The Crystal Spheres

Title: The Crystal Spheres

Author: David Brin

Published: Analog, 1984

Genre: Science fiction, short story

Url: http://www.grouplite.com/f4a/the_crystal_spheres.html

Rating: 8/10

Thoughts: I felt a bit frustrated as the start of the story by the author throwing around future-world terminology without explaining what it means. However, in a way that was part of building tension for the story, this discovery of what the author is talking about and it was effective.

In the story, a group of deepspacers travels to a planet whose crystal sphere has shattered. I will let the story tell you what that means, but in a nutshell it is a SETI-themed story that is told quite well. It examines human psychology when it comes to finding new species and living in the stars. Overall, a well-written story with a nice thought-through ending.