Old Twentieth

Old Twentieth

by
Joe Haldeman

Synopsis of Old Twentieth

The passengers aboard the starship Ad Astra spend most of their time on the thousand-year journey to Beta Hydrii within the virtual reality of twentieth-century Earth. There, they can experience nostalgia for the hardship of a life they've since evolved beyond.

But when people inside the virtual reality chamber start to die, engineer Jacob Brewer finds himself face-to-face with a sentient machine obsessed with humanity. It has put itself in charge of the ship. And it wants to talk to Jacob...

Reviews of Old Twentieth

66%

Read this if you want a tribute to the 20th century or if you are feeling especially nostalgic for the era we so recently completed. Just don't expect cutting edge science, compelling characters, or a surprising plot. -- Sam Lubell, SFRevu

Virtual reality takes on a whole different meaning in OLD TWENTIETH, a science fiction novel worthy of Hugo and Nebula nominations. -- Harriet Klausner, ParaNormal Romance Reviews

There's some genuine melancholy and pathos in this Book...and the war scenarios, befitting Haldeman's real-life experience with such matters...are kick-ass. But ultimately, this Book feels like a slim placeholder between larger works for one of SF's best writers. -- Paul Di Filippo, Scifi.com