''Neverness'' 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

David Zindell David Zindell (born November 28, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy epics writer. Writing career Zindell's first published story was "The Dreamer's Sleep" in ''Fantasy Book'' in 1984. His novelette ''Shanidar'', which shared a bac ...

, published in 1988. The related novelette "Shanidar" won the

Writers of the Future Writers and Illustrators of the Future is a science fiction and fantasy story and art contest that was established by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 as Writers of the Future. A sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, was launched in 1988 and presen ...

contest in 1985. ''Neverness'' concerns a far-future world where interstellar travel is controlled by a group of

mathematicians A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History One ...

called pilots, because of their abilities to do the calculations needed for space travel, and

posthuman Posthuman or post-human is a concept originating in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary art, and philosophy that means a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human. The concept aims at addressing a variety of ...

or AI computer brains called "gods" rule much of the galaxy. It follows the deeds of Mallory Ringess, a young pilot, as he travels through the universe and discovers secrets and strangeness. He encounters a god, lives as a

Neanderthal Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...

caveman, and eventually discovers that the lord of the pilots' order is thousands of years old and immortal, and that enlightened aliens have hidden profound secrets in humanity's genes. Zindell has said that it was partly based on ''

Le Morte d'Arthur ' (originally written as '; Anglo-Norman French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the ...

'', with the pilots as "knights zipping around the universe in search of the Holy Grail". Mark Spencer praised the book for its unusual approach to showing an unfamiliar world, and the complexity of its story. The novel won the Gigamesh Award for best novel in 1991, and Zindell was nominated for the

Astounding Award for Best New Writer The ''Astounding'' Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous ...

in 1986.

Gene Wolfe Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and no ...

described Zindell as "one of the finest talents to appear since

Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American science fiction writer best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes and feature scientists as heroes. Robinson has ...

and

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

—perhaps the finest", and David Barrett described its style as "poetic prose that is a joy to read".

References

External links

{{ISFDB title, id=4956 A Requiem for Homo Sapiens Religion in science fiction 1988 American novels 1988 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Novels by David Zindell