Big Dumb Object - Definition

A term used in discussing science fiction, a Big Dumb Object (BDO) is a mysterious artifact (usually alien) in a story which generates an intense sense of wonder just by being there; to a certain extent, the term deliberately deflates this.

Big Dumb Objects in science fiction include:

• Iain M. Banks' Excession
• Greg Bear's Thistledown asteroid-starship in Eon
• Arthur C. Clarke's monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Arthur C. Clarke's Rama
• Peter F. Hamilton's Sleeping God in The Night's Dawn Trilogy
• Fred Hoyle's Black Cloud
• Michael Crichton's Sphere in Sphere
• Alistair Reynold's Cerberus/Hades in Revelation Space
• Bob Shaw's Orbitsville, and many other Dyson spheres
• Charles Sheffield's Heritage Universe.
• Clifford D. Simak's abandoned machine-world in Limiting Factor (1949)

See also

• Megastructure