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Singularity's Ring

by Paul Melko

3.55 · rating details · 150 ratings · 34 reviews

Apollo Papadopulos is in training to become the captain of the starship Consensus. Apollo is unique in that he/she/it is not an individual at all, but five separate teenagers that form a whole new entity. Strom, Meda, Quant, Manuel, Moira are a pod, as these kinds of personalities are called, genetically engineered to work and think as one and to be able to communicate no

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Mass Market Paperback, 326 pages

Published April 28th 2009 by Tor Science Fiction (first published February 5th 2008)

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Jul 21, 2009

Kerry rated it

The more I think about it, the more I am still enjoying this book. I will admit that the title put me off. I'm beginning to dislike the term 'singularity' as much as I used to dislike the 'cyberpunk.' I like my fiction to make sense, and lately whenever someone uses the term singularity it is because they don't have a logical reason for doing what they want to do in their novel. I am happy to report that there are no toasters raining from the sky in this novel. I believed Melko's world from...more

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May 10, 2009

Sueij rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Sueij by: Erin at Nicola's

I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this new author.

The storyline was new and interesting. "Regular" people have disappeared, and most of those who are left are pods -- groups of two to five people who can share thoughts and feelings and work together as a unit. This particular story is about a quintet.

I think one of the greatest strengths of the story is the method of storytelling -- each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the quint, with their par...more

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Jul 01, 2009

Clay rated it

· review of another edition

‘Singularity’s Ring’ (Tor, $24.95, 316 pages) is pretty much straight hard science fiction – which you don’t find much any more, if only because modern science is so complex as to be almost incomprehensible to a lay reader. When authors start talking about entangled Bose-Einstein condensates resonating across the galaxy, or virtual superstrings snapping in and out of existence, it makes good old-fashioned rocket science seem like Legos.

But Paul Melko does an excellent job of making bio...more

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Feb 15, 2011

Jim rated it

Shelves: 2011

With so many different styles of science fiction floating about these days it is often hard to find something new. Mr. Melko has created something fresh and new in the genre while crafting a complete, fascinating story.

Apollo Papadopulos is a 5-person POD of sentience, each a unique teenager, yet together a strong, smart, talented entity. This is their story. The narrator shifts from individual to individual in a very interesting perspective-shifting way, however since they share the...more

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Jul 31, 2010

Ryun rated it

· review of another edition

Big, hardcover science-fiction novels from first-time novelists — which Paul Melko’s SINGULARITY’S RING is — usually get published because a publisher can hang an easy hook on them (with quotes from big-name authors saying “like NEUROMANCER … on speed!”) and they easily fall into slots in a publisher’s slate. (“THE ROAD is really hot right now. We need a post-apocalyptic dystopia stat!”)

These big, hardcover science-fiction debuts are not normally terrible, but are many times mediocre...more

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May 31, 2010

Kae Cheatham rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-specultive-fiction

When reading the blurbs on the book jacket of Singularity's Ring, I'm struck with the recurrent use of the term "posthuman" and that this book is written of that time. I found the characters quite believably human and never thought of the "pod" Apollo Papadopulos as not being human. They (it) are five genetically engineered (is this the posthuman aspect?) people who have been trained since the cradle to work as one entity: sharing thoughts, making decisions, etc. Melko,...more
When reading the blurbs on the book jacket of Singularity's Ring, I'm struck with the recurrent use of the term "posthuman" and that this book is written of that time. I found the characters quite believably human and never thought of the "pod" Apollo Papadopulos as not being human. They (it) are five genetically engineered (is this the posthuman aspect?) people who have been trained since the cradle to work as one entity: sharing thoughts, making decisions, etc. Melko, however has presented them most strongly as individuals Strom, Meda, Manuel, Quant and Moira. He shows their personal strengths and weaknesses, and their humanity. The five very different personalities are what make Apollo Papadopulos unique, even in a culture where pods (usually only collectives of 3 or 4 people) are the norm.

The story, presented almost as an odyssey, was how someone with a narrow, but vastly intellectual focus (the AP pod) reacts when faced with circumstances and realities from which it had been sheltered. The five of AP pod, even while mentally bonded, are continually challenging each other as they are challenged to survive in world that is more multidimensional than they imagined. They are living in an era five or six decades after four-fifths of humanity died in a cataclysmic disaster of their own making (not nuclear weapons or environmental disasters, but an electronic catastrophe affecting the billions who were "wired"—they were wasted simultaneously by a cyber virus); those remaining were early pods and "singletons" (those who weren't bred for collective thinking).

For me, the "wired" ones who died were posthuman—locked into a single mindset by an off-world Artificial Intelligence. This AI was a human construct, and continues a non-intrusive existence in the space Ring which encircles the earth. AP pod and others of their pod culture believe that the humans left the Ring for another realm, or to travel space. AP pod learns differently as various attempts to destroy it put the members outside their comfort zones; they see parts of the world they barely knew existed and learn truths of which they were ignorant. Several times, they must function as individuals, without the "comfort" and collective decision-making of the pod. They do quite well.

So the point of the story? A rogue and sociopath human who survived the devastation is attempting to wire up humans and reconstitute the Ring AI. It takes human thought to get it to a fully functioning level. But since the wired human thought is being driven by only one person who controls their thinking, the future looks grim. The Ring has all kinds of devastating weapons which he would use to threaten the whole world to his control. Only the AP pod have the ability to stop the megalomaniac from his goal.

I'm not sure the story works. I was interested in the concepts Melko presented; he's a very good writer. Each adventure of AP pod was rich in action and character development. The science of gene engineering was without detail but believable, and so was the space portion of the book. The "save the world" concept showed up late in the book and it seemed Melko was scrambling to get all the whys and wherefores in place. Without this aspect of the story, however, I don't know where it would have lead. Something was necessary to give AP pod a focus.

TOR Books published Singularity's Ring, and they tag it "a Sci Fi essential book." I consider it an intriguing "future thought" book.

(less)

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Nov 01, 2011

Ben Babcock rated it

Shelves: 2011-read, artificial-intelligence, from-library, posthuman, science-fiction

I know the line between science fiction and fantasy, if one exists at all, is tenuous, as is any genre brinksmanship one cares to play. I do try, however foolishly, to draw one, if only for my own personal cataloguing efforts. And I could go more into how I agree with the camp that views science fiction as a setting rather than a genre, but that’s not pertinent to my point. In science fiction, what happens is a result of science—albeit science that doesn’t quite work in our world—and, hence, is ...more

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Nov 08, 2008

Elze rated it

· review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book. I'm a sucker for everything Singularity-related. But it failed to draw me in. By the way -- maybe it's just me, but by stating the protagonist was a starship-pilot-to-be, the cover blurb lead me to believe that this is a space adventure. I was mistaken: the book takes place almost entirely on Earth.

To quote Amazon.com synopsis of the book, "Various factions struggle for control of the Ring, a colossal space station built around Earth by enginee...moreI really wanted to like this book. I'm a sucker for everything Singularity-related. But it failed to draw me in. By the way -- maybe it's just me, but by stating the protagonist was a starship-pilot-to-be, the cover blurb lead me to believe that this is a space adventure. I was mistaken: the book takes place almost entirely on Earth.

To quote Amazon.com synopsis of the book, "Various factions struggle for control of the Ring, a colossal space station built around Earth by engineers who turned most of humankind into a group mind called the Community, which promptly figured out how to access other realities and vanished from this one. The few remaining humans genetically engineer their children to form pods of individuals so closely bonded that they function as one person. After stumbling on secret research during a training exercise, the teenage pod called Apollo Papadopulos soon find themselves on the run from shadowy forces who want to seduce or kill them." That's a fair description of the plot. However, the devil is, as always, in the details.

The first few chapters: like watching a bored child

The beginning of the story, where the pod wonders around the countryside, undergoes training and occasionally gets into trouble, did not hold my interest. There's something about the idea of young, physically perfect, superhuman characters roaming around and feeling vaguely bored, that turns me off. To make it worse, some chapters are written in the present and others in the past tense, but that doesn't mean the past-tense chapters happened before the present-tense ones. The timeline of the first few chapters is unclear.

For a book about Singularity, the first few chapters are oddly low-tech. Even though there are offhand mentions of the Community (consisting of humans that disappeared in the recent Singularity), the Ring (a structure around the Earth where they lived just before they disappeared), the Exodus (disappearance of the said Community), and even something called the Rift (of which nothing more is said), those remarks are so scarce and non-specific they don't provide interesting clues as to what exactly this Ring and Community is / was and what happened to them. Basically, you don't immediately get a picture that there's something interesting going on; rather, reading about the teens' capers they filled me with ennui similar to that which comes from watching a bored child. :-)

The bear storyline is disconnected from the rest of the plot

The pace picks up with the accident in the space station. (Yes, there is a chapter or two that take place in space station, and then it's back to Earth.) At that point I finally felt things were starting to move along, and the characters were taking charge of their own story. Alas, then they go back to Earth, and more aimless roaming ensues. Well, it's not entirely aimless. The pod has a goal of finding a family of genetically engineered bears they suspect of holding clues to certain secrets they've stumbled upon. Ultimately, though, the bear storyline turns out to be nothing more than a digression. Yes, the teens get a certain clue that explains some things, but that whole episode (and it makes a good third of the book) is so dissociated from the rest of the plot that it does not feel like a part of the same story.

Interesting concepts not integrated into the plot

Overall, there are some interesting concepts there, but they are only revealed at the end, instead of being integrated into the story. Reading this book you don't get that satisfaction a reader can get when separate clues add up to the big picture and a realization slowly dawns. Maybe this was the aim in this book, but it just didn't happen. The most interesting concepts of the book are not woven seamlessly into the plot. That's actually a common flaw in many science fiction books. It's hard to do it right. Well, this is Paul Melko's first novel, so maybe there's still hope.(less)

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Jan 07, 2012

Shannon Lewis rated it

· review of another edition

A fun read. This is down as teen fiction. I don't really agree with that. The themes seem too adult and the tans-human aspects are really quite advanced. Slightly disappointed in the way Mr Melko wrote Apollo as a gestalt entity - Apollo didn't seem melded enough. it was a small thing and didnt distract from my enjoyment of the book which is a good read and great trans-lit.
The end was a little sudden but as it seems like the first in a series on Apollo I'm fine with it ending like it ...more

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May 28, 2008

Bruce Sanders rated it

· review of another edition

I would call this a young adult sci-fi book rather than adult sci-fi. The protagonist is a quintet of young people who are able to share thoughts, feelings, etc. and are in many ways considered one person. Think of them as a human version of the doglike group minds in Vernor Vinge's Fire Upon the Deep. Like Vinge's characters the group minds aren't plausible because there is not even remotely enough bandwidth for them to be able to share consciousness. The shared consciousness conduit in thi...more

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Jun 17, 2009

Robert rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-9-season

Having read the short story collection that contained the seeds for this already, it was great to see that the idea expanded so well into a full novel. The shifting viewpoints of the main character and the depth and breadth added to the setting from the earlier incarnations made for a compelling story that did not feel like just a stretched out version of the original.

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Feb 04, 2009

Kelle rated it

· review of another edition

Fast-paced, quick sci fi read. About the "evolution" of humans into pods, which are groups of humans who can communicate their thoughts and feelings with pheremones. Interesting just on the basis of how that whole interaction works. I found the climax of the book a bit fast after all the time leading up to it, but overall an enjoyable read.

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Jan 28, 2009

Kendell rated it

· review of another edition

I found this book on the reader's choice table. I really enjoyed the author's exploration of ideas like having a group consensus to make decisions and to explore morals. It also makes us examine how much we need to be plugged in to others. I wish he had spent more time with the sentient bears, very engaging distraction for the main characters. This book begs for a sequel.

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Nov 26, 2009

Tony Yuse rated it

· review of another edition

Paul Melko expertly mingles science fiction with science fact in this exciting story.Transporting the YA reader to the not so distant future,Melko offers plenty of twists mixed with believable dialouge for readers of all ages. Award winning book.

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Mar 10, 2010

Andrea rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

Another of those could-be-YA, but this one is definitely for intelligent, scifi-loving young adults. I really liked how they handles the concept of a gestalt individual, while maintaining each character's integrity :)

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Jul 16, 2010

Vivi King rated it

· review of another edition

The story is so-so for me, but I really liked the concept and his view of the future, with people as pods and the human situation. People in to sci-fi would probably enjoy if for that exact reason, it's worth reading for the fans of the genre, but probably not more than once.

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Mar 27, 2008

Ben rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

This exploration of the post-human stands out due to the originality of the main character, Apollo Papadopulos--a collective entity composed of five people genetically engineered to think and act as one. Imagine if all the facets of your personality could tell their own story--each with a unique perspective, but all of them nonetheless you. Paul Melko has set himself a difficult challenge, but he pulls it off well. The formulaic "and-then-they-saved-the-world" ending is pretty rushed,...more

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Aug 25, 2009

Jumana rated it

· review of another edition

I was doubtful about this book based on the preview, not sure I could get into the whole multiple person concept. But I really enjoyed the book.

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May 02, 2011

Chris Moriarty rated it

· review of another edition

A truly impressive first novel, beautiful written, with well-drawn characters and original SF speculation. Highly recommended.

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Jun 16, 2009

Barbara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sf-f, young-adult

Interesting bit of SF: This first book by Melko won this year's Compton Crook Award. Nicely done and I will definitely read the author's next book.

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Mar 10, 2009

Katie rated it

· review of another edition

Good book, interesting concept. I got lost in the physics of much of the book, but still enjoyed it.

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Jan 03, 2011

Marne rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sf-f

Very enjoyable and fast read. I plan to read more by this author.

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Jan 01, 2009

Terry rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

The intriguing possibilities of a pod person made up of multiple persons are handled quite well. The plot has few twists but does keep the reader interested.

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Jan 24, 2009

Jenifer rated it

· review of another edition

BORING!!!!!! Didn't even bother to finish it.

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Aug 18, 2009

Malin rated it

· review of another edition

Very good for a first novel.

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Apr 24, 2008

Michael rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sf

The gimmick for this novel is that the protagonist(s) is/are a group mind: five individuals who chemically share thoughts and feelings. It's a good gimmick as far as it goes, and the worldbuilding stands out as the book's strong point: a post-singularity world that doesn't feel like Accelerando reprised.

The story itself is servicable but not inspired and the writing craft is a little rough: what you'd expect from a first novel. Overall, enjoyable, and I'll be interested to see more...more

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Aug 12, 2009

Les rated it

· review of another edition

Excellent book. Loved it. I'm fascinated by the pod concept. I wonder what would happen if I had to function as part of a multiple-person being, instead of independently.

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Jun 21, 2008

Eric rated it

· review of another edition

An interesting take on a post-singularity society where humans are divided into singles and pods (people made up of groups of individuals who are bonded together chemically). The story deals with what one such pod goes through when they fail to achieve the purpose for which they were made. The plot could have been a little more developed and there are a lot of loose ends never tied up, but overall it was enjoyable.

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Jul 28, 2008

Chris Hogan rated it

· review of another edition

This is a very interesting book, the story was great. This was the first author that i have ever read where he tells the story from the first person perspective. This was a change for me since I normally read from the third person perspective, plus i write in the third person perspective.

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Jul 22, 2008

Flo rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Casual Sci-Fi fans

A great perspective on what the evolution of humankind would be. Melko creates an exciting story from cover to cover. I am really looking forward to reading more of his work. I hope he writes either a prequel or a sequel to this story.

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About Paul Melko

Paul lives in Ohio with his beautiful wife and four fairly wonderful children. He is an active member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, where he sits on the board of directors as the South-Central Regional Director and is chair of the Grievance Committee.

Paul’s fiction has appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, Spider Magazine, The Year’s Best Science Fiction...more

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