In The Ocean Of Night

I love that title.

It has images that flow through my mind when I read it. I can feel the crashing of the waves of imagination, the sense of being connected to the spiritual whole of our conciousness. In the ocean of night, I'm just one tiny creature peering up into the vastness of the universe.

I really like this book. Gregory Benford is a very talented storyteller who weaves a fascinating tale of an astronaut who isn't afraid to do the right thing when humans find their first alien artifacts. The book, published in 1972, has aged pretty well -- umm, anyway, if you kind of ignore the dates. The nineties have long passed.

Benford pulls together fact and fiction along with great insight into human nature and politics to make a great sci-fi story.

I really need to read the next books in this series.

In fact, in the new year, I really need to spend more time reading and relaxing. I've had a really stressful year, but I'm looking forward to 2008. It's going to be a good year.