Destination: Void.

Destination: Void (1966) by Frank Herbert is a science fiction novel that follows a crew of clones aboard the starship Earthling whose organic computer systems have failed, forcing them to attempt the creation of a true artificial consciousness in order to survive the journey to Tau Ceti. As the crew races against time, the novel probes questions of self-awareness, free will, and the nature of consciousness, while revealing that the characters themselves are shaped by hidden programs and agendas. Dense and philosophical in tone, the book serves as the foundational prequel to Herbert’s Pandora Sequence, establishing the conceptual framework for the later novels in that series.