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Summary: Great scientist, mediocre story teller
Review: I truly enjoy science-based science fiction, and Stephen Baxter is one of the few writers who applies the latest discoveries and theories in particle physics to his novels. The only drawback is his story telling. Which leaves much to be desired. He can tell you about cosmic strings and inspire awe in you and a new way of looking at humanity and technology, but he really doesn't have a good grasp of the art of keeping a reader interested in the characters or the plot development. What carries his stories, (I have read 6 of his novels thus far)is his grand visions of the galactic struggles and technological advances. His visions of aliens are the most realistic and logical. They don't just have horns and an extra eye and limb, they are truly fundementally different from carbon based life forms. Some aren't even made of baryonic matter, they are made of Dark Matter. What's also great is that by the end of his novels you actually can grasp "Dark Matter" vs "Baryonic Matter". I recommend Stephen Baxter despite his shortcomings as a story teller just on the merits of his science based stories. Hopefully he'll improve in his future novels.
Rating: 
Summary: A Somewhat Disapointing Read
Review: If you've read Baxter's other works in the Xeelee Sequence (Raft, Ring, Flux) this book is worth reading, if just to flesh out the universe (humans DID survive after the Xeelee left!). But be warned: several of the stories in this book are actually chapters in other books. And I find Baxter's "hocus pocus" approach to mathematics annoying. A stupid idea doesn't get better after several paragraphs about some principle of physics.
Rating: 
Summary: wow
Review: It was absolutely unbelievable. Baxter had me convinced that it actually happened. This man's storytelling ability is unparalled. I am an avid Clarke and Asimov fan, but this tops the cake, even better than his previous masterpiece Ring, if you never read another book the rest of life, read this one.
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Summary: Old School Hard SF
Review: Its 'Future History' with a big emphasis on *future*. This is very much like Niven but the ideas are actually even larger and more in depth. If you want SF that your mind can chew on read this book....
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Summary: To the end...
Review: Not for Stephen Baxter the piffling concerns of most science fiction this is a man who goes for the big picture. A set of stories which reveal the past and future history of not just mankind but the whole universe itself until the stars dim and go out!I confess I have found some of his books pretty hard going (Raft, Flux etc) but this is much more digestible, a lot more fun and you don't need a Phd in quantum mechanics to enjoy it.
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Summary: baxter is an impressive SF writer
Review: Okay, his writing skill is nothing to be gawked at, but this is SF, not drama. The main talent behind SF comes not from plots or character development, but from the grandiosity and the audacity of the ideas. Baxter tackles morals and science ideas that he shouldn't have the nerve to try, and it comes off crystal clear. Although some of his science is vague, he is always careful enough not to put in too much as to downgrade the original idea, and although some of his ideas are copies (for instance, Sun-People is a distinct copy of creatures from Ringworld) these are only ever used as back-up for a more important point that he is trying to make. It is obvious from the reading that he is enjoying his bursts of creativity, and his respect for the diversity, will-to-live and the obnoxiousness of life is quite effective. I have read the entire Xeelee sequence, and Vacuum Diagrams is up there with them all, surpassed only possibly by the brilliant Ring (which will always remain his greatest work). For people who are looking for brilliant character development and ingeniously subtle plot; stay away from SF, try something like John Irving (if you can keep awake).
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Summary: Great collection of related stories
Review: PROS: Vast scope of ideas, steeply based in science, epic quality
CONS: Writing style is a bit dry
BOTTOM LINE: Great collection of related stories. BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A collection of related stories set in Baxter's Xeelee Universe. The memorable things about Baxter's stories are not so much his characters, nor his writing style, which is a somewhat stiff, but rather his ideas. Each story contained in this collection contains some form of scientific concept that defies any simple comprehension due to sheer scale, large and small. Sometimes travel spans universes, sometimes beings are microscopic in size, and sometimes artifacts are light years wide. Baxter's signature hard science is present here in a big way. The stories average 14 pages in length but are packed with all these ideas. Many of the stories, spanning 5 million years, reference the same events or reference each other, which is always a secret thrill for a science fiction reader. One huge plus in Vacuum Diagram's is the Xeelee Sequence Timelins listed at the back of the book. This makes it prerequisite reading for anyone wishing to dive into Baxter's 4 Xeelee novels (in Xeelee Universe order: Timelike Infinity, Raft, Flux and Ring).
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Summary: The Shiznit!
Review: This book was incredible. It's amamzing how he has tied in an entire history of our species for that span of time. It's one of the best books I've ever read by far.
Rating:
Summary: You might need a degree in Physics to understand it...
Review: This compilation of Baxter's short stories comprising the Xeelee Sequence is awesome in scope, but at times too heady. For me the book began to pick up steam with the last few stories, when there is a nice balance between plot and science lesson. This is real HARD SF! Baxter knows his physics and quantum mechanics, and uses them bravely throughout the book. It's not an easy read, but, if anything, will leave you contemplating its many themes and ideas.
Rating:
Summary: possibly?
Review: This novel is long, and it does get dry at some times, but some of the stories are remotely interesting. I liked parts of the book, (it's made of 23 short stories SB wrote and published in magazines.) but the characters were constantly being throw out, leaving you wondering: why? Overall, I use this book as a guide of what NOT to do to a character in a novel, but it also gives you an okay, and somewhat comprehensive idea of what quantum physics are about. Read Hawking's "Brief History of Time" for clarification on some points. I just don't understand what some stories had to do with the novel.
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