Gregory Benford 1977. In the Ocean of the Night. Galactic Centre Book 1. Kindle ebook. Originally published Delacorte Press. 382 pp.

It is a curious phenomenon that science fiction, while typically being far-sighted and often surprisingly accurate in the ideas and technology presented, nevertheless dates more quickly than most fiction genres. Try revisiting H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov, for example. This one is an exception. I guess I first read it soon after first publication in 1977. Repays re-reading. Greg Benford would be grimly satisfied that his “New Sons” religious movement is painfully similar to the current Trump supporters of today’s USA and of the anti-science right wing ideologues now influencing policy world-wide. On the other hand, some aspects of this “first contact” novel were a bit naff even then (Big Foot, if you please). The idea of alien life giving human evolution a bit of a leg-up seems hardly notable now but along with Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A space odyssey (1968) I think this might have been one of the first explorations of the idea in fiction? Can’t wait to renew acquaintances with the even more prophetic flavours of AI in Great Sky River, 2 books on in the series…