The Currents of Space

The Currents of Space
Dust-jacket illustration from the first edition
Author Isaac Asimov
Country United States
Language English
Series Empire series
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
 1952
Pages 217
Preceded by The Stars, Like Dust
Followed by Pebble in the Sky

The Currents of Space is a science fiction novel by the American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1952. It is the second (by internal series chronology) of three books labeled the Galactic Empire series, but it was the last of the three to be written. Each occurs after humans have settled many worlds in the galaxy, after the second wave of colonization that went beyond the Spacer worlds, and before the era of decline that was the setting for the original Foundation series.

Asimov stated in 1988 in the "Author's Note" to Prelude to Foundation that book #6 in the Foundation universe chronology was The Currents of Space (1952) and that it was "the first of my Empire novels." Book #7 was The Stars, Like Dust (1951), which was "the second Empire novel."

Plot summary

The story takes place in the backdrop of Trantor's rise from a large regional power to a galaxy-wide empire, unifying millions of worlds. This story occurs around the year 11,000 AD (originally 34,500 AD, according to Asimov's early 1950s chronology), when the Trantorian Empire encompasses roughly half of the galaxy.

The independent planet Sark exploits the planet Florina and derives its great wealth from kyrt, a versatile and fluorescent fiber that cannot be grown elsewhere. The relationship between the two planets is analogous to the situation between European imperial powers and their colonies during the 19th century: the Florinians are forced to work in kyrt fields and are treated as an inferior race by the Sarkites. Attempts to break the Sark monopoly and grow kyrt on other worlds have so far been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Trantor would like to add the two worlds to its growing empire.

There is a hidden irony in Sark's dominion over Florina: clear parallels to the American South growing cotton with slave labor. The Florinians are one of the lightest-skinned people in a galaxy in which racial categories seem to have been forgotten except by the people of Sark. One of the characters, Dr. Selim Junz, comes from Libair, a planet with some of the galaxy's darkest-skinned people and feels sympathy for the Florinians.[1] (The planet Libair takes its name from Liberia, a country in Africa, which would explain a dark-skinned genetic inheritance. Liberia was also settled by freed slaves from America.) Also, Asimov chose the name of "kyrt" to be rather similar to "cotton" and explains that it is a form of cellulose.

The possible destruction of Florina is predicted by Rik, a "spatio-analyst," who has had his mind manipulated by a "psychic probe" device, resulting in gross amnesia. When Rik gradually starts remembering his past, it produces a political crisis involving Sark, Florina, and Trantor. Rik, a native of the Earth, had discovered that Florina's sun is about to explode into a nova because it is being fed carbon by one of the outer-space "currents of space," supposedly rather like the currents of the ocean.

It is also revealed finally that the special energetic wavelength of light that is being emitted by Florina's sun is what causes the very high-quality kyrt fiber to grow there, which is why kyrt cannot be grown on other planets: stars going nova are very rare, and stars with habitable planets that go nova are rarer still.

Because losing Florina would mean losing the only source of its vast wealth, there is strong resistance from Sark to accept the message. However, when it is explained that the wealth is already lost since the conditions that enable kyrt to grow can be easily duplicated anywhere now that they are understood, the inhabitants become more amenable. When Trantor offers to buy out the entire planet for a very high price, the offer is readily accepted.

Even though there is not yet a full Galactic Empire, Trantor controls the now largely-radioactive Earth. The idea of evacuating Earth is mentioned, but that is strongly rejected by Rik. He insists that it is the original planet of the human race, but that is not generally accepted.

Reception

Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin described the novel as "one of Asimov's lesser efforts, but still considerably above the average space opera".[2] The magazine's Floyd C. Gale told readers "Don't miss" it and the other Empire novels.[3] Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas found The Currents of Space an advance from Asimov's previous work and described it as "first-rate entertainment [that] is so much more adroitly plotted than Asimov's previous ventures in this vein that it stands up as an intricate and constantly surprising spy-suspense story."[4]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "We are both extremes in a Galaxy of averages.... They are unusually pale. We are unusually dark." (Chapter Six)
  2. ↑ "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf", Galaxy Science Fiction, May 1953, p.122
  3. ↑ Gale, Floyd C. (June 1962). "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 190–194.
  4. ↑ "Recommended Reading," F&SF, April 1953, p. 98

Sources

  • Tuck, Donald H. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 21. ISBN 0-911682-20-1.
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