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bsparks2112's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In keeping with the other Kim Stanley Robinson works I've read, this was a brilliant and fascinating novel with just a few perplexing authorial decisions. I was really impressed by the technical rigor he showed in detailing all that would really go into creating and maintaining a generation ship intended for a century-plus space voyage; his attention to detail in all the things that could go wrong - and man, are there a lot of those - is equally impressive. I will say there are a fair amount of particularly info-dump-esque sections where Robinson shows his work on both counts; but this is balanced by some really harrowing stretches where the narrative is strung along with tension really effectively. All this technical detail is somewhat kept in check by keeping the emotional center of the story in Freya and her family and friends, following their growth and resiliency as they face these extreme circumstances. I also was really captivated by the integration of the ship's quantum computer AI into the story; the sections where this is brought forward as an important device (both literary and literally for the characters) and a character in their own right were the high marks of the story for me. Some plotting and story issues, especially regarding the ending section, were really the only parts that made me drop this to a 4-star read; it was still hugely enjoyable and rewarding.
joshhall13's review
5.0
Reminded me a lot of SevenEves. Such a good book . I loved the AI character development. Ingenious and a little funny at the same time...
laurenexploresbooks's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
aranafyre's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I almost stopped reading it about a third of the way through. However I am really glad I stuck it out to finish the book.
The main character is Freya, a young girl at the start of the novel, on a starship that is headed to try and colonize another world around another star. The narrator however is the ship itself for the majority of the book. The development of the consciousness of the ship was very intriguing but I often felt dragged down by the expositions. Understandably it got easier as the book went along and ship got more aware/conscious/narratory.
The concept of island dynamics, devolution and the sheer time and distract restraints applied to fictionalized planet colonization is also compelling given that most space scifi I've read just glosses over that. I also really liked the concept that humans colonizing Saturn and Mars needed to take sabbaticals to earth to get exposure to all those earth bacteria and other tiny things. I could see this easily being a four or five star rating for many others.
The main character is Freya, a young girl at the start of the novel, on a starship that is headed to try and colonize another world around another star. The narrator however is the ship itself for the majority of the book. The development of the consciousness of the ship was very intriguing but I often felt dragged down by the expositions. Understandably it got easier as the book went along and ship got more aware/conscious/narratory.
The concept of island dynamics, devolution and the sheer time and distract restraints applied to fictionalized planet colonization is also compelling given that most space scifi I've read just glosses over that. I also really liked the concept that humans colonizing Saturn and Mars needed to take sabbaticals to earth to get exposure to all those earth bacteria and other tiny things. I could see this easily being a four or five star rating for many others.
jrskjr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
grumpymonday's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
geekwayne's review
5.0
I read 'Aurora' by Kim Stanley Robinson for my book club. I loved most of the book (enough to recommend it!), but found the ending sort of flat.
A lifeship has left Earth a few generations ago. The ship is reaching it's goal of colonizing a distant planet. It's been a long journey and things in this closed system have a way of going out of balance: too many of certain chemicals, and not enough of others, for instance. Even the populations of animals and humans have shown some changes. The trip in one direction is dangerous enough, but a return trip could prove even more perilous if things don't work out on the planet.
For most of the book we are given a most unusual narrator, which I loved. The kinds of problems faced by the characters seems well thought out as well. There are gravitational problems, and too much radiation problems, and long term ship deterioration problems and biological problems. We see the slow decay of a lot of things in a closed system, and I found that harrowing and fascinating.
Less fascinating, for me, was the long epilogue that just sort of trailed off. Also, the book's narrator is gone, but we don't know who is now telling the story. It's not confusing, and you can piece it together. I just would have liked different closure than I got. Still, I enjoyed this one quite a lot, and I do recommend it.
A lifeship has left Earth a few generations ago. The ship is reaching it's goal of colonizing a distant planet. It's been a long journey and things in this closed system have a way of going out of balance: too many of certain chemicals, and not enough of others, for instance. Even the populations of animals and humans have shown some changes. The trip in one direction is dangerous enough, but a return trip could prove even more perilous if things don't work out on the planet.
For most of the book we are given a most unusual narrator, which I loved. The kinds of problems faced by the characters seems well thought out as well. There are gravitational problems, and too much radiation problems, and long term ship deterioration problems and biological problems. We see the slow decay of a lot of things in a closed system, and I found that harrowing and fascinating.
Less fascinating, for me, was the long epilogue that just sort of trailed off. Also, the book's narrator is gone, but we don't know who is now telling the story. It's not confusing, and you can piece it together. I just would have liked different closure than I got. Still, I enjoyed this one quite a lot, and I do recommend it.
jacksontibet's review
4.0
Kim Stanley Robinson seems to get it in the way most don't: the Earth is it. Ever since homo sapiens started spreading totalitarian agriculture like a swarm of locusts we've been on a collision course with our own extinction. So it's fresh air to read a sci fi book that doesn't worship at the altar of some misconstrued idea that humans are supposed to leave the planet to find/embrace our destiny or some silly nonsense. And in fact, Robinson's thesis is the opposite: we, like every other species, are wholly dependent on our mother for survival.
tomstbr's review against another edition
5.0
Halfway through the novel we end in disaster. Specifically we end this first part among the waves. Interestingly the book itself ends among the waves. Obviously the ocean plays a big part in our lives, and KSR mirrors this motif nicely.
This is a generation ship story, but it's more than that. It's an oddly pessimistic view of escaping to the stars and leaving our cradle. It's a coming-of-age story, but not your conventional one, not by a longshot. It's a playful frolic, giving a big ups to KSR's critics. It's a fantastic exploration of science and human will and just how far we'll go to live. The characters are great, even if the pacing at the end falls away a little. Perhaps it could have done with a little extra editing.
But in the end, it's a Must Read.
Also, it would make a fantastic TV miniseries and I would pay good money for this to happen.
This is a generation ship story, but it's more than that. It's an oddly pessimistic view of escaping to the stars and leaving our cradle. It's a coming-of-age story, but not your conventional one, not by a longshot. It's a playful frolic, giving a big ups to KSR's critics. It's a fantastic exploration of science and human will and just how far we'll go to live. The characters are great, even if the pacing at the end falls away a little. Perhaps it could have done with a little extra editing.
But in the end, it's a Must Read.
Also, it would make a fantastic TV miniseries and I would pay good money for this to happen.
lsparrow's review
3.0
I enjoyed the concepts and the story. I particularly liked the last chapter - however it felt too drawn out.