Arcturus Landing by Gordon R. Dickson

Arcturus Landing by Gordon R. Dickson
Ace Books, ISBN 0 441 02893 4
Price paid: 1,00$

The story of Arcturus Landing is one of human ego. After having reached the limits of the Solar System, humanity discovers that we are not alone in the Universe. Worse, we're considered "primitive" compared to other sentient races.

Earth is pushed back to the limits of close space with a quarantine order. Humans are not to travel to the rest of the Universe until they have mastered faster than light travel.

Many centuries later, boosted by alien technology, the world is separated neatly into three category of people; the Neo-Taylorites ("peaceful" believers of the hope for a better future) the Archaists (dressed in Renaissance Clothes and believers of a return to simple times, without aliens) and a small bunch of still coherent individuals.

Malcolm Fletcher is one of these; a scientist on the verge of discovering a way to travel faster than light. However, a series of events hinder his progress to the point where he and a few friends have to flee to uncharted areas to pursue their quest. Who is trying to stop them? Aliens or their own people?

Is it worth a dollar?

Arcturus Landing is a very fast read as it is well paced and does not stall on unimportant details. It is set to tell one story and stays as close to it as it is possible. While it has to do with science-fiction, a lot of "pseudo science" (involving, near the end, emotive intelligence) is present, so it might or might not appeal to you, depending on which side of your brain is predominant. I liked the story and I think it's well worth the dollar, though it might be a tad too short for some.