Hull Zero Three ~Greg Bear
–published 2010
–Orbit
–307 pages
–4.5/5 stars
Imagine you were selected as one of Earth’s elect, chosen to travel light years beyond our galaxy aboard a sleeper ship during which time you are engaged in something called the Dreamtime, where you learn, grow, and form relationships meant to help you in your role of rebuilding humanity on a new world. Now imagine that you have finally arrived. You “wake up”, excited and anxious and ready for your new adventure. You see your chosen partner in real life for the first time and your adrenaline starts flowing. You will soon discover when you are to depart for your new life. All is right with the world.
Now imagine that you truly wake up–it is freezing cold, you are pulled, naked and befuddled, from a watery cocoon by what appears to be a young girl who tells you that you must run. RUN NOW or DIE!
Thus begins author Greg Bear’s latest novel, Hull Zero Three, a novel that is part big idea, part fugitive-style adventure, and part mystery-thriller. Hull Zero Three reads in part like a first person shooter video game (but with a kick-ass story) in that the protagonist, who cannot recall his true name but soon comes to be known as Teacher, “tells” his story largely in his own mind as he is experiencing it. His confusion, unease, and slowly growing memory allows you as the reader to feel you are experiencing these events right along with the character in a way that not all novelists can achieve.
Teacher quickly realizes that Ship is not well. This three-hulled behemoth, each hull twelve kilometers long, attached to a chunk of ice hundreds of kilometers long, was built to hurtle through space at twenty percent the speed of light and not to awaken any of its inhabitants until it arrived at a suitable planet to colonize. But something is not right. The mass of ice is far too large too put Ship anywhere near a habitable planet, the conditions inside much of the hull are not livable, and, for no fathomable reason, a menagerie of creatures known as factors are hell-bent on attacking Teacher, the young girl who awakened him, and any other humanoid creatures they come upon in their flight.
Hull Zero Three is written at break-neck speed, interspersed with pauses in which Teacher is introduced to other characters and slowly begins to piece together, from memory fragments and information gleaned on his travels through the ship, just what might have occurred. Bear maintains a solid sense of distrust and suspicion throughout the book, making sure that Teacher, and the reader, never feel quite safe. Hull Zero Three has its share of hard science, and in reading other reviews online it appears that I am not alone in occasionally getting confused about just what Greg Bear is describing. SF Site put it this way, “The only drawback I found in Hull Zero Three was that I sometimes had trouble picturing what Bear was trying to describe. He has such a powerful imagination, that sometimes I couldn’t keep up.” It is obvious in reading these parts of the book that Bear understands what he is describing and those more knowledgeable in science and/or engineering might have an easier time grasping this part of the book. I give kudos to Greg Bear that my lack of ability to grasp these details did nothing to lessen my enjoyment of the story nor did it slow the story down at all. Potential danger lurks around every corner and this palpable threat keeps you turning the pages.
I’m fascinated by the idea of generation ships, or in this case sleep ships, and Bear manages to use this concept in such a way that it adds to the impact of the mystery of what happened to Ship. I have read a few differing opinions on the ending of Hull Zero Three. While I would agree that the denouement might not be as intellectually satisfying for some given the hard science aspects of the book, I felt that the ending was emotionally satisfying, which is much more important to me as an individual reader. While Hull Zero Three is filled with adventure and suspense, Bear also manages to infuse the story with some interesting social implications regarding survival at any cost.
It is possible that this could be my last completed read for 2010. If that is the case, I am pleased to have ended the year on such a high note. This one is recommended.
Your review encourages me. I read Brian Aldiss’ STARSHIP (published in 1958) in about 1960 and it is one of he most unsettling, dark looks at human devolution I’ve encountered. I was afraid Bear might have followed that path with this one, but it sounds like he did not. I wonder if the ending is a setup for a sequel?
There have been many generation ship SF novels written over the years, it’s not an uncommon theme, so the plot has to be handled with care or it becomes a “yet another…”
Bear is one of those authors of whom I say I like much of his work, but not all of it.
My reading numbers are woeful this year, beginning in mid-October when the moving process began I’ve completed only a couple of books. Next year will be better!
This was added to my wish list as soon as I read a synopsis of it somewhere I now can’t remember so glad to know it’s worth getting!
Bride: I can only say that in my experience it was well worth my running out suddenly to purchase it after the same thing happened to me, I saw a synopsis online and rushed out, literally, to pick up a copy. There was something about what I read that made me realize that I *had* to read it now.
Richard: This was my most prolific reading year ever, at least in my adult life. I never kept track as a kid and it is hard telling how much I read some of those years when my summers were filled with one book after the other. I’ll be posting my year in review tomorrow with some stats, favorites, etc.
It is possible that Bear could write a sequel but I really hope he does not. With my admittedly limited experience with classic serialized science fiction later collected in novel form, this book had a kinship with that kind of work. The ending felt like that kind of an end and personally I really liked it. I honestly wouldn’t be interested in reading a sequel simply because I feel like he wound it up where it needed to end.
I read a description of this somewhere where the reviewer said that it’s a thriller, but with better writing and a lot of science. How into thrillers would I need to be in order to enjoy this, then? I’m intrigued by the plot, but I wonder how much character development Bear might have to gloss over to maintain such a brisk pace…
Biblio: I wouldn’t say there is no character development as that is in a large way what the novel is about, at least in regards to Teacher, who wakes up somewhat of a blank slate and has to come to know himself, and differentiate between what is true and what lies, as he becomes aware of what has happened to Ship, and thus to himself and the others that he meets. It is a sf book about ideas as well though so it certainly isn’t entirely character driven.
I don’t think you would have to be into thrillers at all, really. At least not any more than to be able to get through the first quarter of the book which is largely about running away from real and perceived threats and slowly beginning to unravel what all seems like nonsense to the main character. The pace becomes less brisk as it goes on in the sense that the characters aren’t always running frantically, but the pace remains heightened in that there is an ever-growing feeling that time is running out.
I’m glad you also liked this story Carl. I recently read it (chose it for a long flight to Australia). It was an excellent choice and I was sort of sorry that it ended. It certainly encourages me to read more from Greg Bear.
Ian: I can see that, I was sort of sorry it ended too. I’m vocal about my aversion to enormous books, but this one, with its quicker pace, could have went on awhile longer and I would not have complained at all. Glad you enjoyed it as well.