''Star Winds'' is the ninth

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

Barrington J. Bayley Barrington J. Bayley (9 April 1937 – 14 October 2008) was an English science fiction writer. Biography Bayley was born in Birmingham, England, and educated in Newport, Shropshire. He worked a number of jobs before joining the Royal Air Forc ...

. In the future

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

of the novel, humans travel through space using

solar sail Solar sails (also known as lightsails, light sails, and photon sails) are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. A number of spaceflight missions to test solar propulsion and navigati ...

s and, as with much of Bayley's work,

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

and other

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

s play a role alongside more conventional technology.

Literary significance and reception

Rhys Hughes reviewed ''Star Winds'' and '' The Pillars of Eternity'' as "offbeat" but ultimately reworkings of earlier material. Andrew Darlington noted that the reworked theme of alchemy (first seen in '' Empire of Two Worlds'') was a significant element, and argued that the first half of the novel, dealing with the actual journey from Earth to Mars, was stronger than the second, which shifted to a galactic venue. Darlington suggested that Bayley's abandonment of his Martian setting may have been due to the influence of the ''Viking'' landings while the book was being written."Knight Without Limit: An Overview of the Work of Barrington Bayley", ''Arena #10'', 1980

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whi ...

observed that the distinctions between SF and fantasy were slight, but found the book still engaging.

References

{{Barrington J. Bayley 1978 American novels 1978 science fiction novels Novels by Barrington J. Bayley DAW Books books