Larry Nivens story Rammer is (by his own estimation) one of his best. It certainly made an impression on me when I first read it 22 years ago. Oppressive through most of the text, Rammer delights at the very end. I still want to cheer when Corbell alters course and sets out for the galactic core; giving Pierce and the State a giant middle finger in the process. I also have fun wondering what happens then, back on Earth? Surely Pierce will be blamed, and then mind-wiped for picking a loose cannon like Corbell. You dont let a criminal go joy-riding in a skyscraper-sized starship without consequences. Moreover, the State will surely put the computer in control of all future seeder missions to nearby stars. The rammer will merely be along for the ride, as a mechanic who can fix things. Or maybe not? The State might abandon rammers entirely. Build more, cheaper ramships with fully automated systems. Of course, this narrows things for the people who eventually discover and settle The Smoke Ring. Which again is a tale of free men (and free women!) giving authority the middle finger. And three million years later, Corbell returns, to find Earth in orbit around . . . Jupiter. But thats not Rammer thats A WORLD OUT OF TIME. Marvelous stuff, all of it.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:09:24 +0000
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