Teranesia

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I have read a few books by Greg Egan, such as Distress. I expect some serious science and good character development.

This book did not impress me at all. The story was somewhat interesting, but the conclusion was unsatisfying.

The main theme seemed to be built on a guilt complex. I found the rationale for the character quite illogical, and I did not like it much.

Rating:
Summary: My first Greg Egan book.
Review: If I had my druthers, I'd give this a 3.5, rather than a 3. I agree with other reviewers who commented on how good this book was for the first three quarters and how mind-bogglingly obtuse it became in the last quarter. I really enjoyed the development of Prabir's character, and I liked him so much, despite his quirks, which I attributed to the incredible loss he suffered. This made the revelations later on about his feelings of guilt and perfidy even more interesting, because I had seen (and continued to see) him as a remarkably heroic character.

Then the book moves past the complex and compelling human interest portion of the story and goes into a nearly orgiastic recitation of genetic gobbledygook that, quite frankly, made my head hurt. I read it, but I didn't understand it, and all I wanted to do was get through it, in the hope that all that was so human and appealing about the story would return.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Still, the first three/fourths of this story were marvelous, and I took enough of a good impression away to be willing to read another Greg Egan book.

Rating:
Summary: My first Greg Egan book.
Review: If I had my druthers, I'd give this a 3.5, rather than a 3. I agree with other reviewers who commented on how good this book was for the first three quarters and how mind-bogglingly obtuse it became in the last quarter. I really enjoyed the development of Prabir's character, and I liked him so much, despite his quirks, which I attributed to the incredible loss he suffered. This made the revelations later on about his feelings of guilt and perfidy even more interesting, because I had seen (and continued to see) him as a remarkably heroic character.

Then the book moves past the complex and compelling human interest portion of the story and goes into a nearly orgiastic recitation of genetic gobbledygook that, quite frankly, made my head hurt. I read it, but I didn't understand it, and all I wanted to do was get through it, in the hope that all that was so human and appealing about the story would return.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Still, the first three/fourths of this story were marvelous, and I took enough of a good impression away to be willing to read another Greg Egan book.

Rating:
Summary: Hard Science + Good Characterization = Great Story
Review: Make no mistake, this is a character driven novel. Some of Egan's fans have apparently been put off by this. Don't be. This is a hard SF book, through and through, and it goes a long way towards dispelling the myth that hard science in SF means shallow plotting and characterizations. The central biological mystery, in particular, has a very satisfying and imaginative resolution.

Egan says that he'll be returning to dense physics in his next book, but that he's going to continue striving to make plot and character central elements of his works. I find this a refreshing attitude and wish him luck in doing so.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing from Egan
Review: Teranesia has the most satisfying conclusion of any of Egan's novels yet.

From a literary standpoint, his writing continues to improve. Here he sets himself some ambitious goals and achieves them with a lightness of touch that is refreshing.

The novel is certainly one of his most readable. It is more accessible than, say, Diaspora or Distress, with a story that is moving, human, and revealing of the author's values.

Egan continues his passionate advocacy of science as the one sincere path towards truth, and this was the only aspect that made me uncomfortable. He is persuasive when demonstrating the scientific method and its power, but like most passionate advocates, he loses some credibility when he sets out to discredit the competition. The novel's population comprises scientists and buffoons, and that's about it.

A series of religious straw men are set up and demolished to demonstrate that no good thing can emerge from religion. He does the same to post-modernism but since I agree with him there, that was much less alienating! As a religious person who would not dismiss a scientific hypothesis just because it conflicted with my beliefs I might just scrape into Egan's DMZ as one of the very few who are deluded but honourable.

Given what I have just said, it is a good thing that the story remains focussed on the scientists, and here there is depth of characterization. These are no stereotypes, but likeable, believable people, with plausibly messed up psychologies and mixed motives.

A thoroughly enjoyable book, with enough left unsaid to inspire further speculation about the implications of his remarkable invention.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Ending
Review: Teranesia is the name given to a small, uninhabited island in Indonesia by young Prabir Suresh. His parents are there studying the unprecedented genetic mutations of a breed of butterflies found only on the island. It seems like paradise for Prabir and his two-year old sister Madhusree -- until war breaks out and shatters their world and takes the lives of their parents. Prabir manages to escape with Madhusree and they eventually end up living with their mother's sister in Canada.

Jump ahead twenty years. Prabir believes he's saved his sister from Teranesia, but the phenomenon that began with the butterflies has now spread to higher life forms. Madhusree is now a grad student in biology attempting to carry on her parent's work. Much to Prabir's dismay, she manages to get in with an expedition heading back to Indonesia to study the mutations. Prabir knows it will eventually lead back to Teranesia so he follows her blindly. Much has changed in the twenty years since they fled, and not for the better. What is causing the mutations and are they beneficial or a deadly danger?

Most of the book takes place in a chillingly realistic near future. Egan's characters are very well drawn with tangled emotions that run deep. I especially appreciated how the fact that Prabir is gay plays such a small role in the story. It wasn't made to be a huge issue; it was just a part of who he is. It was a little disappointing that Egan didn't foresee a more positive world for his gay character. It seems 40 years won't make much difference in attitudes toward GLBT people.

I wish the rest of the book had been as well thought out as the characters. I highly enjoyed the first three-quarters of the book, but he lost me at the end. The deeper he tried to go into the technobabble of genetics and mutations the more and more he lost me. There are long, boring speeches by characters sharing their theories about the mutations, which was largely unnecessary and just served to break up the flow of the story. The ending felt rushed and really failed to resolve any of the major story lines. If Egan had maintained the same level of excellence throughout, it would have easily received five stars from me, but I felt so disappointed by the end that it ruined the whole book.

Rating:
Summary: Ending not so shabby
Review: Teranesia paints a very vivid picture of the characters as well as the world in which they live in. I absolutely loved all the characters in this book. Science, I admit, was a bit over my head. No worries, Egan has a way of presenting the science in this novel so even some one like myself can get the general idea.
It seems couple reviewers had a problem with the ending. I thought the novel ended appropriately enough. True, it didn't leave me breathless, but I think Egan tied up most of the loose ends.

Rating:
Summary: Ending not so shabby
Review: Teranesia paints a very vivid picture of the characters as well as the world in which they live in. I absolutely loved all the characters in this book. Science, I admit, was a bit over my head. No worries, Egan has a way of presenting the science in this novel so even some one like myself can get the general idea.
It seems couple reviewers had a problem with the ending. I thought the novel ended appropriately enough. True, it didn't leave me breathless, but I think Egan tied up most of the loose ends.

Rating:
Summary: I agree the ending isn't that good but...
Review: Teranesia was a good book, but I have to agree with the other reviewers the ending was rushed and quite unresolved. I liked the fact that Egan developed the characters more than he usually does. Contrary to the review by Judson, the science is accurate but, like Egan's other books, you need to be very well versed in the subject to follow the concepts fully.

So I only give it four stars because of the ending. Other than that I say enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Solid writing, straightforward plotting
Review: The best science fiction works on two levels. On the one hand, the setting and atmosphere create an alien world one visits, which becomes as familiar as our own. On the other hand, the plot discloses a story which works even if the sci fi trappings did not envelop the story. Terenesia works on both levels. Set in the near future, Terenesia explores an explosion of genetic diversity, seemingly overnight, in a remote area near Indonesia.
The plot device through which the story is told arises from a brother and sister who grew up the children of the first researchers of the phenemenon, but who, for reasons best left to be discovered upon reading, revisit the island years later.

The science here is solid-feeling, but the writing is so solid that the plausibility evidenced here is less a matter of deduction than of wonderful narrative. This book neither preaches nor "geeks" too much. It's simply a well-told tale, modern and yet alien, well worth the read.