From: reeder@reed.edu (P. Douglas Reeder)
Subject: Assemblers of Infinity, by Anderson and Beason
Keywords: nanotech
Organization: Div, Grad & Curl
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 04:34:24 GMT

A Review of "Assemblers of Infinity" by Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason
review by P. Douglas Reeder

This novel appeared as a serial in the September to December 1992
issues of _Analog_.

[Review contains some minor plot spoilers --Ed.]

Readers unfamiliar with nanotechnology may find this novel more exciting
than I did.  It describes the basics of nanotechnology in a fashion not as
good as most other descriptions I have read.  I failed to identify with or
care about what happened to the characters.  This is not a bad work, it just
never came to life for me.  It may come alive for you.

The conflict of the novel is a mysterious, dangerous structure that appears
without warning on the lunar farside.  The characters are challenged to
figure out what it's purpose is.

Besides a number (too many?) supporting characters, there are four main
characters: Jason Dvorak, commander of the (nearside) moonbase, Erika Trace,
nanotech researcher, Celeste McConnel, director of the "United Space
Agency", and General Simon Pritchard.  The novel telegraphs that Dvorak and
Trace will form a relationship long before they get together, but fails to
show why they are attracted to each other.  McConnel and Pritchard's
relationship came as a surprise to me and never seemed natural, either.
Certainly, people are attacted to one another for reasons that don't make
sense to others, but relationships among the main characters must form some
pattern with the rest of a novel, make some statement about life and/or the
human condition.

[Possible spoilers follow]


There are a number of elements that don't make sense.  The moonbase launches
many suborbital probes to take short looks at the artifact, instead of
putting something in lunar orbit or at the L-2 point, where they have a
frequently-mentioned communications relay. (something well within the
demonstrated capabilities of the space agency), where it could continuously
observe the artifact.  At one point one of the characters even expresses the
wish that the L-2 relay had a camera, yet no one thinks to put one there!

When the L-1 transfer station and the moonbase become infected, the L-1
station is blown up and the crew crowded into the moonbase.  This does not
improve the quarrantine and makes communication and supply delivery more
complicated, in addition to eliminating a base that would very expensive to
replace.  It seems like the authors decided that there weren't enough
explosions, and it was time for some excitement, never mind whether it makes
sense.

Trace's first attempt to modify totally alien machinery (which she states
she does not understand) produces exactly what she intends.

There is no rising action as such; an event happends, another event happens,
and another event happens, without any real integration into a whole.  In
particular, the whole scene at the nuclear bomb storage site should have
been dropped, as it contributes nothing to the work.  The homemade bomb
sequence was very abrupt.

[End spoilers]


This is, in fact, the major problem with the whole novel: it does not form a
whole.  Instead of creating suspense out of the core material, the authors
add in additional chunks of events and characters.

The November Biolog column is on Anderson and December on Beason.  November
mentions a planned sequel to Assemblers, for which there is plenty of room.

%A Kevin J. Anderson
%A Doug Beason
%T Assemblers of Infinity
%J Analog Science Fiction and Fact
%V 112
%N 11-14
%C Red Oak IA
%D Sep. to Dec. 1992
%K nanotechnology
%O magazine serial; US $2.50/issue
%X alien nanomachines assemble artifact on the Moon

-- 
Doug Reeder                              Internet: reeder@reed.EDU
Div, Grad & Curl                         USENET:   ...!tektronix!reed!reeder
programming & derivative work            BITNET:   reeder@reed.BITNET
I am actively seeking scientific programming contracts.

--
--Alan Wexelblat, Reality Hacker and Cyberspace Bard
Media Lab - Advanced Human Interface Group	wex@media.mit.edu
Voice: 617-258-9168, Pager: 617-945-1842	wexelblat.chi@xerox.com
The world may not be plaid, but that doesn't stop me painting stripes.