6.8 /10 1 Votes
Cover artist Peeter Rauch Language English Publication date October 1965 Originally published October 1965 Page count 213 OCLC 23043729 | 3.4/5 Goodreads Country United States Series Centaurus Media type Print (Hardcover) Publisher Doubleday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genres Novel, Science Fiction, Speculative fiction Similar A E van Vogt books, Science Fiction books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rogue Ship is a 1965 novel by A. E. van Vogt, created and adapted from three short stories to form a novel. The three short stories used were:
Using Van Vogt's own terminology when creating a novel from 3 previous short stories, he named it a Fixup.
Plot summary
Rogue Ship is a standalone novel in a form of a Fixup. Because of its form of three short stories re-hashed into one, the reader can tell without difficulty when the story changes from one original short story to the next. Because of this, Rogue Ship can sometimes lose some continuity, as there are 'large gaps' in the plot/story line.
Centaurus is the destination of the space ship, The Hope of Man. It has been traveling through space for almost twenty years, and still has nine years of flight remaining before Centaurus will be reached. For many on board the craft, Earth has become a vague memory, while for others it is a mere dot in the vast starry reaches of space. Restlessness is evident everywhere; the people want to return to a place they know is inhabited - not continue to an unknown where life is uncertain. Mutiny seems inevitable. Captain Lesbee (the ship's main officer) knows that mutiny breeds mutiny, but what is more significant is his knowledge of Earth's possible obliteration. The one hope is Centaurus. Now more than ever, there can be no turning back. Order has to be maintained even at the price of human life.
After reaching Centaurus and finding it unsuitable to live on, The Hope of Man heads towards the next destination, the Alta system; because the ship at this time is unable to attain light speed it takes decades to travel there. Upon arriving in the system, after mutiny and treachery, The Hope of Man is now captained by Browne, a descendant of the ship's original First Officer. The Hope of Man starts to orbit Alta III in search of a new planet to settle on, but again they find it already inhabited and come under attack from the occupants. During this time we see a struggle for power by various groups. Control changes quickly from one character to another until the arrival of the ship's owner, Avil Hewitt. The novel concludes with Hewitt in charge and the ship finding many planets to inhabit.