amynbell's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Well, not every book from one of your favorite authors can be a favorite. The majority of the novel was just a boring journey to get to a boring ending to fight the baddies. I never really understood the motive of the villains, and I'm too bored with this book to give a synopsis. I feel like it drained every bit of my reading energy to force myself to finish it because I just wanted to be done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Gore, Blood, Genocide, Death, Murder, Car accident, and Death of parent
alleeme's review
3.0
Human beings are like the Americans of the universe, they think they know everything...
thearbiter89's review against another edition
3.0
As works by Robert Charles Wilson go, this one is pretty second-tier.
Robert Charles Wilson’s books – particularly the unfortunately-titled Spin Cycle – invariably come to mind when I am asked to recommend an example of contemporary high-concept science fiction that could be read as literature. Wilson has an ability to imagine stratospheric speculative conceits and create compelling stories out of the ways in which human characters react and adapt to what, to them, could constitute the sublime.
Burning Paradise has one of these compelling premises from the get-go. It is the early 21st century, but not quite our own – in this one, an Armistice ended World War I in 1914 and since then the world has been at peace overseen by a League of Nations, albeit at a less advanced stage of technological development without the rigors of war to propel it along. But some members of the scientific elite have reason to believe that this peace is not a natural – it is being externally enforced by an alien agency. And for that, they have been hunted and driven into hiding by things that look like people, but aren’t.
The idea behind Burning Paradise is a great one – a parasitical network organism that manipulates telecommunications signals to nudge the world towards quiescence so that the apes don’t blow everything up before the organism has time to reproduce and spread itself across the stars. This translates into a plot and setting that evokes the paranoiac intensity of the Cold War era espionage literature, where trust is an unaffordable luxury and anyone you know or even love might be an agent of the enemy or a member of the secret police. Except that in this context, anyone on the street might actually be nothing more than an alien appendage, deep cover agents spending their whole lives pretending to be normal people, but who have no interiority or sense of self, and bleed green goo if you cut them deep enough.
The book is at its best in the early stages when it’s setting up this premise and slowly peeling back the plot layers so that the reader slowly comes to understand the whole picture of the conspiracy. But once those essential details are established, the plot seems to start to drag along without much development as the characters position themselves for the denouement. But what I found most problematic was the way in which the book’s central moral conundrum was treated in the context of the narrative. Clearly, the world was at peace – and to destroy the aliens maintaining that peace would lift the lid keeping boiling tribalist sentiments at bay. Yet, the characters’ only motivation for making that step – and thereby killing millions and raising the chances of human extinction that much higher – is the kind of visceral disgust and personal desire for vengeance against the organism that – without a hint of moral volition – killed their allies to cover up their existence.
Don’t get me wrong – it could be argued that this is the choice that should be made. But I can’t help but feel that the book didn’t really do the necessary work and buildup to make it believable that the characters should feel that their choices were justified. They just did it, and damn the consequences – which ultimately leaves the reader with an unsatisfying and bewildering ending.
I give this: 3.5 out of 5 secret lightwave launch facilities in the Atacama Desert
Robert Charles Wilson’s books – particularly the unfortunately-titled Spin Cycle – invariably come to mind when I am asked to recommend an example of contemporary high-concept science fiction that could be read as literature. Wilson has an ability to imagine stratospheric speculative conceits and create compelling stories out of the ways in which human characters react and adapt to what, to them, could constitute the sublime.
Burning Paradise has one of these compelling premises from the get-go. It is the early 21st century, but not quite our own – in this one, an Armistice ended World War I in 1914 and since then the world has been at peace overseen by a League of Nations, albeit at a less advanced stage of technological development without the rigors of war to propel it along. But some members of the scientific elite have reason to believe that this peace is not a natural – it is being externally enforced by an alien agency. And for that, they have been hunted and driven into hiding by things that look like people, but aren’t.
The idea behind Burning Paradise is a great one – a parasitical network organism that manipulates telecommunications signals to nudge the world towards quiescence so that the apes don’t blow everything up before the organism has time to reproduce and spread itself across the stars. This translates into a plot and setting that evokes the paranoiac intensity of the Cold War era espionage literature, where trust is an unaffordable luxury and anyone you know or even love might be an agent of the enemy or a member of the secret police. Except that in this context, anyone on the street might actually be nothing more than an alien appendage, deep cover agents spending their whole lives pretending to be normal people, but who have no interiority or sense of self, and bleed green goo if you cut them deep enough.
The book is at its best in the early stages when it’s setting up this premise and slowly peeling back the plot layers so that the reader slowly comes to understand the whole picture of the conspiracy. But once those essential details are established, the plot seems to start to drag along without much development as the characters position themselves for the denouement. But what I found most problematic was the way in which the book’s central moral conundrum was treated in the context of the narrative. Clearly, the world was at peace – and to destroy the aliens maintaining that peace would lift the lid keeping boiling tribalist sentiments at bay. Yet, the characters’ only motivation for making that step – and thereby killing millions and raising the chances of human extinction that much higher – is the kind of visceral disgust and personal desire for vengeance against the organism that – without a hint of moral volition – killed their allies to cover up their existence.
Don’t get me wrong – it could be argued that this is the choice that should be made. But I can’t help but feel that the book didn’t really do the necessary work and buildup to make it believable that the characters should feel that their choices were justified. They just did it, and damn the consequences – which ultimately leaves the reader with an unsatisfying and bewildering ending.
I give this: 3.5 out of 5 secret lightwave launch facilities in the Atacama Desert
okenwillow's review against another edition
4.0
Nous voici avec un petit Wilson bien sympathique. L’auteur nous propose ici un sacré mélange combinant thriller, aventures, invasion d’aliens, dystopie, avec un soupçon de romance et un chouïa de paranoïa galopante. On s’attendrait presque à voir surgir Mulder et Scully au coin de la rue (ou Dunham et Bishop, selon l’âge du lecteur). Je ne suis pas un puits de connaissance en matière de SF, mais j’ai trouvé l’idée de l’Hypercolonie confondante d’originalité. Sans formation scientifique il m’a été difficile de me représenter certains concepts, parce que le coup des ondes radio, là, j’avoue que je n’y connais pas grand-chose, mais ce qu’en fait Wilson, ou plutôt le gros délire qu’il a construit autour m’a fascinée. Le côté « ils sont parmi nous et nous observent » est un classique certes, mais le tout tient la route et réserve des surprises. La fuite éperdue, la quête du sauveur, les vilains aliens sournois, leur nature mystérieuse et inquiétante servent bien l’intrigue et maintiennent un intérêt toujours plus grand. Au-delà de ce joyeux mélange des genres efficace et rythmé, la question qui prédomine reste le libre arbitre. Le monde vit dans une paix relative depuis des décennies, les guerres et autres conflits restent insignifiants et tout va pour le mieux dans le meilleur de mondes. Pourtant, on s’aperçoit vite que technologiquement, il y a du retard ! Le monde manipulé par l’Hypercolonie est certes paisible, mais le cours naturel des choses est complètement faussé, le destin individuel autant que le destin collectif est influencé de manière systématique et calculée. Les protagonistes se retrouvent face à un dilemme de taille, et devront faire appel à leur conscience pour faire le bon choix (roulement de tambours).
Certes pas le meilleur Wilson à mon sens, mais un très bon malgré tout, qui fait bien son travail de page turner échevelé.
Certes pas le meilleur Wilson à mon sens, mais un très bon malgré tout, qui fait bien son travail de page turner échevelé.
sharonrhh's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
wishanem's review
3.0
A twisty Sci-Fi mystery, with a lot of road trip elements. I think this could've easily been a short story, or a single episode of a TV show. The thoughtful portions about the nature and behavior of an alien which may or may not be sentient were my favorite part, but they didn't really resolve in a remotely satisfying way. Maybe that was the point? It didn't feel great, though.
jarichan's review against another edition
4.0
Vom Rückentext her habe ich eigentlich etwas völlig Anderes erwartet. Mehr Gesellschaftskritik, mehr Politik. Aber dass die Handlung sich dann in eine ganz andere Richtung entwickelte, muss nichts Schlechtes sein. So war nämlich der Überraschungseffekt ganz auf meiner Seite.
Wilson arbeitet interessante Ideen in sein Werk ein und stellt dabei auch kritische Fragen. Vor alle jenem nach dem freien Willen und ob ein von aussen aufgezwungener Frieden besser ist, als von uns selbst verursachte Gewalt. Was wollen wir? Wie wichtig ist uns Freiheit? Was ist Freiheit überhaupt?
Der Autor beginnt damit, ein typisches Schwarz-Weiss-Muster zu zeichnen, das er dann mehr und mehr verwischt. Bis auch der Leser nicht mehr sicher weiss, was er nun denken soll. Sehr geschickt eingefädelt. Ich habe jetzt noch keine Antwort auf die Fragen und werde wohl auch keine finden.
Jedoch hätte man noch mehr auf diese Entität eingehen können und wie genau sie auf uns und die menschliche Gesellschaft einwirkt. Mehr Beispiele, mehr Tiefe. Aber da die Figuren im Buch oftmals selbst nicht so genau wissen, womit sie es eigentlich zu tun haben, kann ich das auch so gut akzeptieren.
Der Text lässt sich flüssig lesen, das Buch ist ein schöner Page-Turner, verziert mit einigen Twists und auch die Action kommt nicht zu kurz. Spannende Sci-Fi-Literatur, die eigentlich nach einer Verfilmung schreit.
Wilson arbeitet interessante Ideen in sein Werk ein und stellt dabei auch kritische Fragen. Vor alle jenem nach dem freien Willen und ob ein von aussen aufgezwungener Frieden besser ist, als von uns selbst verursachte Gewalt. Was wollen wir? Wie wichtig ist uns Freiheit? Was ist Freiheit überhaupt?
Der Autor beginnt damit, ein typisches Schwarz-Weiss-Muster zu zeichnen, das er dann mehr und mehr verwischt. Bis auch der Leser nicht mehr sicher weiss, was er nun denken soll. Sehr geschickt eingefädelt. Ich habe jetzt noch keine Antwort auf die Fragen und werde wohl auch keine finden.
Jedoch hätte man noch mehr auf diese Entität eingehen können und wie genau sie auf uns und die menschliche Gesellschaft einwirkt. Mehr Beispiele, mehr Tiefe. Aber da die Figuren im Buch oftmals selbst nicht so genau wissen, womit sie es eigentlich zu tun haben, kann ich das auch so gut akzeptieren.
Der Text lässt sich flüssig lesen, das Buch ist ein schöner Page-Turner, verziert mit einigen Twists und auch die Action kommt nicht zu kurz. Spannende Sci-Fi-Literatur, die eigentlich nach einer Verfilmung schreit.
bmcraec's review
Not his best work, but still, an enjoyable competent almost YA novel.
bignoob's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked the premise of this book, but I thought that kith the ending and execution was lacking. The pacing seems to be off, being fast in some places and slow in others. The book sort of tries to make the main antagonist as a very large and looming threat but it comes off as lame and not super threatening — basically the world building is lackluster.
Spoiler
The hypercolonytheartolater's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of times, we read science fiction for the escapism aspect or the cool futurist ideas, or even just as a reflection on current society. It's a much more simple exchange for me, where I enjoy science fiction more for the ideas and worldbuilding than I do for a specific message. When a book that has something to say comes along while also filling in a lot of those gaps for me, all the better. Robert Charles Wilson is probably best known for his modern sci-fi classic Spin, but I became a big fan following his alternate history/science fiction end-of-oil society mashup Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America from a few years ago. Seeing that Burning Paradise was coming soon, I looked forward to reading it. The book spends a lot of time on communications, but it actually feels more analogous to what we know so far about the upcoming Almost Human television show.
In the world of Burning Paradise, pretty much all the negative stuff that happened in the twentieth century of the United States didn't happen. No World Wars, society is in great shape, and so on. The problem is that the situation is entirely manufactured, as there is some sort of life form in the atmosphere that has been impacting our relationships on earth with subtle changes to our memories, our actions, and our future. When this was discovered, most of those who discovered it were killed, and the rest scattered into hiding. Unfortunately for them, this life form is now on earth in humanoid sim form, and they're out to make sure the secret stays intact.
I couldn't stop thinking about Almost Human while reading it, only because the themes of distrust of simulated android-type beings was kind of jolted into me from the constant commercials for the show. It's not the fairest comparison, though, because the story Wilson tells is one more of worldwide conspiracy and trust than a science fiction police procedural. The book is imperfect, but it works in that regard - it's an interesting, albeit unoriginal, concept told in a very engaging way. It puts all its cool ideas up front and mixes them in well with a plot that's surprisingly action-oriented.
I think my issues with the book, overall, come more from the expectation Wilson brings to his work than anything else. This wouldn't feel so pedestrian coming from an unknown, and while the book is very good, I've come to expect bigger and broader ideas at this point. If anything, this might be a good alternative entry point for Wilson's works than Spin, especially for readers who may be adverse to harder science fiction. Without a super-high concept or significantly unrealistic settings, it's a nice tweak to an existing formula.
Overall, definitely recommended. Will rightfully be heralded as one of the better science fiction books of 2013, and a fine addition to Wilson's body of work so far.
In the world of Burning Paradise, pretty much all the negative stuff that happened in the twentieth century of the United States didn't happen. No World Wars, society is in great shape, and so on. The problem is that the situation is entirely manufactured, as there is some sort of life form in the atmosphere that has been impacting our relationships on earth with subtle changes to our memories, our actions, and our future. When this was discovered, most of those who discovered it were killed, and the rest scattered into hiding. Unfortunately for them, this life form is now on earth in humanoid sim form, and they're out to make sure the secret stays intact.
I couldn't stop thinking about Almost Human while reading it, only because the themes of distrust of simulated android-type beings was kind of jolted into me from the constant commercials for the show. It's not the fairest comparison, though, because the story Wilson tells is one more of worldwide conspiracy and trust than a science fiction police procedural. The book is imperfect, but it works in that regard - it's an interesting, albeit unoriginal, concept told in a very engaging way. It puts all its cool ideas up front and mixes them in well with a plot that's surprisingly action-oriented.
I think my issues with the book, overall, come more from the expectation Wilson brings to his work than anything else. This wouldn't feel so pedestrian coming from an unknown, and while the book is very good, I've come to expect bigger and broader ideas at this point. If anything, this might be a good alternative entry point for Wilson's works than Spin, especially for readers who may be adverse to harder science fiction. Without a super-high concept or significantly unrealistic settings, it's a nice tweak to an existing formula.
Overall, definitely recommended. Will rightfully be heralded as one of the better science fiction books of 2013, and a fine addition to Wilson's body of work so far.