Scott Warden is a man haunted by the past-and soon to be haunted by the future.
In early twenty-first-century Thailand, Scott is an expatr... read full description
In early twenty-first-century Thailand, Scott is an expatr... read full description
reviews
Dec 28, 2008
Lightreads
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In our near future, the chronoliths start arriving out of thin air across the world – enormous, destructive monuments to conquests that, according to the engravings, won’t occur for twenty more years. Scott writes his memoir, telling of his presence at the arrival of the first chronolith in Thailand and the set of extraordinary experiences that keep his life entwined with the mystery and the slim hope of averting global disaster. The chronoliths arrive from the future, and they bring with them a
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Jul 01, 2011
Al
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This review focuses on the Kindle version of the book if that matters to you.
The Chronoliths is one of a group of sci-fi that I've found myself reading lately. True to my style, I won't review plot or characters or do spoilers. Not my thing. I'm not a critic, I'm just reviewing what I liked or didn't like, about a book.
Sci-fi used to be, in my teens, my main genre of interest. I read a little history, even back in those tender years, but sci-fi held my interest most. It's bee More...
The Chronoliths is one of a group of sci-fi that I've found myself reading lately. True to my style, I won't review plot or characters or do spoilers. Not my thing. I'm not a critic, I'm just reviewing what I liked or didn't like, about a book.
Sci-fi used to be, in my teens, my main genre of interest. I read a little history, even back in those tender years, but sci-fi held my interest most. It's bee More...
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May 03, 2011
Daniel
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This is, quite simply, one of the best SF books I have ever read. This book made Wilson my favorite SF author.
It starts with an intriguing SF concept: what if a giant pillar appeared in Bangkok, marking the victory of a future warlord? What would be its impact on society? How could such an event come about and why must people in the future send mementos to the past?
On this premise, "The Chronoliths" fully deliver in intrigue, surprise twists and clever, thoughtful SF. But what makes th More...
It starts with an intriguing SF concept: what if a giant pillar appeared in Bangkok, marking the victory of a future warlord? What would be its impact on society? How could such an event come about and why must people in the future send mementos to the past?
On this premise, "The Chronoliths" fully deliver in intrigue, surprise twists and clever, thoughtful SF. But what makes th More...
Apr 16, 2010
Laura
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As a people immersed in a unidirectional chronology, we have often dreamed of breaking that barrier and travelling at will throughout time. With those dreams have come the inevitable questions: What happens to us if we alter our own past? If you cause events to occur which prevent your own birth, do you cease to exist? If you do, how could you have travelled into your past to prevent your birth? Thus our linear conception of time is knotted up in an impossible circular logic which many sci-fi wr
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Feb 20, 2010
Adrienne
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In 2021, a gigantic memorial appears out of nowhere in the middle of Thailand. The text on the memorial refers to a great battle fought there and a victorious general "Kuin" and gives a date: December 21, 2041 - 20 years in the future. How did the memorial get there? Who is this Kuin? Can he really send objects through time?
Robert Charles Wilson's The Chronoliths is a dystopian fiction with elements of time travel (heavily) thrown in. It's a fascinating premise, and the pic More...
Robert Charles Wilson's The Chronoliths is a dystopian fiction with elements of time travel (heavily) thrown in. It's a fascinating premise, and the pic More...
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Aug 07, 2009
Tom
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Excellent read. This was my first book by Wilson, and it looks like he writes in the same vien as Robert Sawyer--what I call Social Sci-fi. Instead of focusing on science or technology itself, Wilson instead writes about the -impact- that tech and related events have on average people's lives. So not only does Wilson create fully-realized characters with depth (and plenty of flaws), he manages to breathe life into the world, society and situations they inhabit. I found the pacing of the nove
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Sep 05, 2011
Brenda
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It helps, I think, to consider the Chronoliths of the book's title -- giant blue glass edifices projected back in time from the future -- as MacGuffins, and to ignore them. Sure, their appearance spreads over the world with the news from the future of victory followed by victory, each capped with a memorialization of the conqueror Kuin thrust into the past.
We're told early on in the book that in their version of the universe, time is immutable. We know the Kuin chronoliths are their ow More...
We're told early on in the book that in their version of the universe, time is immutable. We know the Kuin chronoliths are their ow More...
Jun 12, 2011
Pat
rated it:
Robert Charles Wilson is very good at what he does. He is great at creating believable and fully rounded characters; it’s very easy to like Scott, the main character, and to identify with him and the troubles he is experiencing. The same is true for Sue, Ashlee, and the rest of the cast.
Wilson is amazing at creating compelling “what if…” scenarios, which he then uses at the center of the novel. The Chronoliths is no different: one day a monolith appears out of thin air. On the bott More...
Wilson is amazing at creating compelling “what if…” scenarios, which he then uses at the center of the novel. The Chronoliths is no different: one day a monolith appears out of thin air. On the bott More...
Feb 11, 2011
Michael
rated it:
Really creative sci-fi is rare these days, and The Chronoliths is one of those rare pleasures. "Software designer Scott Warden is living with his family in early twenty-first century Thailand after his latest contract has ended. He and his friend Hitch Paley are among the first to find an enormous monolith which appears out of nowhere in the jungle. On closer examination, it is found to be a monument made of a mysterious, indestructible substance. It bears an inscription commemorating a mi
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Aug 17, 2010
Rob
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In The Chronoliths, giant monuments appear out of nowhere, apparently sent back through time to celebrate a military victory some years in the future. Brilliant premise. So the whole of the human race then becomes obsessed with how this future war comes to take place, who wins, and how the monuments are sent back. More and more arrive, and the world descends into convincing chaos. The narrative voice is that of a sorry (as in he feels sorry) slacker, who spends his life trying to compensate for
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May 24, 2010
Servius Heiner
rated it:
3 1/2 It was a great concept, and a good book despite all it's short comings. I didn't find the population responding in a realistic way to the events as they unfolded. Ask yourself... If you are sitting on you back porch and you see a monolith in your back yard the size of a sky scraper that wasn't there yesterday How would you respond? How would the media respond? Wilson made a point in saying that the media lost interest after a few days and went back to reporting on more pressing matters (an
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Mar 28, 2009
The worst thing about "The Chronoliths," is that it isn't three times longer. The length feels right for the story, but I just wanted to stay with this reality and these characters for a much longer time than Wilson gave me.
There is one glaring question that is never answered, but as much of me that wants to know the answer, there's just as much who prefers the mystery.
Mostly, I'm disappointed that there wasn't more to read. They say "always leave them wa More...
There is one glaring question that is never answered, but as much of me that wants to know the answer, there's just as much who prefers the mystery.
Mostly, I'm disappointed that there wasn't more to read. They say "always leave them wa More...
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Nov 29, 2011
John
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When I first started this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I had read several negative reviews that indicated the book left too many unanswered questions. While I agree that the reader is left with much to think about, I think these reviewers missed the point of the story. This is not about where the Chronoliths come from and what their purpose is. Rather it's a story about the effect they have on our society and whether they ultimately change the future from which they were se
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Feb 05, 2010
Ronya
rated it:
When I picked up RCW's Spin a few years back, I enjoyed it. A lot. Since then I've been working backwards, reading other RCW books (and also forwards, reading the sequel to Spin). So far, the only one that has come close to Spin is Blind Lake.
The Chronoliths, from 1999, covers a huge amount of time in its pages. It's not hard to keep up with, but the end wasn't as, pardon the expression, earth-shattering as I wanted it to be. However, as science fiction goes, as a portrait of More...
The Chronoliths, from 1999, covers a huge amount of time in its pages. It's not hard to keep up with, but the end wasn't as, pardon the expression, earth-shattering as I wanted it to be. However, as science fiction goes, as a portrait of More...
Aug 28, 2011
Michael
rated it:
A good, quick sci-fi read. Interesting concept of how the beliefs and expectations of the masses about the future can bring that future into being. Regardless of whether it is good, necessary, or even what the people want, a majority lock into an idea or set of beliefs and then use that idea to fashion the world and shape the future. The challenge comes to those who don't hold to these beliefs - how do those few prevent a possibily catastrophic future from occurring when the enemy is so nebulo
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Sep 24, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson is a time travel story, told not from the perspective of the time traveller, but rather from the perspective of people who experience the manifestations of a traveller to their time. This traveller leaves behind monuments to his great military conquests, which causes turmoil in a world already devastated by economic crises, pollution, unemployment, and environmental disasters. [return]The world these people, including our protagonist Scotty, live in is
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Dec 19, 2011
Alex
rated it:
Bestselling author Robert Charles Wilson really has a knack for sucking a reader in: the cover alone for The Chronoliths immediately catches the eye with this mighty rocket shaped stone construction that piques anyone’s interest, and then one reads the description on the back of the book and one is transported to this unique alternate world to our own where Wilson is at home and the reader is taken on an unforgettable journey.
Scott Warden, at the moment, is in Thailand with his daughte More...
Scott Warden, at the moment, is in Thailand with his daughte More...
Oct 01, 2008
Nicolas
rated it: 
Ce roman nous raconte la lente, mais spectaculaire, invasion du monde par les chronolithes, d’étranges obélisques envoyées du futur par un dénommé Kuin, potentiel maître du monde. Bien sûr, le roman ne nous en parle que très peu et préfère s’intéresser aux faits et gestes d’un authentique archétype américain : divorcé, père absent(1), pas vraiment concerné par ces monuments, mais fasciné par leur présence. Le récit est à l’avenant : pas vraiment reluisant, dans une amérique en pleine crise écono
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Aug 20, 2009
Michael
rated it:
When the list of nominees for the 2001 Hugos came out, I was surprised to see this novel on it. I'd not heard a lot of buzz about it, but after reading the premise, it sounded rather intriguing. I picked it up and decided to give it a try.
And was pleasantly surprised by the novel. The basic premise is simple--30 years in the future, a future warlord named Kuin is sending back massive statues to himself and his victories in an attempt to ensure that his rise to power is inevitable. The prem More...
And was pleasantly surprised by the novel. The basic premise is simple--30 years in the future, a future warlord named Kuin is sending back massive statues to himself and his victories in an attempt to ensure that his rise to power is inevitable. The prem More...
Mar 21, 2008
Madame Charlotte
rated it:
Encore une fois Wilson a l’art de plonger des personnages ordinaires dans des situations extraordinaires. Il utilise le concept inusable et ô combien fascinant du paradoxe temporel. Une infime partie du futur est révélée à la face du monde. Un conquérant marque ses victoires par l’”émission” de monuments commémorant ses conquêtes. Sur Kuin on n’en sait pas plus, si ce n’est que la technologie utilisée est encore inconnue. Le narrateur fait partie de quelques anti-héros coincés dans un monde en m
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Feb 09, 2008
Chris
rated it:
It's the 21st century, and nothing has really changed. Things are going pretty much as we expect - the rich are getting richer, the world is ticking along, and people are busy not thinking about the future. Oh, plenty of people say they think about the future, but when they say that, they usually just mean their future. Not THE future.
Scott Warden doesn't even think about his future. He's an expat beach bum living in Thailand, barely supporting his wife and his young daughter, and pr More...
Scott Warden doesn't even think about his future. He's an expat beach bum living in Thailand, barely supporting his wife and his young daughter, and pr More...
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Feb 22, 2008
Debbie
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Mysterious monuments appear from the future, celebrating victories that haven't yet been won--destroying cities and killing thousands. Asia is thrown into chaos. Kuin, the unknown conqueror, cannot be found or stopped.
Chronoliths is narrated by Scott Warden, whose life becomes inextricably bound up with these monuments, and with others who find the connection impossible to escape. Maybe it's just life or maybe it's tau turbulence--part of the mysterious physics by which the chrono More...
Chronoliths is narrated by Scott Warden, whose life becomes inextricably bound up with these monuments, and with others who find the connection impossible to escape. Maybe it's just life or maybe it's tau turbulence--part of the mysterious physics by which the chrono More...
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Jul 26, 2007
Josh
rated it:
Spin was the first novel I've read from Mr. Wilson, and it was one of the most engrossing sci-fi books I've ever read. After reading that, I wanted to look into what else he's written and I found The Chronoliths.
Much of what I loved about Spin was present here as well. I think Wilson's greatest strength is in characterization. His characters are fully fleshed and well realized and they allow his stories to flow as well as they do. Scientifically, The Chronoliths is also right on the More...
Much of what I loved about Spin was present here as well. I think Wilson's greatest strength is in characterization. His characters are fully fleshed and well realized and they allow his stories to flow as well as they do. Scientifically, The Chronoliths is also right on the More...
Mar 31, 2008
Seth
rated it:
I have no idea who nominated this for a Hugo. Clearly, they didn't read it all, but only read the good bits. An expurgated version might be a very good novella.
The plot is great classic SF: race against time, predict the future, outsmart the people who know what you're going to do before you do because you already did it (from their perspective), etc. It should be a tense and tight story.
Somewhere along the way, Wilson ran into the (good) advice that a writer should make More...
The plot is great classic SF: race against time, predict the future, outsmart the people who know what you're going to do before you do because you already did it (from their perspective), etc. It should be a tense and tight story.
Somewhere along the way, Wilson ran into the (good) advice that a writer should make More...
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Jun 08, 2011
Collin
rated it:
A fairly good story full of hypotheticals. Much like RCW's book Spin, this story is about a person's life in the greater context of a world-changing phenomenon. Also in the same vein as Spin, he explains heady scientific principles by making his first-person protagonist someone with little knowledge of physics. While I'm sure there are readers who want to know the feasibility of every aspect of the physics of this book, I'm glad Wilson found a way to effectively condense long-winded explanations
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Feb 20, 2011
Gendou
rated it:
Characters were OK and the plot was engaging, but the science in this fiction was particularly lame.
There was some techno-babble about Tau-turbulence and causality, which I was fine with.
Where I really got turned off was the whole "there's no such thing as a coincidence".
The whole destiny thing is really stupid, I think this book carries the wrong moral lessons away from an otherwise interesting premise.
Oh well.
If you're curious to try Robert Wilson,
There was some techno-babble about Tau-turbulence and causality, which I was fine with.
Where I really got turned off was the whole "there's no such thing as a coincidence".
The whole destiny thing is really stupid, I think this book carries the wrong moral lessons away from an otherwise interesting premise.
Oh well.
If you're curious to try Robert Wilson,
Jul 28, 2011
Glenn
rated it:
My first Robert Charles Wilson book and my favorite so far. A series of giant monuments documenting the conquests of a future war appear all over the world, causing great ecological damage and widespread fear about the future.
The narrator, while modest about his own accomplishments, is a witness to some of the most dramatic developments as the world attempts to fight--or accept--what seems to be an inevitable defeat to a ruthless and technologically advanced tyrant.
The narrator, while modest about his own accomplishments, is a witness to some of the most dramatic developments as the world attempts to fight--or accept--what seems to be an inevitable defeat to a ruthless and technologically advanced tyrant.
May 07, 2009
Jamie
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This book is a bit of a hard sci-fi with political (and even religious) overtones, but the great thing about this book is that "our hero" is not really at the center of things, but is rather giving his perspective of what is going on from just off of center - he is familiar with the people most deeply involved, but does not know everything that is going on for himself.
Very nice change from the "Jack Ryan" hero who is right in the middle of all the action all the time.
Very nice change from the "Jack Ryan" hero who is right in the middle of all the action all the time.
Nov 03, 2011
Rick
rated it:
If they had half stars, I would have given this book 3.5 stars, because it was a gripping read, with a logical and compelling plot and interesting characters. I took a half star off because the ending seemed rushed, almost as if he decided that he was tired of writing it and wrapped it up in 10 pages, filling in the blanks with a great deal of hand waving. In spite of this, it was well worth the read, and I would recommend it.
Nov 21, 2011
John
rated it:
Big ideas writ large on the literary canvas. Probably what keeps it on the three star side vs. the four star side for me is that it seemed at times I was reading an assigned college text for a class rather than sci-fi for entertainment. Definitely marks Wilson as a creative mind in the field, but lacks the action I ordinarily crave. Pretty sure I'd chalk-up failures in the text to be purely on the part of the reader.
If you like cerebral sci-fi, this is definitely your cup of Earl Grey.
If you like cerebral sci-fi, this is definitely your cup of Earl Grey.
