Poul Anderson marks the 50th year of his science fiction writing career with the conclusion of his Harvest of Stars series (Boat of a Million Years, Harvest of Stars, The Stars are Also Fire, Harvest the Fire). While the writing is leisurely, the action bounces between the solar system and the stars as Anson Guthrie returns to action once again (or at least his downloaded consciousness does). It seems the artificial intelligence that half support and more than half control the Terran system are hiding something from humanity, and Guthrie is determined to find out what that is.


From Library Journal
In the fourth installment of Anderson's "Harvest of Stars" series (e.g., Harvest the Fire, LJ 10/15/95), Anson Guthrie returns from the distant planet Amaterasu to investigate fragmented rumors about what solar lenses have found in deep space. On Earth he joins Fenn, a former Earth policeman, and his Terran girlfriend, Kinna Ronay, to learn why the cybercosm thinks it's too dangerous for humans to resume space exploration. This hard-science novel effectively explores the relationships between men and machines, cultural differences, and rebellion. Highly recommended for sf collections. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The fourth novel in his Harvest of Stars series shows that, after decades of extraordinary brilliance, Anderson is still the sf master he has long been acknowledged to be. Following the career of Anson Guthrie (in various manifestations) in a luminously realized future universe, the story centers on the relationship of and conflict between humans and the artificial intelligences devised--all too well--to aid them. The Teramind (defined in the list of dramatis personae as "the apex of the cybercosm") and its associated sophotects (Anderson has always been an onomastic whiz) protect the inhabitants of Earth and other planets so well that they have lost the spirit of enterprise that keeps them lively and human. Guthrie and his confederates must discover the nature and motives of the Teramind and win their own, human place in the universe. That universe is every bit as compelling as those Anderson created in his earlier future histories; meanwhile, his storytelling gifts have matured to fit his recent sweeping themes. Dennis Winters


From Kirkus Reviews
Fourth addition to Anderson's future-history series (Harvest the Fire, 1995, etc.). Far out in space, Terran colonists on planet Amaterasu, led by reincarnated hero Anson Guthrie, have developed a planetary consciousness or Life Mother. Lunarians occupy Alpha Centauri, and, back in the solar system, the remote asteroid Proserpina. Earth, the Moon, and Mars are benevolently ruled by an aggregate of machine intelligences, the cybercosm, and by its ultimate manifestation, the Teramind. News reaches Amaterasu that the Teramind, using the sun as a gravitational lens, has made some spectacular discovery and then suppressed it--and also sabotaged the Proserpinans' attempts to make a gravitational lens of their own. So a computer download of Guthrie must travel to the solar system to investigate. Hundreds of pages later--``plot'' is too definite a word to describe the goings-on--young ex-policeman Fenn successfully raids the data-receiving station on Mars; the data seems to reveal the presence of ancient machine civilizations far off in space. But skeptical old Guthrie doesn't believe it and organizes his own raid on the lens's focus. This information shows conclusively that no such civilizations exist: The Teramind planned the deception as a means of controlling the humans in its charge. Flabby and meandering: an average entry in this very disappointing series. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"Any new book from Poul Anderson is a cause for rejoicing, and Fleet of Stars in particular deserves celebration. Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to."--Stephen Donaldson

"Fleet of Stars is a grand story that gets bigger and better with every page. Poul Anderson has poured over fifty years of skill and talent into a grandmaster-class story."--Larry Bond



Book Description
In Fleet of Stars, Poul Anderson brings back the wildly colorful Anson Guthrie, his iconoclastic hero from Harvest of Stars. The staid, somber people of Earth are not only dependent on technology, they are all but ruled by machine intelligence. Suspecting a conspiracy to suppress humankind's last vestiges of freedom, Guthrie begins a dangerous journey across the realm of the comets, the asteroids, and the stars themselves--willing to risk his life to preserve humanity's ability to roam the universe.



About the Author
The bestselling author of such classic novels as Brain Wave and The Boat of a Million Years, Poul Anderson won just about every award the science fiction and fantasy field has to offer. He has won multiple Hugos and Nebulas, the John W. Campbell Award, The Locus Poll Award, the Skylark Award, and the SFWA Grandmaster Award for Lifetime Achievement. His recent books include Harvest of Stars, The Stars are also On Fire, Operation Chaos, Operation Luna, Genesis, Mother of Kings, and Going for Infinity, a collection and retrospective of his life's work. Poul Anderson lived in Orinda, California where he passed away in 2001.

ANNOTATION

The fourth novel in Anderson's superlative visionary series brings back the wildly colorful Anson Guthrie, the iconoclastic hero from Harvest of Stars. Suspecting a conspiracy to suppress the last vestiges of freedom known to humankind, Guthrie sets out on a dangerous and hair-raising journey encompassing the comets, the asteroids, and the stars themselves. 352 pp. Targeted print ads. Online publicity.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In The Fleet of Stars, Poul Anderson brings back the wildly colorful Anson Guthrie, his iconoclastic hero from Harvest of Stars. The staid, somber people of Earth are not only dependent on technology, they are all but ruled by machine intelligence. Suspecting a conspiracy to suppress the last vestiges of freedom known to humankind, Guthrie sets out on a dangerous and hair-raising journey encompassing the realm of the comets, the asteroids, and the stars themselves. Among the many exciting characters he meets along the way are the brave, beautiful Kinna Ronay and her courageous friend Fenn, who, against the advice of the wise and cautious Chuan, will join Guthrie in his attempt to stop the Terrans. Guthrie and his friends are determined that humankind will travel to the stars and roam the galaxies, even the universe itself, or die trying.

FROM THE CRITICS

Kirkus Reviews

Fourth addition to Anderson's future-history series (Harvest the Fire, 1995, etc.). Far out in space, Terran colonists on planet Amaterasu, led by reincarnated hero Anson Guthrie, have developed a planetary consciousness or Life Mother. Lunarians occupy Alpha Centauri, and, back in the solar system, the remote asteroid Proserpina. Earth, the Moon, and Mars are benevolently ruled by an aggregate of machine intelligences, the cybercosm, and by its ultimate manifestation, the Teramind. News reaches Amaterasu that the Teramind, using the sun as a gravitational lens, has made some spectacular discovery and then suppressed it—and also sabotaged the Proserpinans' attempts to make a gravitational lens of their own. So a computer download of Guthrie must travel to the solar system to investigate. Hundreds of pages later—"plot" is too definite a word to describe the goings-on—young ex-policeman Fenn successfully raids the data-receiving station on Mars; the data seems to reveal the presence of ancient machine civilizations far off in space. But skeptical old Guthrie doesn't believe it and organizes his own raid on the lens's focus. This information shows conclusively that no such civilizations exist: The Teramind planned the deception as a means of controlling the humans in its charge.

Flabby and meandering: an average entry in this very disappointing series.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

The Fleet of Stars is a grand story that gets bigger and better with every page. Paul Anderson has poured fifty years of skill and talent into a grand master-class story. — Larry Bond