ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
In the aftermath of the Hard Rapture-a cataclysmic war sparked by the explosive evolution of Earth's artificial intellig... read full description
In the aftermath of the Hard Rapture-a cataclysmic war sparked by the explosive evolution of Earth's artificial intellig... read full description
reviews
Feb 10, 2011
RK
rated it: 
Newton's Wake by Ken MacLeod has some good ideas and interesting characters within it's pages but in the end it can't find an ending or a villain to cheer for when the good guys possibly win the day.
Taking place in the future where singularities, faster than light travel and backing yourself up before going out on a dangerous mission the story is quite simple: A group of combat archeologists find a world named Eurydice that was cut off from Earth after a devastating war and bit by bi More...
Taking place in the future where singularities, faster than light travel and backing yourself up before going out on a dangerous mission the story is quite simple: A group of combat archeologists find a world named Eurydice that was cut off from Earth after a devastating war and bit by bi More...
Nov 17, 2011
Shannon
rated it:
Space opera tale of a universe where human society was almost wiped out by machines it created. In the aftermath, there are several groups vying for control and several bear tongue in cheek names to organizations we would recognize.
Apparently, when the machines had almost destroyed Earth, some human chose to stay and fight and the others, believed to be cowards, fled to another galaxy.
Wormholes, which are sort of like short cut tunnels or teleportation, discover these c More...
Apparently, when the machines had almost destroyed Earth, some human chose to stay and fight and the others, believed to be cowards, fled to another galaxy.
Wormholes, which are sort of like short cut tunnels or teleportation, discover these c More...
Jan 07, 2012
Isabel
rated it:
'Where is here, anyway?'
'We call the planet Eurydice. The star — we don't have a name for it. We know it is in the Sagittarius Arm.’
'No shit!' Carlyle grinned with unfeigned delight. 'We didn't know the skein stretched this far.'
'Skein?'
She waved her hands. 'That wormhole, it's linked to lots of others in a sort of messy tangle.'
He stared at her' his teeth playing on his lower lip.
'And you and your colleagues came here through the wormhole?'
'Of course.' She wra More...
'We call the planet Eurydice. The star — we don't have a name for it. We know it is in the Sagittarius Arm.’
'No shit!' Carlyle grinned with unfeigned delight. 'We didn't know the skein stretched this far.'
'Skein?'
She waved her hands. 'That wormhole, it's linked to lots of others in a sort of messy tangle.'
He stared at her' his teeth playing on his lower lip.
'And you and your colleagues came here through the wormhole?'
'Of course.' She wra More...
May 28, 2009
Noah
rated it: 
You know...there was nothing really wrong with this book. It just never really grabbed me all that firmly. I kept losing interest in the plot throughout. It seems like the sort of thing I should like--crazy far future space stuff, horrifying posthuman artifacts, adventure and solid writing--but it just never came together in any sort of magic way.
Like, the plot just doesn't even leap out at me. I couldn't really tell you what the plot is, because nothing in the book strikes me as More...
Like, the plot just doesn't even leap out at me. I couldn't really tell you what the plot is, because nothing in the book strikes me as More...
Apr 11, 2011
Lewis
rated it:
Reminded me a bit of Vernor Vinge's _A Fire Upon The Deep_. (A favorite of mine.) For the most part enjoyed the first 80% of the novel. After that though it became unclear what was going on, and more especially _Why_. We are left with soft, dream-like imagery with no real conflicts to speak of. Along that line, the conflict we should be speaking of, the one the novel sets up pieces and relationships for, builds up for most of the work, passes by quickly once it happens, almost a non-event (aside
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Dec 17, 2008
Susanne
rated it:
Ended up with only 3 stars because it starts to drag around the half-way mark. I hugely enjoyed the beginning, I liked the concept and the posthuman history - I like having me my post-singularity explained and shown in sprinkled detail.
But once the Lamont plot strand kick in, I'd have wished for a more speedy execution. Everything just seems to take too long - a sign that I'm getting impatient and not being invested enough in the story.
I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the More...
But once the Lamont plot strand kick in, I'd have wished for a more speedy execution. Everything just seems to take too long - a sign that I'm getting impatient and not being invested enough in the story.
I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the More...
Aug 22, 2010
Rob
rated it:
Maybe if io9 hadn't pumped up my expectations so much, I would have enjoyed this one more. Not bad—a fun read, in fact—but not one "that will change your life".
Ken MacLeod gives us a fun, rollicking space opera replete with the familiar tropes of faster-than-light ships (bounded by causality laws), wormhole gates (set up as a network for traveling), posthuman minds (bounded by virtual reality prisons), and the fractured competing empires of humankind (in exodus). MacLeod' More...
Ken MacLeod gives us a fun, rollicking space opera replete with the familiar tropes of faster-than-light ships (bounded by causality laws), wormhole gates (set up as a network for traveling), posthuman minds (bounded by virtual reality prisons), and the fractured competing empires of humankind (in exodus). MacLeod' More...
Jan 22, 2008
Tom
rated it: 
I went into this book looking for an engaging Science Fiction story with multiple interesting story lines which touch on one-another and comprise a while story.
I ended up with a somewhat disjointed story that never seemed to find closure. there were a lot of different characters that I found unmemorable and, consequently, hard to differentiate between. There also seemed to be clear visualizations in the authors mind which I couldn't capture in my own.
Most frustrating More...
I ended up with a somewhat disjointed story that never seemed to find closure. there were a lot of different characters that I found unmemorable and, consequently, hard to differentiate between. There also seemed to be clear visualizations in the authors mind which I couldn't capture in my own.
Most frustrating More...
Dec 13, 2011
Bryan
rated it:
An interesting take on "Judgement Day", in which the machines become aware, take over, kill almost everybody, but then sublime off to some higher plane, leaving the remaining humans to clean up the mess. And that's only the back story! This creative premise provided enough to keep me going, but the characters weren't especially interesting, and the plot jumped around enough that it was hard to keep track of who was doing what and why. A bit odd that the book had to assert in the very t
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Dec 19, 2009
Chris "Stu"
rated it:
Most of this book feels like warmed over Charles Stross. The characterization is spotty, and the last fifty pages is downright muddy as to a) what people are doing, b) what the people hope to accomplish by doing that, and c) what the results of what they are doing are.
The scenes of FTL space combat are very inventive and exciting, and some of the intrigue is very well handled, but the confusing ending that mixes together Deux Ex Machina and the end of "Childhood's End" just More...
The scenes of FTL space combat are very inventive and exciting, and some of the intrigue is very well handled, but the confusing ending that mixes together Deux Ex Machina and the end of "Childhood's End" just More...
Jun 14, 2009
Michael
rated it:
Definitely space opera, but not particularly remarkable. Similar to Vernor Vinge's post-singularity novels, Newton's Wake relies heavily on the mystery of super-intelligent machines' endeavors and artifacts. Unfortunately, the characters get somewhat left behind and the plot sometimes seems to drag along in the places where it should move fastest.
Overall, a decent weekend sci-fi read, but not a must-have for buffs.
Overall, a decent weekend sci-fi read, but not a must-have for buffs.
Aug 24, 2008
Tim
rated it:
I think this is the book that defined, for me, the boundry between "really well done 'classic' science/speculative fiction" and "second-tier I should be reading other stuff science/speculative fiction."
All in all it was a good, interesting read...but I could never get involved with any of the characters. They seemed, at best, unlikably simplistic, or at worst, hyperbolized charicatures. Some of the ideas (hard raptures, autonomous machines, downloadable humanity More...
All in all it was a good, interesting read...but I could never get involved with any of the characters. They seemed, at best, unlikably simplistic, or at worst, hyperbolized charicatures. Some of the ideas (hard raptures, autonomous machines, downloadable humanity More...
Sep 10, 2008
Priya
rated it: 
Regular readers of my reviews here will not be surprised to hear that I liked Newton's Wake. I've mentioned MacLeod is like a darker, more cynical version of Iain M. Banks and Newton's Wake is probably an easier read since it's definitely funnier than other MacLeod books I've read. The story--a sort of Balance of Power view of the world where post-Great War (between Europe and the USA, of course) politics play out--is pretty good, especially if you're teaching (or studying) Intro to World Politi
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Aug 10, 2009
Ericka
rated it:
Thought it had a very strong beginning, especially the tech and cultural implications, but it lost momentum in the second half and I ended up not really caring what happened. I don't think their was enough character development, perhaps because the scope of the book was so huge. Clearly he's a great writer though. Many of the ideas from this book will stay with me.
Aug 17, 2010
Charlotte
rated it:
Confused half way through, still confused at the end. A fun read, but I am not really sure what happened. Machines taking over the world, self aware AIs, I like stories based on these (Asimov being on the top of the list), but I am not even sure now that that is what this was about. Nor am I sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, or if there are any bad guys!
Feb 09, 2010
Aneel
rated it:
Good. Interesting world(s). A little overexplained. Seemed like the author had a bunch of different ideas that he wanted to fit into the book, and some of them didn't have the room to be properly fleshed out. It would have been interesting to explore the world a bit more before everything was explained.
Jun 05, 2011
Balaji
rated it:
Minor cribs first - 1. I wish the author had not settled on Scots as the main characters - trying to figure out what the scottish brogue they often lapse into means gave me a headache and 2. The ending got a little confusing. Otherwise, a damn good read.
Apr 14, 2011
Dave
rated it:
Not a single character I cared about. Uninteresting plot, heavy handed cultural stereotyping, and a deus ex machina ending. Dreck. Not a good start with an author that several friends have recommended.
Mar 25, 2009
Kellen
rated it:
Scotts + space + "combat archaeologists" = One hell of a Sci-Fi read.
This novel is about treasure hunters and rapture fuckers out to get a little cash and have a little revolution of their own.
This novel is about treasure hunters and rapture fuckers out to get a little cash and have a little revolution of their own.
Apr 15, 2009
Mic
rated it:
Dragged. Pretentious to the max to cover for just plain poor writing. Plot was almost non-existent, which was a shame, because the initial idea was good.
It just went exactly nowhere.
It just went exactly nowhere.
Feb 07, 2010
Shane
rated it:
This is a good piece of transhuman fiction, and if you know what that means, and are interested in the genre, I recommend it.
There are several novel concepts introduced in this book, which to avoid spoilers I won't get into. If one of the things that makes a book good to you (as is true for me) is new ideas, or old ideas presented in new ways, this book will entertain.
There are several novel concepts introduced in this book, which to avoid spoilers I won't get into. If one of the things that makes a book good to you (as is true for me) is new ideas, or old ideas presented in new ways, this book will entertain.
Aug 13, 2011
Aier
rated it:
Upon arriving at a totally mind-blowing plot point, we decide to completely ignore it and instead pursue a story that is comparatively lackluster and kind of dumb.
Jun 09, 2010
Josh
rated it: 
This book was my introduction to the work of Ken MacLeod, and I'd have to say it's an excellent stepping stone for anyone who's interested in his novels.
Feb 26, 2010
Post WW III concept. Future of humans and being immortal in a unique way. Human can save digital backups of themselves.
Jan 01, 2010
OK, I don't think I *really* read this book, but it WAS a book club selection. I need to get back to it at some point.
Nov 12, 2011
General
rated it:
Entertaining. I liked the characters. A few interesting ideas, but mostly just predictable fun.
Jul 20, 2009
Hollis
rated it:
I read this when I was in my early teens: I remember really enjoying it.
Feb 03, 2012
Fernando
rated it:
Some interesting ideas and good pace kept this book interesting throughout. A great read.
Mar 28, 2010
DJ Noddy P
rated it:
Started off well with the idea of waking up 'war machines' on an unexplored planet. But the plot never really got going and I didn't come across one interesting character. Avoid.
