An edition of The Coming (2000)

The Coming

1st ed.
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Last edited by bitnapper
December 17, 2023 | History
An edition of The Coming (2000)

The Coming

1st ed.
  • 0 Ratings
  • 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 Books
Language
English
Pages
216

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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


Edition Notes

Published in
New York
Series
Ace science fiction
Genre
Fiction.

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
813/.54
Library of Congress
PS3558.A353 C66 2000, PS3558.A353C66 2000

The Physical Object

Pagination
216 p. ;
Number of pages
216

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL6781588M
Internet Archive
coming00hald
ISBN 10
0441007694
LCCN
00029306
OCLC/WorldCat
43641398
Library Thing
49178
Goodreads
892991

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History

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December 17, 2023 Edited by bitnapper Merge works
December 17, 2023 Edited by bitnapper Merge works
December 17, 2023 Edited by bitnapper Merge works (MRID: 100604)
March 2, 2023 Edited by Mike Satteson Title Correction
December 8, 2009 Created by ImportBot add works page