PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Ground Zero Man

Ground Zero Man
Cover of the first edition (publ. by Avon Books)
Art by Vincent Di Fate
AuthorBob Shaw
GenreScience fiction
PublisherAvon Books
Publication date1971

Ground Zero Man is a 1971 science fiction novel by British writer Bob Shaw. It was republished as The Peace Machine in 1985.

Plot summary

The plot follows the main character, Lucas Hutchman, an "undistinguished mathematician", who invents a machine that may detonate virtually instantaneously every nuclear bomb in the world, by inducing a "self-propagating neutron resonance". Overcoming technical and personal difficulties, Hutchman manages to build the device and to warn Earth's governments of its existence, but is tracked down and prevented from using it. At the end, Hutchman realises that rather than to the elimination of nuclear weapons, his invention just led to further investments in them, to create new bombs impervious to neutron resonance.

The ending "shows precisely and prophetically . . . the flaw in [the Eighties'] plans for 'star wars' energy-beam defences"[1]

Reception

David Langford reviewed The Peace Machine for White Dwarf #65, stating that "responsibility. Its grim conclusion shows precisely and prophetically (1976, remember) the flaw in today's plans for 'star wars' energy-beam defences."[2]

Colin Greenland reviewed The Peace Machine for Imagine magazine, and stated that "includes revisions for a more nuclear conscious audience, but it's still largely quite a traditional thriller, as compulsive and characterful as anything by Shaw."[3]

Wendy Graham reviewed The Peace Machine for Adventurer magazine and stated that "Maybe Shaw could go back and look again at the idea, get rid of the wife and give Hutchman an engineer friend. For once I think the story could be longer too."[4]

References

  1. ^ David Langford, "Spring Fever" in White Dwarf, issue 65, May 1985; also in Langford, David (2002). The Complete Critical Assembly. Cosmos Books. pp. 91–93. ISBN 1587153300.
  2. ^ Langford, Dave (May 1985). "Critical Mass". White Dwarf. No. 65. Games Workshop. p. 10.
  3. ^ Greenland, Colin (June 1985). "Fantasy Media". Imagine (review) (27). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd.: 47.
  4. ^ Graham, Wendy (March 1987). "Voyages Beyond". Adventurer (8): 48.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.