false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178128757m/760961.jpg 760961 10 In 1912, history was changed by the Miracle, when the old world of Europe was replaced by Darwinia, a strange land of nightmarish jungle and antediluvian monsters. To some, the Miracle is an act of divine retribution; to others, it is an opportunity to carve out a new empire. Leaving an America now ruled by religious fundamentalists, young Guilford Law travels to Darwinia on a mission of discovery that will take him further than he can possibly imagine...to a shattering revelation about mankind's destiny in the universe. 906164 1998 Darwinia: A Novel of a Very Different Twentieth Century total:349|5:41|4:113|3:128|2:56|1:11| 349 1164 561 48 3 3 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 10 06:25:12 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 10 06:27:15 -0700 2007 Spin is a far better book, and there were points when the meta-reference became too much for me (yes, even me), but it's a really interesting premise that quite often delivers on its promise, especially in the first half. The second half, where the book threatens to eat itself, I'm...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Oct 09 07:22:05 -0700 2007 Sun Nov 04 19:34:42 -0800 2007 Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson is an amazing piece of literary alchemy. Imagine, if you will, a reality where in 1912 Europe transforms into a strange land of nightmarish jungles and alien creatures. Thi...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Sep 24 16:24:16 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 16:42:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Mar 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Sep 15 14:04:12 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 14:04:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 08:53:11 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 09:35:59 -0800 2008 Spin, which made me at least roll my eyes and wonder how many unique ideas Wilson really has. But the story immediately diverged into something all its own.

This was an absorbing, quick read, which was a nice change from some of the thing...more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Jul 29 07:40:01 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 29 07:42:10 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 11:31:25 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 11:35:45 -0700 2009
The first half set up quite a wonderful mystery. The last eighth was an action-packed and delightfully done conclusion. The other bits felt to me like the author had this great idea, but it was really complicated, and he couldn't quite figur...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 12 03:37:21 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 03:56:56 -0800 2008 Robert Charles Wilson’s Darwinia is as near perfect as fiction comes. It’s literary, intelligent and entertaining in equal measure. Rarely does a writer get it this right. Wilson’s characters are complex and believable, the prose is frequently beautiful, and he has an eye for original imagery ...

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In 1912, a young Guilford Law watches as a strange light takes over the sky; the next day he ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 15 14:14:23 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 21 14:14:19 -0700 2007
This started out so well, but I don't think the author executed the concept to its potential. I second the reviewer who said the first half is great but you spend the second half rolli...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Dec 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 13:06:07 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 13:08:49 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 11:13:56 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 01 16:36:55 -0800 2009
Everyone else seems dissatisfied with the second half, and certainly it gets a bit expository, but I thought it was an effective payoff of the mystery set up in the first half.

Some of the gross structure was simila...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 08:52:07 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 08:55:13 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 19:43:18 -0700 2008 Fri May 30 16:22:30 -0700 2008 Spin and Axis, even though it was published much earlier. I'm starting to see that he uses a familiar trope (?) in his books -- there is a mysterious event that takes place, and nothing is ever the same afterwards - though the difference is usually only fully known by a handful...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri May 01 17:17:14 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 17:19:03 -0700 2009 4 1 false false Wed Sep 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 17:01:06 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 12:57:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Oct 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 13 08:18:15 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 08:18:54 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Fri Oct 23 19:55:26 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 19:56:07 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jul 09 13:19:40 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 09 13:22:16 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=760961