In the Ocean of Night

Galactic Center, Book 1

By: Gregory Benford

Narrated by: Maxwell Caulfield

It is 2019. NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy it, he instead discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe - a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal.

In 2034, a reply is heard. Searching for the source of this signal, which comes from outside the solar system, Nigel discovers the existence of a sentient ship. When the new vessel begins to communicate directly with him, the astronaut learns of the horrors that await humanity. For the ship was created by an alien race that has spent billions and billions of years searching for intelligent life… to annihilate it.

©1972, 1973, 1974, 1977 Abbenford Associates (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A bit slow paced for my taste.

What did you like best about In the Ocean of Night? What did you like least?

Good: Very interesting ideas, it seems well through through. I had to listen in bits.

Bad: Very slow paced and many times over analytical. I got bored at times, but the book had my rapt attention at other times. If I find a time where none of my other series have a new book out or I'm looking for something slower paced, I might buy the next book.

Be careful listening at the very end...

The author gives some spoilers about book 2 when he begins talking at the end of the story, itself.

A Jewel in Benford's Crown

Gregory Benford is one of sci-fi's famous "Killer Bees." These hard science fiction writers are my favorites. But it has been years since I had read Benford 's "Great Sky River" series of novels, and I had forgotten much of this first book. Listening to it, I found his writing style a little bit irritating! He often gets carried away and writes long, flowery descriptive phrases. It's like he's trying to fulfill a quota of words, rather than just tell a good story. People don't talk like he writes! At least none that I have ever known. But I like the plot and the characters! The story gets bogged down a little in places but overall is interesting and leaves the reader wanting more. I especially like the parts where Nigel explores the first alien ship and where he has to deal with the bureaucrats who are more afraid of an alien presence than they are fascinated and curious! I also like all the details about the "snark!" I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! This one has mystery, romance, conflicts, philosophical musings, and portents of doom. What's not to like?! Especially if you enjoy the writing style!

Oh, and kudos to the narrator for a fine job!

Not what I expected

Would you consider the audio edition of In the Ocean of Night to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version

Has In the Ocean of Night turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I've read and enjoyed a number of similar "intercept the alien craft" titles. This one seemed a bit disjointed.

What about Maxwell Caulfield’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No. it was very difficult to identify with any of the characters and the scenes seemed very superficial.

Slow start to a longer story arc

Benford's In the Ocean of Night is the 1st installment of a 6 part series originally published in the 1970's. The significance is that the theme deals with alien contact and machine intelligence so the story has a primitive quality today that comes naturally from inherent limitations of its perspective of that time. The story centers around an astronaut who discovers an alien artifact believed to be an errant comet about to strike Earth. He next identifies another alien artifact as it enters our solar system a few years later and makes contact with the onboard AI. Finally, he is brought in to investigate what appears to be an alien artifact buried on the moon after an apparent thermonuclear device that may be another alien artifact on Earth detonates. Against this background, there is a religious movement with unclear motives that comes to dominate politics.

While quite popular in its day, probably due to its unique take on alien first contact, the tale suffers from underdeveloped characters. While the main character seems mostly adrift, supporting characters get extremely short shrift that makes their motivations and reactions quite uninterpretable. The fascination with BigFoot may have also been unique to the time period when the book was written which does not gel well today. By the end, it just wasn't clear what the author was trying to relate and the conclusion was far from satisfying. As an intro to a longer story arc, this is a disappointing appetizer.

The narration is good with a solid range of voices and good pacing with a tone suitable for the overall tenor of the tale.