Loading...
113th out of 141 books
—
61 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Evolution's Shore
by
Ian McDonald
Against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, McDonald weaves a staggering tale of keen human observation and speculation, as what becomes known as the Kilimanjaro Event changes the course of the human race by exposure to something beyond its imagination. From the author of Desolation Road and Out on Blue Six.
Paperback, 356 pages
Published
November 1st 1995
by Spectra
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
219)
I read this book a few years ago, but was reminded of it today. In looking it up just now I realised that it was also known as Evolution's Shore, but I definitely read the Chaga edition.
The weird thing is that there's a lot to recommend about this book. It's an interesting concept that's full of imaginative elements: a meteorite crashes in Africa, and starts growing. A zone of alien life starts spreading from the impact site, and changing the landscape. It's not dangerous, but the ...more
The weird thing is that there's a lot to recommend about this book. It's an interesting concept that's full of imaginative elements: a meteorite crashes in Africa, and starts growing. A zone of alien life starts spreading from the impact site, and changing the landscape. It's not dangerous, but the ...more
Just finished a moment ago.
It was really quite excellent. A great expansion of the short story.
McDonald can write up a storm. His prose is lovely and flowing. His characters are very human. They have very human preoccupations and very humanly inappropriate reactions that never feel overblown or melodramatic. So, they're real, and you really do care about Gaby and Shepherd's fate by the end of the novel.
I also love the way Ian McDonald handles sex in his stories...more
It was really quite excellent. A great expansion of the short story.
McDonald can write up a storm. His prose is lovely and flowing. His characters are very human. They have very human preoccupations and very humanly inappropriate reactions that never feel overblown or melodramatic. So, they're real, and you really do care about Gaby and Shepherd's fate by the end of the novel.
I also love the way Ian McDonald handles sex in his stories...more
A funny thing happened on the way to write this post. See I remember reading a short story that feature the Chaga or something very similar to the Chaga. I even remember writing a review of the story. There's just one problem; I can find no evidence of having done either. Further more, I can't prove that such a story exists! The existence (or not) of a short story set in the same universe as Evolution's Shore (aka Chaga) by Ian McDonald has no bearing on the strengths and weaknesses of the novel...more
I don't know if I've ever read a book more beautifully written, science fiction or not. McDonald makes liberal use of metaphors in this book, it's almost necessary considering the subject matter. He manages to convey a sense of awe and wonder while simultaneously apologizing for it's inadequacy. You walk away with a sense of how wondrous and different the Chaga is, wishing to be able to see it for yourself.
Gaby McAslan resonates for me as the main character. She is much of what I wis...more
Gaby McAslan resonates for me as the main character. She is much of what I wis...more
A strange novel, that doesn't know whether it wants to be science-fiction, a mystery, or a love story. Frankly, it fails at being any of the three. The narrative style is across the board... switching between first person and third person and even between different narrators often within the same chapter, without any sign of organization or reasoning. This is my first experience with Ian McDonald. Likely, also my last.
There are sentences from this book that are still running loose in my mind, framing vistas I have never seen.
I had a friend working in Africa in similar circumstances, and his letters and this book twine together in my memory.
I still have a photocopy of my favourite passage from the book on my cubicle wall at work.
I had a friend working in Africa in similar circumstances, and his letters and this book twine together in my memory.
I still have a photocopy of my favourite passage from the book on my cubicle wall at work.
Interesting book about an alien colonization of earth. I liked it because the the alien(s) (at least the part that's setting up shop on earth) aren't people with prosthetic forehead. It's not even clear if the alien is conscious or if there are any alien individuals at all. Lots of african color and some deep UN skeptacism.
A bit of a train read. I remember i read the novella of this years ago , and I don't think this extended version really added anything to the story.
Discussed at SF Gospel:
"Evolution's Shore is a fascinating novel, but for my money "Tendeléo's Story" tackles its themes with a little more focus. Both offer a fascinating gambit—if paradise were offered to us, would we take it?"
Full review here:
http://sfgospel.typepad.com/sf_gospel/20...
"Evolution's Shore is a fascinating novel, but for my money "Tendeléo's Story" tackles its themes with a little more focus. Both offer a fascinating gambit—if paradise were offered to us, would we take it?"
Full review here:
http://sfgospel.typepad.com/sf_gospel/20...
Evolution's Shore by Ian Mcdonald (1995)
Elizabeth
added it
Falco
marked it as to-read
Derek Hawes
added it
Mike
marked it as to-read
Frank
marked it as to-read
John
marked it as nightstand
Jwhirry
marked it as to-read
Joe
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Ian McDonald (1960-) is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies.
McDonald was born in 1960, in Manchester, to a Scottish father and Irish mother, but moved to Belfast when he was five, and has lived there ever since. He therefore live...more
More about Ian McDonald...
McDonald was born in 1960, in Manchester, to a Scottish father and Irish mother, but moved to Belfast when he was five, and has lived there ever since. He therefore live...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
