Involution Ocean

by Bruce Sterling

Book Overview

A far-future Moby-Dick by the author of Schismatrix A desperate addict on a bleak, arid planet boards a whaling vessel to hunt the drug he craves.The powerful narcotic syncophine, commonly known as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 051504301X
• ISBN13: 9780515043013
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Peculiar & potential-filled early work from ground-breaking author

nvolution Ocean, published in 1977, is Bruce Sterling's first book. It is introduced by Harlan Ellison, who claims that the book is a "stunning tour de force" that will rock the genre and its readers. Ellison, although a great judge of talent (especially if you ask him), was either painfully incorrect or wildly prescient. Sterling did do his rocking, but it wasn't until Mirrorshades in 1986. Involution Ocean is a far cry from the cyberpunk niche that Sterling later came to dominate (and arguably create). The setting is the far-flung world of Nullaqua. The world is defined by a single habitable crater, and that crater is filled with a heavy, perpetual mist of dust. Nullaqua is a sea-faring world, populated by a race of stoic, unimaginative sailors - all on an ocean of dust. The book's protagonist is John Newhouse, an off-worlder. John is drawn to Nullaqua by 'Flare', a potent drug stilled from the belly of the 'dustwhale'. The story begins with the drug being declared illegal. In order to preserve his supply, John is forced to join a whaling ship, and sail the dusty seas of Nullaqua. Besides John - acerbic, jaded and worldly - the ship carries a few other misfits. The captain is a massive and terrifying man, bent on carrying out his mysterious research. He harbors a secret vendetta against the dust and its denizens. His pseudo-scientific labors seem more like angry provocations of their environment. Another misfit on board is an alien bat-woman - a winged scout from a distant world who has abandoned her people. Despite her disfiguring cosmetic surgery, she's far from human - and even the touch of a human being causes her physical pain. If this seems like Moby Dick (plus a random bat-person), the comparison is intentional. In his foreword, Ellison even notes that Sterling wryly showed up with the manuscript entitled 'Moby Dust'. It is, however, a testament to Sterling's ability as a fledgling writer (he wasn't even out of college when this was published) that what starts as a SF pastiche becomes something very different by the end. The complex relationships between the characters are at the heart of the book. Although the voyage invariably comes to a cataclysmic conclusion, everyone finds their own unique form of redemption. Sterling only has one serious lapse - an epiphany or dream sequence that reveals the origins of the dusty ocean and its sinister (and legendary) inhabitants. It is essentially six pages of Lovecraftian tomfoolery, an unpleasant and parenthetical break for world-building in an otherwise character-driven narrative.

The Involution Ocean - harder to get hold of than 'Flare'

This is a simple tale with a tight narrative focus. Being addicted to a rare drug has it's hazards. The main character's drug of choice, flare, is declared illegal so he and an inept junkie friend head out on a dust whale ship in a crater to extract flare from the source.The characterisation is really very strong for such a short book. The characters are all very different and their interaction is great. The plot is simple, but hangs together extremely well. I found some of the descriptions of the alien life and the sensibilities of the locals and whalers really absorbing. There are quite a number of amusing little scenes in this book. (I think a few may be unintentional). The setting is really fascinating and has a few well chosen details that really add to the immersiveness of the book. I really enjoyed it!.

Wonderful, somber adventure

Sterling's first novel, written almost a decade before cyberpunk became a household word. The setting is a desolate world with a single habitable crater, which is itself filled with a sea of near-fluid dust. This bleak, deadly place sets the tone for the story, which follows an addict trying to restablish a source for his drug of choice: "Flare," which is distilled from the oil of whale-like creatures which swim in the dust. He signs up for a berth on a whaling boat whose crew includes a captain obsessed with what lies beneath the dust seas, and an insane alien woman. Somber, gripping, modestly awe-inspring.END