''Beyond Apollo'' is a
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
novel by American writer
Barry N. Malzberg
Barry Nathaniel Malzberg (July 24, 1939 – December 19, 2024) was an American writer and editor, most often of science fiction and fantasy.
Life and career Early life and family
Malzberg originated from a Jewish family and graduated from Syra ...
, first published in 1972 in a hardcover edition by
Random House
Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
.
Malzberg credits the inspiration for the novel to "I Have My Vigil", a 1969 short story by fellow science fiction writer
Harry Harrison.
Plot summary
The novel's protagonist is Harry M. Evans, the lone survivor of the disastrous first crewed expedition to the planet Venus. Evans provides details of the doomed expedition as a novel in progress, and he proves to be a remarkably
unreliable narrator
In literature, film, and other such arts, an unreliable narrator is a narrator who cannot be trusted, one whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in a wide range from children to mature characters. While unreliable narrators are al ...
,
[Pringle 1990, p. 36.] constantly changing the particulars of his story as it progresses. It quickly becomes apparent to the reader that he may be completely insane, as a feeling of deep (and comical) paranoia underlies Evans's descriptions of the absurd conversations that ensue with the Venusian inhabitants. There is some indication that Evans could very well have murdered his fellow crewmember. The novel ends with a publishing house offering to purchase the rights to Evans's outlandish tale.
Literary significance and criticism
Like much of Malzberg's work, ''Beyond Apollo'' was extremely controversial at the time of its publication, receiving both praise and scorn from literary critics.
[
]Joanna Russ
Joanna Russ (February 22, 1937 – April 29, 2011) was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as '' How to Suppress Women's Writing'', as ...
praised the novel as "a passionate, fine, completely realized work," noting that Malzberg's repetitive use of particular words transformed them into "a kind of Greek chorus, a terrible, poignant insistence on something that is not quite in the story but yet comes through the story." Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
commented that "''Beyond Apollo'' put me out of commission for three days after reading it".
On the other hand, Bob Shaw
Robert Shaw (31 December 1931 – 11 February 1996) was a science fiction writer and fan from Northern Ireland, noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980. His short story " Light of Other Da ...
said in '' Foundation'', "Malzberg's ''Beyond Apollo'' is, to me, the epitome of everything that has gone wrong with sf in the last ten years or so".[
The novel won the first ]John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, was an annual award presented to the author of the best science fiction novel published in English in the preceding calendar year. It was given by s ...
, presented in 1973.[Reginald 1992, p. 1499.]
See also
* Barry N. Malzberg bibliography
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* Clute, John and Peter Nicholls. ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...
''. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1993 (2nd edition 1995). .
* Pringle, David. ''The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction''. London: Grafton Books, 1990. .
* Reginald, Robert. ''Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, 1975-1991''. Detroit; Washington, DC; London: Gale Research, Inc., 1992. .
External links
* {{ISFDB title, id=2374, title=Beyond Apollo
1972 American novels
1972 science fiction novels
Fiction set in 1981
American science fiction novels
Novels with unreliable narrators
John W. Campbell Award for Best Science Fiction Novel–winning works
Space exploration novels
Novels set on Venus