Newton's Wake : A Space Opera

Rating:
Summary: Amazing, fresh new sci-fi
Review: "Space opera" is just right; it's hilarious and serious all at once, and quite an adventure. Unlike Stross' Singularity Sky, which bogs down a bit in the planet-bound revolution part, this novel doesn't bog down anywhere. Instead, we're taken on a wild ride as Lucinda bounces from one disaster to the next. We get an introduction to all the cultures of this universe, illustrating the potential of today's trends extrapolated out. Lots of neat tech mixed with political commentary, including allusions to issues of the past decade or so. This really is one of the books you won't want to put down until you've finished it. MacLeod is really coming into his own with this novel. I count this as one of the top 2 or 3 books I've read this year.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: After reading Sky Road, by MacLeod, and not liking it, I hadn't planned on reading anything else by him. However, after finding out the Sky Road was part of a series and I hadn't read the previous books, I decided to try again.

I had just finished Peter Hamilton's Pandora's Star, which I really liked and saw some similar things in this book, with the wormholes and extended life, so I was hoping that I would enjoy it. MacLeod does a very good job with the setting and the backstory with the Hard Rapture, and I thought he had a pretty interesting cast of characters. However, the story that he tells in the interesting setting that he created is very mediocre, dwindling into nonesense by the end. And he fails to develop any of the characters to any reasonable extent.

I had planned on reading more of MacLeod after this, but now, I don't think I'll bother.

Rating:
Summary: He can and has done better.
Review: From the very beginning of this attempt at an epic space opera I was uncomfortable.
"As soon as she stepped through the gate Lucinda Carlyle knew the planet had been taken and knew it would be worth taking back." How do you assess a planet in an instant? You can't, of course and readers know that.
From the beginning the reader is assaulted with worm hole travel, faster than light space ships (flitters), nanotechnology, artificial intelligences that can store deceased humans for resurrection and a vast array of personal weaponry, battle suits and sentient technologies. It is as if the author set out to introduce every element of current, science fiction mythology.
This is all contained within a vast sociopolitical environment of competing cultures that appear to have evolved following a nuclear war intervened in by an artificial intelligence that scooped up the essence of the dying humans for virtual storage. Read it if you can't imagine it!
It is not a bad novel but it is a disappointing effort by a talented and experienced author. I don't know what his editorial advice was but they failed him in this effort. The novel is not without areas of brilliance and potential. There is a delightful piece of writing where a live dramatic performance is described with well crafted and evocative descriptions.
Some of the scenarios could have been developed into exciting and suspenseful episodes such as the exploration of the cavern while dying of radiation. Images of 'Raiders of The Lost Ark' flashed to mind only to be lost with a too sudden jump to the next world.
I can't give it any more than 2.5 or 3 due mainly to my high levels of frustration and disappointment as well as confusing scene changes, difficult dialogue (pseudo-Scottish) and simply too much material crammed in to let the story breath. There are at least a dozen stories interwoven through the novel but none get a chance to grow. Pity as each of them could have held their own.
MacLeod can do better and I am sure he will again - maybe he just needs to go back to basic story telling. He certainly has the ability but maybe hasn't given himself the time on this one.

Rating:
Summary: A broad canvas
Review: Having been amazed by some of Ken MacLeod's early writing, and a little perlexed by his more recent books, I approached Newton's Wake with anticipaction. I was hoping it wouldn't be full of obscure political references so that it would be a little more accessible. Overall, I was pleased with Newton's Wake, although I had to re-read some parts of it to keep track of everything that was going on. Some of his previous books have suffered from too many characters and settings, and while this novel strays towards that issue slightly, I found that if I payed careful attention, I could remember all of the names. (ok, maybe there were too many characters). Typical of Mr. MacLeod, it is quite policical and in some ways this book is sly anti-american propaganda. Surely this will make it popular outside of the USA in these Bush-hating/loving times. The future history and tech in this book are excellent. It takes the singularity concept and tackles the issue of the people left behind. He has dealt with this issue before with the "fast folk" from the Cassini Division, and it is obvious that he has done his homework on the concepts of AI, nanotech, VR and other sci-fi staples.

Rating:
Summary: An incredible ride!
Review: I agree that this glorious space opera is at once serious and hilarious. What is more important is how it remains believable while introducing us to highly interesting characters as well as a galaxy of cultures. This book has definitely earned a place alongside: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "Foundation", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, as well as books as new to the genre as "Advent of the Corps" and others on my book shelves.

Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag...
Review: Newton's Wake is billed as "A Space Opera", which I guess is supposed to explain why this is a bit of a creampuff of a novel. MacLeod is a deft writer, with a nice ability to turn phrases.

We are dropped into the action and MacLeod does a good job of the "slow reveal" of the characters and the circumstances. We get a good feel for this universe and the folks who inhabit it. We get a variety of characters who's basic humanity is challenged by circumstances: there were trapped as a program, head replaced with a metal head, social pariah, simulation of the original person, etc. And there are little touches (Ben Ami's play about Leonid Breznhev is a hoot).

But... I found some jarring elements here too. We don't get close enough to most of these characters to really care all that much about them. Perhaps it is supposed to be telling that there are no real "bad guys" or "good guys", but the author should have had some stance on the Big Issues he raises, like: if you die and a version of you is brought back to life, it is really you? What if the version of you that is brought back isn't really you, it's just a reconstruction of other people's perception of you? Those are truly interesting questions and MacLeod goes nowhere with them: he asks without developing either an opinion or going near the really thorny bits. We are told more often than we are shown the developments that really matter.

I was annoyed by some "reverse anachronisms" here: things from today that inappropriately show up in this far future time and don't fit. I found the debate about "Returners" vs. "Runners" was ultimately empty, as much of the plot was empty, because the author doesn't seem to feel the motivations. The conflicts in the novel are set pieces.

As a space opera, this is neither gonzo enough to be a really wild ride nor pithy enough to really deal with the fascinating issues the book raises. This is a good read and I'll be keeping an eye on MacLeod, though. Here's an author with some talent. But this won't be his best novel.

Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag...
Review: Newton's Wake is billed as "A Space Opera", which I guess is supposed to explain why this is a bit of a creampuff of a novel. MacLeod is a deft writer, with a nice ability to turn phrases.

We are dropped into the action and MacLeod does a good job of the "slow reveal" of the characters and the circumstances. We get a good feel for this universe and the folks who inhabit it. We get a variety of characters who's basic humanity is challenged by circumstances: there were trapped as a program, head replaced with a metal head, social pariah, simulation of the original person, etc. And there are little touches (Ben Ami's play about Leonid Breznhev is a hoot).

But... I found some jarring elements here too. We don't get close enough to most of these characters to really care all that much about them. Perhaps it is supposed to be telling that there are no real "bad guys" or "good guys", but the author should have had some stance on the Big Issues he raises, like: if you die and a version of you is brought back to life, it is really you? What if the version of you that is brought back isn't really you, it's just a reconstruction of other people's perception of you? Those are truly interesting questions and MacLeod goes nowhere with them: he asks without developing either an opinion or going near the really thorny bits. We are told more often than we are shown the developments that really matter.

I was annoyed by some "reverse anachronisms" here: things from today that inappropriately show up in this far future time and don't fit. I found the debate about "Returners" vs. "Runners" was ultimately empty, as much of the plot was empty, because the author doesn't seem to feel the motivations. The conflicts in the novel are set pieces.

As a space opera, this is neither gonzo enough to be a really wild ride nor pithy enough to really deal with the fascinating issues the book raises. This is a good read and I'll be keeping an eye on MacLeod, though. Here's an author with some talent. But this won't be his best novel.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, thoughtful, and approachable
Review: The war between Europe and the United States ended abruptly (although not before huge destruction) when the U.S. artifical intelligences jumped the firewalls and subsumed much of the human population. For moments, the hugely grown artificial intelligence was all-powerful, then, it vanished into infinity, too vast to be comprehended or even bothered by the petty wars and struggles left behind. Most of humanity was caught up in the 'rapture.' A few groups, though--America Offline descended from rural out-of-touch farmers, the Knights of Enlightenment--descendents of surviving Japanese and Chinese, Kemokratische Kommunistbund--northern Koreans cut off from computers by their governments isolationism, and a family of Scottish bandits (combat archeologists) who mostly control the tunnels between the stars. When Lucinda Carlyle of the Scots family stumbles across a planet settled by humans who had been on Mars at the time of the Rapture, everything changes. The inhabitants of Eurydice have access to the wormholes between the stars in a new way that puts the Carlyles to shame. But will the new variable in the equation mean war? And even in Eurydice, ancient rivalries between those who wanted to flee the solar system and those who hoped to save the humans forced into the artificial intelligence remain. Now, for the first time, it might actually be possible to realize that dream.

Author Ken MacLeod creates an intriguing universe and populates it with authentic characters and a touch of humor. He calls NEWTON'S WAKE a 'Space Opera,' and it does contain excitement, space travel, and youthful characters attempting to survive terrible mistakes and outrageous odds, but WAKE is much more thoughtful than an old-fashioned space opera. MacLeod asks fundamental questions about humanity, our future, and the nature of our goals--and provides only hints of an answer in the context of an entertaining story. Trust me, it works.

MacLeod is firmly tongue-in-cheek with his playwright, Benjamin Ben-Ami and his plays, including the 'Tragedy of Leonid Brezhnev,' 'The Madness of George II' and Jesus Koresh. I enjoyed the way MacLeod integrated his political beliefs into the story, unlike the more heavy-handed approach he had used in the earlier (but still enjoyable) books reviewed on this site. MacLeod is maturing as a writer, creating in layers now that make his work far more approachable, yet every bit as complex and thoughtful as his earlier novels.


Rating:
Summary: Reads more like a collection of short stories than an epic
Review: There are some great ideas and background story in this book, but when it comes to action and suspense to drive the plot along, things are few and far between. MacLeod has a habit of wrapping up action in a few paragraphs or pages while going on for pages about nothing that really motivates the story or characters. One problem with this is that there is no real climax to the book - there are a few spots where things happen of import, but they get glossed over after a few pages till the next crisis. That's why the book reads more like a series of short stories than a full, coherent novel.

MacLeod also really needs to get out of the Scots and Marxism shticks. These seem to pop up in every book he writes and it is really beginning to get repetitious. Another problem is, like Charles Stross, he throws in too many contemporary references that feel contrived after a while. Speaking of anachronisms, the fractured Engrish his Korean characters speak is like something out of an old war movie and is borderline offensive.

His descriptions of the Hard Rapture and the US/Europe war were some of the better parts of the book, especially as he weaves them into a play, and MacLeod is still one of the better current SF writers at drafting dialogue, so it's a shame so much of it felt wasted.

MacLeod has written some great books before, notably the Cassini Division, so I know that he can do better than this, and I'll hope the next one is better.

Rating:
Summary: Good Ideas but a weak story
Review: This book was for me a disappointment. At first, I was intrigued by the book's introduction but as I started reading it, I became confused and discouraged. Ken Macleod may had created a few master pieces but this book can not be considerate as a part of it.

Fist, the writer plunge the reader straight in the middle of his universe without giving him/her any references to base the reader's experience. Obviously, Ken MacLeod know what and where it coming from but fail to share his vision with the reader.

Newton's Wake has its share of actions but those episode are short and the interval in between are close to a painful crawl. Yet, this novel isn't all black. Ken Macleod do ask questions about the possibility of uploading and downloading the mind and personality of a person thus insuring the reincarnation of decease person into a new body. He also ask if the reincarnated person will be the same as the one who died or merely a copy with the memory of the original that or may not follow the footsteps of the original. Those are indeed interesting questions, however, Ken Macleod didn't seem to want bringing the debate to its conclusion or worst, didn't seem to wish sharing his own believe in the matter. He left us wondering and pondering on the subject.

The last thing that threw me off, was when I finished the novel, I re read the introduction then realise the writer didn't made up to its promises. Instead of giving the reader what he promised, he lead the reader on to a different path... was this on purpose??? At last, on of my greatest difficulties with this novel, was probably the language barrier. English is my second language and I must say I had a very had time to understand the Scottish/Gaelic expressions used by some of the characters... This alone may explain why I had a very hard time to read this novel.