An edition of The Coming (2000)

The Coming

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Last edited by ImportBot
December 17, 2022 | History
An edition of The Coming (2000)

The Coming

  • 7 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 3 Have read

The Arrival Is Imminent

Joe Haldeman's novel The Comingis a tightly constructed near future thriller which begins by recapitulating a classic science fictional motif: the moment of first contact with an alien intelligence.

The story begins on October 1, 2054. Aurora (Rory) Bell, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Florida, has just made the discovery of the century. A sophisticated sensing device called a gamma ray burst detector has picked up a message from somewhere beyond the solar system. The easily decrypted message contains two unambiguous words: We're coming. Subsequent analysis reveals that the source of the message is heading directly toward Earth and is scheduled to arrive on the first day of January 2055. A media circus inevitably ensues, as the citizens of Earth attempt to prepare for a wholly unprecedented event.

From this point forward, Haldeman focuses not on the alien spaceship but on the social, political, and environmental conditions of a rapidly deteriorating planet. He envisions a 21st century marked by unpredictable weather patterns and geopolitical chaos, a world in which corruption is an endemic element both of private enterprises and governmental institutions. Controversial -- i.e., gay -- sexual practices have been outlawed. The electoral process has become a joke, ushering in a new generation of leaders who are incompetent and uninformed but intensely photogenic. Most significantly, the nations of Europe are flexing their muscles once again, marshaling their forces for an inevitable -- and catastrophic -- global conflict.

Haldeman's portrait of the century to come is at once familiar and strange, enlivened by a steady flow of imaginative details: automated traffic control systems, virtual reality pornography, designer drugs tailored to the individual DNA. Haldeman shows us this world from the constantly shifting perspective of a variety of characters. Included among them are Rory Bell, whose initial discovery jump-starts the narrative; Norman Bell, a middle-aged composer with a history of "illegal" sexual behavior; Willie Joe Capra, a sadistic bagman with delusions of grandeur; and a nameless "historian," whose ruminations illuminate the cyclical patterns of violence present throughout recorded history.

As always, Haldeman writes with clarity, economy, and wit, skillfully moving his extensive cast toward a climactic moment of revelation in which "hope and caution" predominate. The Coming is both a provocative, cleverly conceived entertainment and a compelling meditation on the eternal human propensity for violent solutions. It is speculative fiction of the highest order and reaffirms its author's position as a modern master of the form.

--Bill Sheehan

Publish Date
Publisher
Ace
Pages
288

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The Coming
The Coming
Mar 01, 2009, Recorded Books
preloaded digital audio player
Cover of: The Coming
The Coming
Dec 03, 2008, Recorded Books, Inc. and Blackstone Publishing
audio cd
Cover of: Le Message
Le Message
June 13, 2002, Pocket
Paperback in French
Cover of: The Coming
The Coming
Nov 01, 2001, Ace
mass market paperback
Cover of: The Coming
The Coming
2000, Ace Books
in English - 1st ed.

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Book Details


The Physical Object

Format
mass market paperback
Number of pages
288

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL28370003M
ISBN 10
0441008763
ISBN 13
9780441008766

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Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
December 17, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
October 28, 2021 Edited by tmanarl Merge works
January 5, 2021 Edited by bitnapper merge authors
July 24, 2020 Created by ImportBot Imported from amazon.com record