Tau Zero

In the double-diamond category of hard science fiction. At times, it felt like an essay in relativistic time and space dilation. I have no idea if the relativistic effects that drive the story (travelling hyperbolically close to the speed of light compresses space such that you effectively travel at many times the speed of light) are accurate, but it does make for quite the adventure.

The biggest problem I had with the book was the writing style. The dialog in particular felt forced and stodgy, and there wasn't a whole heck of a lot of difference between some of the characters. Of course, there were a few "as you well know" moments of exposition. Those always rub me the wrong way.

Overall worth the read, and I understand why it's considered one of the classics, but I can't quite bring myself to raise it to four stars.