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I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Just Finished Reading: Berserker Man by Fred Saberhagen

Millennia ago in a distant part of the Galaxy a war was waged by implacable enemies. One of the alien races produced what it saw as the ultimate weapon that would finally ensure them total victory. They created advanced machines capable of independent thought and fitted with awesome capabilities for destruction. Long after the death of both adversaries the remaining sentient races who fight them call them Berserkers.

Mankind has been at war with the Berserkers for centuries and are slowly losing the fight. In an act of desperation they devise a super weapon of their own – the ultimate human/machine hybrid. But the person capable of assuming this mantel as mankind’s saviour is a rare creature indeed. Searching among the teeming billions a perfect match is finally found…. in the form of an 11 year old boy. Unfortunately for him the Berserkers know of his existence too.

The Berserkers are great enemies. Evil machines bent on the destruction of all life wherever it is found. They are clever opponents as well as powerful ones and provide a impressive foil for human capabilities – and not just in the military dimension. Like my other favourite ‘bad guys’ the Borg and the Replicators they can be resisted but not (generally) defeated. They test us against the basic forces of death itself.

Berserker Man was apparently the final chapter in the Berserker series and was, maybe because of that, slightly disappointing. Concentrating on the development of the ultimate human warrior rather than the anticipated space combat its slant was more metaphysical than military. Competently written I certainly enjoyed it enough to race through it in three short days. Reasonable.

4 comments:

Foilwoman said...

So who is cooler, Berserker Man (clearly Scandinavian, so he gets my biased vote) or the Silver Surfer? Sorry, after venturing into the testosterone addled waters over on Jewish Atheist's blog, I just had to post a question like that somewhere.

CyberKitten said...

Hey FW! Welcome back. Always a pleasure.

I caught some of the stuff on JA's latest post & decided to keep well out of it - there was plenty that I didn't understand about 'local' issues' anyway. I thought you were very brave to contribute and also thought that HH was *way* out of line with some of his/her comments directed at you....

Anyhow..... [grin]

FW asked: So who is cooler, Berserker Man (clearly Scandinavian, so he gets my biased vote) or the Silver Surfer?

He clearly looks Scandanavian in the cover illustration but I'm not sure about it in the book. Then again most of the best heroes are the Nordic type [laughs]. I'm a huge fan of Odin myself....

As to the Silver Surfer... I've never been big (or small actually) into comics so can't really comment. I thought that he was pretty lame in the last Fantastic 4 movie though. Then again from 'reading' the comics back in the 70's I always thought that Dr Doom was the coolest of the lot of them. I wonder what that says about me?

Nice to 'hear' from you again. I check out your Blog regulary but don't always contribute. Hope that you had a good day today!

Foilwoman said...

Well, I'm about to head out into the rain and I think my day will be good. I have some interesting projects at work, DestructoGirl is responding to her medicine (she's at her Dad's, but I keep checking, like the control freak I am), and I have nice evening plans.

I never feel quite like I should post on JA's blog: my tone just doesn't fit there. HH didn't offend me (trust me, he's a guy) -- he was actually tamer than the response I expected and I wanted to be outrageous and get a reaction. The whole concept that women keeping themselves immured in uncomfortable and unattractive clothing makes men respect them more just doesn't make sense to me (kind of like the phrase "too many books") except regarding the mindset of the man. But whatever. I'll poke a sharp stick in my eye and go back there a few times, just to see the toil and trouble, throw in a few more eyes of newt or whatever, and see how the whole potion brews up. Hee. Yes, I admit it. Sometimes I do or say things just to see what happens next.

You have a great day too. I don't think there's any ongoing obligation to comment: I like comments, but I like to think that I can live with a no comment post if what I've written really doesn't draw people in.

On that note, I've never understood how a truly great, humane, and insightful writer like Bronze John gets so few comments. I guess some blogs build a community and others don't.

Anway, meow, and all that. Have a great day, and be nice to any small rodents you meet.

CyberKitten said...

FW said: I never feel quite like I should post on JA's blog: my tone just doesn't fit there.

Often I don't have a clue what they're talking about. Its either your rather bizarre political system or Jewish stuff....

FW said: The whole concept that women keeping themselves immured in uncomfortable and unattractive clothing makes men respect them more just doesn't make sense to me (kind of like the phrase "too many books")

Ditto to both - though I have promised myself I won't buy any more books until after my birthday...

FW said: Yes, I admit it. Sometimes I do or say things just to see what happens next.

Me too [laughs]. My friends just role their eyes at times like that [grin].

FW said: On that note, I've never understood how a truly great, humane, and insightful writer like Bronze John gets so few comments. I guess some blogs build a community and others don't.

True. To be honest I don't think I've ever checked him out. I'll start doing that in future.

FW said: Anway, meow, and all that. Have a great day, and be nice to any small rodents you meet.

I'll see if I can channel my inner rat (being a rat in the Chinese horoscope).