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160th out of 631 books
—
2,155 voters
Sunstorm (A Time Odyssey #2)
When Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the greatest science fiction writer ever, teams up with award-winning author Stephen Baxter, who shares Clarke’s bold vision of a future where technology and humanism advance hand in hand, the result is bound to be a book of stellar ambition and accomplishment. Such was the case with Time’s Eye. Now, in the highly anticipated sequel, Clarke and B...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
February 28th 2006
by Del Rey
(first published 2005)
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5 stars (or more!) for simply spotlighting this IMPORTANT issue.
Jesus! 1859 -- the last major 'storm -- was not that long ago, and that one (as well as the 1989 mini) were kittens compared to what the Sun is truly capable of. Internet, cellphones, hell basic electric service ... kiss it all goodbye ... maybe for years 'cause the equipment needed to re-engineer (and MASS produce) elec.-grid infrastructure is pretty much NONEXISTENT.
Sorry ,,, back to the novel ...
2 stars for characterization and "...more
Jesus! 1859 -- the last major 'storm -- was not that long ago, and that one (as well as the 1989 mini) were kittens compared to what the Sun is truly capable of. Internet, cellphones, hell basic electric service ... kiss it all goodbye ... maybe for years 'cause the equipment needed to re-engineer (and MASS produce) elec.-grid infrastructure is pretty much NONEXISTENT.
Sorry ,,, back to the novel ...
2 stars for characterization and "...more
The second book in Baxter and Clarke's Time Series, "Sunstorm," shows what happens when Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers are encouraged (forced?) to think of their work in terms of multi-volume sets. While "Times Eye" has a unique, though ultimately puzzling, backdrop to challenge our protagonists, "Sunstorm" comes across both uninteresting and uninspired.
Just as we saw in the first novel, the Firstborn are apparently behind an elaborate scheme to fry the Earth in a manner that brings to mind the bes...more
Just as we saw in the first novel, the Firstborn are apparently behind an elaborate scheme to fry the Earth in a manner that brings to mind the bes...more
Sep 16, 2011
Sue Smith
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2011
This was an excellent followup to the first book 'Time's Eye'. The second book in a series always is in a precarious position that it doesn't come up to the standard of the first, or carry through on the continuing plot lines of the first, or develop the characters from the first. Lord knows, I've read many a second series book and felt somewhat let down in one or two of those areas. This one didn't let me down at all - for the most part anyways!
Firstly, when only one character is brought forwar...more
Firstly, when only one character is brought forwar...more
Dziwna to druga część trylogii, bowiem z pierwszą nie łączy się stylistycznie, ani nie jest w jakiś szczególny sposób powiązana fabularnie z historią opowiedzianą w pierwszym tomie a, co najdziwniejsze, nie mamy - do czego, zdawałoby się, zobowiązuje tytuł cyklu - w ogóle motywu podróży w czasie.
Dostajemy za to solidną porcję hardkorowego science-fiction, z elementami powieści katastroficznej (albo, na odwrót), w którym fabuła spełnia rolę naprawdę marginalną. Postaci w zasadzie istnieją tylko p...more
Dostajemy za to solidną porcję hardkorowego science-fiction, z elementami powieści katastroficznej (albo, na odwrót), w którym fabuła spełnia rolę naprawdę marginalną. Postaci w zasadzie istnieją tylko p...more
Drat Arthur Clarke. The first half of the book had me feeling like I could skip the rest in this series, but he managed to make it exciting/interesting/compelling enough that...yes, I will read the next one.
Spoilers:
In the first book, slices of time from throughout the world's history have been stitched together. The whole book is spent trying to figure out when they are, where they are (an alternate earth they name Mir) and what exactly happened....oh yes, and how not to get killed by the othe...more
Spoilers:
In the first book, slices of time from throughout the world's history have been stitched together. The whole book is spent trying to figure out when they are, where they are (an alternate earth they name Mir) and what exactly happened....oh yes, and how not to get killed by the othe...more
Two giants__Clarke, one of the greatest SF writers, and award-winning Evolution (2003) author Baxter__have collaborated on an insidious vision of the future that's sure to thrill fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey and other SF classics. It may help to first read Time's Eye, which provides the back story to the aliens' cruel experiments and desire to wipe out Earth, but each book stands alone. Convincing characters, including a British astronomer and doomsday physicist, lead the collective countdown t
...more
For a sequel, this has little connection to the first book. There's no timey-wimey goings-on here, this is all about the science. Basically the plot revolves around the idea of there being a massive sunstorm and humanity has only four years to protect itself. It's decided our best bet is to build a massive space shield.
The book follows the discovery of the coming storm, the building of the shield and the day of the sunstorm itself. Bisea is largely in the background, making it known to those in...more
The book follows the discovery of the coming storm, the building of the shield and the day of the sunstorm itself. Bisea is largely in the background, making it known to those in...more
This sequel to "Time's Eye" was both dissapointing and better when compared to the original. Sure the story is better but following up "Time's Eye" with this, is like following up a mediocre "Doctor Who" film adaptation with a good remake of "Solar Crisis". I wanted a time travel story, not a sci-fi disaster film screenplay repackaged into a novel, but what I got was enjoyable enough and it wasn't a completely out of place follow-up.
Once again I'm afraid that character development was not handle...more
Once again I'm afraid that character development was not handle...more
This is the second Time Odyssey book and, let's face it, is kind of pointless and tedious with little evidence of Arthur C. Clarke. Only one character from the first book persists here and she has been whatever the female equivalent of emasculated is. Moreover, she is pretty much consigned to the "crazy lady who was totally different in the last book" role. I'm not sure why she was invited to this party.
So, the First Ones threw a really big rock from a long ways away a long long time ago and it...more
So, the First Ones threw a really big rock from a long ways away a long long time ago and it...more
Audiobook. I listened to the first book in this trilogy a few years ago and never felt the pull to get to the rest of it. ACC is sort of one of my all-time favorite authors, though, so I felt like I owed some younger version of myself to read the next-to-last last thing he (co-)wrote. The story had a nice disaster-story element, but the most intriguing thing about it is all of the Space Odyssey references/parallels. I liked all of these in an insider-geek way, but in my sober estimate I have to...more
I enjoyed this book more than the first book. Again, Clarke ensures that the science is emphasized in his science fiction -- and he does so in a way that should not only be understood by those without a scientific background, but also will be enjoyed by those same people as well.
I do have a scientific background, and I was fascinated with the plot's premise of how the Firstborn were planning Earth's demise.
I really found this to be a book of a very different flavor from the first one... much bet...more
I do have a scientific background, and I was fascinated with the plot's premise of how the Firstborn were planning Earth's demise.
I really found this to be a book of a very different flavor from the first one... much bet...more
Oct 28, 2012
Alex Sheldon Savva
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
I like to think that when a story continues where it last left off, I at least expect either something better or on the same level as its predecessor.
With Time's Eye, we were given an enjoyable action adventure on a grand scale. With Sunstorm, we are given a disaster/doomsday scenario that, unless you've never indulged in any of the hundreds of stories based around such a premise, then this will unlikely be of much interest.
Overall, Sunstorm felt like it would read like a wet dream for science a...more
With Time's Eye, we were given an enjoyable action adventure on a grand scale. With Sunstorm, we are given a disaster/doomsday scenario that, unless you've never indulged in any of the hundreds of stories based around such a premise, then this will unlikely be of much interest.
Overall, Sunstorm felt like it would read like a wet dream for science a...more
Humans scramble frantically to save the Earth from a sunstorm that seems sure to destroy all life in the solar system. The sunstorm was centuries in the making by aliens who are intent on destroying humans.
The story is interesting, but the authors talk too much about evolution. The authors are convinced that evolution is a fact and that evolution is devoid of purpose. Moreover, the authors spout ridiculous statements about evolution putting the last nail in intelligent designs coffin. Yet the au...more
The story is interesting, but the authors talk too much about evolution. The authors are convinced that evolution is a fact and that evolution is devoid of purpose. Moreover, the authors spout ridiculous statements about evolution putting the last nail in intelligent designs coffin. Yet the au...more
Whoa! Nefarious aliens from the beginnings of time have primed our sun to blow us away in order to preserve the energy balance of the universe. This, just five years after Bisesa Dutt returns from Mir, a planet much like Earth, but taken from time-slices spanning approximately one million years. I'm reading to try to figure out how any of this is tied back together, how the Firstborn can justify themselves, and what kind of mind-altering stimulant Stephen Baxter began to smoke when he looked ove...more
I'm really impressed with this! It was published in 2006 not long before Arthur Clarke passed away and he must have entered into this collaboration because of his physical weaknesses (I remember reading he visited NYC in 2006 in a wheelchair). Such collaborations in SF usually are pretty weak in my experience but this is quite good. I will have to check out more of this team. I learned alot that I trust in this book, mainly about the sun and its inner workings. And the story was good too. Only s...more
Well, the story was a little flat and somehow the book was not very engaging.
Not a bad science fiction/disaster tale, but the characterizations arr pretty dull and cardboard. As with a lot of his books, the computers come off as more interesting characters than the humans. Clarke put quite a few little asides to the 2001 books in the story, which while nice for fans, make me wonder if the time could have been better spent developing dialogue and character.
I also hadn't realized this was part of a series, but I probably won't bother with the first part as again it sounded...more
I also hadn't realized this was part of a series, but I probably won't bother with the first part as again it sounded...more
Clarke & Baxter bring their main character, Bisesa Dutt, back to her time, and earth faces intentional annihilation at the hands of the Firstborn, so called because they seem to be the 1st intelligent species to develop in the entire universe. There motive is purely selfish, as they deem the universe finite, and do not want any developing species to use up valuable resources. There method is to use the Sun to do their dirty work. Once the threat is realized, humanity races to defend Earth ag...more
I have to admit, I feel like there was a little bit of bait-and-switch here. I picked up the first book in the series because I wanted alternate history, but there wasn't any in this book. I mean, it wasn't horrible, but compared to the interesting Mir, Earth just seemed a little...dull, even if the sun was about to go ballistic on it. I really missed Abdi, Casey, Josh, and the rest of the Mir-ites, and while I did like a fair amount of the new characters introduced the situation just wasn't as...more
I worried this novel might fail to set itself apart from so many similar disaster movies. Happily, this fear proved unfounded. Sunstorm is the thinking audience’s answer to popcorn disaster flicks. It trades fast-paced action and thin plot for a more compelling and engrossing science-based drama. This is not to say the book lacks entertainment value. It has plenty.
After a mellow start, Sunstorm steadily builds in pace and scope until a grand climax. As with part one of the trilogy, Time’s Eye ,...more
After a mellow start, Sunstorm steadily builds in pace and scope until a grand climax. As with part one of the trilogy, Time’s Eye ,...more
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A good book, though not nearly as exciting or enjoyable as the first book, "Time's Eye." The experience of reading this book was very like seeing "Matrix Reloaded"; good story, worth reading, but lacking just about everything that made the original so much fun.
Probably the best way to describe Sunstorm is as a straightforward action/drama. Some suspense in terms of the details of the final outcome, but no real doubt in how the big picture would turn out.
Looking forward to what book 3, "First Bo...more
Probably the best way to describe Sunstorm is as a straightforward action/drama. Some suspense in terms of the details of the final outcome, but no real doubt in how the big picture would turn out.
Looking forward to what book 3, "First Bo...more
While this book is billed as "Book Two of the Time Odyssey" it can be read as a stand alone, no problem. In fact the one character and the part of the plot that connect these two books are stretched very thin.
I enjoyed this book more than the first, but then it is a totally different type of book. This book is a more of an 'end of the world' book. The character, Bisesa Dutt, who is also in the first book is a very different character in this book and really a very minor one. The knowledge that...more
I enjoyed this book more than the first, but then it is a totally different type of book. This book is a more of an 'end of the world' book. The character, Bisesa Dutt, who is also in the first book is a very different character in this book and really a very minor one. The knowledge that...more
Nov 11, 2008
Keith Bowden
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is probably the worst Clarke’s book (because, admit it, who cares about Baxter?) I’ve read. Not that it’s bad, and it does keep you engrossed and turning pages from the very beginning, but:
-the scenario has not the grand scope that Clarke has gotten us used to and the idea is far than original (the sun is going to destroy the Earth? Come on, this is Hollywood stuff!). The first book of the trilogy was much more original and interesting as a premise
-He’s using many of today’s ideas and facts...more
-the scenario has not the grand scope that Clarke has gotten us used to and the idea is far than original (the sun is going to destroy the Earth? Come on, this is Hollywood stuff!). The first book of the trilogy was much more original and interesting as a premise
-He’s using many of today’s ideas and facts...more
General Outline:
This book picks up where the first one left off with Biesa waking up in her appartment one day after she was taken to Mir, but for her 5 years have passed. On the day she returns the earth is hit by a solar flare/sunstorm that knocks out the majority of earths electronics and sets the stage for the massive sunstorm that is going to hit the earth 5 years in the futrure eradicating all life on earth. Once the scientists figure out what is going on they race to find a way to protec...more
This book picks up where the first one left off with Biesa waking up in her appartment one day after she was taken to Mir, but for her 5 years have passed. On the day she returns the earth is hit by a solar flare/sunstorm that knocks out the majority of earths electronics and sets the stage for the massive sunstorm that is going to hit the earth 5 years in the futrure eradicating all life on earth. Once the scientists figure out what is going on they race to find a way to protec...more
Forgettable sequel to Time's Eye in the Time's Odyssey series. This time the people of the not-too-distant future Earth must shield their home planet from a really nasty solar flare. Sounds like what's coming our way in 2012, but super powerful space aliens are at the heart of this not mother nature.
The description of a plane blowing up in a terrorist attack was quite disturbing; not recommended for people who are afraid to fly, like myself. I still cringe just thinking about it.
The description of a plane blowing up in a terrorist attack was quite disturbing; not recommended for people who are afraid to fly, like myself. I still cringe just thinking about it.
This was a very different story than the first book. It's really only tangentially related, but I liked this one just as much, if not better. There was a real sense of urgency in coming up with a way to survive this horrific event. I also like how optimistic Clarke and Baxter's vision of the future is, in terms of international cooperation and a global community. It's nice to read about, even if it is all fiction.
Lots of interesting science, not a whole lot of good story. I mean, it was good enough to carry me through, but not to make me want to read the rest of the series. I'd probably have liked it a lot more when I was young and avidly curious about astronomy and cosmology. I do recommend it only if you can sit down in chunks - reading a few pp at a time wouldn't be v. effective.
This is the sequel to Time's Eye. It was also almost all Baxter - destruction of the earth scenarios being his thing! It was maybe 2.5 stars. It was an interesting read, but not as good as the first book. It was noticeable that they chose to make all the main storytellers women, and there was a definite focus on mothers & daughter. not sure why.
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Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. He spent the first half of his life in England, where he served in World War Two as a radar operator, before emigrating to Ceylon in 1956. He is best known for the novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-created with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more
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Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more
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