Retrospective: 2001 Nights (1984)
"Toward what end does man venture forth into an eternal night of death?"
2001 Nights by writer/artist Yukinobu Hoshino is a hard science fiction manga anthology series that explores the issues surrounding humankind's ventures into space. Hard sci-fi - fiction in which the science is real-world and non-speculative - is rarely presented in a comics/manga format; most readers want bug-eyed aliens teleporting from their faster-than-light starships. The hard side has its own, authentic appeal, however, and there is plenty of scope for this to be produced in an artistically pleasing fashion for the reader.
The vistas of space, the landscapes of the moons and planets of our solar system and the designs of our spacecraft and orbital stations provide ample scope for fantastic arenas in which arresting narratives can play out. The limitations placed on the story by the realistic sciences involved, rather than hampering it, provide greater depth, forcing the authors to use their imagination to fully explore the possibilities inherent in circumscribed conditions.
Hoshino's artwork is a beautiful blend of naturalistic figures within their geometric environments and the stark backdrops of rock and space. Very much at the heart of hard science fiction is the visceral issue of the fragility of human life: flesh and blood bodies encased in thin shells of metal, glass and plastic hurtling at great speeds through the cold, hard vacuum, death mere inches away from sensitive skin. Spaceflight is inherently dangerous, as history has tragically shown us many times, and this highlights all the philosophical questions surrounding life, death, meaning, risk, courage and our species' relationship to the universe as a whole.
Hard sci-fi is also the home of the true science enthusiast (geeks, nerds, call us what you will); Welcome to the realm of astrophysical calculations, space biology, the chemical properties of planetary environments, etc.. details that provide a satisfying bedrock of veracity upon which to construct a resoundingly convincing story... Details that no doubt bore the pants off your average space opera lover, but to the aficionado this gives everything an added dimension of quality.
The stories contained within chart the journeys of brave souls hazarding the unforgiving void... the crew of a US shuttle delivering a secret payload to a Soviet space station, convinced that they are about to trigger World War III... a woman searches for the remains of her brother who has disappeared on the Moon, "sinking in an ocean full of lives" ... an asteroid miner faces death unless he can use his knowledge of maths and physics to find a way to survive ... a couple become parents of a new generation of colonists for a planet in the Tau Ceti system, but these are children they will never see...
This work has a strong classic feel to it, but not to any specific era; I hesitate to describe it as "retro", it is more ... timeless. Somehow, I don't think this will ever look dated.
Sometimes less is more, and here the absence of speculative technology "indistinguishable from magic" allows for a different kind of magic, one which is a little closer to our actual lives. It provides a unique connection to the possibilities inherent in the story, the promise of exciting new wonders out there, waiting to be discovered...
"Is this empty space we seek to conquer truly a sea of fertility?"
2001 NIGHTS on AbeBooks
Zak Webber
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