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Cosmonaut Keep (Engines of Light #1)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 1,236 ratings · 46 reviews

Matt Cairns is a 21st-century outlaw Programmer who takes on the shady jobs no one else will touch. Against his better judgment, he accepts an assignment to crack the Marshall Titov, a top-secret orbital station operated by the European Space Agency. But what Matt will discover there will propel him on an extraordinary and quite unexpected journey.
Gregor Cairns is an exob...more

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Published 2001 by Orbit (first published 2000)

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Apr 14, 2013 Peter Cowman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Adults and Mature Teenagers who enjoy thinking as they read

Shelves: sci-fi, favourites

First of all, I want to make it clear I am newish to Sci-Fi so will not be comparing it to other authors of the genre.

This book is quite extraordinary for me. It has an unusual style in the it has two story lines running side by side, one revealing the history of the characters on Earth, and one moving through the present in Space. The different narratives alternate between chapters and I found this to be infuriatingly effective. The plots were fascinating to me and so my attention was held by h...more First of all, I want to make it clear I am newish to Sci-Fi so will not be comparing it to other authors of the genre.

This book is quite extraordinary for me. It has an unusual style in the it has two story lines running side by side, one revealing the history of the characters on Earth, and one moving through the present in Space. The different narratives alternate between chapters and I found this to be infuriatingly effective. The plots were fascinating to me and so my attention was held by having to read another chapter of Earth story to find out what happened next in Space, and vice versa. I also enjoyed the writing style - I see one review on the site mentioning the Americanisms in the book (spellings are mentioned I think) but I think that must have been the reviewer's edition as this is not something I experienced.

To me, there are certain criteria you must meet to read this book and enjoy it:
1. Be sciency. Ken MacLeod used to be a Computer Programmer and there is some fairly overwhelming technical stuff at times which may go straight over your head if you're not computer-savvy to some extent.
2. You must not object to drugs use in books. My old school librarian hated this book because of the regular references to Marijuana throughout. MacLeod does not set himself on one side of the fence or the other in the legalisation debate, but the stuff does appear many times.
3. Be prepared to take your Sci-Fi with a pinch of salt. Unlike my only other experiences of the genre with Iain M. Banks, the physics of the world simply don't work. Well, theoretically they do, but there is no way they could be possible by the laws we know of today. The engines used to travel across the universe in a split second are Anti-Gravity drives which allow the device to escape all gravitational influence and thus travel instantaneously. Theoretically sound, but implausible. Iain Banks at least used Wormholes for this, which are actually known to exist in Space.
4. Last, but certainly not least, be politically aware. Basically the whole point of these books (this is part 1 of a trilogy) is an examination of political devices and systems. If you get confused by the difference between Trotskyism, Stalinism, Communism and Capitalism and variations thereof, you either need to be prepared to get your head around some concepts or this is not the book for you.

I loved this book unreservedly. It is not often that I can give 5 stars without thinking twice. While I was reading it, I dreamed about it while sleeping, thought about it while awake and was always looking forward to getting back to the read the next chapter (it turned out to be a bad thing to find in the run up to exams!). I will however openly admit to bias. The Earth based narrative largely takes place in Edinburgh, a city in which I lived for some time so I know all the places mentioned. Also I am a programmer/hacker and a socialist, so the society in the book and the political struggles appealed to me. It was the kind of future I could dream about becoming a reality. Indeed some of the tech is already in the development pipeline (the Google Glass project = Spex?).

I am also intrigued by some of the concepts introduced. For the example the effects on the culture and society of the individual planets of the "Second Sphere" by the arrival of the very occasional starships are very interesting. It is also a space opera that does not involve everybody being able to travel in space. In fact, only 2 ancient species are able to travel in space, one having been given the technology to do so by the other. Humans have no control over their destinations - they simply go with the ship as guests, trading what they can at each stop off. The fact that they travel instantaneously but time moves on in relation to the number of light years traversed also makes an interesting point, as the star traders live only normal human lifespans but witness history over centuries or millenia and MacLeod uses this as a way to show cause-and-effects of politics and cultural revolutions.

In summary, this book is a political, cultural and technological maze that will either hold your attention or have you running for the exit. I loved every second of it and was unable to put it down. If I could I would give it a solid 7 out of 5...and I assure you, I am not easily kept happy by a book, especially a non-realism based one. (less)

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Jun 16, 2011 Lorelei rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

Conceptually an interesting book. I won't repeat the plot summary, but, to read, a very frustrating book. The author chops between the two stories in an abrupt manner that does not serve either character development or exposition. And there is an overuse of organisational acronyms that is truly baffling. I gave up trying to sort through which faction or organisation was which. First and last names are also confusingly used. In such a short story with such an array of ensemble characters it was t...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Morgan Murray rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi

Cosmonaut Keep is a somewhat odd book - definitely the first in a series. There's a lot of character development, and a significant amount scene-setting. There's not a huge plot, as the author devotes the book to explaining the political landscape between two sets of characters.

The book follows two sets of characters - one thread is from the first-person perspective and follows a post-euro-russo-harminsation computer hacker called Matt as he gets involved in Earth's first contact sometime mid-21...more Cosmonaut Keep is a somewhat odd book - definitely the first in a series. There's a lot of character development, and a significant amount scene-setting. There's not a huge plot, as the author devotes the book to explaining the political landscape between two sets of characters.

The book follows two sets of characters - one thread is from the first-person perspective and follows a post-euro-russo-harminsation computer hacker called Matt as he gets involved in Earth's first contact sometime mid-21st Century. The second thread follows a young research boat crew on a distant planet called Mingulay. The boat crew have not-so-advanced technology, and the book progresses through telling you how humans reached that planet and region of the galaxy. Along the way, there's a couple of love affairs and the introduction of a few alien races. The thread involving Matt is most in the vein of a political thriller, whereas the crew of the boat follow a detective-like path to the books conclusion.

Matt's tale is the more intrinsically interesting, but both of the threads of the story are obviously weaves in a larger fabric and that shows in the pace of the action. The first contact event is almost ignored by the book, which prefers to focus on the political intrigue surrounding the various human factions that compete to access alien technology. It's much easier to feel sympathetic for the character in this thread because the story is told from the first-perspective; the dual-perspective of the second thread dilutes the emotional impact of the adventure somewhat. Either way, don't pick up the book expecting to be dragged into a thrill-a-minute adventure - it's hard to judge a novel that is so obviously part of a larger work, but it is rather slow-burning.

I wouldn't recommend buying this novel alone. It's a little bit like buying the first half of a larger book. Get the series all together, and the story makes a satisfyingly large read. Buying this book alone will leave you somewhat unsatisfied at the end of the story, and leave more questions open than I find comfortable. However, it gets a good rating as part of a larger work, which is a good story.(less)

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Jul 15, 2009 Thom Foolery rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, trans-humanism

Cosmonaut Keep is the first in a new series by Ken MacLeod, who wrote The Stone Canal and The Cassini Division. As in those earlier works, this novel skillfully interweaves the personal and the political in a tapestry of transcendental posthumanity.

MacLeod again uses two narratives spanning an unknown amount of time to tell his story, and this conceit (while a bit confusing at first, at least in this novel) works. The "present" narrative takes place in the near-future, albeit in an alternate wor...more

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Jan 15, 2012 D rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The thing that makes Cosmonaut Keep interesting is the amount of detail the author put into the universe in which it takes place. Throughout the book, the universe's extensive history and intricate political setting is gradually explored, giving the reader a good overview by the time the time they reach the end.

At times, the universe exposition seems to take priority over the plot. The characters often feel more like historical figures in the universe's history, rather than, well, characters. A...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Isabel rated it 4 of 5 stars

A god stood in the sky high above the summer horizon, his long white hair streaming in the solar wind. Later, when the sky's colour had shifted from green to black, the white glow would reach almost to the zenith, its light outshining the Foamy Wake, the broad band of the Galaxy.

Two linked stories are told in alternate chapters. One is a first contact story about the meeting between between humans and aliens, while the later story involves the descendants of some of the characters now living on...more

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May 05, 2013 Mike Franklin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, all-read

3.5 stars

This was my second book by Ken MacLeod and was much better than my first; Learning the World. For the most part the elements of this story were more realistic and believable than that previous book.

The book consists of two stories told in parallel; one set several centuries after the other. One charting the lead up to starflight and the other the descendents of that starflight. Both stories were engaging, interesting and well told. The characters were well rounded and convincing. The Ea...more 3.5 stars

This was my second book by Ken MacLeod and was much better than my first; Learning the World. For the most part the elements of this story were more realistic and believable than that previous book.

The book consists of two stories told in parallel; one set several centuries after the other. One charting the lead up to starflight and the other the descendents of that starflight. Both stories were engaging, interesting and well told. The characters were well rounded and convincing. The East-West politics were a little dated but not unreasonable so. The technology was generally believable where necessary and totally alien, again, where necessary. There were some choice little computing in-jokes (mostly early on in the book) including one in the fourth sentence of the book that I suspect will sail over most readers heads without their realising it (unless they are into the historical origins of computer gaming).

Sadly it was rather let down by a lot of silly little inconsistencies, typos and confusing sentences, despite this being a third re-print of a second edition. There really is no excuse for that level of errors in such a late printing. These were all mostly very minor but annoying all the same. For example, at one point the narrative states "I was on call all the time and often had to visit the fabs, in real or virtual space." Then just ten pages later: "The fabrication units occupied a separate wing of the station. This was my first visit to them outside of VR...." Or "...side by side and face to face, were Aleksandra Chumakova and Grigory Volkov." That one reminded me of an old ryhme: "back to back they faced each other, drew their swords and shot each other." Minor? Maybe. Am I getting picky in my old age? Probably, I'm certainly expecting better quality from my reading than I did just six or seven years ago. But I don't think unreasonably so; these are errors of sloppy editing and each occurence pulls me out of my immersion in the story.

All that said they were still only minor technical grumbles and didn't put me off an intriguing and imaginative story. My one stronger grumble was with the ending(s). One of the stories (the older one), was wrapped up nicely, although inevitably it was very predicatable with the very existence of the other story providing a major spoiles. However the other story was left completely open with virtually no resolution at all. Okay so he wants us to go out and buy the next book in this trilogy, but still I hate cliff hangar endings in series with a vengence.

Overall a very good book, if a little untidy in places. I will be continuing with the series.(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Smcleish rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally published on my blog here in July 2001.

Beginning a new series, Cosmonaut Keep has two independent storylines. The first takes place in a shattered Europe in about fifty years' time, in a Scotland which is a Socialist Republic and then in a space station; it is concerned with first contact with a bizarre alien species, a bacterial lifeform which forms colonies which are incredibly powerful computers.

The second story is set farther into the future, and in quite a distant part of the gal...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Althea Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My first book by this author. It's first in the "Engines of Light saga," but, I was pleased to discover, works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel... at the end, of course, there is room to wonder "what happens next" but the characters, and their relationships, all come to a nice stopping-point.

"Cosmonaut Keep" is really 2 novels in one. There are two completely separate plotlines, and the connection between them is not made explicitly clear until chapter 18 (of 21).
In the first one, we meet...more

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Feb 13, 2009 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, 2009, sequel-expansion_interest, sci-fi

Interesting, and a worthwhile read, but it didn't knock my socks off. It was well-crafted, with alternating chapters taking place in two different times and locations, only slowly letting the reader see how they are connected. Clues for understanding what was going on in one area were given in the other, which was clever, but I found the corresponding changes between first- and third-person a little jarring. The near future is thoroughly detailed and felt like a believable world, but the politic...more

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May 05, 2013 Cristián Jara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Engines of Light is comprised of 3 books.

I must admit that it didn't sound too much fun at the beginning and it's a little confusing when you start reading the first book, but it quickly becomes interesting. In every book there's a clash between different social ideas, individualistic vs colectivistic societies.
The story is well told and and the plot isn't easy to predict. I liked the way it simulates societies that have lived centuries with a particular thought on life and the way they deve...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Priya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well really--we all know how I think about not very thinly disguised cheerleading for socialism and Mr Macleod is one of the best at it. Add shiny spaceships, sarcastic sailors-in-said-spaceships and a general tendency to not treat readers like dimwits and you have a fantastic read that makes you think after you've read it. Oh and it has kraken, something that automatically leads to five stars for me. For those foreign policy/Cold War nuts amongst us (what do you mean there aren't any left?)
I sh...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Science Fiction Fans

Shelves: digital, science-fiction, space-ships, currently-own

Boy did I read through this book quick. It was pleasant like that, despite a somewhat broad vocabulary (dictionary in hand for a few of the chapters) and honestly refreshing. I have a definite bias for this sort of sci-fi that's both distant and yet achingly close, and this book had all the stuff I really can get behind.

I was already looking forward to book two before getting two thirds into book one, and the first novel didn't at all disappoint.

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Feb 20, 2012 Chris LaHatte rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: f-sf

The problem with some science fiction writers is that they forget that ideas sometimes move faster than science fiction. This was OK and better than average characters, but the software seemed horribly outdated. The future technology didnt seem to really make sense either. Perhaps the next books in the series will be better. Good ideas, the aliens fairly well drawn, a love triangle all helped. Overall a bit mixed.

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Jul 06, 2011 Andreas rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book one of Engines of Light. This post-singularity novel has received quite some critical acclaim. While I can appreciate the good prose, I was not drawn in by either the characters or the story. MacLeod has some cool ideas but I gave up after about one hundred pages.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=920

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Jul 31, 2012 Marsha rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I'd say about 10-15% of this is incomprehensible babble, particularly in the first 70 pages. It finally clears up a bit and is somewhat interesting but ultimately, not terribly satisfying. Somewhat frustratingly, but awfully common the more scifi I read, the characters are secondary to the plot. They could all be described as 'that guy', completely interchangeable and lacking any defining qualities that could make them memorable.

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Dec 15, 2008 Pat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 27, 2011 Leonard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2 parallel stories. The one closer to our time is better ... (or at least I've read it and have not finished the more futuristic story)

The 2 stories come together in the end. The latter day one getting better.

Clearly written as the 1st of a series.

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Jul 30, 2009 Vamshidhar rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-sale, science-fiction

Okay, but not great. I probably will read the next in the series. The distant future portion is better written than the near future timeline, which seems a little busy and incoherent.

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Jul 06, 2012 Phil Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great series, if you like Iain M. Banks' Culture novels, you'll probably like these as well, bit less utopian than the Culture novels though, with a bit of politics.

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Jun 26, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The book has an interesting setting / world concept, and suggests potential for the series it begins. However, taking this book by itself (I haven't read the rest of the series), I was left with the feeling this was largely background for what will develop later in the series. Patience with drawn-out books or series is not one of my virtues. I have some curiosity about what develops of the series' potential, but also wonder whether that will be drawn out as well.

Readers who care more about the j...more

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Jun 04, 2008 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculative-fiction

I love the way this starts out, which is in second person POV -- only very briefly, though. After that, the chapters alternate between a world that is not Earth, and a world that is Earth but way in the future. It took me a while to realise how the stories were linked -- Ken MacLeod once again threw me in at the deepend about the socio-political situation, but in this trilogy I picked it up quickly -- and I didn't care for the alternation of first person and third person, which happened every ch...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hugo-nominee, read-2010, science-fiction

The first in the Engines of Light trilogy, Cosmonaut Keep is the story of a group of political renegades/refugees who develop the first human faster-than-light space travel based on alien technology. It is interspersed with the tale of the descendants of this first group of rogue colonists who are attempting to rediscover this lost technology. It features both dinosaurs and super-intelligent space squid, both of which I am discovering turn up in modern sci-fi at an unexpectedly high rate. All in...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Andrew Pielorz rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to get into this but try as I might I kept drifting off, completely bored.

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Nov 06, 2012 Rob marked it as to-read · review of another edition

See also:
• http://io9.com/5481558/20-great-infod...

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Jun 28, 2011 Chet rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Could not figure out what was going on at the start, so quit reading it.

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Sep 23, 2010 Craig J. added it · review of another edition

"Cosmonaut Keep (The Engines of Light, Book 1) by Ken MacLeod (2002)"

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Dec 01, 2009 Lorin Rivers added it · review of another edition

Cosmonaut Keep (The Engines of Light, Book 1) by Ken MacLeod (2002)

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Sep 09, 2012 Hans rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A disappointment. Some interesting stuff, but also confusing and slow.

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Oct 08, 2012 Carlos Garcia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great story but it just sort of ended without answering all the questions.

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About Ken MacLeod

Ken MacLeod is an award-winning Scottish science fiction writer.

His novels have won the Prometheus Award and the BSFA award, and been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. He lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.

MacLeod graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in zoology and has worked as a computer programmer and written a masters thesis on biomechanics.

His novels often explore socialist, c...more

More about Ken MacLeod...

Books by Ken MacLeod

The Star Fraction (The Fall Revolution, #1)

The Cassini Division (The Fall Revolution, #3)

Learning the World: A Scientific Romance

The Stone Canal (The Fall Revolution, #2)

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“The world has become one big grassy knoll, crawling with lone gunmen who think they're the Warren Commission.” — 1 person liked it

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Cosmonaut Keep (Engines of Light #1)

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