''The Reefs of Space'' is a dystopian science fiction novel by American writers

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellit ...

and

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term ''genet ...

, published in 1964. It is part of the Starchild Trilogy, the other books in the series being '' Starchild'' (1965) and '' Rogue Star'' (1969).

Plot

The novel is set in a dystopian future where mankind is ruled by a brutal totalitarian government known as the ''Plan of Man'', enforced by a computerized

surveillance state Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by local and federal governments or governmental organizatio ...

. The main character is a genius scientist, Steve Ryeland, who is trying to build a new type of rocket drive. While Ryeland is struggling with amnesia, he has a computer companion named Oporto. Due to Ryeland's anti-government actions in the past, the Plan of Man Computer deems him to be a security risk, so he is forced to wear a bomb-equipped collar, which he is hoping to be able to remove.

Reception

Joachim Boaz's review in ''Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations'' calls it "an enjoyable read" and he praises the "quick prose", action, and dialogue that keeps the reader interested.

References

Book series introduced in 1964 Science fiction novel trilogies 1964 science fiction novels Collaborative novels Novels by Frederik Pohl Novels by Jack Williamson Dystopian novels Novels about artificial intelligence Novels about totalitarianism Novels about mass surveillance Government by algorithm in fiction {{italic title