Non-Stop

Paperback, 204 pages

Published Aug. 10, 1976 by Pan Science Fiction.

ISBN:
9780330246385

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3 stars (1 review)

Roy Complain lives in a culturally-primitive tribe in which curiosity is discouraged and life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. With a small group, he leaves his home and ventures into uncharted territory. The consequent discoveries will change his perception of the entire universe.

Complain's small tribe roam nomadically through corridors overrun by vegetation. After his wife is kidnapped, a tribal priest named Marapper encourages Complain to join a furtive expedition into the unexplored corridors. It is Marapper's belief that they are all living on board a moving spacecraft and that if they can reach the control room, they will gain command of the entire gargantuan vessel.

On their journey, the group encounters other tribes of varying levels of sophistication. Complain is also briefly captured by humanoid 'Giants' of legend, who release him with no explanation. Complain's party eventually join the more sophisticated society of the 'Forwards'. Here, they …

9 editions

Fine, but felt incomplete

3 stars

Non-stop has a good premise has too many places where there are logical gaps. I have no way to describe this without spoilers, so I won't try - I just feel like greater depth of character development & more backstory could have elevated it from good to great.

Subjects

  • Fiction
  • Discoveries in geography
  • Space ships
  • Fiction in English
  • Science fiction