Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing characters and technology never get fleshed out
Review: "Spin State" starts out full of promise for fans of "hard" sci-fi, the sub-genre that loads stories with lots of plausible technology and science. It is a good debut novel. However, after a solid beginning that has the reader's mind racing to keep to pace, the book backs away from its potential, dragging on far too long before concluding in a rather predictable and unsatisfying manner.It is clear that Moriarty has done her homework on quantum mechanics. This is one of the only sci-fi books I've read that supplies a bibliography of dozens of academic papers and books on the subject. She writes convincingly about a quantum-based communications system that is one step shy of actual teleportation -- even sensations like taste and temperature are conveyed through the magic of quantum entanglement. Other cool features of Moriarty's far-out future include urbane yet shadowy AIs, hardware enhancements for the body, mind and memory, and people who have had their genetic makeup so radically altered that they aren't legally considered to be human any longer. Although this theme of genetics is supposed to be central to the development of the main character, I felt the theme was never really fleshed out. Indeed, perhaps the book's greatest flaw is that most of the characters -- with the exception of the AI called Cohen -- come across as two- or even one-dimensional. The main character is a decorated commando running from a murky past. We meet a greedy and corrupt mine boss, a manipulative and ruthless general, a selfish and naive beauty, and a selfless and brilliant scientist. Not many surprises. There are quite a few similarities between this work and "Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan. Specifically: 1) both books are set a few hundred years ahead in a future where the UN is the chief political authority 2) the heroes are special UN commandos haunted by brutal past missions who are called on to investigate mysterious deaths 3) in "Spin State", the hero is from a planet called "Compson's World", in "Altered Carbon", the hero is from "Harlan's World" 4) both books feature bionic enhancements ("neurachem" in AC, "ceramsteel in SS") 5) in AC, human consciousness is backed up by a hardware "stack", in SS, memories and knowledge are backed up in hardware. I read these two books very close together, so the similarities really stood out. Spin State's story revolves around the investigation of a mining disaster that killed society's pre-eminent quantum scientist, who had been conducting secretive experiments that could turn humanity's interstellar order on its head. I had trouble keeping track of the minor characters who disappeared for long stretches only to reappear later with no reference to earlier actions. The story had trouble holding my attention and I found myself slogging through the second half mainly out of obligation to just finish the book. I give this book serious credit for painting a detailed picture of quantum, genetic and computing technology a few centuries hence. For hard sci-fi buffs that will probably be more than enough to offset the thinly drawn characters and convoluted plot. Moriarty obviously has a lot of skill and ambition, and I hope her future efforts -- hopefully in the Spin State universe -- are able to deliver on the promise of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing characters and technology never get fleshed out
Review: "Spin State" starts out full of promise for fans of "hard" sci-fi, the sub-genre that loads stories with lots of plausible technology and science. It is a good debut novel. However, after a solid beginning that has the reader's mind racing to keep to pace, the book backs away from its potential, dragging on far too long before concluding in a rather predictable and unsatisfying manner. It is clear that Moriarty has done her homework on quantum mechanics. This is one of the only sci-fi books I've read that supplies a bibliography of dozens of academic papers and books on the subject. She writes convincingly about a quantum-based communications system that is one step shy of actual teleportation -- even sensations like taste and temperature are conveyed through the magic of quantum entanglement. Other cool features of Moriarty's far-out future include urbane yet shadowy AIs, hardware enhancements for the body, mind and memory, and people who have had their genetic makeup so radically altered that they aren't legally considered to be human any longer. Although this theme of genetics is supposed to be central to the development of the main character, I felt the theme was never really fleshed out. Indeed, perhaps the book's greatest flaw is that most of the characters -- with the exception of the AI called Cohen -- come across as two- or even one-dimensional. The main character is a decorated commando running from a murky past. We meet a greedy and corrupt mine boss, a manipulative and ruthless general, a selfish and naive beauty, and a selfless and brilliant scientist. Not many surprises. There are quite a few similarities between this work and "Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan. Specifically: 1) both books are set a few hundred years ahead in a future where the UN is the chief political authority 2) the heroes are special UN commandos haunted by brutal past missions who are called on to investigate mysterious deaths 3) in "Spin State", the hero is from a planet called "Compson's World", in "Altered Carbon", the hero is from "Harlan's World" 4) both books feature bionic enhancements ("neurachem" in AC, "ceramsteel in SS") 5) in AC, human consciousness is backed up by a hardware "stack", in SS, memories and knowledge are backed up in hardware. I read these two books very close together, so the similarities really stood out. Spin State's story revolves around the investigation of a mining disaster that killed society's pre-eminent quantum scientist, who had been conducting secretive experiments that could turn humanity's interstellar order on its head. I had trouble keeping track of the minor characters who disappeared for long stretches only to reappear later with no reference to earlier actions. The story had trouble holding my attention and I found myself slogging through the second half mainly out of obligation to just finish the book. I give this book serious credit for painting a detailed picture of quantum, genetic and computing technology a few centuries hence. For hard sci-fi buffs that will probably be more than enough to offset the thinly drawn characters and convoluted plot. Moriarty obviously has a lot of skill and ambition, and I hope her future efforts -- hopefully in the Spin State universe -- are able to deliver on the promise of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic First Novel
Review: C J Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels were clearly a big influence on Ms Moriarty. Add a touch of Heinlein, a touch of Vinge, a dollop of MacLeod and a goodly helping of Richard Morgan style noir, and you've got the flavor of this first outing in a future history where the economy is based on quantum entanglement and the rare material that makes it possible.
Catherine Li is caught in the middle. More than a few middles as it turns out. There might be no one she can trust. And all she has to do is defang a crisis that threatens a civilization-wide war (or worse) if she fails and the mere genocide of her homeworld (and an incidental xenocide) if she "succeeds." Luckily she hates her homeworld. Then there's this AI who's stalking her (and that's an ally). And the murder of her twin, only nobody's supposed to know it's her twin, but nearly everyone seems to. And then it gets complicated.
Great fun, and there's a sequel coming out late 2005 called "Spin Control"
Rating: 
Summary: Hard SF is driven by science, not characters ...
Review: Chris Moriarty has imagined a sprawling universe filled with sentient code-based life (AI's!), clones, cyborgs, beleagured humans, interstellar travel (with a hitch), and more. Though most of the ideas are familiar, "Spin State" feels fresh because of the quick moving plot and hard-bitten lead character. The story starts with such a surge that its difficult (apparently) to sustain the momentum. What felt immediate and personal in the beginning of "Spin State" dissipated into a societal power struggle between humans, clones, and the other big players. Unfortunately, I no longer cared who came out on top by the end of the book ... I just wanted it to be over. A disappointing ending for such a powerful beginning. I give "Spin State" four stars because most of the book is intriguing -- just not the last 20 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely one of the best new sci-fi's to come out!
Review: Chris Moriarty shall soon rank up there with people like William Gibson and even Issac Asimov in regards to her well-developed story and well-rounded characters in a future as vivid as it is fantastic. I am adding her book to my vast collection of Old and New Masters, such as: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Mona Lisa Overdrive", "Childhood's End", "Puppet Masters", "Snow Crash", "Cryptonomicon", "Neuromancer", and "Cyber Hunter". Read them all.
Rating:
Summary: Just an amazing ride!
Review: Easily one of the 3 best sci-fi books I have ever read. As if William Gibson, Isaac Asimov, C.J. Cherryh, David Brin and Neil Stephenson collided with John Le Carre: simultaneously cyberpunk, hard SF and espionage/spy thriller - amazing. The writing is as slick as Gibson and Stephenson; the feel and "look" is as sharp and rich as Bladerunner and The Matrix; the action as fast-paced and hard-driving as anything I've seen; and the intrigue as complex and compelling as Le Carre. As for the characters... well, let me put it this way: Major Catherine Li is so tough and smart that she is undoubtedly the sexiest female sci-fi character I've ever encountered, while her ally/adversary/suspect/lover (an A.I. by the name of Hyacinth Cohen) is even better: maybe the single best and most memorable sci-fi character ever written.
In short: Wow! When do the movie and the sequel come out?
Rating:
Summary: Good detective story; low-key SF; ignore the dust jacket.
Review: Echoing other reviewers, I'll say that the SF in this book is very low-key. Other than the finale, you could replace the space shuttles with helicopters and the AI with some guy on the other end of a cell phone, and you'd have a bog-standard detective story / action thriller. The extensive physics background serves only to justify the replacement of an Earthbound setting with an interstellar one. The unique concept of FTL jumps erasing your memory through quantum drift turns out to be just the amnesia cliche, updated with fancy technobabble.
That said, I did enjoy the book. I've never had a problem with a decent detective story featuring strongly-defined characters, and "Spin State" delivered on that level. Some people claim to dislike the protagonist, apparently because she was not Honor Harrington, but she fit right in with the crime-novel style of the book.
To sum up: I found the book enjoyable, and I'd recommend it to a sci-fi reader looking for a detective story. Just don't expect too much from the quantum angle.
Rating:
Summary: Very special speculative fiction
Review: Every time Major Catherine Li does a faster than light space leap she loses memory. So far she has been able to hide her loss, but knows that soon she will have to trust someone to provide her with a special memory chip. Catherine is not human, but is an illegal clone working as a Home Sapiens UN Peacekeeper. Her latest assignment takes her to the planet Metz where Catherine and a team of experts are to penetrate to an illegal cloning lab. When they reach their destination with poor information from their mission leader, Li finds a dead clone of herself. She realizes that she must find the killer in case she is the intended target though she might leave herself open to exposure as an illegal being. SPIN STATE is an exciting science fiction tale that hooks the reader from the moment Li realizes that she and the team are being handicapped on the Metz assignment. The story line moves forward at a rapid pace, not slowing down until the final moment. The focus of the story is on Li, a great lead character sort of a cross between a cloned Logan (Logan's Run) and Blade Runner. Fans of action-packed futuristic thrillers with a human rights message will appreciate light jumping with Chris Moriarty. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Great start spoiled by too much filler
Review: I admit I was excited to read this book. I had heard Chris Moriarty had written a book comparable to those of Richard Morgan, Alastair Reynolds, and Iain Banks. I was promised taut action, amazing speculative science, and a killer mystery. The book failed on all accounts.
My major issues with the book follow, many of which are echoed in other reviews.
1. Way too many peripheral characters. Too many times to count, a minor character will be introduced early on and then not mentioned once in the next three hundred pages. Then, near the end, the character pops up again and you're like "Who was Davenport again?"
2. Page 100 to about page 400 contains a ton of filler material. Events happen that have no bearing on the story. Irrelevant conversations are held. Pointless flashbacks are shown. The plot (after about page 100), consequently, is a convoluted mess.
3. The science may or may not be cutting-edge, depending on whether the reader comprehends several of the terms casually thrown out by Moriarty without explanation. For example, the term "slow space" is never described; apparently, however, when a character is traveling in it, he or she cannot be contacted. Okaaaaaaay. I finished the book and still don't what the title "spin state" means.
Enough meandering. The book had some neat ideas and, with some editing, could have been interesting. Instead, I slogged through the final three hundred pages, skipping entire paragraphs of filler at a time, out of pure pride, because I hate not finishing what I started.
Rating:
Summary: Good New Author
Review: I cant add much to the positive reviews that are already posted here, so I will repeat, I couldn't put this book down. I was immediately engaged in the novel. I had read nothing about the book, no reviews, just decided to get the book, and it has was a great read. So seldom do I see new new authors that do such a great and engaging book. If you like science fiction, mystery, space opera, cyberpunk, well it has a some of all of this. Definitely a recommendation, and I look forward to Chris Moriarry's next novel.
| 
