The landmark novel from the Northern Irish writer combines his interest in optics with an anti-neutrino planet and an unusual African setting.
Originally published in 1976, A Wreath of Stars is a standalone science fiction novel and the ninth to be published by Northern Irish author Bob Shaw (1931 - 1996). Set in the near future, the story is a chain of events triggered by the invention of a groundbreaking new kind of lens. This makes possible the discovery of a previously unknown type of planet, one which is hurtling towards Earth. Fortunately, “Thornton’s Planet” is composed of anti-neutrinos. Being insubstantial, it poses no threat. Some time after the initial panic subsides, ghost sightings are reported in the depths of a diamond mine in East Africa. Something links these strange occurrences, and humanity’s view of its place in the universe is about to be challenged like never before. A Wreath of Stars is a brisk, exciting SF novel in the dependable tradition of the 1970s. While its scientific backdrop is dubious - especially today - Shaw weaves the sciences of optics and astronomy, alien life, and Earthly conflict into a compelling tale.
Different ways of seeing
Bob Shaw was born in Belfast on the very last day of 1931. He became acquainted with SF through the pulp magazines carried by US troops passing through Northern Ireland during World War II. In time, Shaw would become prominent in SF fandom, alongside James White - who later wrote the Sector General series of novels. Shaw continued to be active in fan circles even after he became a published professional writer. His first novel, Night Walk, was published in 1967. In the story, a prisoner on an alien world is blinded. However, he is able to effect an escape thanks to a newly-invented device that allows him to see through the eyes of others. This is one example of Shaw’s recurring interest in and use of the field of optics. Time and again, he would deploy lenses and different modes of seeing as plot devices in his fiction. This includes his development of the concept of “slow glass”, which permits observation of the past. This is the centrepiece of his novel Other Days, Other Eyes (1972). Shaw’s interest in this area was apparently drawn from two difficult personal experiences. When he was a child, one of Shaw’s friends lost an eye in a grisly accident. A version of this occurs in his novel Ground Zero Man (1971). Later, Shaw himself suffered recurring issues with his own eye health, and experienced a phobia of losing his sight. He was able to channel this fear into his science fiction, including A Wreath of Stars.
The “human neutrino” and the ghosts
As in much of the classic SF of the so-called “Golden Age”, it is a new invention which triggers Shaw’s story. Scientists develop the magniluct lens, a revolutionary new optical technology with clear applications for night-vision use. An amateur astronomer happens to be wearing a pair of magniluct goggles while star-gazing. He discovers a planet which can only be seen using the new lenses, because it is composed entirely of anti-neutrinos - dubbed “Thornton’s Planet”, it causes a brief panic. However because neutrinos pass through ordinary matter, and so Earth is in no danger, interest quickly dies down - for a time. Gilbert Snook is an aircraft engineer with an aversion to other people; for this reason he thinks of himself as a “human neutrino”, who does not interact with others. He ends up in the (fictional) African state of Barandi, where he reluctantly works teaching English to local diamond miners. They begin to trust Snook, and they come to him with an unlikely story - they are seeing ghosts deep in the mine. Snook realises that the “ghosts” can only be seen when magniluct lenses are worn. Soon, a small team forms in Barandi to quietly investigate the phenomenon - this comprises Snook, a fame-hungry planetarium proprietor, a journalist, a UN official, and the de facto leader of the miners. Together, they discover an anti-neutrino planet emerging from within the Earth, which is home to peaceful anti-neutrino “aliens”. This first contact could be wonderful, but violence is brewing in Barandi and the team become enemies of the military regime…
A 1970s view of science and Africa
A Wreath of Stars is notable for its fairly unusual African setting. Shaw’s near-future vision is one of increasingly fractured African states, many dominated by despotic strongmen. Shaw’s depiction of the continent is more or less what would be expected from a 1970s novel, with black African characters mostly relegated to small and/or villainous roles. Shaw’s science is also of its time - neutrinos were a relatively new concept and were little understood in 1976. The idea of an anti-neutrino planet is fanciful (let alone more than one), but very effective in context. The novel has some similarities with Eric Frank Russell’s classic novel Sinister Barrier, which was published in Unknown magazine in 1939 and then in book form in 1943. Both stories concern creatures who are generally undetectable by humans; while Russell’s are evil, Shaw’s are benign. A Wreath of Stars builds to a tense and inspiring conclusion, driven in part by the wondrous oddness of the anti-neutrino creatures dubbed “Avernians”. A Wreath of Stars is an inventive novel which demonstrates Shaw’s imagination and solid, unpretentious craft - it is a good introduction to an author who sadly died too soon, and whose works deserve be more widely available.
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