Humanity has expanded out from Earth and into the
stars on colony worlds loosely federated and called the Thousand
Cultures. Starships have given away to “springers”, which are instantaneous
matter transformers similar to those showcased in movies like Stargate or The
Fly . Isolated colonies have developed quirky and unique
political, economic, and social systems, but are now faced with forced
absorption into all the other independent variants of humanity's
colonization through trade and immigration. This “galaxization” is
the futuristic projection of our present globalization due to the
rapid technological advances in communication and propulsion. The
novel focuses on the clashing cultures of two worlds through a 1st
person protagonist emissaried from one to another. It is thoughtful
yet somewhat dry, as plot heroics evolve from action to dialogue
in a very anti-space opera direction. Unfortunately, Giraut Leones'
creed, that “ Art —pure
raw disturbing art—is the only thing people should fight
about” ( Tor , ISBN 0812516338, c.1992, 3rd PB edition, p.124) is
not really heartfelt by the author. It is merely a device to pry
open the clockwork-like formulations of his imagined political and
economic models and see how they tick with the new cadence of Springer
Changes and Connect Depression (p.23). That said, A Million Open
Doors is a provocative, insightful study of the very important
problems of homogenization, especially that of racial and social
prejudice, that plague our planet today.
But, personally, my priorities when experiencing Art are different
than this author's. So, let me re-direct you to criticism that covers
this subject far better than I can:
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/barnes.htm
In conclusion, let me note that this novel is the first in a series
of currently four excursions into this construction.
