Review

The book “Non-Stop” by Brian Aldiss is an very enjoyable read. Firstly, the storyline is interesting from the beginning and it develops throughout the book in a mystery to unravel. There are a number of different species in the book and the whole thing is somewhat shrouded in mystery. Throughout the coures of the book the mystery is gradually revealed, while everything also slowly spins out of control. The characters are quite diverse, while also the sub-cultures presented differ to a quite significant degree.

Even though a book like this might normally be considered gritty and dark, yet somehow the author manages to keep it vibrant and interesting. Although, the story is somewhat dark it does in no way feel this way. It would in the hands of other authors have become a quite dreary experience. Brian Aldiss however manages to impress with his colourful style of writing and a wonderful imagination. He manages to make you excited about what is around the next corner and every time you find that there is something interesting to be found. One such example can be explained to other readers by saying only the word: “Rats!”, which in itself could have formed the basis for an entire book.

In terms of what to expect of the book I would say that if “Lord of the Flies” had a bastard science fiction baby with “The Lord of the Rings” and strapped it to a fast-moving rocket you’d probably not be too far off this book.

Score: 8/10

Brian Aldiss has immediately catapulted himself into my list of favourite authors simply by his style of writing in this book. His style is effortless and I hope in the books to come that he keeps this style. Also it should be mentioned that he manages to cover the subject matter very completely without leaving the reader wanting for a more complete survey of the subject matter. I also hope that they one day decide to make a movie version of this as the story would be quite suitable for this. (I imagine that I’ll be waiting quite a while longer for that.)

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