Port 80

I recently got the chance to read through Fallen Angels (Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Michael Flynn), which is available for download from the Baen Free Library. The story revolves around the actions of a group of science-fiction fans in a near-future world that is fiercely hostile to science and technology. The result is somewhere between Rocket Boys and Escape from LA. Our protagonists alternately dodge the law, contend with an ice age, are captured by a cheese cartel in the Midwest, encounter museum curators who have been forced through reeducation camps , and try to launch makeshift manned rockets into orbit.

Despite the satirical surrealism of this novel’s environment, the characters of the story are carefully crafted to be authentic. What emerges is an odd sort of science fiction novel, which explores the actions of science fiction fans in an environment antithetical to everything that they hold dear: exploration, rational inquiry, and enthusiasm for the future. As a result, our protagonists are forced to fight for these ideals against their environment. The authors do not merely describe this struggle, b ut positively exult and glorify it. The protagonists fight the good fight against impossible odds for truth, justice, manned space flight, science education, speculative fiction, and the American way. The end result is that Fallen Angels isn’t just another science-fiction novel.

It’s a science-fiction manifesto.

And when the stars are conquered, it’ll be by wanted fans! - Fallen Angels