F/SF

#487 in our old book database. Not rated.

At first glance, the title looks like something out of a comic book superhero magazine, but in reality this is part of the continuing series of Man versus Machine.

Well before Star Trek's The Doomsday Machine (a weapon left over from a millennia-old war), Saberhagen wrote about the Berserkers, an armada of war machines left over from a long-ago intersellar war. Their mission: To exerminate all life on a planet. When they "cleanse" a planet they consider it "purified" of life.

Some of Saberhagen's tales were quite gripping to me, Brother Assassin and Berserker's Planet come to mind, as some of his most exciting adventures.

The Book & the Plot!

Berserker Man is like that: A person who is unusual and not socially accepted by others his own age, an adoptee, really, is on the colonial planet Alpine, a planet rich in lakes, mountains and forests. I was disappointed that Saberhagen does not get much into describing the planet, its government or anytihng about it. He sticks to the boy, Michel, and develops him instead.

Earth is losing the war against the machines. And pockets of "goodlife" (those who support the Berserkers in exchange for money or power) are making the war that much more difficult.

A new weapon, Lancelot, is formed. It is a series of forcefields and other devices that can be worn by an individual and enhances the wearer's natural instincts. Out of ten billion people, Michel fits the bio. Anyone else wearing it may go power-mad or insane, and Michel's lack of ambition and high IQ make him unique.

What I enjoyed was Michel's own expansion as an individual. Wearing Lancelot made him strong but not invincible (since he was kidnapped by the Berserkers). The space battles are few but interesting. The main characters are really cardboard except for Michel. And the final act leaves a few plotholes and unanswered questions about his parents and his biological mother.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, a decent entry into the Berserker universe. It's been many years since I've read Saberhagen's Berserker universe and I see now what has drawn me towards his fast-paced writing.

The epilogue you can skip. It's an essay written by a Sarah Miesel that attempts to analyze Saberhagen's plots and stories in the Berserker universe and I've never read such boring drivel in my life. Skip that, and enjoy the tale!
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At first glance, the title looks like something out of a comic book superhero magazine, but in reality this is part of the continuing series of Man versus Machine.

Well before Star Trek's The Doomsday Machine (a weapon left over from a millennia-old war), Saberhagen wrote about the Berserkers, an armada of war machines left over from a long-ago intersellar war. Their mission: To exerminate all life on a planet. When they "cleanse" a planet they consider it "purified" of life.

Some of Saberhagen's tales were quite gripping to me, Brother Assassin and Berserker's Planet come to mind, as some of his most exciting adventures.

The Book & the Plot!

Berserker Man is like that: A person who is unusual and not socially accepted by others his own age, an adoptee, really, is on the colonial planet Alpine, a planet rich in lakes, mountains and forests. I was disappointed that Saberhagen does not get much into describing the planet, its government or anytihng about it. He sticks to the boy, Michel, and develops him instead.

Earth is losing the war against the machines. And pockets of "goodlife" (those who support the Berserkers in exchange for money or power) are making the war that much more difficult.

A new weapon, Lancelot, is formed. It is a series of forcefields and other devices that can be worn by an individual and enhances the wearer's natural instincts. Out of ten billion people, Michel fits the bio. Anyone else wearing it may go power-mad or insane, and Michel's lack of ambition and high IQ make him unique.

What I enjoyed was Michel's own expansion as an individual. Wearing Lancelot made him strong but not invincible (since he was kidnapped by the Berserkers). The space battles are few but interesting. The main characters are really cardboard except for Michel. And the final act leaves a few plotholes and unanswered questions about his parents and his biological mother.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, a decent entry into the Berserker universe. It's been many years since I've read Saberhagen's Berserker universe and I see now what has drawn me towards his fast-paced writing.

The epilogue you can skip. It's an essay written by a Sarah Miesel that attempts to analyze Saberhagen's plots and stories in the Berserker universe and I've never read such boring drivel in my life. Skip that, and enjoy the tale!
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See my review here:

http://www.librarything.com/work/11469331/reviews/26613279 ( )