Scan barcode
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
3.0
A murder/sci-fi story of time travelers and their efforts to restart the human race. I really enjoyed this story. There were concepts that went over my head, but who doesn't like a good time traveling murder story?
martyfried's review
4.0
Vernor Vinge writes pretty imaginative and (to me) unusual SciFi books, and this one was no exception. It's the second part of the series, but it's all much later than the first book, by thousands (millions?) of years. Something (humans? We never know for sure) all but destroyed the human race, and now they're close to finalizing that act. But mixed with that is a simple murder mystery to occupy our interest until the end.
I found it to be thoughtful and interesting, like most of his books. In this story, he expands the concept of the bobbles introduced in the last book, and they are used in ways you might never expect.
I found it to be thoughtful and interesting, like most of his books. In this story, he expands the concept of the bobbles introduced in the last book, and they are used in ways you might never expect.
_kaiser's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic work of thought. Vinge builds on his world created in Peace War, perfectly answering the question, “what next?”
Sci-fi has a tendency to brush over how humans cope with emergent technology. Marooned in Real-time does not shy away from the world changing invention of the bauble, and is all the more magnificent for it.
I would recommend this novel even to someone who hasn’t read the first in the series.
Sci-fi has a tendency to brush over how humans cope with emergent technology. Marooned in Real-time does not shy away from the world changing invention of the bauble, and is all the more magnificent for it.
I would recommend this novel even to someone who hasn’t read the first in the series.
lmhess's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
tome15's review against another edition
5.0
Vinge, Vernor. Marooned in Realtime. Across Realtime No. 2. 1986, Tor, 2004.
I am told that Marooned is the novel that introduced the concept of technological singularity to the science fiction world. Well, OK. But do not expect a huge infodump about it. There are bobbles—the ultimate stasis devices—that have moved a bunch of humans millions of years into the future to a time when human beings have disappeared from the planet. One of their number is abandoned there when a hacker makes everyone else bobble even farther into the future. A cop who was bobbled into this far future by a criminal he was chasing is put on the case. It is a well-made mystery. I wish there was a sequel, because there are many interesting characters who I wish I knew better.
I am told that Marooned is the novel that introduced the concept of technological singularity to the science fiction world. Well, OK. But do not expect a huge infodump about it. There are bobbles—the ultimate stasis devices—that have moved a bunch of humans millions of years into the future to a time when human beings have disappeared from the planet. One of their number is abandoned there when a hacker makes everyone else bobble even farther into the future. A cop who was bobbled into this far future by a criminal he was chasing is put on the case. It is a well-made mystery. I wish there was a sequel, because there are many interesting characters who I wish I knew better.
jackshoegazer's review against another edition
4.0
I love this book. It's a sci-fi murder mystery set mostly 50 million years in the future. You really have to read Vinge's earlier book, The Peace War, for context. But fear not, The Peace War is pretty fantastic as well.
cellowraith's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ashhole's review against another edition
5.0
This book totally deserved its Hugo award. I love detective novels in unusual settings. This one takes the cake for the weirdest I think. Definitely worth reading.