Flying to Valhalla

by Charles Pellegrino

As Christopher and Clarice Wayville pilot the relativistic spacecraft Valkyrie toward the inhabited fourth world of Alpha Centauria A, they prepare for the first contact with an intelligent and benign marsupial species. Reprint.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

338 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Charles Pellegrino is a scientist working in paleobiology, astronomy, and various other areas; a designer for projects including rockets and nuclear devices (non-military propulsion systems), composite construction materials, and magnetically levitated transportation systems; and a writer. He has been affiliated with Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand National Observatory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, NY; taught at institutions including Hofstra University and Adelphi University Center for Creative Arts; a member of Princeton Space Studies Institute. Cradle of Aviation Museum, space flight consultant; Challenger Center, founding member. After sailing with Robert Ballard to the Galapagos Rift in the immediate aftermath of the discovery of the Titanic (in 1985), Pellegrino expanded from the field of paleontology “into the shallows of archaeological time.”

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Per my 1994 booklog: First novel. A+/A, remarkably original.

2020 reread. A confusing story, that didn't stand up well to rereading. The takeaway is that developing relativistic starships maybe isn't a good idea, as they would make remarkably destructive weapons. Another possible explanation for the Fermi Paradox. Here's a good review at Amazon (a bit spoilery): https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...

This was Pellegrino's first novel. I'm still thinking about it, but it's a pretty depressing read, with disturbing Cold War & Mutual Assured Destruction echoes. "Paranoia strikes deep". Likely headed for the recycle pile.

[Dane Mech · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Book's story structure is incomplete, weak and in shambles. It lacks any sort of conclusion. Instead, once the "idea" of the book has been entirely transmitted to the readers, the book ends. The characters in the book are not respected by the author. He abandons them, their plot holes, their circumstances and futures without saying another word.

He slowly builds up to his climax, and then says, "and that's when the really bad crap happened! The end!" If you, despite the odds, had any investment in the characters of the book, you are left out cold.

The "idea" itself, is some what interesting. But I just felt like the narrative left me hanging.

If you're looking for a book that's focused on exploring an idea more so than anything else then you'll probably be okay with this book.

[Mikael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flying to Valhalla is such an amazing book and one of my absolute top favorites.
The concept of discovering another civilization and travelling there, and the consequences, the possibility of relativistic war, resulting from this are neatly lined out in the story, though I must confess some of the time travelling effects are still confusing even after having read this at least some 10 times since my original purchase of it back in the 90's.
I will most certainly return to this book a few times more, even though I may have to get hold of a new copy since my edition has been read so many times it's starting to fall apart.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise and lots of science facts, but story line was too complicated for me.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the Killing Star better, but I enjoyed the ideas in this book. Pellegrino's not the best writer, but he has some cool thoughts about what might be possible.

[Jeffrey Portouw · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a hard book to rate. I loved every minute of this read, right up until the end. Or should I say, where an end should have been? Because it doesn't have one. It just stops. Completely unresolved. Everything else is quite fascinating. I get the other reviews complaining that the characters are wooden. But they're just lenses through which the book preaches a philosophy about mutually assured destruction at a planetary (interplanetary?) scale. It is a hard sci-fi that examines the idea and implications behind the fact that any relativistic interstellar space craft is also a weapon of mass destruction. It also explores a bit of speculative cosmology along the way, and ends with a whole chapter about the physics of the spacecraft design. Super cool if you're into that kind of stuff. But the story is really only the first 2/3 of a story. It's rising, rising, rising toward a crescendo and then just

[Jaide Swarthout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received this book as a kid from my best friend’s mother, apparently she knew a lot about me. Have severe ADHD and this is the only book I’ve ever been able to read from start to finish without stopping. Very engaging for this science minded youth. I liked that it flips back and forth from fiction to nonfiction. I think if I find it I will read it again.

[Dustin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't make it past the first 50 pages. Almost no dialogue and prose that made my eyes glaze over. I would read pages upon pages without a single word sinking in

[Mark Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had some interesting elements, but I was fooled by the description on the back of the book - it was not quite what I was expecting.

[Chris Stutts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prequel to "Killing Star", which is has a stronger more linear story.

[Petros · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best speculative fiction out there, hurry up and read Flying to Valhalla!!!

[Wendy]

(found read date in diary)