Spin

In my continuing mission to encounter modern science fiction authors to rival the classical masters of the genre, I happened across this book while browsing Amazon's recommendation. Although first published in 2005, it reads like a novel from a good 25 years earlier. This is a good thing; there is no showing-off of the author's understanding of particle physics, cosmology or esoteric mathematics (a frequent failing these days) , just a good old fashioned first person account, with flashbacks, of a momentous event in the evolution of humanity's view of their place in the universe. It is also not peppered with a profusion of shallow characters with unpronounceable names; the events in the book are seen through the eyes of the narrator as they impact upon the lives of just three main protagonists. There are, of course, secondary characters but the focus of the novel never strays far from the main narrative so that we end up with believable characters acting in a plausible manner with whom the reader can empathise. The story is told skilfully at a consistent pace in a very readable style making for an enjoyable, comfortable read. It's not an edge-of-the-seat page-turning rollercoaster of a novel; more of a favourite armchair in front of the fire on a winter's night sort-of a novel. There is enough science-fiction to warrant its place in the genre but not so much that it intrudes on the narrative. All-in-all, an excellently balanced & well written story and I shall definitely read more of Wilson's work - probably `Axis' although I fancy `The Chronoliths' and `Blind Lake' too... So much choice, so little time to spend reading...

I'm surprised I enjoyed this book as much as I did. The type of sci fi I like is hard sci fi, big on the extrapolation of current tech/science/world and universe building/alien civilisations. I'm one of those that sometimes feels too much character development gets in the way of the concepts being written about. I prefer less characters and more world building. This novel is the opposite. Whilst it is a sci fi novel, it's much less centred on the sci fi and more about three characters and their lives after that event and I couldn't put it down once I got into it. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Why? Here's a point by point review. It's well written with three interesting characters at the core of the story. It covers a period of about forty Earth years and hundreds of millions of years for the rest of the universe. It sets up a fascinating premise which I never expected to be satisfactorily resolved. I expected the mystery at its core to be never explained and end up vaguely mystical. It doesn't do this; instead the big reveal is both logical and satisfying. It presents fascinating ideas in an intelligent and understandable manner. This is the first book of Mr Wilson's that I've read. It won't be the last.

Wilson's work is regularly nominated for awards, and rightly so. He writes dense, complex novels in which the scientific elements and characterisation are both admirably dealt with. His work is generally character driven and here we find a trio of people who grew up together, brother and sister Jason and Diane, and their friend Tyler. One night, when they were still teenagers, they witnessed the stars disappearing. A shell had appeared around the Earth, along with a false sun that rose and set just as the old one did. Jason's father, ED Lawton, an important businessman with US government contacts, immediately creates a plan to replace the satellites which were lost when the enclosure occurred. It becomes clear that the sphere is neither a barrier nor an inert shell. Outside, time is running at a different rate and Jason, (who is a physics genius) calculates that within 50 years our sun will have come to the next stage of its life and expanded beyond the orbit of the Earth. In order to employ this knowledge against The Hypotheticals (as the possible aliens who may have erected the sphere have been named) a plan is hatched to fire rockets at Mars loaded with bacteria, algae and lichens that exist in extreme climates. Thus, we could create a habitable Mars within weeks as millions of years of evolution would have taken place outside the sphere. Then we send a human colony. The narrative is split between two timelines, one dating from the advent of The Spin, and leaping forward in years. The other is set in Tyler's future where he is suffering the effects of a drug which extends human life through nanotechnology rebuilding the cells of the body. It's a powerful and moving novel featuring damaged characters to a greater or lesser extent. Jason and Diane's father, ED Lawson, is a control freak and openly despises those he considers below his social level. Jason is the tool he moulds to inherit his mantle, blind to the fact that Jason must at some time supplant him. Tyler, who has always been in love with Diane, stands by as she gets deeply involved with an Armageddon cult. Jason's mother is an alcoholic, perhaps driven to drink by her husband's dispassionate singlemindedness. Along the way they have other relationships, but the three main characters remain inexorably bound by the love they have for each other. Structurally Tyler is the middle ground between science and religion, acting as both narrator and confidante of both Jason and Diane. As in `The Chronoliths' the issue of father and son relationships is a central theme, although here, unlike `The Chronoliths', the human drama is well-balanced against the backdrop of vast science and forces beyond anyone's control.

Woran liegt es, dass eine Rezension mir in den meisten Fällen leichter von der Hand geht, wenn es sich um ein mittelmäßiges oder gar um ein schlechtes Buch dreht, als wenn es um eines meiner Lieblingswerke geht? Vielleicht weil der typisch notorisch unzufriedene Deutsche dann im Keller bleibt? Weil es nichts zu meckern gibt? Weil man so in tollen Erinnerungen an das Buch schwelgt, dass man keinen Gedanken an die richtigen Wörter für eine Rezension verschwendet? Ich weiß es nicht. Was ich aber weiß, ist, dass „Spin“ definitiv eines meiner Lieblingsbücher geworden ist. Das weiß ich, weil die Bilder in meinem Kopf, die Robert Charles Wilson durch seine Worte erzeugt hat, so lebendig, so farbenfroh und so warm sind, wie eine schöne Urlaubserinnerung. Ich bin großer Fan von Geschichten, die eine ganze Lebensspanne beschreiben. Und ich liebe Science-Fiction von klein auf. Hier wird beides vereint. Wir begleiten Tyler, Jason und Diane, deren Leben, durch unbekannte Hand beeinflusst, einen ganz anderen, außergewöhnlichen Verlauf nimmt, als ihnen wohl ursprünglich zugedacht war. Wir nehmen Teil an ihren Problemen, beruflichen, spirituellen und zwischenmenschlichen, und manchmal auch an deren Lösungen. Alles ist wohl dosiert, nicht zu heiß und nicht zu kalt. Dazu kommen diese unglaublich faszinierende Idee und der Kniff des Autors, die es ihm erlauben, Jahrmillionen der Evolution des Weltraums zwischen zwei Buchdeckeln unterzubringen. Über allem schwebt dieses Unbekannte, diese Frage nach dem Woher und Warum, und es lässt mich absolut nicht unbefriedigt zurück, dass nicht alle dieser Fragen am Ende beantwortet werden. Im wirklichen Leben gibt es eben auch nicht immer auf alles eine Antwort. Dafür werden schlussendlich zwei Zeitebenen mit ruhiger Hand und sauberen Nadelstichen miteinander verknüpft, die über den gesamten Verlauf des Buches auf- und ausgebaut wurden. „Spin“ ist kein Roman der mitreißenden Action oder der epischen Schlachten. „Spin“ ist ein soziologisches Experiment, Evolution des Geistes, Science-Fiction, so ruhig und still wie ein Sommerabend auf der Veranda. Ja, ich verfalle in schwulstige Schwärmereien. Aber dazu neige ich, wenn ich mich in etwas verliebt habe. Dieses Buch ist ein wahres Meisterwerk der Science-Fiction, ganz anders als manch andere Romane, die diesen Titel offiziell auf ihrem Cover tragen. Ich werde mich, trotz der schlechten Kritiken, mit Freude an den zweiten Teil „Axis“ begeben, und wenn ich dann enttäuscht werde, ist das – wie so oft im Leben – halt so. „Spin“ aber wird weiter ganz weit vorne in meiner Rangliste zu finden sein. Danke, Mr. Wilson!

This is one of the most compelling, addictive, and beautifully written books I've read in ages. Wilson's characters are complex and interesting. The science behind the plot is deep and well thought out. And the way in which the story unravels, the "cliff-hangers" at the end of each chapter, are enough to keep you up long into the night. Wilson is a master of unwinding his story slowly, and tantalizingly, so that you are ravenous for more. His prose is evocative, clear, and emotional. I finished the book in four days, and would have finished it faster if I could have managed it. One of the best sci-fi books I've ever read. I'm excited to read the rest of the trilogy, but even purely as a stand-alone this is a book that will inspire, amaze, and move you.

Great concept

Lo recomiendo ampliamente para todos amantes del género hard sci-fi...si te gustan historias como interestalar deverías darle una oportunidad a este libro

Just a corner ding . Otherwise condition of the book was good