Black Sun

Author: Jack (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The story of The Black Sun begins as the last "Space Sowing Program" spaceship is about to leave Earth. This quantum spaceship will carry the last group of adventurers across the vast cosmic starry sky in a wave state until it encounters enough gravitational pull to return to its normal state. Originally, people intended to use the "Space Sowing Program" to spread the spark of civilization across the stars, but the great proponents of this plan—the Space Sowing Organization—have been thoroughly disorganized by the arrogant Herman Stuke and his vulgar assistant, Hinch. Outside the launch site, a group of extreme environmentalists do everything they can to prevent the spaceship from taking off. They bribe the spaceship's security chief, Ginas Rok, to plant a bomb on the ship. However, not everyone wants to end the "Space Sowing Program." Carlos Mondragon, a young Mexican illegal immigrant and computer expert, sneaks onto the ship with his dream of interstellar travel, becoming a stowaway. Stuke and Hinch take control of the spaceship just a few minutes after it launches. The spaceship takes off, and Rok's bomb is also defused. After an indeterminate amount of time, the quantum spaceship returns to normal near a dead star. When the people wake up, they discover that the star has only one planet—a place of extreme cold and lifelessness. However, during the landing process, the ship's probe detects a mysterious signal. The crew also finds a massive structure, clearly the work of extraterrestrials, at the center of the planet's ice cap. After landing, Stuke ignores the experts' suggestions to build a living area beneath the planet's surface and insists on concentrating all the ship's resources on the launch site designed to enable another space jump. When bones and other strange ancient artifacts are discovered, a mysterious atmosphere begins to spread across the planet and grows increasingly thick. When the exploration team sent to investigate the source of the mysterious signal goes missing, the people on Black Sun Planet have little choice left, and a series of adventures make the plot of The Black Sun very tense. Williamson uses many inventions common in early science fiction and makes new improvements to them. This novel lacks the cynicism and pessimism found in modern science fiction, maintaining a high level of adventure and a sense of wonder about the universe and space exploration. In 1975, Williamson expressed regret over the prevalence of pessimism in modern science fiction and vowed to continue an optimistic style in his own works. John Clute, in his famous Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, noted that Williamson's 1992 novel Beachhead exudes "the fragrance of early science fiction" compared to works of the same era. Williamson clearly has returned to the roots of his science fiction journey, using his over 70 years of writing experience to give modern twists to somewhat outdated materials, bringing a fresh breeze to today's science fiction. The Black Sun is precisely such a work that fulfills this promise, inheriting the grandeur of space opera and recapturing the passion of early science fiction.