The Infinitive of Go
August 24th 2006 05:23
Author John Brunner
'The Infinitive of Go' is the kind of old school hardcore science-fiction that doesn't really get written anymore. It's pulpish, but in a good way, and slots right into an era of genre-writing that has pretty much disappeared. The author, John Brunner, was a prolific writer who churned out these wild, speculative novellas that raised more questions than they answered and splashed a mighty rainbow out into the void of the undiscovered. The science might be a little dated at times, but it's a heck of a lot of fun!
Our story here concerns the invention of a teleportation device. The first volunteer for a live 'posting' (transportation from one point to another) arrives safely, but he demands various passwords and classified information before detonating a suicide bomb. It's assumed that something went wrong and he went crazy, but the explanation turns out to be something more bizarre. Our hero, Dr. Justin Williams - the inventor of the teleportation devices, decides to post himself before allowing the project to be shutdown. On arrival he discovers that he has shifted into a reality slightly different to his own. It appears that 'posting' actually transports the subject to a parallel universe.
From here the events spiral out of control... with no way of returning to the original universe/reality the book starts in, the book instead focuses on a much bigger picture. Along with Dr. Williams we explore parallel universe theories and the way the passenger can affect where he ends up when he is posted. The book does a kind of u-turn (or throws a curveball, whatever metaphor you prefer) when an injured astronaut must be posted down to Earth in order to be saved. Of course, he'll end up in another reality, but hey - at least he'll be safe. What comes down to Earth in his place though doesn't appear to be human. And this is where things get really weird.
I can't go into it too much because it would spoil the book. It's only a short book - around 150 pages or something like that, and everytime you think you've figured out where it's heading it decides to switch things up a bit. The ending is a little oblique and mysterious, but I think this is part of the book's charm. '2001' has a fucked up ending (well, the movie does anyway - can't comment on the book, haven't read it) but I think this is what makes it so great! It's just a cool sci-fi thing, to leave things open-ended and up for interpretation.
Anyway, if you're after this book a good place to look for it would be any 2nd-hand bookstores - they're often filled with stacks of these kinds of books.
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