Permanence

Rating:
Summary: A jumble book
Review: "Permanance" is Karl Schroeder's followup novel to his amazing "Ventus," and it doesn't come close to that stunning debut novel. It tells the story of Rue Cassells, who discovers an interstellar object that turns out to be an abandoned alien artifact, and her friend and onetime lover Michael Bequith, an assistant to a truly nutty professor, who comes along for the ride.

The tale is jagged, confusing, jumbled. Its characters do what they do because Mr. Schroeder wants them to, not from any sort of internal motivation--at least none discernible to me. The science is dippy: tool-making species, intones Michael's boss, Professor Herat, in a plot stopping interlude, are doomed because their tool making is a compensation for their failure to adopt to their environment (duh). There's FTL, but it doesn't work everywhere and not everybody has it (but they all want it), but everybody bops around free of the problems of time dilation, etc. etc. (eh?).

There's a villain, of course, Admiral Crisler, who used to be a scientist (oh please!) and he does everything but twirl his cape and go bwaa haa haa. (Anyone? Anyone? Whiplash? Whiplash?)

You'll probably stay till the end; there's some good space opera here and the final invasion of Crisler's domain is well-done. But maybe you'll feel exhausted rather than elated when you reach the final page.

This book is so unfocused (especially compared with the author's debut novel) that you may wonder how it came to be. I have an idea. I think that Mr. Schroeder's editor asked him if he had anything else in the pipeline post-"Ventus." Voila! Mr. Schroeder pulled this out of his drawer (or out of his computer?) and the editor set to work trying to make something coherent of it. But there was just no way.

Ah well, maybe next time Mr. Schroeder will deliver a winner. For sure he's capable of it.

Rating:
Summary: A recommended read
Review: I admire authors who think about the their fictional universe, and then liberally fill that universe with clever ideas. Schroeder's book Permanence is stuffed with ideas. I wished he would slow down a bit a more thoroughly explore the exotic sites he dreams up - each section of the book takes place on a different place, and each of these new locations is interesting enough to warrant much more exploration. I like the idea of the Permanence, and why there is such a dirth of interstellar species.

(I don't know if this is a plot spoiler - but here comes a short summary of his explanation for all the missing intersteller species:)A species that adapts ideally to its environment has an advantage over a species that requires tools to survive in the environment. Eventually, the non-tool using species will win (species that are tool users evolve into non-tool users as they grow accustomed to their environment. A neat idea, but I wonder - if the species keeps moving/expanding through the galaxy, won't keep encountering new environments? Thus, the species will never adapt to all environments? This puzzle is only reason I didn't award the book 5 stars.

I also recommend Look to Windward by Banks, Marrow by Reed, Child of the River by McAuley and Revelation Space by Reynolds.

thanks for reading

Rating:
Summary: Cardboard characters and unengaging plotting
Review: I bought this book following a paper enthusing about some of its ideas in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (JBIS Jan/Feb 2005). Unfortunately, I have to agree with earlier reviewers who have highlighted a pedestrian writing style, implausible 'characterisation' and character motivation, and the unengaging 'by numbers' plot development.

I abandoned the book at page 78 as unreadable, not something I do often. My advice to the author is to read the books which you just can't put down, and really think about how their authors achieve that effect. Even in plot-driven stories, the characters have to be real and must be able to invoke empathy from the reader.


Rating:
Summary: What a fun reading experience........
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Rue and watching her develop. This is my first Schroeder book and I will keep my eye on him. I hope he has other books, equally good, coming our way. His characters and their reactions develop well and some, as you might expect from their personalities and handicaps, don't develop at all. I enjoyed the book, my # 1 criteria for a book of pleasure reading.

Rating:
Summary: Excellence in All Things
Review: I was unkind to Ventus, but Permanance is excellent. Outstanding character development, worthwhile plot and well-paced. Schroeder insures that you care what happens to the characters, even if their situations are occasionally a trifle contrived. This is an epic story with deep underlying philosophical ramifications. Buy it today, you'll be finished the day after you get it.

Rating:
Summary: Amateurish and artificial
Review: I'm sorry to say, I couldn't bring myself to finish this one. The ideas behind the novel are somewhat interesting; not fascinating, just enough to make you go 'Hmm.' Once you marvel at the civilization Schroeder built around brown dwarfs, all you're left with is a poor plot that is childish and amateur.

There's something annoyingly artificial about the way the characters are written. They go along with mad ideas just because the plot requires a crew for the protagonist's quest. The events that litter the book seem dangerous on the surface, but feel like book-padding, and are never really engaging.

One example is Max, the protagonist's cousin. He somehow shows up at the start of the novel, and conveniently turns out to be very rich, which conveniently solves the heroine's problems. Not only is he rich, but he also conveniently won the lottery, so there's nothing to explain about it. Such events occur at a maddening frequency, painfully linking what certainly sounded like good plot points in a synopsis.

I hate to downright bash a novel, but this one should have been reworked and re-edited before it hit the shelves.

Rating:
Summary: Space Opera, Grand Scale, Permanence for Space-Faring Humans
Review: Karl Schroeder is a fairly new Science Fiction author ("Permanence" is only his second novel in this genre). The author writes on an epic scale, and has big ideas that are liberally scattered throughout his novels. I bought this book because of an automated recommendation from Amazon.com, and I am glad I did.

"Permanence" is both the name of a space-age religion and the desire of a space-faring humanity, in a universe where no civilization is truly permanent. The protagonist is a young girl, Rue, who escapes from her abusive brother, discovers an alien spaceship, and goes on to have world-shaking adventures involving the ship and its alien technology. The author's use of high technology in his stories is easy and natural, for example, shared virtual reality (inscapes) and nanotechnology are seamlessly integrated into the way of life for Rue and her contemporaries.

The plot of "Permanence" revolves around a clash between the Cycler Compact (worlds united by spaceships capable only of slower-than light travel) and the Rights Economy (worlds united by faster-than light spaceship travel). The scope of the plot spans numerous planets and living environments, with aliens and alien cultures and concepts. The plot involves a clash of cultures, economies, politics, philosophies, and religions. The book is chock full of new ideas and concepts.

I read "Permanence" straight through from start to finish. It was a thoroughly engaging read with a satisfying ending. The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars and not 5 is that the author's characterization still needs a bit of work, as the emotions and thoughts of some of the characters are slightly juvenile. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable read, and I hope the author continues to put out excellent hard Science Fiction, well into the future.

Rating:
Summary: Space Opera, Grand Scale, Permanence for Space-Faring Humans
Review: Karl Schroeder is a fairly new Science Fiction author ("Permanence" is only his second novel in this genre). The author writes on an epic scale, and has big ideas that are liberally scattered throughout his novels. I bought this book because of an automated recommendation from Amazon.com, and I am glad I did.

"Permanence" is both the name of a space-age religion and the desire of a space-faring humanity, in a universe where no civilization is truly permanent. The protagonist is a young girl, Rue, who escapes from her abusive brother, discovers an alien spaceship, and goes on to have world-shaking adventures involving the ship and its alien technology. The author's use of high technology in his stories is easy and natural, for example, shared virtual reality (inscapes) and nanotechnology are seamlessly integrated into the way of life for Rue and her contemporaries.

The plot of "Permanence" revolves around a clash between the Cycler Compact (worlds united by spaceships capable only of slower-than light travel) and the Rights Economy (worlds united by faster-than light spaceship travel). The scope of the plot spans numerous planets and living environments, with aliens and alien cultures and concepts. The plot involves a clash of cultures, economies, politics, philosophies, and religions. The book is chock full of new ideas and concepts.

I read "Permanence" straight through from start to finish. It was a thoroughly engaging read with a satisfying ending. The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars and not 5 is that the author's characterization still needs a bit of work, as the emotions and thoughts of some of the characters are slightly juvenile. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable read, and I hope the author continues to put out excellent hard Science Fiction, well into the future.

Rating:
Summary: Space Opera, Grand Scale, Permanence for Space-Faring Humans
Review: Karl Schroeder is a fairly new Science Fiction author ("Permanence" is only his second novel in this genre). The author writes on an epic scale, and has big ideas that are liberally scattered throughout his novels. I bought this book because of an automated recommendation from Amazon.com, and I am glad I did.

"Permanence" is both the name of a space-age religion and the desire of a space-faring humanity, in a universe where no civilization is truly permanent. The protagonist is a young girl, Rue, who escapes from her abusive brother, discovers an alien spaceship, and goes on to have world-shaking adventures involving the ship and its alien technology. The author's use of high technology in his stories is easy and natural, for example, shared virtual reality (inscapes) and nanotechnology are seamlessly integrated into the way of life for Rue and her contemporaries.

The plot of "Permanence" revolves around a clash between the Cycler Compact (worlds united by spaceships capable only of slower-than light travel) and the Rights Economy (worlds united by faster-than light spaceship travel). The scope of the plot spans numerous planets and living environments, with aliens and alien cultures and concepts. The plot involves a clash of cultures, economies, politics, philosophies, and religions. The book is chock full of new ideas and concepts.

I read "Permanence" straight through from start to finish. It was a thoroughly engaging read with a satisfying ending. The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars and not 5 is that the author's characterization still needs a bit of work, as the emotions and thoughts of some of the characters are slightly juvenile. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable read, and I hope the author continues to put out excellent hard Science Fiction, well into the future.

Rating:
Summary: A Space OPera with a Twist
Review: Karl Schroeder's first book, Ventus, was a New York Times Notable Book. I discovered him when that book came out in paperback. Now he has finally written his second.

Permanence is set in a multispecies universe operated under something called the Rights Economy. Much like in Spider Robinson's classic, Melancholy Elephants, in The Rights Economy, copyright controls everything. The political and philosophical issues that Schroeder raises surrounding the Rights Economy are enough to sell this book as a speculative look at what might happen when copyright law goes too far.

But there is much more to Permanence than just philosophical explorations of ownership and rights. There is also a rebel attack on an established power, and a young, female protagonist who finds herself thrown into the middle of a battle for the fate of her world. She is an excellent female character and, I confess, it is difficult not to think of her as a feminist role model kind of character.

With a fully-realized world, thoughtful speculation and excellent pacing, Karl Schroeder has done what I thought he would not be able to do. He outdid himself. I hope he continues to do so. Permanence is an excellent read for fans of space combat or complex philosophy. A real winner!!