The Enemy Stars is a prototypical example of survival science fiction. It takes a small cast of characters and throws them into a harrowing situation, and then examines what happens, how (if) they escape, and what the situation does to the relationship of the group. It is a very simple story in every way, and Poul Anderson handles it well. There really isn't a lot going on here, but it is, for the most part, an entertaining, short, if forgettable read.
The bulk of the narrative takes place on a generational ship called, the Southern Cross. It's mission: to travel the furthest away from human civilization a ship has ever traveled, straight into the heart of a dead-star system. The journey is light years in distance/time, and thus it takes hundreds of Earth years to complete. The ship is equipped with a teleportation device used to teleport different crews to and from the ship. The ship only supports a small crew of four, and every month or so the crew is rotated.
The crew for this, the final leg of the journey, and the focus of the story, consists of: Terangi Maclaren, a rich, sophisticated physicist; Seiichi Nakamura, the pilot, a Zen Buddhist, and martial arts expert; David Ryerson, the son of an astronaut, and the follower of a Nordic-like religion; and Chang Sverdlov, the engineer, and a rebellious colonist with a hidden agenda (that, unfortunately, goes nowhere; it's a dead sub-plot).
What is most interesting is how each of these characters represents a different facet of humanity. Maclaren represents the upper-class; he is formally educated, an atheist, a womanizer, and a suave jet setter. His antithesis is Sverdlov, a sullen, brutish man, hot headed and a representative of the lower working class. Nakamura represents the Eastern philosophy, and brings a wise and peaceful balance to the ship. Finally there is Ryerson who represents the West with his more Christian-like religion, while also possessing an innocence quality that offsets Maclaren's “do what thy will” attitude.
The entire story focuses on how these characters cope with a dour situation. Something goes wrong with the Southern Cross, and the small crew finds itself stranded. The radio equipment goes haywire and so they are without communication and left without the ability to teleport away from the ship. They are stuck on a sinking ship, with little food, little water, and a host of other problems.
While this allows for some intense and exciting situations, I couldn't help but want for more. The actually purpose of the Souther Cross's journey is never fully explored, and it seems as if the space-flight premise was nothing but a Macguffin to get these characters together. This would be fine if something more interesting occurred, or if the characters were explored in greater detail and nuance, but since they are not, the entire things feels slight and unremarkable.
What's more, and briefly mentioned above, Sverdlov's colonial-espionage sub-plot is completely forgotten about. Why bring up the fact that he is a rebellious colonist who hates Earthmen if nothing much comes of this ideology? This seems to be a problem throughout. Nothing is ever fully explored or executed with much detail. The characters and their personalities are never given a chance to really shine beyond the dimness of their stereotype, and more than a couple of sub-plots are left floundering, ultimately amounting to nothing.
The Enemy Stars is not a bad book, it's just doesn't pack a solid punch. Anderson's prose is satisfactory, and he handles the tech and infodump just fine. What's missing is a sense of awe and purpose. Like a boat stranded at sea, or a spaceship stranded in the stars, the narrative just pokes along and ignores too many opportunities for greatness. I will, however, give the ending credit; I found it brave and satisfactory, but it wasn't enough to elevate the entire thing above mediocrity. It did pique my interest in Anderson's other work, and this is always a good thing.
