Tag Archives: sci-fi

Guardian

Book Review of Guardian, by Joe Haldeman

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GuardianI received a copy of Guardian (by Joe Haldeman) from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
Sent from her Georgia home to Philadelphia to escape the carnage of the Civil War, Rosa Coleman studied astronomy and mathematics, ultimately settling into a new life as the wife of a wealthy man and mother of young Daniel. But when she discovers an unforgiveable secret about her reprobate husband, Rosa takes the boy and flees to the West on a desperate escape that takes them from Dodge City to San Francisco one step ahead of the Pinkertons hired to bring them back home.
 
On the run in a strange and exhilarating new world, Rosa and Daniel find a haven where they might never be found: the wilds of Alaska among the dreamers drawn to its magnificent wilderness by the promise of gold. It is here that her spiritual guide first appears to Rosa in the form of a raven—an incarnation of the trickster god of Native American and Eskimo lore—suggesting that her destiny lies not in sparkling riches but in something far greater. This mystical harbinger has come from a distant, alien place, and will set her on an astonishing course . . .

Review:
Man, I was really enjoying that for a good 75% of it. I was wondering where the supposed science fiction was, since it hadn’t materialized yet, but I was enjoying the narrator’s slow, personal account of her travails. And then it all fell apart.

About 3/4 of the way through the unthinkable happens in the plot, and the pace picks up significantly, the tone changes, the science fiction makes a sudden appearance and departure and the book is wound to a very quick and less than satisfying ending.

Haldeman creates wonderful imagery and his narrative is engaging. This really was almost a winner for me, too bad about the ending.

Book Review of Good Morning, Midnight, by Lily Brooks-Dalton

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Good Morning, MidnightI won a copy of Lily Brooks-Dalton‘s Good Morning, Midnight through Goodreads:

Description from Goodreads:
Augustine, a brilliant, aging astronomer, is consumed by the stars. For years he has lived in remote outposts, studying the sky for evidence of how the universe began. At his latest posting, in a research center in the Arctic, news of a catastrophic event arrives. The scientists are forced to evacuate, but Augustine stubbornly refuses to abandon his work. Shortly after the others have gone, Augustine discovers a mysterious child, Iris, and realizes the airwaves have gone silent. They are alone.

At the same time, Mission Specialist Sullivan is aboard the Aether on its return flight from Jupiter. The astronauts are the first human beings to delve this deep into space, and Sully has made peace with the sacrifices required of her: a daughter left behind, a marriage ended. So far the journey has been a success, but when Mission Control falls inexplicably silent, Sully and her crew mates are forced to wonder if they will ever get home.

As Augustine and Sully each face an uncertain future against forbidding yet beautiful landscapes, their stories gradually intertwine in a profound and unexpected conclusion. In crystalline prose, Good Morning, Midnight poses the most important questions: What endures at the end of the world? How do we make sense of our lives?

Review:
Liu Cixin has several short stories involving space explorers that return to Earth to find nothing left, or Earth so changed as to no longer welcome them. This reminded me a lot of some of them. It has a similar kind of emotional distance to it, a similar feel.

The writing in Good Morning, Midnight is really stunning. As is watching the emotional growth of the characters. This is a book that happens almost entirely in the minds of two brilliant scientists, both of whom are confronted with their own version of isolation, forcing them to consider and reconsider their lives. It’s beautiful, even if it’s not action packed.

However, there is a VERY LARGE mystery that is never solved for the reader and a fairly large reveal that the reader is aware of and the characters not. I found both of these profoundly dissatisfying. Yes, I can see how they force the reader to share the characters’ confusion and frustration at simply never knowing, but I found it difficult to accept. All in all, though, a good read.

What I’m Drinking: According to the tin, it’s Yun Chinese tea. If I could read Chinese I would tell you more. This is tea that someone gave me, so I know very little about it, beyond that it’s Chinese black tea. (I tried preparing it as green once, with the water at 175° instead of boiling, resulting in a very disappointing brew. Definitely what I would call black.) When prepared properly, it’s nice though. Plus, it’s a happy coincidence that I paired a book that reminded me strongly of a famous Chinese science fiction writer with it.

The Silvers

Book Review of The Silvers, by J. A. Rock

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The SilversI received a copy of The Silvers, by J. A. Rock, from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
What humans want from the Silver Planet is water. What they find is a race of humanoids who are sentient, but as emotionless and serene as the plants and placid lakes they tend. 

B, captain of the mission, doesn’t believe that the “Silvers” are intelligent, and lets his crew experiment on them. But then he bonds with Imms, who seems different from the others—interested in learning, intrigued by human feelings. And B realizes that capturing, studying, and killing this planet’s natives has done incalculable damage. 

When a fire aboard B’s ship kills most of the crew and endangers Imms, B decides to take him back to Earth. But the simplicity of the Silver Planet doesn’t follow them. Imms learns the full spectrum of human emotions, including a love B is frightened to return, and a mistrust of the bureaucracy that wants to treat Imms like a test subject, even if they have to eliminate B to do it. 

Review:
Before I say anything else I want to rave about how beautiful the writing in this book is. It’s worth reading for that alone. So, go read the book. For real, go read it. Go luxuriate in the magnificent prose.

The themes here are not new to science fiction—what it means to be human, to love, to be loved, to be weak or strong or broken or flawed, to protect someone or allow yourself to be protected, the place of humans in the universe and our roles and responsibilities toward others we encounter. They’re not new, but they are well done. You could easily relate to the characters positions and the growth they experienced.

What I had more trouble with was Imms’ and B’s relationship. As much as I loved the writing style here and the stark, honest look into the characters it provided, I don’t think it provided enough evidence of the good parts of their time together. I kept wondering why they loved so hard if they made each-other so miserable.

Lastly, I struggled with a persistent sense that despite all the ways humanity was showing itself to be destructive and cruel, it was still presented as preferable to being a silver. Imms always thought humans more attractive, smarter, more worthy of appreciation than his silver brethren. By becoming human he was becoming more, not just different, and I thought it had an uncomfortable whiff of ethnocentrism to it. But I also felt that was not where Rock was trying to go with the story.

All in all, I truly enjoyed it.