Lords of the Starship
First edition cover by John Schoenherr
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| Author | Mark S. Geston |
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| Cover artist | John Schoenherr |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Published | 1967 Ace Books |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 156 |
| OCLC | 426089 |
Lords of the Starship is a 1967 science fiction novel which marked the debut of author Mark S. Geston, written while he was a sophomore at Kenyon College. It was originally published in paperback by Ace Books, then reprinted for the British market in hardcover by Michael Joseph in 1971 and in paperback by Sphere Books a year later. Gregg Press published an archival edition in 1978; and Baen Books included it in its 2009 omnibus of Geston's early novels, The Books of the Wars.
The novel takes a darkly cynical view of human nature; some critics have called it a very black comedy.
In the far future, on an Earth devastated by millennia of war, the Caroline Republic is hostile towards its neighbors although sharing their dire economic straits. Outside the declining remains of civilization lie ruins and wastelands populated by mutants and monsters. It is generally felt that humanity lost its vitality long ago.
To a leading politician of the Caroline the aged veteran General Toriman proposes a centuries-long scheme to build the nation by taking control of an ancient shipyard hundreds of miles away which was apparently designed to build spacecraft. Ostensibly, the purpose of the project will be the construction of a spaceship seven miles long called the "Victory" to carry the population of the despairing world to a paradise planet called "Home". In fact, the ship will never be completed, but the effort will revitalize the nation's economy and perhaps restore mankind's missing quality.
General Toriman dies and the cynical politicians of the Republic rouse the population to begin the project. The River Road from the Caroline homeland to the Yards is forced with a bloody battle between a Caroline military force and mutants, during which the ghost of the ancient hero Miolnor IV appears to save the day.
Work begins on constructing the ship. Despite their antiquity, the Yards' machinery and buildings seem to have been perfectly preserved and materials for the construction of the ship are discovered. Legends say that the fortifications still standing nearby defended human civilization against Dark Powers over the mountains to the west.
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