Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman
Mindbridge is a science fiction narrative that explores the discovery of a matter transmission device capable of sending people and objects across light-years. The story follows Jacque LeFavre, a Tamer, who is selected to geoform planets for potential Earth colonization in the year 2051. The narrative unfolds through a blend of omniscient narration and personal recollections, revealing themes of communication, connection, and the consequences of tampering with life.
Central to the plot is the emergence of telepathic communication between the Tamers and mysterious creatures known as bridges, which possess the ability to influence the fate of those who attempt to harm them. The introduction of the L'vrai, a technologically advanced alien race that can embody a collective consciousness, raises existential questions about humanity's place in the universe. The L'vrai perceive humanity as potentially dangerous due to its fragmented consciousness and offer a path toward evolution.
As the story progresses, Jacque and his companions navigate complex relationships and challenges, ultimately leading to a broader understanding of unity and shared existence. The narrative concludes with reflections on legacy, as Jacque, now old and feeble, contemplates his life and the futures of his descendants. Through its rich tapestry of characters and philosophical inquiries, Mindbridge invites readers to explore themes of identity, empathy, and the potential for collective growth.
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Subject Terms
Mindbridge
First published: 1976
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—alien civilization
Time of work: 2051-2053, with flashbacks and flashforwards and a conclusion in 2151
Locale: Earth and the planet Groombridge 1618
The Plot
The story is told through a mixture of third-person omniscient narration, recollections of protagonist Jacque LeFavre, and documents. A matter transmitter is discovered by accident. It is not well understood, but it can be used to transmit a fixed volume of people and things light-years away. These then can be returned after a set time, and they will vanish if not returned. Using this device, Tamers are sent out to geoform planets that are likely candidates for Earth colonies. Children born at the other end will stay there, making it easier to use the device to populate those planets.
In 2051, twenty years after the discovery of the “slingshot effect” that makes matter transmission possible, Jacque LeFavre is chosen as a Tamer despite questions about his temper. (The book begins, “Denver pissed him off.”) He is sent, with four other Tamers, to the second planet of Groombridge 1618. Tamer Hsi Ching picks up a small creature and hands it to Jacque. They discover that they can communicate telepathically as long as they are both holding the creature. Ch’ing dies suddenly and for no apparent reason, and the other Tamers return to Earth.
The creatures become known as bridges, and experiments are conducted on them. Jacque and fellow Tamer Carol Wachal conduct their own experiment and have sex while holding a bridge. An attempt to kill and dissect a bridge is abandoned after one doctor who tries it suddenly dies and another immediately attempts suicide. Upon recovery, the second doctor insists that the bridge made him attempt suicide. It appears as though the bridges kill anyone who tries to kill them and that Ch’ing died because the first person to touch an individual bridge always does.
It is then learned that an alien race has entered some of the space Earth people have visited, including the planet Achernar. The first aliens discovered look like humans, but these turn out to be clever simulacra. Carol is sent to Achernar, and she brings back an alien. Jacque communicates with it via a bridge and learns that the aliens are called L’vrai, that they despise humanity, and that they have the technological superiority to wipe humanity out of the universe.
Through Jacque, the L’vrai arrange a meeting with humanity’s political leaders. Speaking through Jacque, they explain that they are a single consciousness, shared by billions of bodies that can change shape at will. They insist that human beings could have this sort of shared consciousness but have repressed the ability to do so. Humanity’s lack of this sort of consciousness could make it dangerous to other beings in the universe. The L’vrai could eliminate humanity to protect the universe from this danger, but they believe that humanity can evolve a single consciousness. The L’vrai communicate with humanity through Jacque, who is special in the way he has united the animal and spiritual elements of his nature. Through messages transmitted by Jacque, the L’vrai keep humanity from doing damage until it has evolved.
A century later, humanity is starting to make this change. Other people can now bridge between L’vrai and humanity. Jacque and Carol were married and have many descendants. Jacque is old and feeble, and his beloved Carol has been dead for many years, so he asks to die by being the first to touch a bridge. He is put in rapport with his great-granddaughter Tania, who reports that as he was dying, Carol spoke to him. In a postscript, a later society considers making Jacque a saint but, after reading his autobiography, decides that he would be a bad example to children.