amberfinnegan's review
5.0
The social commentary in this book really makes it worth reading. The story starts out with a starship making its way toward a distant planet to colonize and start a new human society. Looking at how humanity would react to this experience was the crux of this wonderfully made novel.
When I first started this book I really was not sure which way it would go. I was very pleased in the end with the way everything turned out. There were many options of how the story could weave its way through and I really didn’t expect what I got. That made it much more enjoyable than something predictable.
Much of the story is narrated by the ship which was a great perspective. While still mainly focusing on the main characters, it made the overall storytelling much more fluid and felt unbiased. I really liked the ship.
As I was reading I became more and more fascinated with the ship and world living within it. I felt that the science was well thought out and believable.
When I first started this book I really was not sure which way it would go. I was very pleased in the end with the way everything turned out. There were many options of how the story could weave its way through and I really didn’t expect what I got. That made it much more enjoyable than something predictable.
Much of the story is narrated by the ship which was a great perspective. While still mainly focusing on the main characters, it made the overall storytelling much more fluid and felt unbiased. I really liked the ship.
As I was reading I became more and more fascinated with the ship and world living within it. I felt that the science was well thought out and believable.
boringbryan's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There seemed to be a lot of real science employed to describe the cast's challenges and solutions. The circumstances seemed well thought out, to me.
jaffo's review
2.0
2.5 stars. Too much hard sci-fi... I can't believe I wrote that. But it's true... too much for a book without more solid consistent character development. I really cared about "Ship" and then it's just... no longer relevant to the story. What?
Unhappy with how this book handled almost everything. It has SO much potential; but, your mileage may vary.
Unhappy with how this book handled almost everything. It has SO much potential; but, your mileage may vary.
schoeyfield's review
5.0
Aurora was one of the most remarkable science fictions I have read - or, honestly, had the pleasure to listen to. A space travelogue riddled with hard-science, harsh science, narrated largely by a quantum computer blossoming into consciousness, touching, sad, funny, and bittersweet.
fivehorns's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this book, but I also didn't hate it enough to put it down.
It certainly took turns I in no way expected and had some very interesting premises that I had not explored in science fiction. But all in all it just feel a little flat for me. It felt somewhat 2 dimensional and slow at times; almost like watching a story unfold through a foggy window.
I would be hesitant to recommend this book.
It certainly took turns I in no way expected and had some very interesting premises that I had not explored in science fiction. But all in all it just feel a little flat for me. It felt somewhat 2 dimensional and slow at times; almost like watching a story unfold through a foggy window.
I would be hesitant to recommend this book.
erichart's review against another edition
4.0
Robinson applies the attention to technical and scientific detail he's showed in his Mars trilogy to the problem of sending a generation starship to colonize other worlds. Main character Freya and the ship's AI provide enough humanity to keep the novel from being the dry technical exercise it could have been in the hands of a lesser author. I could have done with more resolution to some strands of the plot, not everything is fully answered. As any novel of ideas should, the ending leaves plenty to discuss and analyze, as Robinson shifts from the theme of exploration to wider, more wide-ranging environmental issues of life on our own planet and the place of intelligent species in the universe.
toeffy's review
5.0
A new milestone in the sci-fi genre?
I haven't read enough sci-fi to make statements like "this is a completely new take on space exploration" or "this is a must-read for all sci-fi fans", but I feel like they might be true nevertheless. At the very least, this novel gives you a lot to think about (and a lot of stuff to google if you're a science noob like myself) which is already more than most books do.
I liked the psychological issue Kim Stanley Robinson touches here: how many generations living in extreme conditions can be sustained on enthusiasm alone? Who has to pay for humanity's dream of the stars? And when is it acceptable to admit defeat and come back?
The book doesn't give answers, although the protagonist's stance on the issue is pretty clear. I do not share Freya's views and do not think that her decision was the right one, but it's always easy to judge from the safety of one's comfortable home - and basically that's exactly what the novel is about.
There were a few downsides, too, at least for me. First of all, I didn't like Freya's character. The first chapter felt very slow and it took a while to get attached to her as the protagonist. Her bull-headedness and temper didn't make it better later on, especially since I whole-heartedly disagreed with her idea of turning back. But, especially considering her behaviour in the last chapter, I kinda doubt that the author intended her to be likeable; maybe she was supposed to be a kind of negative example, I don't know..
Furthermore, I didn't like how fast the settlers gave up on Aurora. It felt very unnatural that people have spent their whole life dreaming about that place and then give it up after the very first complication. New pathogens are a somewhat expected problem, are they not? Why didn't they just stay floating in the ship and continued the research on the pathogen? It is mentioned several times, that they could refill their elements in Tau Ceti's system, so why not go on like this? They gave up way too fast and that didn't make any sense..
What I did like and thoroughly enjoy, though, were the middle chapters narrated by Ship. It was a beautifully created and conveyed entity with a clear learning curve and development. The true star of the novel, in my eyes.
Also, the "hard" sci-fi and terminology, having to look things up - and not just technical terms, but also new vocabulary (like "avuncular") - made the novel pleasantly challenging, although not always easy to read.
The writing style is pleasant, although Ship's first attempts at narrating are somewhat verbose and recursive. The first chapter was a bit of a drag and the last chapter also felt unnecessarily drawn out. Especially the part with Freya making a move on the kid (he was 16, for heaven's sake!) freaked me out.
But overall, it is an important book and, no matter if you like it or not, it makes you think. And that's always worth the highest mark in my eyes.
5/5
I haven't read enough sci-fi to make statements like "this is a completely new take on space exploration" or "this is a must-read for all sci-fi fans", but I feel like they might be true nevertheless. At the very least, this novel gives you a lot to think about (and a lot of stuff to google if you're a science noob like myself) which is already more than most books do.
I liked the psychological issue Kim Stanley Robinson touches here: how many generations living in extreme conditions can be sustained on enthusiasm alone? Who has to pay for humanity's dream of the stars? And when is it acceptable to admit defeat and come back?
The book doesn't give answers, although the protagonist's stance on the issue is pretty clear. I do not share Freya's views and do not think that her decision was the right one, but it's always easy to judge from the safety of one's comfortable home - and basically that's exactly what the novel is about.
There were a few downsides, too, at least for me. First of all, I didn't like Freya's character. The first chapter felt very slow and it took a while to get attached to her as the protagonist. Her bull-headedness and temper didn't make it better later on, especially since I whole-heartedly disagreed with her idea of turning back. But, especially considering her behaviour in the last chapter, I kinda doubt that the author intended her to be likeable; maybe she was supposed to be a kind of negative example, I don't know..
Furthermore, I didn't like how fast the settlers gave up on Aurora. It felt very unnatural that people have spent their whole life dreaming about that place and then give it up after the very first complication. New pathogens are a somewhat expected problem, are they not? Why didn't they just stay floating in the ship and continued the research on the pathogen? It is mentioned several times, that they could refill their elements in Tau Ceti's system, so why not go on like this? They gave up way too fast and that didn't make any sense..
What I did like and thoroughly enjoy, though, were the middle chapters narrated by Ship. It was a beautifully created and conveyed entity with a clear learning curve and development. The true star of the novel, in my eyes.
Also, the "hard" sci-fi and terminology, having to look things up - and not just technical terms, but also new vocabulary (like "avuncular") - made the novel pleasantly challenging, although not always easy to read.
The writing style is pleasant, although Ship's first attempts at narrating are somewhat verbose and recursive. The first chapter was a bit of a drag and the last chapter also felt unnecessarily drawn out. Especially the part with Freya making a move on the kid (he was 16, for heaven's sake!) freaked me out.
But overall, it is an important book and, no matter if you like it or not, it makes you think. And that's always worth the highest mark in my eyes.
5/5
graff_fuller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is not really the book that I thought it was when I picked it up. I was looking forward to a space adventure, where the characters were front and center, but what I got was...the problems of sending generational ships out to the universe.
Granted, the revealing of the problems was interesting...IF it was interwoven more within the story of the characters in/on the ship, BUT the problems WERE the main character of the story.
I've read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, so I should've known better. Like in that trilogy, the ISSUES of terraforming Mars were more important to the reason why the trilogy was written, than the characters that resided within the story he told. Same with this story. Frea is the MAIN character...as characters go, but the real character of this story is the thesis that we should NOT be sending people out to other planets...for ALL the other planets are poisonous to us humans, since Earth is our home...and it is the ONLY planet that is really suited for us...and probably ever will be.
With that in mind, the big picture take away is, "don't screw this up, for this is/was our best shot in surviving within this universe." As a premise, it is a good one for us to hear/read, but I just wish that the story had been told with the characters more front and center...than the particular details of HOW they slingshoted around the celestial object and the retelling of each of these maneuvers...to try to slow the ship down. Yeah, I get it...it was difficult. Okay, get on with the story, but in THIS book, that IS the story.
So...I'm glad that I read this book. It will NOT disuade me from picking up another KSR book, but just go into that reading with the understanding...that the IDEA of the book will take precidence OVER the characters within the story.
I really did enjoy the book ended story aspect of this narrative. That is the ONE place that KSR was able to make the character front and center, while the rest of the book was about the HORRIBLE idea of going out to space to colonize...instead of taking care of our own world...the one that we are the most suited for.
Preach much?
Granted, the revealing of the problems was interesting...IF it was interwoven more within the story of the characters in/on the ship, BUT the problems WERE the main character of the story.
I've read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, so I should've known better. Like in that trilogy, the ISSUES of terraforming Mars were more important to the reason why the trilogy was written, than the characters that resided within the story he told. Same with this story. Frea is the MAIN character...as characters go, but the real character of this story is the thesis that we should NOT be sending people out to other planets...for ALL the other planets are poisonous to us humans, since Earth is our home...and it is the ONLY planet that is really suited for us...and probably ever will be.
With that in mind, the big picture take away is, "don't screw this up, for this is/was our best shot in surviving within this universe." As a premise, it is a good one for us to hear/read, but I just wish that the story had been told with the characters more front and center...than the particular details of HOW they slingshoted around the celestial object and the retelling of each of these maneuvers...to try to slow the ship down. Yeah, I get it...it was difficult. Okay, get on with the story, but in THIS book, that IS the story.
So...I'm glad that I read this book. It will NOT disuade me from picking up another KSR book, but just go into that reading with the understanding...that the IDEA of the book will take precidence OVER the characters within the story.
I really did enjoy the book ended story aspect of this narrative. That is the ONE place that KSR was able to make the character front and center, while the rest of the book was about the HORRIBLE idea of going out to space to colonize...instead of taking care of our own world...the one that we are the most suited for.
Preach much?
ohnoitsnathan's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No