Recensioni e commenti

So, we’ve got a network of gates that gives humanity access to literally thousands of new, colonizable worlds. Plenty of space for everyone, right? Wrong. Because what we do is basically start fighting over the first one at hand. A very realistic assumption, if you ask me.
And who do we send as a mediator to this messy situation? James Holden. That really looks ridiculous, but it’s just old Avasarala pulling the strings behind the curtains, except Holden is unpredictable and things may as well blow up on her face.
So, plot in “Cibola burn” is as good as it was in the previous novels, and writing is too. If I have to complain about something, it’s the new characters introduced, Basia, Elvi and Havelock. They didn’t click for me. Didn’t empathize with them like I did for Bull or Anne in the previous novel. Elvi in particular seemed to me like she was there just to explain the science stuff to the average reader. But maybe it’s just me.
On the other hand, we have some of the best “first alien world colonization” scenario I’ve had the pleasure of reading. With the right amount of writer research behind it, enough to make everything feel realistic, but no too much to have the reader get bored.
I will definitely continue reading the Expanse saga.

I've got a confession to make. More often than not, when there's a deeply religious character in a sci-fi novel, I find him/her annoying, not likeable at all. I don't know why. I'm not religious myself, but I've got nothing against faith (just the opposite, I envy who has it). I just don't like that kind of character. Abaddon's gate has one of those characters but surprisingly, I liked her a lot. Probably it's the best among the new characters introduced in this novel. She sees life in a different way than myself, but she's someone I'd love to spend an evening talking to, because she's deeply spiritual but not blinded by her beliefs. See? It wasn't that difficult to write a likeable, religious character.
That said, abaddon's gate is a very good addition to the saga. Plot finally moves significantly ahead, opening up a really interesting scenario to exploit in the next novels. Writing is solid, character very well portraied.
If I really have to find something to complain about, there's a kind of fixed structure in the expanse novels that somehow annoys me. There's an initial part to introduce the new characters, a second part where the main plot is delinetaed, then a tension buildup that culminates in a final gun-blazing act. I really do not feel the need to be so strict about structure. Otherwise, a very satisfying read.

Andy Weir's novels are fun, easy, light-hearted reads. They always have a smug, smart-assed main character that often goes over the line to be likeable (and often succeeds, I must admit).

Nonetheless his novels are also very spot-on when it comes to scientific accuracy on everything space-related. Weir has the ability to explain even the most boring stuff in a fun, easy to follow style.

Artemis's plot is maybe a little far fetched: you've got the main character messing badly with the city's oxygen supply (a city on the moon, btw), risking everybody's lives for entirely personal reasons, and still she's depicted as a the good guy (well, gal in this case). But if you're willing to turn a blind eye on this, the plot is good and unfolds in a steady and gripping pace.

Weir's writing style is probably nothing to write home about, but it's never dull either, and considering the heavy load of scientific stuff he writes about, that's some accomplishment.

I recommend this to everyone who is at least a little bit interested in space exploration.

I was in the mood for a first contact novel, but I already read most of the classics on the topic (Childhood's end, Rendezvous with Rama, etc). So I decided to look for something less known. Normally when I do this, it ends bad. Well, not this time.

“The Hercules text” takes place in a very very near future, where a SETI-like project finally hits jackpot, receiving a non-natural signal that comes from another galaxy.
We are not alone: the novel focuses on the consequences that this newfound knowledge has on our society, from multiple point of views. Politics, religion, psichology, the personal belief of every individual, nothing is left out. And that happens even before a SECOND message is received, a very complex one, containing who knows what kind of knowledge. And who knows how that knowledge will change us…

This is speculative fiction at its best (emphasis on “speculative”). What would happen if. The kind of SF i prefer, because that’s what SF purpose should be: question the path we, as a species, are walking, trying to guess where it will take us.
The Hercules text does this very well, stating in more than one occasion than the contents of the second message, whatever scientific treasure it may contain, is not as important as the first one. Because the knowledge that we may not be alone has the potential to disrupt our way to see the world and ourselves in a much deeper way.

If I really have to split hair, there’s something I really didn’t like in this novel. That’s the way they translate the second message. I believe should something like that really happen, it would take decades (to say the least) to make any meaning of the signal. Here they do it in a matter of weeks. And the first breakthrough is achieved in a very very silly and unrealistic way. Put everything in a computer, press a button and we're done. And I say this as an IT guy. But hey, I understand the necessities to conclude the story with the same set of characters, so that’s ok.

So, read this. Without hesitation.

I do not have a good history with P. K. Dick. I never could really appreciate his writing style, I've always found it too unstable, unpredictable, as if he's making things up as he goes. But then again, last time I read a Dick's book I was still a teenager, so why not give it another try?
Well, this time it went remarkably better.
I still find his stories a little aimless, without a well defined direction, like something one writes under the influence of... something. Like when you're drunk and you try to make a conversation, but you keep jumping from one topic to another without apparent connection. But now I think that this is not necessarily a bad thing.
In this novel you never know what to expect on the next page. If in my young age I found this somehow annoying, now, with a lot more read books under my belt, being surprised is not something that happens so often, so I happily embrace anything that can surprise me. And Ubik definitely could.
There's a strange, surreal mood throughout the entire novel, that feeling that you can't decide if what you're reading is real or a fever dream by one of the characters. You often find the main character wondering something like "this may be happening because I'm dead and this is half-life, or maybe not, maybe HE's the one who's dead". It would even be funny if the overall atmosphere wasn't so damn creepy.
Because we've got all kinds of psi powers here (telepaths, precogs, reanimators, and inertials that counteract them) as well as people in half-life (people that are dead, but not really dead dead, so you can still talk to them via some kind of electronic telephone-like device. Don't ask). We've got coin-operated talking doors that won't let you out of your apartment if don't pay. We've got all kinds of crazy stuff, but if you know Dick even just a little bit, you can't expect anything less.
So, did I enjoy this book? I did. I still can't be 100% at ease with Dick's writing style, but there's a lot in this novel that makes it worth a read.