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The sun. It's not really a place I think about when I think of other places in space that might have life. This novel is all about the possibility of life on the sun. I think it's pretty clear that the author David Brin knows a lot of science, and I think he's better at writing the science than characters. The only aspect of this book that fellflat was in the characterization. But I love science and I love aliens, so those aspects kept the book great for me.
The sun is the center of our universe and also the main destination of the characters. But Brin introduces a lot of ideas that I assume will be further explored in later books in the series. Unlike a fair amount of science fiction, a lot in this future universe has changed, not just 2 or 3 big things that push the plot. For instance, dolphins communicate with us, which is super cool. And the dolphins are poets in a way. There are Eatees, many varieties with fun names like Kanten who look like broccoli, Cynthiam, and Tymbrimi.
Psychologically, there is a rift in society between those with tendencies to commit crime and those without those tendencies a la PKD. There are Citizens, Permanent Probationers, and Temporary Probationers depending on the degree of tendency or nature of crime committed. This causes an Overtun because PPs can't be in contact with Eatees so they are sequestered in what used to be San Diego and Tijuana. Also, PPs are not allowed to have children.
And there's a lot more, too much to go into in this review, but suffice it to say that Brin's future society hardly resembles ours today, and I'm deeply impressed with the level of his detail and the amount of thinking he put into that. And the Sundiver itself is just awesome, and my edition even included a little drawing. The Sundiver is capable of diving very close to the sun so that scientists can view the surface. The surface of the sun appears to have lifeforms living on it that the hopeful explorers name Solarians.
The one aspect of the book that didn't work so well were the characters. I notice a distinct issue with females. The story is told from the point of view of the scientist Jacob who studies the dolphins at the beginning of the book. He is recruited to join a Sundiver mission by some aliens. The one woman he interacts with on Earth is described as simply "well-endowed." And then Martine, who he meets on the Sundiver, is in her early 20s despite having been born a hundred years ago because of time travel effects. She's hot, brilliant, hypersexual, strong and young.... except not so strong that she can deal with the situation without Jacob's lead. Bleh. But, this is unfortunately common in science fiction, and I didn't let it ruin my overall experience. It definitely did not pass the Bechdel Test.
I'm very intrigued by the first book in this series and I can't wait to read more!
If one included the ions and electrons that forever stream out into space in the solar wind -- to cause auroras on Earth and to shape the plasma tails of comets -- one might say that there was no real boundary to the sun. It truly reaches out to touch the other stars.
The sun is the center of our universe and also the main destination of the characters. But Brin introduces a lot of ideas that I assume will be further explored in later books in the series. Unlike a fair amount of science fiction, a lot in this future universe has changed, not just 2 or 3 big things that push the plot. For instance, dolphins communicate with us, which is super cool. And the dolphins are poets in a way. There are Eatees, many varieties with fun names like Kanten who look like broccoli, Cynthiam, and Tymbrimi.
Psychologically, there is a rift in society between those with tendencies to commit crime and those without those tendencies a la PKD. There are Citizens, Permanent Probationers, and Temporary Probationers depending on the degree of tendency or nature of crime committed. This causes an Overtun because PPs can't be in contact with Eatees so they are sequestered in what used to be San Diego and Tijuana. Also, PPs are not allowed to have children.
And there's a lot more, too much to go into in this review, but suffice it to say that Brin's future society hardly resembles ours today, and I'm deeply impressed with the level of his detail and the amount of thinking he put into that. And the Sundiver itself is just awesome, and my edition even included a little drawing. The Sundiver is capable of diving very close to the sun so that scientists can view the surface. The surface of the sun appears to have lifeforms living on it that the hopeful explorers name Solarians.
The one aspect of the book that didn't work so well were the characters. I notice a distinct issue with females. The story is told from the point of view of the scientist Jacob who studies the dolphins at the beginning of the book. He is recruited to join a Sundiver mission by some aliens. The one woman he interacts with on Earth is described as simply "well-endowed." And then Martine, who he meets on the Sundiver, is in her early 20s despite having been born a hundred years ago because of time travel effects. She's hot, brilliant, hypersexual, strong and young.... except not so strong that she can deal with the situation without Jacob's lead. Bleh. But, this is unfortunately common in science fiction, and I didn't let it ruin my overall experience. It definitely did not pass the Bechdel Test.
I'm very intrigued by the first book in this series and I can't wait to read more!