Dunn's considerable literary talents. The characters are complex and believable, and because Dunn wastes no time on repetitive exposition, Full Tide of Night unfolds as if in real time. Without a doubt, Dunn serves up the best portrayal of an artificial intelligence in science fiction literature; Cariola is as engaging as any human character in the book. Dunn's prose is brisk and elegant, propelling Full Tide of Night to its immensely satisfying conclusion. Any reader will feel compelled to turn its pages.