seefongread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
kluwes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
chrisyakimov's review against another edition
3.0
It's a beautifully conceived idea, and the treatment of AI, narrative, and human interconnection with the biosphere is beautiful. But the end feels like a completely different book - while I can understand that might actually be deliberate, I think it detracts from what was shaping up to be a powerful exploration of heart and mind.
amberfinnegan's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.