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231st out of 250 books
—
114 voters
Genesis
Even after nearly 40 years in the biz, Poul Anderson still cranks out the imaginative sci fi like a champ, with the idea-packed Genesis--a billion-year-spanning tale involving immortal AIs and the future of Earth itself--being just another example. A decorated hard-SF veteran from the old school (think the Amazing, Analog and Omni crew from the '50s, '60s, and '70s), Ander...more
Published
(first published 2000)
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Disappointed.
Not a particularly long novel, Genesis might have been better had it been shorter. The shorterness in itself would have been an improvement. Anderson spends way too much time in description, explanation, and story building. In the early parts of the book, much time is spent getting to know the characters and their motivations in a rivalrous clan society, with which the main characters never have any interaction. This culture has absolutly no bearing on the plot, what there is of one...more
Not a particularly long novel, Genesis might have been better had it been shorter. The shorterness in itself would have been an improvement. Anderson spends way too much time in description, explanation, and story building. In the early parts of the book, much time is spent getting to know the characters and their motivations in a rivalrous clan society, with which the main characters never have any interaction. This culture has absolutly no bearing on the plot, what there is of one...more
I was loving this one for about the first 3/4. The plot spans millions of years, exploring the development of both humans and machine intelligence, and yet somehow, the story never gets too sprawling -- it always remains (relatively) intimate and accessible. I lost the thread a bit near the end, which brought it down from 4 to 3 stars. I'm glad I read it, though.
By the way, before I clicked "play," I was trying to remember why I had picked this book -- and then I heard the narrator. I love Tom W...more
By the way, before I clicked "play," I was trying to remember why I had picked this book -- and then I heard the narrator. I love Tom W...more
Some interesting concepts involving a future where humans, before they die, can have their conscious mind uploaded into artificially intelligent gestalt group creatures. So the “singularity” is achieved here, and it allows for a sort of immortality. Some AI gestalts take to the stars while one, Gaia, stays in our home solar system.
Anderson’s pedantic prose style makes this a difficult read. I had a fascination with time-travel as a teenager, and I tried to pick up “Shield of Time” novel a couple...more
Anderson’s pedantic prose style makes this a difficult read. I had a fascination with time-travel as a teenager, and I tried to pick up “Shield of Time” novel a couple...more
I enjoy reading Poul Anderson because he comes up with some interesting topics--the idea of human beings able to travel to the stars by downloading their personalities/entities.
I couldn't get into the book though. The beginning of the book was so confusing and not well written. I had no idea what was going on--the narrarater was trying to get a picture across of how things were?
The plot finally got started with an introduction of the main character around page 40 but I'd lost interest by then....more
I couldn't get into the book though. The beginning of the book was so confusing and not well written. I had no idea what was going on--the narrarater was trying to get a picture across of how things were?
The plot finally got started with an introduction of the main character around page 40 but I'd lost interest by then....more
This is probably a 2.5 rather than a 3, but I rounded up.
The description of the book listed above is pretty terrible. It's more of a story about what it means to be human and if the term has any meaning when you can upload your mind into a machine. It was an interesting read, but somewhat lacking. None of the characters are fleshed out enough to really connect with. The story either needed to be shorter to only present its ideas or longer to fully develop the characters.
Overall, I'm left feeli...more
The description of the book listed above is pretty terrible. It's more of a story about what it means to be human and if the term has any meaning when you can upload your mind into a machine. It was an interesting read, but somewhat lacking. None of the characters are fleshed out enough to really connect with. The story either needed to be shorter to only present its ideas or longer to fully develop the characters.
Overall, I'm left feeli...more
This book encompasses thousands upon thousands of years, beginning with one man who chooses to be one of the first humans 'uploaded' into an artificial intelligence. Many years later he is sent to investigate strange reports coming from the lone AI stationed on an abandoned and empty Earth.
Sounds interesting, right? Oh my god you would be so wrong. The author clearly has a lot of ideas and the scope of the story is huge but it lacks the menace and intensity that it really should have had in abun...more
Sounds interesting, right? Oh my god you would be so wrong. The author clearly has a lot of ideas and the scope of the story is huge but it lacks the menace and intensity that it really should have had in abun...more
I found this book to be rather lackluster for science fiction. I could see he wanted to address the whole human nature concept with this novel, but I felt (and I rarely say this) this book could have done with about 200 more pages. Too much of this book seemed skimmed over and very little understanding. I was able to finish it because the second section of the book was at least a bit better than the first part, but I would still state this book isn't the best science fiction has to offer.
More than half of this book is the story that was published under the same title in Gregory Benford's anthology, Far Futures. The new material, unlike Starfarers, has a distinct air of rehashing old territory. Not bad, but not particularly recommended either. Enjoyable if it happens to be lying around and you don't have anything new.
There are lots of really big ideas in this book about human nature, the future of machine intelligences, interspecies morality, should sentient beings be husbanded like domesticated animals. The ending is a little unsatisfactory, but on the whole a very enjoyable book and very tightly written, like science fiction classics of old that clocked in at under 90,000 words, unlike to 600 page behemoths that have become so common.
i've always loved Poul, but this was a really dificult read. as others have said here, he wants to explore some grand ideas, but this time the writing seems to falter badly.
this won't stop me from loving him.
this won't stop me from loving him.
Interesting idea, but unclear ending with some chapters of the future history of the human race unexplained. I would have liked to have spent more time in these theorized civilizations, rather than just having a single unconnected chapter or paragraph dedicated to them.
"One of science fiction's most revered writers." � USA Today
Listen to Genesis on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.
Listen to Genesis on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.
Poul Anderson is a master of Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Expected more than I got. Great premise which gave me much to think about nut ultimately was just that.... a great idea for a story but no true story line.
Genesis read like an uninteresting history textbook. There wasn't any action for several chapters and I didn't care for any of the characters. I stopped listening.
Slow going. Too much exposition.
Campbelll.2001.Winner
Meh. This tries to be all philosophical and just winds up boring.
What junk
Too much of this book is completely pointless. Several chapters have characters and plot elements that have absolutely nothing to do with the overall story (if you can say there actually is an overall story...) Also, having a computer that is anti-technology is ludicrous at best.
For such a short book, I had a very hard time finishing this due to lack of interest and very weak storytelling.
For such a short book, I had a very hard time finishing this due to lack of interest and very weak storytelling.
just started...so far has his typical attention to technical detail combined with a profound overarching social question. Not sure that this is at the level of "Brainwave" but, we'll see.
Apr 27, 2013
Dan
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2013
Coyotejoe2
is currently reading it
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Pseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous a...more
More about Poul Anderson...
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous a...more
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