"The Eden Cycle" by Raymond Z. Gallun (1974)

I'd like to think I've read a few books that were ahead of their time.  "Moby Dick," for example, or "VALIS."  Maybe even "American Psycho" or "A Canticle for Leibowitz."  But this book, "The Eden Cycle," might be so far ahead of its time that it has yet to find an audience.  It might be that Mr. Gallun was writing not for the present future that we represent, but for a future still further removed from his own time, and ours.

At some point in the future (or is it at some point in the past?), an alien race sends us the blueprints for the ultimate virtual reality machine.  Once connected to this machine, the user experiences a godlike existence, wherein death, illness, and isolation become things of the past - unless the user wills it otherwise.  The user is free to construct a world in which he or she possesses superhuman powers, in which myths are made real, or any number of other possibilities - all under the guidance of the machine's designers, who are never seen, but who are heard from often.

Within one of the worlds created by this machine we find a two characters, perhaps best referred to as "male" and "female."  Their love for one another remains one of the only constants in the book, and their quest to uncover the true nature of "reality" forms the bulk of the narrative.  

As they pass through virtual world after virtual world, they are beset by questions.  What is real?  How long have we been here?  What is the value of reality?  Is human existence made better through adversity?  Many of these questions remain unanswered at the conclusion of the book, and the author provides no easy answers for these facets of human existence.  Even the ending is ambiguous.  Did they really leave the machine?  Or were they merely experiencing another virtual world?  It is rare to encounter science fiction novels of such existential depth, and I doubt I'll be encountering another such book any time soon.

And of course, the plot devices described above will bring "The Matrix" films to mind, or even the lesser-known "Dark City."  But where the two movies offer action with a side of existentialism, "The Eden Cycle" offers a compelling, heartfelt story, centered around the crucial questions of human existence.  Sure, I liked the movies, but "The Eden Cycle" is so much weightier than either.  It is, moreover, a much earlier effort, having appeared long before the films.

I would encourage you to read this book.  The paperback version can be a bit difficult to track down, but it's worth locating.  It's slower going than the more generic type of science fiction, but you won't be sorry you took the time to read it.

"The Planet Strappers" by Raymond Z. Gallun (1961)

"For once his pale eyes flashed.  'You Bright Boys,' he said.  'Especially you, Ramos...!  Well, I'm most to blame.  I let him hang around, because he was too doggone interested.  And driven - somehow.  Lucky nothing too bad happened.  Last August, when you romantics got serious about space, I made him prove he was over twenty-one...'"

Raymond Z. Gallun (pronounced "Galloon") should be better known than he is.  He wrote a number of books, and was quite prominent during sci-fi's golden age in the late 40s and early 50s.  Unfortunately his star faded as the 70s began, and he stopped writing shortly thereafter.

"The Planet Strappers" is about a group of young people who set off for the far reaches of the solar system, making most of their own equipment and getting by with a second-hand knowledge of astrophysics.  They begin by traveling to the moon in inflatable (yes, inflatable) spacecraft, and after their arrival there they spread out in different directions, finding adventure from Mercury to distant Pluto.

It's a straightforward adventure story, and could have just as easily been set upon the surface of the globe, or the high seas.  But the author has a masterful way of both describing characters and setting them into dramatic conflict, a skill not often seen in science fiction.  The story is also well told, even if the author's understanding of space travel is, well, quaint.

The science - and the distances traveled - are not aspects of "The Planet Strappers" that bear thinking about, but Gallun's talent as a writer overcomes this shortcoming.  Yes, some of the chapters near the end had me rolling my eyes, but I remained invested in the protagonist, and I wanted him to find peace.  This sort of investment is hard to come by, and I was happy to find a lot to like in this book.