STAR COLONY

by Keith Laumer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 16, 1981

A disjointed pseudo-docudrama detailing the ""history"" of star colony Omega, with only a few flashes of the old Laumer wit and energy. Colony ship Omega crashlands on an inhospitable planet inhabited by grublike telepathic aliens; when the ship inexplicably disappears, the colonists--already at odds among themselves--are thrown back on their own resources. Years later, the planet is rediscovered by ex-captain Taliaferro Tey and revolutionary Nat Grall, fleeing from overcrowded, totalitarian Earth, who find the aliens hooked on religious cults and the colonists' descendants split into primitive, warring factions. So Tey and Grail journey about, trying to piece together the story by cracking heads. . . while Earth's boss is deliberately keeping the groups disunited and enslaved in order to extract valuable minerals on the cheap. After much huffing and puffing, the heroes finally achieve a consensus, communicate with the aliens, and force the Earth government to open up the planet to immigration. Less a novel than a set of intermittently amusing stories weakly cobbled together--with lots of comic-book action, silly dialogue in painful neo-rustic accents, and little overall coherence.

Pub Date: Nov. 16, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martins

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1981

Categories: FICTION