This novel is told by the voice of the artificial intelligence. "He" has a ship to oversee, to drive it to the promise land, and cannot afford interference from these curious humans with its job. You understand.The effect is engaging. This is one of the few Sawyer novels (or the only one I rememb...
The acclaimed author of Far-Seer and End of An Era embarks on a fantastic journey. A series of mysterious, artificial wormholes have brought the far reaches of space immediately close. But is the Earth ready for who--or what--the wormholes may bring?
Humans (Neanderthal Parallax #2)by Robert J. SawyerHumans, the second books in the Neanderthal Parallax series is a disappointment compared to the first book (which I gave three stars).(view spoiler)[The book begins with a prologue in which Ponter bemoans his guilt for a crime he committed, and w...
For me, Robert J. Sawyer novels are either hit or miss. They're either incredibly brilliant and I can't turn the pages fast enough ("Rollback") or I can't wait for the final page to turn just to be done with the novel ("Homonids"). And I'll admit I picked up this one because ABC has put it on ...
Frameshift is not my sort of book. I found it really clunky. Serious name dropping (and speech quoting -- "I have a dream," really?) will not save bad dialog and bad narration. I don't have the book in front of me or I'd give some quotes. A ho-hum plot and a serious penchant for overexposition d...
Hybrids (Neanderthal Parallax #3)by Robert J. SawyerThe third book in Robert Sawyer’s Neanderthal series rehashed many of the topics of the first two books while simplistically covering some new ground.Judging the series overall, it could have been covered in one or two books, but there just isn’...
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my HUGO WINNERS list.This is the reading list that follows...
In Illegal Alien, Robert J. Sawyer manages to convince me that aliens from Alpha Centauri have come to Earth and need our help repairing their spaceship. He fails to convince me that the California District Attorney could try one of those aliens for first degree murder.Sawyer recognizes the impr...
"Iterations" by Robert J. Sawyer has clever, horror, and "hard scifi" based on possibilities suggested by physics research. Prejudiced against scary stuff and pro-ramps, my favorite is his first major sale 1987 #7 "Uphill Climb". Whether the pretty woman is related by blood or love is never speci...
Sarah and Don Halifax are the main ingredients to Rollback a Science Fiction novel by Robert J. Sawyer. When we first meet them they are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, both are in their 80’s. Rollback isn’t a very long book to read and its tone and state are generally quick and easy ...
Bohaterem powieści “End of an Era” jest naukowiec Brandon Thackeray. Jest archeologiem w czasach, gdy nauka ta ma coraz mniej fajerwerków do zaoferowania. Uwielbia skamieliny, godzinami może rozprawiać o dinozaurach oraz o możliwych przyczynach ich zagłady. Mamy rok 2013. Brandonowi trafia się ni...
To test his theories of immortality and life after death, Dr. Peter Hobson has created three electronic simulations of his own personality. The first has all knowledge of physical existence edited out, to simulate life after death. The second is without knowledge of aging or death, to simulate im...
Great premise, terrible execution.Calculating God proposes the question "what if we make contact with aliens and discover that they are not rationalist-atheist scientists, but true believers?" It's a provocative opening and challenge to science fiction in general, which is often though not always...
Originally posted on JournalstonePicking up years after Far-Seer concludes, Fossil Hunter centers on Afsan’s children. They were not culled by the Bloodpriests, thus putting Afsan in the unusual position of knowing who his children are. Afsan is now advisor to the emperor, Dybo, and one of his ...
Ten moment musiał kiedyś nadejść: oto trafiłem na powieść jednego z moich ulubionych pisarzy, która w ogóle do mnie nie trafiła, co do której mam ogromne wątpliwości, która wydaje mi się zbyt prosta, naiwna i w ogóle obejmująca temat z zupełnie nie tej strony, co trzeba. Punktem wyjścia w "Mindsc...
Far-Seer (Quintaglio Ascension #1)by Robert J. SawyerThis novel is one of my favorites and is the reason I read more from Robert Sawyer. It is a short easy read (an old fashion sort of book before giant tomes and endless series came in to fashion) None of his other books of series brought me to ...
A diverse and surprising collection of crime-fiction stories with elements of SF, fantasy and horror, this volume includes such writers as Spider Robinson, Terence Green, Tanya Huff, Andrew Weiner, Edo van Belkom, Alan Gardner and Robert Sawyer among others.The venues include a futuristic Canada,...
It contained an equal mixture of stores that interested me (Best Buy, Staples) and didn’t (Toys“R”Us, Petland). But there was also a Subway, where I could get a decent vegan sandwich or salad, which is why I walked over there this morning, and a Dollarama, which sold the Winnipeg Free Press; if t...
said Shoshana, shifting her gaze from the painting to Dr. Marcuse and then back again. “That’s me again, all right.” They were in the main room of the bungalow, watching the live video feed as Hobo painted away in the gazebo. Four LCD monitors were lined up on a workbench,...
Bashira said, as they visited the girls’ restroom after English class. “Matt,” Caitlin replied. Bash feigned not having heard correctly. “I’m sorry. I thought you said Matt.” They were standing by the row of sinks. “I did.” &...
The four blue sides of the ladder were no longer simply fading into nothingness. Instead, she could see where they ended. Far, far above, she could see the actual summit of the tower. Novato’s claws hung half out of their sheaths, and her tail, floating in the air behind her, twitched left and ri...
“Hello,” I said, rising from my chair. “You must be my nine o’clock.” I said it as if I had a ten o’clock and an eleven o’clock, but I didn’t. The whole Martian economy was in a slump, and, even though I was the only private detective on Mars, this was the first new case I’d had in weeks. &...
But I’d seen the process before. The giant south airlock was over 300 meters wide and fifty deep. If a ship could fit in—the Skookum Jim barely would have squeezed in sideways—it could be brought inside the dome; if it didn’t, there was no other way to get it in. The whole process of filling or d...
“Get Singh in here right away!” She wheeled on Kadeem Adams. “What did you do to him?” “Nothing,” said Adams, but he seemed to be struggling to get even that single word out. Susan looked over at the president, lying on his bed, his head propped up,...
I see “webmind” is the number-one trending search term on Google . . . Masayuki Kuroda’s house had not felt small to him prior to his visit to the Decters’ home in Canada, but now that he was back in Tokyo, he was conscious of how cramped it was. It didn’t he...
But how? Suddenly, she found herself flummoxed. Of course she could revisualize the Centauri construct, then open the cubic door; surely that would sever the link. But how brutal would the severing be? A psychic amputation? W...
At Torcon 3, the sixty-first World Science Fiction Convention, I won the Hugo Award for Best Novel of the Year for my novel Hominids, first volume of the “Neanderthal Parallax” trilogy. The other nominees were Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick, Kiln People by David Brin, The Scar by China Mi...