This Alien Shore by C. S. Friedman - SF - SFBookcase.com - Reference of Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels/Authors.

Series: Misc
Genre: SF
ISBN: 0886777984
Pages: 564 pages
Publisher: DAW Books, Inc.
Reader Rating: 9 out of 10
Votes: 6

This Alien Shore by C. S. Friedman

Description: Says the writer:
"As you all seem to have noticed, my works grow out of themes as much as plots - and the themes in this one are human madness, obsession, and a true interface between mind and machine (I find most cyberpunk treatments of this theme sadly lacking, myself). When insanity is the key to ftl travel, what does that make of the universe?"

"Not trying to imitate ICB in the new book, only capture some of the elements that made it successful - a high tech, highly fragmented society with intensely competitive elements, dark and violent angst, an exploration of the limits of the human mind...it is, in fact, the only thing I have worked on thus far that could actually have a sequel, as the world is really complicated enough to support that."

"The toughest part of TAS is that one of my main characters is an adult autistic. Such people may function well in many areas, but are insensitive to many of subtle emotional signals that accompany human interaction. Any sections from his POV therefore cannot use the kind of information that is an author's stock-in-trade, that is, insightful observation of other characters' mood and motivation."