The Godwhale
Encyclopedia
The Godwhale is a science fiction
novel
by American
novelist T. J. Bass
, first published in 1974. It is the sequel to Half Past Human
. The book was nominated for the Nebula Award
for Best Novel
in 1974. The novel deals with genetic
and biological
inventions with a strange and mystical twist.
The Godwhale presents a view of a far-future Earth in which almost all non-human life has been exterminated due to rampant overpopulation
, and most human beings have been transformed into weak, docile, diminutive creatures via genetic engineering
and extensive reliance on automation
and artificial intelligence
. Bass utilizes extensive biochemical and medical terminology in the narrative, and many scenes are quite clinically graphic. It is a cautionary tale on the evolution of technological society, and was published during the emergent period of the US environmental movement
.
, in which tissue below the waist is removed. He is outfitted with a set of intelligent mechanical legs, a 'manniquin,' and is placed into suspended animation until the damaged tissue can be restored. He wakes at a time when cloning technology can replace his legs—for a price. Years before he was awakened, a clone, or 'bud child,' was created and is now a thriving young boy without language. Horrified by the prospect of his child being sacrificed to provide him with a new lower body, Larry opts to return to suspended animation. His child, 'Dim Dever,' is selected by the guiding world computer, 'Olga', to carry his ancient genes to a possible new colony on a planet orbiting Procyon.
Larry awakens again in a nightmare future. Far from the highly advanced past, now an enormous human population (possibly in the trillions) covers every inch of the planet. Technology and science have degraded, and all freely breeding species have been exterminated. The 'Hive' or human population within its computer-supported subterranean culture ruthlessly hunts, kills, and recycles anyone who does not conform.
As Larry is trying to adapt to his new life, without most of his own body or his 'cyber' torso, something re-awakens an ancient, half-derelict cyborg, the Godwhale of the title. This enormous 'rake' is an ocean-going biota harvester built in part from a genetically-modified blue whale. Initially attempting to rejoin human civilization, the Godwhale (named Rorqual Maru or 'Whale Ship' in Japanese) eventually teams up with a genetically modified clone of Larry, Larry himself, and an assortment of misfits and refugees from the Hive. Together they set out to try to find out what mysteriously brings 'the marine biota' back to the previously sterile oceans, while a tiny group from 'the Hive', the outcasts, and their cyber deities survive and thrive in the face of incredible bungling by the 'Class One' computer that manages humanity and the various castes of 'Nebish' humans brought into the fight.
described The Godwhale as "a complex and fascinating novel [and] a fine example of what science fiction is all about." Writing in The New York Times
, Theodore Sturgeon
simply declared the novel "Good."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist T. J. Bass
T. J. Bass
T. J. Bass, real name Thomas J. Bassler, MD is an American science fiction author and doctor, having graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine...
, first published in 1974. It is the sequel to Half Past Human
Half Past Human
Half Past Human, by T. J. Bass is a fixup science fiction novel published in 1971. Two short stories were combined and fleshed out to form this novel: "Half Past Human", first published in Galaxy Science Fiction in December of 1969, and "G.I.T.A.R.", first published in If in November and December...
. The book was nominated for the Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
for Best Novel
Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.- Winners and other nominees :...
in 1974. The novel deals with genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
inventions with a strange and mystical twist.
The Godwhale presents a view of a far-future Earth in which almost all non-human life has been exterminated due to rampant overpopulation
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
, and most human beings have been transformed into weak, docile, diminutive creatures via genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
and extensive reliance on automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. Bass utilizes extensive biochemical and medical terminology in the narrative, and many scenes are quite clinically graphic. It is a cautionary tale on the evolution of technological society, and was published during the emergent period of the US environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
.
Plot introduction
The protagonist, Larry Dever, is gravely injured resulting in a radical surgical procedure, a hemicorporectomyHemicorporectomy
In medicine , hemicorporectomy is a radical surgery in which the body below the waist is amputated, transecting the lumbar spine. This removes the legs, the genitalia , urinary system, pelvic bones, anus, and rectum...
, in which tissue below the waist is removed. He is outfitted with a set of intelligent mechanical legs, a 'manniquin,' and is placed into suspended animation until the damaged tissue can be restored. He wakes at a time when cloning technology can replace his legs—for a price. Years before he was awakened, a clone, or 'bud child,' was created and is now a thriving young boy without language. Horrified by the prospect of his child being sacrificed to provide him with a new lower body, Larry opts to return to suspended animation. His child, 'Dim Dever,' is selected by the guiding world computer, 'Olga', to carry his ancient genes to a possible new colony on a planet orbiting Procyon.
Larry awakens again in a nightmare future. Far from the highly advanced past, now an enormous human population (possibly in the trillions) covers every inch of the planet. Technology and science have degraded, and all freely breeding species have been exterminated. The 'Hive' or human population within its computer-supported subterranean culture ruthlessly hunts, kills, and recycles anyone who does not conform.
As Larry is trying to adapt to his new life, without most of his own body or his 'cyber' torso, something re-awakens an ancient, half-derelict cyborg, the Godwhale of the title. This enormous 'rake' is an ocean-going biota harvester built in part from a genetically-modified blue whale. Initially attempting to rejoin human civilization, the Godwhale (named Rorqual Maru or 'Whale Ship' in Japanese) eventually teams up with a genetically modified clone of Larry, Larry himself, and an assortment of misfits and refugees from the Hive. Together they set out to try to find out what mysteriously brings 'the marine biota' back to the previously sterile oceans, while a tiny group from 'the Hive', the outcasts, and their cyber deities survive and thrive in the face of incredible bungling by the 'Class One' computer that manages humanity and the various castes of 'Nebish' humans brought into the fight.
Reception
Lester del ReyLester del Rey
Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey was the author of many of the Winston Science Fiction juvenile SF series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books, along with his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.-Birth...
described The Godwhale as "a complex and fascinating novel [and] a fine example of what science fiction is all about." Writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
simply declared the novel "Good."