Finity

Rating:
Summary: Good Concept, Mediocre Delivery.
Review: OK, I guess every writer is allowed an occasional gaff. Some of Barnes's works get a lot of criticism for being controversial and dark, but this is the only book that causes even strong fans of Barnes to be saying, "What happened here."

Essentially, it's a great idea. Although, the physics he decided to deal with to make this book work is pretty heady stuff, I was pretty impressed with his layman's explation of the Schroedinger's Cat problems. My degree is in physics, so I guess that qualifies me in some obscure way to give him a passing grade there.

What is so un-Barnes-like about this novel is that the plot isn't gripping, and the characters are either totally flat, or completely off-the-wall. Take the protagonist, Lyle Peripart, for example. It's not that the character is poorly written... it's more like Barnes just chose a pretty boring personality to write about. It's written in the first person like most of his work, and in fact in this particular case, the novel NEEDS to be written in the first person. And as usual, the incredibile authenticity Barnes gives us when he steps into his characters' shoes is there. The only problem is, WHO CARES? Peripart is a boring character. An AUTHENTICALLY boring character.... but boring nonetheless. Then at the opposite end we have Billie Beard and Iphwin himself. A pair of sort of "embodied Memes". Whatever - they are SUPPOSED to be extreme characters because, in fact, they aren't truly human. Sure- it fits the story, but it still doesn't make them truly compelling characters. This would be easily forgivable, if the main character were stronger.

Then we have all the side characters. Well, they are difficult to empathize with because they don't stay the same through the story. Somewhere near the middle, the get switched with their alternate personnas from nearby dimensions. Helen, for example, goes from being a mild-mannered academic type to being a green-beret/ninja/S&M/wild woman in the space of an elevator ride. While this proves to be rather amusing for a few pages, it pretty much relegates the character to filler status.

Then there is the plot. While it's not actually a *bad* plot, it doesn't truly go anywhere. OK, so they figure out what happened to the United States in so many timelines, and this has what affect on the characters or their future? Well, none at all. It just doesn't really go anywhere.

I can't bring myself to slam the book. It was an interesting read... but it wasn't a compelling read, like most of his other stuff. It sort of reminds me of a lot of Arthur C. Clarke's less spectacular stuff. Good concept.... but no story. It's probably the only book by Barnes that I won't re-read numerous times.

Rating:
Summary: Good Concept, Mediocre Delivery.
Review: OK, I guess every writer is allowed an occasional gaff. Some of Barnes's works get a lot of criticism for being controversial and dark, but this is the only book that causes even strong fans of Barnes to be saying, "What happened here."

Essentially, it's a great idea. Although, the physics he decided to deal with to make this book work is pretty heady stuff, I was pretty impressed with his layman's explation of the Schroedinger's Cat problems. My degree is in physics, so I guess that qualifies me in some obscure way to give him a passing grade there.

What is so un-Barnes-like about this novel is that the plot isn't gripping, and the characters are either totally flat, or completely off-the-wall. Take the protagonist, Lyle Peripart, for example. It's not that the character is poorly written... it's more like Barnes just chose a pretty boring personality to write about. It's written in the first person like most of his work, and in fact in this particular case, the novel NEEDS to be written in the first person. And as usual, the incredibile authenticity Barnes gives us when he steps into his characters' shoes is there. The only problem is, WHO CARES? Peripart is a boring character. An AUTHENTICALLY boring character.... but boring nonetheless. Then at the opposite end we have Billie Beard and Iphwin himself. A pair of sort of "embodied Memes". Whatever - they are SUPPOSED to be extreme characters because, in fact, they aren't truly human. Sure- it fits the story, but it still doesn't make them truly compelling characters. This would be easily forgivable, if the main character were stronger.

Then we have all the side characters. Well, they are difficult to empathize with because they don't stay the same through the story. Somewhere near the middle, the get switched with their alternate personnas from nearby dimensions. Helen, for example, goes from being a mild-mannered academic type to being a green-beret/ninja/S&M/wild woman in the space of an elevator ride. While this proves to be rather amusing for a few pages, it pretty much relegates the character to filler status.

Then there is the plot. While it's not actually a *bad* plot, it doesn't truly go anywhere. OK, so they figure out what happened to the United States in so many timelines, and this has what affect on the characters or their future? Well, none at all. It just doesn't really go anywhere.

I can't bring myself to slam the book. It was an interesting read... but it wasn't a compelling read, like most of his other stuff. It sort of reminds me of a lot of Arthur C. Clarke's less spectacular stuff. Good concept.... but no story. It's probably the only book by Barnes that I won't re-read numerous times.

Rating:
Summary: parallel to a good read
Review: Somewhere out there in a a parallel world a version of me enjoyed a better version of this book - one in which interesting characters cleverly outwit sinister adversaries without resorting to the scientific version of "it was all a dream". To be fair - the story started well, has some nice ideas, but doesn't go anywhere. Perhaps like the citizens of America it should have sought a happier future.

Rating:
Summary: Strong start fizzles out
Review: The book starts out strong, with an intriguing series of puzzles about missing memories and a tense, fast-paced plot--which makes the book's second- and third-act fizzles all the more disappointing. Barnes is at his best in this book setting the scene; worthy of note are his descriptions and characterizations of the artifical-intelligence-controlled vehicles. However, the effective characterization ends there. One progresses through the book without meeting a fully developed or even terribly interesting human or seeming-human character; most of the weak stabs at characterization come in descriptions of personality quirks (Ipwhin's fidgeting) or in cliched, simplistic, and occasionally borderline-offensive terms (Ipwhin's characterization of Billie Beard, herself a one-dimensional stereotype). The book bogs down in the middle with excessive dialogue and theory, which become almost irrelevant--why did I have to know this again?--by the time the final "quest" sequence rolls around. Action yields to incomprehensibility and deflation as the book falls apart in an "I give up" ending. Unanswered questions (e.g., How did all those apparently critical people end up in the same chat room for years? Why are certain members of the team even there?) are balanced out by unneeded information (all the details about the Reichs lead to nothing, for example). All in all, a good idea gone awry.

Rating:
Summary: Great work- if it had been finished
Review: The first thought I had after closing the book was that it was a great work- Well, would have been, if it had been finished. The ending was the worst I've read in a long while. It wasnt really an ending, it was more of a stopping. Not to mention the whole thing was a stretch of imagination. Tolkien wove more believeable tales than this. In the end, I felt that the two dollars I paid for it at the Dollar General store was a buck and two bits too much.

Rating:
Summary: Finity
Review: The first time I started this book, I couldn't complete more than about 40 some pages before I found myself putting it down. Whereas the story was intriguing, after about 10 pages of dialogue on the physics of abduction, deduction, and induction, I had all I could take. Then I read the editorial review and found myself wanting to give the book a second chance. This time, I forced my way through the mundane details until the story picked up, and I was impressed with how the story went. I have to say that it was definately worth a read, and although the ending could have been better (in my opinion, it sort of led to a climax that was never fully resolved or, at best, it was resolved with a simple brush-off), it was altogether a very bizarre story. One of the flaws with this book is Barnes need to explain everything, and he did this through boring dialogue. Another problem I had was how he explained a lot of the action while showing us (one example was when Esme explained to Lyle what happened beneath their lookout point when I thought it would have been more effective to have put Lyle in the situation and see it first hand). And finally, my major flaw with this book is how I felt more compassion for the other characters over how I felt about Lyle. Since Lyle was the main viewpoint, it should have held more emotion that the bland way he seemed to skate through the problems. Overall, an excellent story with a not so excellent way of describing it. It could have been an excellent short story or even a novella, but for some they may feel it's overlong.

Rating:
Summary: Parallel Worlds and Mind-Boggling Physics...
Review: The notion of parallel worlds is not one that science fiction fans find hard to digest. In Barnes' "Finity," we find ourselves on a world where the Nazi's won WW-II, America fell, and communities of "Expat" Americans live elsewhere.

Enter Lyle, the main character of the story, an expat professor, whose life is about to take a turn for the... parallel.

Barnes' style is great, and the plot is replete with substance and fantastic ideas. Lyle watches in total confusion as his wife seems to transform from the woman he loves to a trained military soldier - in the blink of an eye. Likewise, the entirety of his world seems to start functioning this way: people are of one sort one second, then change to have different memories from what might be a parallel universe the next.

As Lyle is hired by a mysterious organization to attempt to unravel this confusing situation, things get even more confusing: no matter who they interview, no one seems to come from a world where America still stands. And so, the terrified professor and a team of remarkable characters head off for just that place: what is there? I won't ruin it - refuse to ruin it.

Now, all that said, the quantum physics in this book was a tad overwhelming for the amateur such as myself. I had to read passages a few times to wrap my head around the explanations of what was happening (when, to be honest, a 'dumbed-down' version would have sufficed in my mind). So, the novel has a bit of "work" to it: this is not brain-candy SF, it's SF you'll have to think, learn, and process.

Lyle is a lackluster hero, a normal joe-average, and that can also get a little frustrating at points, especially since everyone else seems so qualified and important, and you start to wonder why anyone wanted him on this mission in the first place.

Despite those two failings, the book was quite good, and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure I'll be re-reading it anytime soon (and if I do, I'll skip the physics lessons), but it was defitely a worthwhile read.

'Nathan

Rating:
Summary: Parallel Worlds and Mind-Boggling Physics...
Review: The notion of parallel worlds is not one that science fiction fans find hard to digest. In Barnes' "Finity," we find ourselves on a world where the Nazi's won WW-II, America fell, and communities of "Expat" Americans live elsewhere.

Enter Lyle, the main character of the story, an expat professor, whose life is about to take a turn for the... parallel.

Barnes' style is great, and the plot is replete with substance and fantastic ideas. Lyle watches in total confusion as his wife seems to transform from the woman he loves to a trained military soldier - in the blink of an eye. Likewise, the entirety of his world seems to start functioning this way: people are of one sort one second, then change to have different memories from what might be a parallel universe the next.

As Lyle is hired by a mysterious organization to attempt to unravel this confusing situation, things get even more confusing: no matter who they interview, no one seems to come from a world where America still stands. And so, the terrified professor and a team of remarkable characters head off for just that place: what is there? I won't ruin it - refuse to ruin it.

Now, all that said, the quantum physics in this book was a tad overwhelming for the amateur such as myself. I had to read passages a few times to wrap my head around the explanations of what was happening (when, to be honest, a 'dumbed-down' version would have sufficed in my mind). So, the novel has a bit of "work" to it: this is not brain-candy SF, it's SF you'll have to think, learn, and process.

Lyle is a lackluster hero, a normal joe-average, and that can also get a little frustrating at points, especially since everyone else seems so qualified and important, and you start to wonder why anyone wanted him on this mission in the first place.

Despite those two failings, the book was quite good, and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure I'll be re-reading it anytime soon (and if I do, I'll skip the physics lessons), but it was defitely a worthwhile read.

'Nathan

Rating:
Summary: Great attempt with no easy solution to the theories it uses.
Review: The plot is run on theories that can lead to many endings but it seems that Lyle Peripart's decision at the end to live at the beach front cottage is also a sign that the author joined him there to let the other characters find their endless destinies themselves. The possibilities were endless so he left it at that, which is the only true ending it could have had, and Mr. Barnes made that point very clearly and brillantly. The three theories about how this book's situation is happening all make sense when explained in relation to the "Scroedinger's Cat" experiment. It seems to be explained several times to drill it through to the reader's head. (A little reading up on physics and quantum mechanics is a must before reading this book.) The "Time Wars trilogy" (Washington's Dirigible, Caesar's Bicycle, and Patton's Spaceship) seem to have inspired this book as an attempt at explaining the "how and why" the "Many Worlds" idea is feasable. Barnes deals with history a lot, theorizing the beginnings of earth in "Encounter At Tiber" with Buzz Aldrin, Alternate histories in The Time Wars Trilogy, and Altenate Realites in "Finity". My only wish was that the book itself had an anchor into the world in which we exist, so that I could relate to the quest in the story more. That's about the only problem...

Rating:
Summary: Clone of another book -
Review: This book, which looks interesting on the outside, becomes a different animal once you start into it. This one involves multi-universes, existing (? ) simultaneously and our ability to jump from one to the other. In plot it is reminescent of the TV show, SLIDERS, but in style and text it is a clone of The Man In the High Castle by Philip K Dick - but without that author's flair.

As usual we are given his fascination with both nazis and communists (communist victory is a common thread in more that one of his books). The story grows slightly confusing and the ending is obviously botched (endless possiblities?) but for a diversion it will do. As other reviewers have noted, it suffers by lacking a historical setting as a base. All worlds are alien and different. Please read The Man In The High Castle for an excellent treatment of this subject.