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Proxima #2
Ultima
Fresh from his latest collaboration with Terry Pratchett on the Long Earth sequence Stephen Baxter now returns to the mysteries and challenges first hinted at in his acclaimed novel PROXIMA.
In PROXIMA we discovered ancient alien artifacts on the planet of Per Ardua - hatches that allowed us to step across light years of space as if we were stepping into another room. The universe opened up to us. Now in ULTIMA the consequences of this new freedom make themselves felt. And we discover that there are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and they have a plan for us. For some of us. But as we learn the true nature of the universe we also discover that we have countless pasts all meeting in this present and that our future is terrifyingly finite. It's time for us to fight to take back control.
This is grand scale, big idea SF of the best possible sort. It is set to build on the massive success of PROXIMA and define Stephen Baxter's work going forward.
In PROXIMA we discovered ancient alien artifacts on the planet of Per Ardua - hatches that allowed us to step across light years of space as if we were stepping into another room. The universe opened up to us. Now in ULTIMA the consequences of this new freedom make themselves felt. And we discover that there are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and they have a plan for us. For some of us. But as we learn the true nature of the universe we also discover that we have countless pasts all meeting in this present and that our future is terrifyingly finite. It's time for us to fight to take back control.
This is grand scale, big idea SF of the best possible sort. It is set to build on the massive success of PROXIMA and define Stephen Baxter's work going forward.
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
236 people are currently reading
1939 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Baxter
403 books2,609 followersStephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews
February 10, 2017
This one was a satisfying end to the duology as long as we go along with the premise that the past is always full of options and the future always ends in death.
I'm talking universal death under the theory that there is a finite number of universes in a multi-verse, meaning that somewhere along the line the bubble is going to pop when it runs up against the wall. It's a very fascinating theory and it even makes a ton of sense because infinite is a very irrational number.
So what does this mean for this story? It means that none of us have as long as we think we have. It's the universal equivalent of random death. It can happen at any time. It can even happen to whole universes at any time.
This is scary. It also means that the story frame of massively parallel intelligences toying around with space-time effects in order to tweak the universe's beginnings or any small factor afterward is really just a last-ditch effort to find a way out of the exploding-bubble mess.
On a human scale, we were introduced to weird things happening such as alternate timelines re-writing the universe with the exception of the people going through the Hatches on these remote planets, each of whom remember everything about their old universe.
In this novel, the whole alternate timeline angle is taken all the way, giving us a Roman Empire that never ended, an Incan civilization that succeeded and colonized worlds, too. Each one is just another subtle tweak attempting to give humanity that one small glimmer of hope, that tiny little edge.
So what's the real theme of the novel, then? Curiosity is really big. So is the simplicity of wanting a journey. None of it is easy, of course, and it's a real trip to see Roman Legionnaires get pummeled by the Incans, but the real treat has got to be the inclusion of the AIs.
I don't know. The novel sets out to demonstrate tons of options that always narrow down to the last single choice, or no choice. He succeeds perfectly.
Me, personally? I think it's a perfect expression of fatalism. No hope. Surrounded by endless hope, super-intelligences dreaming up new realities, and yet, all of it is for nothing. It's rather scary.
Good book, but still rather scary.
I'm talking universal death under the theory that there is a finite number of universes in a multi-verse, meaning that somewhere along the line the bubble is going to pop when it runs up against the wall. It's a very fascinating theory and it even makes a ton of sense because infinite is a very irrational number.
So what does this mean for this story? It means that none of us have as long as we think we have. It's the universal equivalent of random death. It can happen at any time. It can even happen to whole universes at any time.
This is scary. It also means that the story frame of massively parallel intelligences toying around with space-time effects in order to tweak the universe's beginnings or any small factor afterward is really just a last-ditch effort to find a way out of the exploding-bubble mess.
On a human scale, we were introduced to weird things happening such as alternate timelines re-writing the universe with the exception of the people going through the Hatches on these remote planets, each of whom remember everything about their old universe.
In this novel, the whole alternate timeline angle is taken all the way, giving us a Roman Empire that never ended, an Incan civilization that succeeded and colonized worlds, too. Each one is just another subtle tweak attempting to give humanity that one small glimmer of hope, that tiny little edge.
So what's the real theme of the novel, then? Curiosity is really big. So is the simplicity of wanting a journey. None of it is easy, of course, and it's a real trip to see Roman Legionnaires get pummeled by the Incans, but the real treat has got to be the inclusion of the AIs.
I don't know. The novel sets out to demonstrate tons of options that always narrow down to the last single choice, or no choice. He succeeds perfectly.
Me, personally? I think it's a perfect expression of fatalism. No hope. Surrounded by endless hope, super-intelligences dreaming up new realities, and yet, all of it is for nothing. It's rather scary.
Good book, but still rather scary.
February 14, 2016
Worst sci-fi book ever. Entire chapters of the Bible are more fun to read than this load of tedious crap that spans generations. The characters are the most shallow and uninteresting figures ever to have appeared in print. And they beget children and grandchildren. Really, mr Baxter, why would I be interested in the further adventures of shallow characters whose parents and grandparents weren't even interesting to start with?
The idea of mutliple dimensions and possible outcomes of history is very poorly executed. Imagine this: if the Roman Empire hadn't fallen, the Romans would by the year 2300 be a space faring race. In Baxters version, they travel in huge ships that contain stone buildings, slaves and cattle! As if nothing in their culture would have changed in twenty centuries time. In another possible dimension, Baxter delivers the same trick to the inca's, but I will not even go into that.
If you like to be bored senseless, please read this sad excuse for a novel.
The idea of mutliple dimensions and possible outcomes of history is very poorly executed. Imagine this: if the Roman Empire hadn't fallen, the Romans would by the year 2300 be a space faring race. In Baxters version, they travel in huge ships that contain stone buildings, slaves and cattle! As if nothing in their culture would have changed in twenty centuries time. In another possible dimension, Baxter delivers the same trick to the inca's, but I will not even go into that.
If you like to be bored senseless, please read this sad excuse for a novel.
December 23, 2014
After the pleasant surprise of Proxima, in Ultima we’re launched straight into the cliff-hanger ending of the previous novel. (And so, in order to explain further, major plot revelations from Proxima have to be revealed here. You have been warned.)
From the publisher: “In PROXIMA we discovered ancient alien artifacts on the planet of Per Ardua – hatches that allowed us to step across light years of space as if we were stepping into another room. The universe opened up to us. Now in ULTIMA the consequences of this new freedom make themselves felt. And we discover that there are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and they have a plan for us. For some of us. But as we learn the true nature of the universe we also discover that we have countless pasts all meeting in this present and that our future is terrifyingly finite. It’s time for us to fight to take back control.
Two of our heroes, Yuri Eden and Steph Kalinski, have gone through a Hatch to arrive at a world where the Roman Empire has never fallen. They are met by Centurion Quintus Fabius aboard the airship Malleus Jesu. (Fans of the legendary Trigan Empire comic strip of the 1960’s will love this.)
In another plotline, the destruction of the planet Mercury and the subsequent bombardment of Earth in the ongoing war between the Chinese and the rest of the world in Proxima has led to another group of characters leaving Earth to end up at Mars. The AI Earthshine has managed to be transported there and clearly has plans of ‘his’ own.
The plan is eventually revealed. Starshine has determined the origin of the creator of the kernels, the seemingly unlimited energy source. He is determined to send out a message to their creators, (who he calls The Dreamers) in order to gain their attention. Once gained, he is determined to stop them.
Yuri’s daughter, Beth Eden Jones, and her daughter Mardina, travel to Mars to persuade Starshine from any precipitous action, yet find that they must use the Hatches to survive. Beth ends up on a Per Ardua with Starshine, whilst her daughter Mardina travels with the Roman legionnaires to Yupanquisuyu, an Incan space station.
So in Book Two of this series we have developments that were hinted at in Proxima.
The tale is so long a timespan that, as before, the characters are merely the foil for much bigger things. In terms of Epic, the plot moves through the generations as Yuri’s descendants take on the mantle and continue the tale. The range of characters is still fairly tight, but as the tale spans generations we see a little of our previous characters but are centred more on their descendants. It is rather Proxima: the Next Generations, if you like. Eden is superseded by her daughter Mardina, whose travels are even greater than her mother’s. Teacher, advisor and even friend, the farming unit computer ColU is a constant throughout, developing both a personality and provides the means of connecting the often-disparate elements together for the reader.
That’s not to say that the book is without resolution. The deftness in which the bigger picture is gradually revealed is a masterpiece of writing. We find out Starshine’s master plan, discover Yuri’s mysterious father and the reason for Yuri’s original migration to Proxima, as well as the possible creators of the space-transcending and time-spanning Hatches. There are major revelations throughout.
What the tale mainly does is broaden out from the relatively small scale focus of Proxima. More than in Proxima, it is here in Ultima that we get a real impression of the long story Stephen is telling. Whereas Proxima focused on Earth, Mercury and Proxima/Per Ardua, Ultima travels to different places, different planets, alternate universes and even the End of Time. You can’t accuse Stephen of thinking small here, though the focus is tightly upon our core of characters.
Though there is a sound scientific basis for the story, based on travelling interstellar distances and the consequent time dilation, Stephen’s imagination appears to have been let loose here and he makes the most of it. Ultima is a grand mashup of many science fiction tropes, often HUGE in scale. Literally planet-smashing events are combined with a kaleidoscope of awe-inspiring images – a Roman Empire brought up by its sandal-straps to interstellar travel, an enormous Rendezvous with Rama -style Incan space satellite to boot, planet-altering on a major scale, with worlds often changed in a matter of pages – are just some of many. What I came away with most at the end of this novel was a genuine feeling of delight, as the tale creates example upon example of ‘what-if’s?’ The culture clashes between our heroes and the Romans, the proto-British Brikanti and the space-faring Incas are great fun.
Some readers may be a little disappointed that the ending is another cliffhanger, as was Proxima. However Ultima cannot be accused of leaving things completely unresolved here. There are major resolutions here, but the plot is of such complexity that there are other elements left to be explored in later books. We travel from planet to planet and to alternate solar systems, all the while seeing how the ‘grand plan’ instigated by some mysterious group appears to be heading towards some mysterious completion. There are some red herrings along the way but they are, at least, entertaining.
In summary, Ultima is a tour-de-force of grand Space Opera, where an unbridled enthusiasm and super-long timelines create a tale full of wonder and cool imaginings. Whilst enjoying the travelogue, it is clear that, in the finest Clarkean tradition, the joy of discovery leads to even greater mysteries to be understood.
Ultima is great fun. I loved this book, even more than the first, and I really want to read the next book as soon as possible. Definitely one of my favourites of 2014.
From the publisher: “In PROXIMA we discovered ancient alien artifacts on the planet of Per Ardua – hatches that allowed us to step across light years of space as if we were stepping into another room. The universe opened up to us. Now in ULTIMA the consequences of this new freedom make themselves felt. And we discover that there are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and they have a plan for us. For some of us. But as we learn the true nature of the universe we also discover that we have countless pasts all meeting in this present and that our future is terrifyingly finite. It’s time for us to fight to take back control.
Two of our heroes, Yuri Eden and Steph Kalinski, have gone through a Hatch to arrive at a world where the Roman Empire has never fallen. They are met by Centurion Quintus Fabius aboard the airship Malleus Jesu. (Fans of the legendary Trigan Empire comic strip of the 1960’s will love this.)
In another plotline, the destruction of the planet Mercury and the subsequent bombardment of Earth in the ongoing war between the Chinese and the rest of the world in Proxima has led to another group of characters leaving Earth to end up at Mars. The AI Earthshine has managed to be transported there and clearly has plans of ‘his’ own.
The plan is eventually revealed. Starshine has determined the origin of the creator of the kernels, the seemingly unlimited energy source. He is determined to send out a message to their creators, (who he calls The Dreamers) in order to gain their attention. Once gained, he is determined to stop them.
Yuri’s daughter, Beth Eden Jones, and her daughter Mardina, travel to Mars to persuade Starshine from any precipitous action, yet find that they must use the Hatches to survive. Beth ends up on a Per Ardua with Starshine, whilst her daughter Mardina travels with the Roman legionnaires to Yupanquisuyu, an Incan space station.
So in Book Two of this series we have developments that were hinted at in Proxima.
The tale is so long a timespan that, as before, the characters are merely the foil for much bigger things. In terms of Epic, the plot moves through the generations as Yuri’s descendants take on the mantle and continue the tale. The range of characters is still fairly tight, but as the tale spans generations we see a little of our previous characters but are centred more on their descendants. It is rather Proxima: the Next Generations, if you like. Eden is superseded by her daughter Mardina, whose travels are even greater than her mother’s. Teacher, advisor and even friend, the farming unit computer ColU is a constant throughout, developing both a personality and provides the means of connecting the often-disparate elements together for the reader.
That’s not to say that the book is without resolution. The deftness in which the bigger picture is gradually revealed is a masterpiece of writing. We find out Starshine’s master plan, discover Yuri’s mysterious father and the reason for Yuri’s original migration to Proxima, as well as the possible creators of the space-transcending and time-spanning Hatches. There are major revelations throughout.
What the tale mainly does is broaden out from the relatively small scale focus of Proxima. More than in Proxima, it is here in Ultima that we get a real impression of the long story Stephen is telling. Whereas Proxima focused on Earth, Mercury and Proxima/Per Ardua, Ultima travels to different places, different planets, alternate universes and even the End of Time. You can’t accuse Stephen of thinking small here, though the focus is tightly upon our core of characters.
Though there is a sound scientific basis for the story, based on travelling interstellar distances and the consequent time dilation, Stephen’s imagination appears to have been let loose here and he makes the most of it. Ultima is a grand mashup of many science fiction tropes, often HUGE in scale. Literally planet-smashing events are combined with a kaleidoscope of awe-inspiring images – a Roman Empire brought up by its sandal-straps to interstellar travel, an enormous Rendezvous with Rama -style Incan space satellite to boot, planet-altering on a major scale, with worlds often changed in a matter of pages – are just some of many. What I came away with most at the end of this novel was a genuine feeling of delight, as the tale creates example upon example of ‘what-if’s?’ The culture clashes between our heroes and the Romans, the proto-British Brikanti and the space-faring Incas are great fun.
Some readers may be a little disappointed that the ending is another cliffhanger, as was Proxima. However Ultima cannot be accused of leaving things completely unresolved here. There are major resolutions here, but the plot is of such complexity that there are other elements left to be explored in later books. We travel from planet to planet and to alternate solar systems, all the while seeing how the ‘grand plan’ instigated by some mysterious group appears to be heading towards some mysterious completion. There are some red herrings along the way but they are, at least, entertaining.
In summary, Ultima is a tour-de-force of grand Space Opera, where an unbridled enthusiasm and super-long timelines create a tale full of wonder and cool imaginings. Whilst enjoying the travelogue, it is clear that, in the finest Clarkean tradition, the joy of discovery leads to even greater mysteries to be understood.
Ultima is great fun. I loved this book, even more than the first, and I really want to read the next book as soon as possible. Definitely one of my favourites of 2014.
December 15, 2016
Disclaimer: I joined goodreads just so I could review this book. This review is heavy on personal opinion and fueled by the post-read come down.
In a way, it's hard to review Ultima without also referring to Proxima, since it's a direct continuation of the story and doesn't make much sense without Proxima as context. The story picks up where Proxima left off, with Yuri Eden, Stef Kalinski, and the ColU trying to make sense of where the hatch they entered on Per Ardua has taken them...
If the writing in Proxima was clumsy (and it was) it only gets worse in Ultima. The paper thin characters carry on - some directly, others through their offspring - but it's hard to care for people this wooden. In fact, it doesn't seem like Baxter does care for them much, he dispatches them without fanfare whenever it suits him. When the author can't be bothered treating his characters well, I'm not sure why I, the reader, should invest in them. They clatter through the book, banging into one another and having stilted conversations, mere engines for the plot. Who cares what happens to them: they're not even likeable.
While the characterisation is bad, the dialogue is awful: stilted, dead-on-its-legs stuff. Although I hated reading the human characters' conversations, what I really came to dread was anything involving one of the AIs in this story (and there are two). Anyone who's read the interesting write ups on Wait But Why (http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artific...) or something like them will know what I mean. AI should be completely inscrutable; we won't understand what it is thinking or why, or what it intends to do, or whether it's being genuine or just skillfully manipulating us. True AI is truly terrifying. Although Baxter alludes to this throughout both books - particularly Proxima where the Core AIs are described as hiding out in distributed underground bunkers, self-sufficient but deeply embedded in human affairs - the effect is completely undermined when they talk. They just don't sound like hyper intelligent super beings. In fact, they barely sound like averagely intelligent human beings. The conversations become so cringey that it's almost painful to read them. This is even more obvious when the AIs talk to one another and begs the obvious question, why do they need to vocalise anything they say to each other at all? Does WiFI not exist in the future? At one point we hit this little nugget: "'I knew it,' the ColU breathed." The ColU. An AI. Breathing. Please.
Enough of the mechanics, what about the juicy stuff, the plot? There's no question it's ambitious. Not content with one universe we career around several, exploring the multiverse of "what if" possibilities. But it's here that the novel is weakest. There just isn't anything remotely plausible
In general the plot just seems to meander. Important developments occur as dry exposition, normally reeled off by an AI as an act of desperation by the author. It frequently feels like Baxter has painted himself into a corner and is constantly seeking to get out of it, never really sure of how to wrap things up tidily. The biggest dose of this comes near the end of the book
And that's the takeaway really. Bad characters, bad dialogue, an epic canvas with some interesting sets, and a nonsensical plot. As bubblegum sci-fi it's okay for killing time on the train, but a well thought out read it is not.
In a way, it's hard to review Ultima without also referring to Proxima, since it's a direct continuation of the story and doesn't make much sense without Proxima as context. The story picks up where Proxima left off, with Yuri Eden, Stef Kalinski, and the ColU trying to make sense of where the hatch they entered on Per Ardua has taken them...
If the writing in Proxima was clumsy (and it was) it only gets worse in Ultima. The paper thin characters carry on - some directly, others through their offspring - but it's hard to care for people this wooden. In fact, it doesn't seem like Baxter does care for them much, he dispatches them without fanfare whenever it suits him. When the author can't be bothered treating his characters well, I'm not sure why I, the reader, should invest in them. They clatter through the book, banging into one another and having stilted conversations, mere engines for the plot. Who cares what happens to them: they're not even likeable.
While the characterisation is bad, the dialogue is awful: stilted, dead-on-its-legs stuff. Although I hated reading the human characters' conversations, what I really came to dread was anything involving one of the AIs in this story (and there are two). Anyone who's read the interesting write ups on Wait But Why (http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artific...) or something like them will know what I mean. AI should be completely inscrutable; we won't understand what it is thinking or why, or what it intends to do, or whether it's being genuine or just skillfully manipulating us. True AI is truly terrifying. Although Baxter alludes to this throughout both books - particularly Proxima where the Core AIs are described as hiding out in distributed underground bunkers, self-sufficient but deeply embedded in human affairs - the effect is completely undermined when they talk. They just don't sound like hyper intelligent super beings. In fact, they barely sound like averagely intelligent human beings. The conversations become so cringey that it's almost painful to read them. This is even more obvious when the AIs talk to one another and begs the obvious question, why do they need to vocalise anything they say to each other at all? Does WiFI not exist in the future? At one point we hit this little nugget: "'I knew it,' the ColU breathed." The ColU. An AI. Breathing. Please.
Enough of the mechanics, what about the juicy stuff, the plot? There's no question it's ambitious. Not content with one universe we career around several, exploring the multiverse of "what if" possibilities. But it's here that the novel is weakest. There just isn't anything remotely plausible
In general the plot just seems to meander. Important developments occur as dry exposition, normally reeled off by an AI as an act of desperation by the author. It frequently feels like Baxter has painted himself into a corner and is constantly seeking to get out of it, never really sure of how to wrap things up tidily. The biggest dose of this comes near the end of the book
And that's the takeaway really. Bad characters, bad dialogue, an epic canvas with some interesting sets, and a nonsensical plot. As bubblegum sci-fi it's okay for killing time on the train, but a well thought out read it is not.
October 16, 2015
Mind-expanding SF, geeky in spots and inclined to infodump but all in rhythm with the pace and context of the narrative.
This takes up from the end of the first book, Proxima where: the key characters, counting in two machine entities, have escaped the coming cataclysm of the Nail into a hatch, emerging in a timeline where Rome, the empire, has continued on into space by the immense energies of the kernels. In this civilization, they must find a way to, first, survive, then next, escape. Before long, the troupe, sans some of their number, but plus some Roman pickups, are crashing into another hatch and emerging into another timeline. And so on all the way to the end, the Ultima, literally, the end of time. Along the way, the mystery of the kernels and the hatches is unraveled, and the presence of long-lived sentience is discovered.
I remember getting to the final chapter, and seeing that the ending was inevitable, wishing that the book didn't have to end. So much fun of a read this turned out to be. Filled with SF inventiveness, delivered in a spontaneous, unforced pace. A treat.
Five stars for sure. Recommended for SF geeks everywhere.
This takes up from the end of the first book, Proxima where: the key characters, counting in two machine entities, have escaped the coming cataclysm of the Nail into a hatch, emerging in a timeline where Rome, the empire, has continued on into space by the immense energies of the kernels. In this civilization, they must find a way to, first, survive, then next, escape. Before long, the troupe, sans some of their number, but plus some Roman pickups, are crashing into another hatch and emerging into another timeline. And so on all the way to the end, the Ultima, literally, the end of time. Along the way, the mystery of the kernels and the hatches is unraveled, and the presence of long-lived sentience is discovered.
I remember getting to the final chapter, and seeing that the ending was inevitable, wishing that the book didn't have to end. So much fun of a read this turned out to be. Filled with SF inventiveness, delivered in a spontaneous, unforced pace. A treat.
Five stars for sure. Recommended for SF geeks everywhere.
April 19, 2020
Dieses Buch hat genau das, was ich an Sience-Fiction so mag, komplexe Themen in Physik, Astophysik, Biologie, Genetik und so weiter, vereint mit einer guten Geschichte, mit Liebe, Schmerz, Hoffnungen und Träumen. Das ganze gepaart mit Raumschiffen, reisen zu anderen Planeten und Monden und einem grossen Mysterium.
Das erste Buch der Reihe, Proxima, war schon sehr spannend. Hier bei Ultima, hat Stephen Baxter jedoch noch einmal eine Schippe draufgelegt. Am Anfang, war ich sehr verwirrt und dachte mir, was der Quatsch soll, doch als ich nach einer längeren Pause das Buch wieder zur Hand nahm, hat es mich so richtig gepackt. Baxter schreibt in einem spannenden Stil und legt den Fokus auf die Geschichte und weniger auf die einzelnen Charaktere, was jedoch nicht bedeutet, das die Figurenentwicklung zu kurz kommt. Er überspringt allerdings öfter Jahre, manchmal gar Jahrzehnte, in denen die Geschichte stagnierte und geht direkt zum nächsten grossen Ereignis und setzt mit den selben natürlich gealterten Charakteren wieder an, was die Erzählung einer grossen Zeitspanne ermöglicht.
Das Ende ist für mich persönlich etwas unbefriedigend, genauso wie die abschliessende Lösung der grossen Rätsel, somit ein Stern abzug, doch so sehr stört das auch nicht, denn das gesamte Buch war grossartig, genauso wie schon das erste der Reihe.
Das erste Buch der Reihe, Proxima, war schon sehr spannend. Hier bei Ultima, hat Stephen Baxter jedoch noch einmal eine Schippe draufgelegt. Am Anfang, war ich sehr verwirrt und dachte mir, was der Quatsch soll, doch als ich nach einer längeren Pause das Buch wieder zur Hand nahm, hat es mich so richtig gepackt. Baxter schreibt in einem spannenden Stil und legt den Fokus auf die Geschichte und weniger auf die einzelnen Charaktere, was jedoch nicht bedeutet, das die Figurenentwicklung zu kurz kommt. Er überspringt allerdings öfter Jahre, manchmal gar Jahrzehnte, in denen die Geschichte stagnierte und geht direkt zum nächsten grossen Ereignis und setzt mit den selben natürlich gealterten Charakteren wieder an, was die Erzählung einer grossen Zeitspanne ermöglicht.
Das Ende ist für mich persönlich etwas unbefriedigend, genauso wie die abschliessende Lösung der grossen Rätsel, somit ein Stern abzug, doch so sehr stört das auch nicht, denn das gesamte Buch war grossartig, genauso wie schon das erste der Reihe.
February 18, 2017
Hoc frustretur >:(
If the afterword of Ultima was anything to go by then Baxter had a lot of fun researching the alternate histories that fill this book. But Wiki-walks and What-if’s do not a novel make and there was a lot missing from this book that would make it a satisfying read.
I went into Ultima with high hopes having only finished Proxima a couple of weeks before. I was ready to find out what happened to the characters I’d gotten to know and see how Baxter resolved all of the threads he’d spun in book one. Unfortunately, instead of either of those things happening we’re launched into alternative histories, one after the other. It seems that Baxter spent a lot of time researching Ancient civilizations and wondering what if and somehow those thought experiments replaced the story that I was expecting.
It’s not like placing these expectations of plot, pace, and style on Ultima are unreasonable: they come purely from my experiences with Proxima. That book had its flaws but was overall a fun read which really highlighted a sense of utter abandonment and alien(-ation). Both of those things are gone from this book. And if the writing in Proxima could be a little clunky, the dialogue confused, then in Ultima any hint of Baxter having the skills to craft these things if missing completely. Character interactions have become a means to advance the plot and the characters themselves are still throwaway: I could barely keep track of the various Mardina Jones descendants. Yuri too has less personality than in Proxima and quietly fades from the story. I’m still in the dark as to why his name held such gravitas . Why too is the Heroic generation still loathed? There are so many threads left hanging...
Aside from lack of plot resolution the thing that dropped this book from a 3 star to a 2 was the pacing. Baxter spends too much time setting up all the details of his ancient spacefaring civilizations and not enough time actually progressing the plot. After several jumps (yes, we heard Jonbar Hinge the first time Baxter) I stopped caring and believing in his world.
I’ve heard Baxter’s older stuff is very good and based off of Proxima I might pick some it up someday. But if you’ve finished Proxima and you were hoping for more of the same don’t pick up this sequel, it’s really not worth it. A disappointing read.
If the afterword of Ultima was anything to go by then Baxter had a lot of fun researching the alternate histories that fill this book. But Wiki-walks and What-if’s do not a novel make and there was a lot missing from this book that would make it a satisfying read.
I went into Ultima with high hopes having only finished Proxima a couple of weeks before. I was ready to find out what happened to the characters I’d gotten to know and see how Baxter resolved all of the threads he’d spun in book one. Unfortunately, instead of either of those things happening we’re launched into alternative histories, one after the other. It seems that Baxter spent a lot of time researching Ancient civilizations and wondering what if and somehow those thought experiments replaced the story that I was expecting.
It’s not like placing these expectations of plot, pace, and style on Ultima are unreasonable: they come purely from my experiences with Proxima. That book had its flaws but was overall a fun read which really highlighted a sense of utter abandonment and alien(-ation). Both of those things are gone from this book. And if the writing in Proxima could be a little clunky, the dialogue confused, then in Ultima any hint of Baxter having the skills to craft these things if missing completely. Character interactions have become a means to advance the plot and the characters themselves are still throwaway: I could barely keep track of the various Mardina Jones descendants. Yuri too has less personality than in Proxima and quietly fades from the story. I’m still in the dark as to why his name held such gravitas . Why too is the Heroic generation still loathed? There are so many threads left hanging...
Aside from lack of plot resolution the thing that dropped this book from a 3 star to a 2 was the pacing. Baxter spends too much time setting up all the details of his ancient spacefaring civilizations and not enough time actually progressing the plot. After several jumps (yes, we heard Jonbar Hinge the first time Baxter) I stopped caring and believing in his world.
I’ve heard Baxter’s older stuff is very good and based off of Proxima I might pick some it up someday. But if you’ve finished Proxima and you were hoping for more of the same don’t pick up this sequel, it’s really not worth it. A disappointing read.
August 22, 2015
Last year, I picked up Stephen Baxter's Proxima from the new book shelf at my local library, and enjoyed it thoroughly. I was also happy to learn that that while it was the first of a new series, the sequel was already out. Unfortunately, that was only the UK edition. The US edition was released nearly a year later. No good reason, that I can see.
Proxima ends with a cliffhanger, and Ultima starts from that point. Be warned that anything more I say about Ultima will be a spoiler with regard to Proxima. So stop now, go read Proxima if you have not.
In Proxima, the mysterious "hatches" transport beings from one location to another at the speed of light. In other words, you can get to Alpha Centauri instantly, but four years will have elapsed in the real world when you get there. But via the cliffhanger it is revealed that they also transport one to alternate universes. The surviving characters find themselves in a contemporary world where the Roman Empire has survived for 2500 years, and is a space-traveling power. There is quite a bit of exposition of the human culture that has evolved in this universe, as they all settle in. But some humans (and human-derived artificial intelligences) are driven to find why this happens. The second half of the book is mostly in a third universe where the Incan Empire has survived and is a space-traveling power.
The alternate world building is detailed and insightful, with many not so obvious consequences. It's not just familiar people wearing togas, but extrapolation of how the influence of history and technology would have transformed these ancient cultures.
On the negative side, as often happens in Baxter's books, there is a continuous turnover of characters. The story follows the few who do make it to the next universe, each time. By the end, we are following a granddaughter of a major character from Proxima, who happens to have the same name.
This appears to be a duology, like Baxter's Flood/Ark books, and the ending seems emotionally conclusive. And yet, there is a hook that could lead to a next book. In the end, I enjoyed the book, but not as much as Proxima itself.
Proxima ends with a cliffhanger, and Ultima starts from that point. Be warned that anything more I say about Ultima will be a spoiler with regard to Proxima. So stop now, go read Proxima if you have not.
In Proxima, the mysterious "hatches" transport beings from one location to another at the speed of light. In other words, you can get to Alpha Centauri instantly, but four years will have elapsed in the real world when you get there. But via the cliffhanger it is revealed that they also transport one to alternate universes. The surviving characters find themselves in a contemporary world where the Roman Empire has survived for 2500 years, and is a space-traveling power. There is quite a bit of exposition of the human culture that has evolved in this universe, as they all settle in. But some humans (and human-derived artificial intelligences) are driven to find why this happens. The second half of the book is mostly in a third universe where the Incan Empire has survived and is a space-traveling power.
The alternate world building is detailed and insightful, with many not so obvious consequences. It's not just familiar people wearing togas, but extrapolation of how the influence of history and technology would have transformed these ancient cultures.
On the negative side, as often happens in Baxter's books, there is a continuous turnover of characters. The story follows the few who do make it to the next universe, each time. By the end, we are following a granddaughter of a major character from Proxima, who happens to have the same name.
This appears to be a duology, like Baxter's Flood/Ark books, and the ending seems emotionally conclusive. And yet, there is a hook that could lead to a next book. In the end, I enjoyed the book, but not as much as Proxima itself.
August 28, 2015
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Proxima series, and I did not read the first. This was a distinct disadvantage for me, and I may not be judging the series fairly. My interest was in trying Stephen Baxter, a well-known and well-regarded science fiction author that I hadn't gotten to yet.
Weirdly, this is the second book in quick succession that I've read that takes the idea of a Roman empire that never fell. In this case, the Romans went into space, and yet they still act just like Romans 2000 years in the past presumably would. If you read my review of the other book with future!Romans then you know that taking an ancient society and transplanting it into the future without positing how 2000 years might have changed that society really annoys me. Glancing forward, in the book, it looks like the author also did Aztecs!(or is in Mayans!?) in SPACE. No. Do not take club and spear wielding, bigoted primitive societies and give them spacecraft without changing them. Just don't.
This is the second book in the Proxima series, and I did not read the first. This was a distinct disadvantage for me, and I may not be judging the series fairly. My interest was in trying Stephen Baxter, a well-known and well-regarded science fiction author that I hadn't gotten to yet.
Weirdly, this is the second book in quick succession that I've read that takes the idea of a Roman empire that never fell. In this case, the Romans went into space, and yet they still act just like Romans 2000 years in the past presumably would. If you read my review of the other book with future!Romans then you know that taking an ancient society and transplanting it into the future without positing how 2000 years might have changed that society really annoys me. Glancing forward, in the book, it looks like the author also did Aztecs!(or is in Mayans!?) in SPACE. No. Do not take club and spear wielding, bigoted primitive societies and give them spacecraft without changing them. Just don't.
August 5, 2020
The primary mystery laid out in Proxima - the purpose and creators of the hatches - was solved in Ultima but it took a lot of effort to unveil who was behind the curtain. Picking up right where Proxima left off, in this novel we travel with the same group of characters but their destinations are very much more exotic than our current universe where Proxima was set. Ultima is primarily set on two future alternate earths, with visits again to the Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima.
The world-building, or shall I say alternate earth-building, is incredible in this book. Baxter includes so much detail and makes the settings so complex it is sometimes hard to get your head around them. We know the primary characters well already, but the new main characters we pick up along the way in this book are really fleshed out which really helps one understand their motives when important decisions ultimately have to be made. And like in Baxter's other novels, the dark side of human nature is always on display.
After a really long and exhausting 500 pages, the book really peaks at the end. I thought it wrapped up very satisfyingly - a little glimmer of hope thrown in to a big pot of melancholia. Just the way I like it.
Overall, a good read and a worthy successor to Proxima. I just didn't connect as much to this one due to the far out alternate earth settings. I bought in to them, I just didn't think they were that interesting and we spent a lot of time in them. The alternate earth science is interesting, though, and that's where Baxter always shines. I won't say any more in order not to spoil anything.
Baxter wrote a collection of short stories, Obelisk set in the Proxima/Ultima universe which I'm excited to read. He also did this with his Flood/Ark duology, and I found the extra content to be fun to read as there were unresolved threads in that duology as well.
The world-building, or shall I say alternate earth-building, is incredible in this book. Baxter includes so much detail and makes the settings so complex it is sometimes hard to get your head around them. We know the primary characters well already, but the new main characters we pick up along the way in this book are really fleshed out which really helps one understand their motives when important decisions ultimately have to be made. And like in Baxter's other novels, the dark side of human nature is always on display.
After a really long and exhausting 500 pages, the book really peaks at the end. I thought it wrapped up very satisfyingly - a little glimmer of hope thrown in to a big pot of melancholia. Just the way I like it.
Overall, a good read and a worthy successor to Proxima. I just didn't connect as much to this one due to the far out alternate earth settings. I bought in to them, I just didn't think they were that interesting and we spent a lot of time in them. The alternate earth science is interesting, though, and that's where Baxter always shines. I won't say any more in order not to spoil anything.
Baxter wrote a collection of short stories, Obelisk set in the Proxima/Ultima universe which I'm excited to read. He also did this with his Flood/Ark duology, and I found the extra content to be fun to read as there were unresolved threads in that duology as well.
January 12, 2026
Ultima is a follow on from Proxima; these 2 stories are better than some of his other works. There are a few stretches of plausibility, but there is an explanation towards the end of the story. ie Romans in space?
The characters were more likeable, it moves along nicely, lots of twists and turns.
Although, as with so many of his other works, it's not a barrel of laughs, another 'every bodies dead Dave' ending.
The characters were more likeable, it moves along nicely, lots of twists and turns.
Although, as with so many of his other works, it's not a barrel of laughs, another 'every bodies dead Dave' ending.
January 25, 2016
I found this book a bit of a let down, or kind of a bait and switch. I got into Proxima due to the AIs and the excellent descriptions of the different modes of space travel. I hoped that Ultima would provide more of the same, but with a satisfying conclusion. Instead what I got was a bunch of speculations on the results of certain empires from human history not falling, and thereby (?) acquiring space faring capabilities. Interesting, in a way, but not what I bargained for.
All that would have been absolutely fine, though, if it had led to some sort of satisfying conclusion to the story, which it definitely did not. It never became the least bit clear to me what the motivation of "the dreamers" actually was, and the hand waving assertion that there is a main time line that is more real than all other realities did nothing to explain anything going on in the book. In short, it seemed to me that the Author had several different ideas (A few kinds of AI, a few kinds of space travel, space Incas, space Romans, etc) that he wished to explore, and he just threw them together with a very tenuous connecting story built on micro organisms in the hearts of worlds. More than anything I found it frustrating that absolutely nothing was resolved at the end of the book. The reality wanderers kept wandering, some people died, and it just kept going.
Having said all this, I would definitely read future books in the series, although with much less enthusiasm than I dove into Ultima after Proxima.
All that would have been absolutely fine, though, if it had led to some sort of satisfying conclusion to the story, which it definitely did not. It never became the least bit clear to me what the motivation of "the dreamers" actually was, and the hand waving assertion that there is a main time line that is more real than all other realities did nothing to explain anything going on in the book. In short, it seemed to me that the Author had several different ideas (A few kinds of AI, a few kinds of space travel, space Incas, space Romans, etc) that he wished to explore, and he just threw them together with a very tenuous connecting story built on micro organisms in the hearts of worlds. More than anything I found it frustrating that absolutely nothing was resolved at the end of the book. The reality wanderers kept wandering, some people died, and it just kept going.
Having said all this, I would definitely read future books in the series, although with much less enthusiasm than I dove into Ultima after Proxima.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2014
natürlich musste die geschichte nach "proxima" weitergehen - zu viele lose enden, zu viele offene fragen.
nun kann ich nicht behaupten, dass allzuviele fragen im zweiten teil offen geblieben sind, aber die story als solches kommt doch ziemlich ausgedünnt herüber. die meisten ereignisse werden von protagonisten erzählt und reflektiert, während sie beinandersitzen oder aber - was mich am meisten störte - eine lange reise aus band 1 ein zweites mal durchführen (mit dem kleinen unterschied, dass sich diese ein paar milliarden jahre in der zukunft ereignet) um eine enorme menge an wissenschaftlichen erkenntnissen unterzubringen.
summa summarum mehr ein hort großartiger ideen und wie immer die imagination anfeuernder konstruktionen - aber nicht ganz so brilliant wie proxima, das mir vom drive her mehr zugesagt hat.
nun kann ich nicht behaupten, dass allzuviele fragen im zweiten teil offen geblieben sind, aber die story als solches kommt doch ziemlich ausgedünnt herüber. die meisten ereignisse werden von protagonisten erzählt und reflektiert, während sie beinandersitzen oder aber - was mich am meisten störte - eine lange reise aus band 1 ein zweites mal durchführen (mit dem kleinen unterschied, dass sich diese ein paar milliarden jahre in der zukunft ereignet) um eine enorme menge an wissenschaftlichen erkenntnissen unterzubringen.
summa summarum mehr ein hort großartiger ideen und wie immer die imagination anfeuernder konstruktionen - aber nicht ganz so brilliant wie proxima, das mir vom drive her mehr zugesagt hat.
February 3, 2017
It must be hard to follow up on a book that dealt with reality augmenting technology without totally jumping the shark. Baxter does a solid job though. Ultima is the sequel that I wanted and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole Roman thing seemed a bit daft to begin with but it wasn't a sticking point for me.
I feel like this is as far as we can go in this story without getting silly or boring. Ultima was a nice closing of the long arc story line.
I feel like this is as far as we can go in this story without getting silly or boring. Ultima was a nice closing of the long arc story line.
October 31, 2016
“Ultima” was an interesting follow up to its predecessor, “Proxima”, being so large as it was in scope, I felt afterwords, as if I had read an ambitious trilogy in two volumes. Baxter really is of the Clarke school; big ideas sense of wonder type stuff.
Over all, I really did enjoyed it for the most part.
Over all, I really did enjoyed it for the most part.
January 3, 2018
After a relatively (compared to Proxima) slow start, when Ultima takes off it flies. A fascinating second third is followed by a final third which is every bit as good as Proxima. I'm torn between 4 and 4.5 stars for the book as a whole. The second half would certainly merit 5.
April 12, 2015
The short summary: If you liked Proxima, you'll probably get on ok with Ultima too. If you haven't read Proxima, then read it first, as this book will otherwise make about as much sense as a moose with a hat rack. And if you found Proxima irritating, then give this a miss...
In a bit more detail: It's over 500 pages of full-on widescreen hard(ish) SF into which Baxter weaves a number of his obsessions from previous novels: parallel universes, the Carter Catastrophe, deep time and, oddly, the Roman Empire. The second of what looks like being another Baxter trilogy to sit alongside Destiny's Children and the Manifold Trilogy, it has all the familiar attractions and flaws of Baxter's earlier books. The sheer scale and breadth of the story - spanning billions of years, multiple generations and at least four different universes, helps to give the story a resonance that goes some way to make up for the rather thin characterisation.
I never really had any feel for why the former slave, Chu, chose Mardina over Clodia when they all found themselves alone at the end of time, as neither character really seemed to be anything more than a cipher to whom things happened. But on the other hand, after reading Proxima, there was something genuinely touching about Beth Eden Jones' return to Per Ardua, the planet where she had been born some 700 pages (and nearly 60 subjective years) previously.
The book moved along quickly enough that I didn't find myself thinking too hard about the underlying implausibility of a parallel universe in which the Roman Empire survived, invented space travel, but remained in almost all other ways a very primitive civilisation, with little real understanding of the scientific method, where a bad tooth could still be a death sentence.
The imagining, later in the story, of an Incan Empire, based from a vast space orbital, was more than a little reminiscent of the late Iain Banks' Culture novels, albeit I don't recall The Culture having been in to child sacrifice... However unlikely it might be, I rather liked the scenes involving the Antis, an Amazonian tribe who had been transported wholesale to live in artificial jungles aboard the Orbital, following the destruction of their home.
For all that he's described as 'Hard SF' (and there's three pages at the end where he points to some of the science behind various aspects of the plot, the book felt to me more like one of those big fat fantasy novels - with 'hatches' appearing seemingly without explanation which transport characters across space and time, and with interstellar travel achieved via 'kernels' which appear not to be understood by anyone. Insofar as the book has a hard-SF leaning, it is probably in the attention to detailss of, for example, how life might evolve on a planet like Per Ardua, where one half is in permanent daylight, and the other always dark. And while my physics knowledge isn't up to vouching for the description of the Incan Orbital, it sounded superficially plausible.
I enjoyed it, although it didn't blow my mind in the way that the first two thirds of the Manifold trilogy did. Whether that's because it isn't as good or just that I'm older and less easily impressed, I find harder to say.
In a bit more detail: It's over 500 pages of full-on widescreen hard(ish) SF into which Baxter weaves a number of his obsessions from previous novels: parallel universes, the Carter Catastrophe, deep time and, oddly, the Roman Empire. The second of what looks like being another Baxter trilogy to sit alongside Destiny's Children and the Manifold Trilogy, it has all the familiar attractions and flaws of Baxter's earlier books. The sheer scale and breadth of the story - spanning billions of years, multiple generations and at least four different universes, helps to give the story a resonance that goes some way to make up for the rather thin characterisation.
I never really had any feel for why the former slave, Chu, chose Mardina over Clodia when they all found themselves alone at the end of time, as neither character really seemed to be anything more than a cipher to whom things happened. But on the other hand, after reading Proxima, there was something genuinely touching about Beth Eden Jones' return to Per Ardua, the planet where she had been born some 700 pages (and nearly 60 subjective years) previously.
The book moved along quickly enough that I didn't find myself thinking too hard about the underlying implausibility of a parallel universe in which the Roman Empire survived, invented space travel, but remained in almost all other ways a very primitive civilisation, with little real understanding of the scientific method, where a bad tooth could still be a death sentence.
The imagining, later in the story, of an Incan Empire, based from a vast space orbital, was more than a little reminiscent of the late Iain Banks' Culture novels, albeit I don't recall The Culture having been in to child sacrifice... However unlikely it might be, I rather liked the scenes involving the Antis, an Amazonian tribe who had been transported wholesale to live in artificial jungles aboard the Orbital, following the destruction of their home.
For all that he's described as 'Hard SF' (and there's three pages at the end where he points to some of the science behind various aspects of the plot, the book felt to me more like one of those big fat fantasy novels - with 'hatches' appearing seemingly without explanation which transport characters across space and time, and with interstellar travel achieved via 'kernels' which appear not to be understood by anyone. Insofar as the book has a hard-SF leaning, it is probably in the attention to detailss of, for example, how life might evolve on a planet like Per Ardua, where one half is in permanent daylight, and the other always dark. And while my physics knowledge isn't up to vouching for the description of the Incan Orbital, it sounded superficially plausible.
I enjoyed it, although it didn't blow my mind in the way that the first two thirds of the Manifold trilogy did. Whether that's because it isn't as good or just that I'm older and less easily impressed, I find harder to say.
November 25, 2015
Baxter has some interesting ideas, but the pacing is all over the place and apparently he must have had a kid while he was writing this because there's way too many people having babies all over the place. It's not necessary to have 4 generations of main characters come and go when you're literally dealing with multiversal time travel, and every time one of his characters follows the lifescript and pops out a kid I get further and further removed from these characters. Not to mention having to skip several pages of gurgling and flailing and Baxter acting like I give a shit. I wouldn't mind so much if he didn't shove the creation of a 4th generation (Yuri Eden's great-granddaughter) into an ending that's already packed with a massive info-dump and the End of Time itself. Two humans shitting out yet another kid is by far the absolute least interesting thing going on in the final few chapters, so of course that's what he chooses to focus on (or so it seems to me, because that's the last thing I want him to talk about while the universe is ending). I'm glad I'm never having kids, because it seems to make you forget how to write about anything else.
I wasn't terribly satisfied with this one, and I really hope he does better in book 3. And I really really hope that we won't have to watch Yuri's great-great-granddaughter show up. Hell, I'd have preferred if Beth and the rest of the generations had never even existed, and we'd just kept Yuri as our PoV character the whole way through. Especially when Baxter gets all preachy about it. Dammit, reproduction is NOT the most important thing in the universe! Especially when you're dealing with the scale of ideas that this book deals with!
I wasn't terribly satisfied with this one, and I really hope he does better in book 3. And I really really hope that we won't have to watch Yuri's great-great-granddaughter show up. Hell, I'd have preferred if Beth and the rest of the generations had never even existed, and we'd just kept Yuri as our PoV character the whole way through. Especially when Baxter gets all preachy about it. Dammit, reproduction is NOT the most important thing in the universe! Especially when you're dealing with the scale of ideas that this book deals with!
March 21, 2015
This book contains a battle between a roman century from an alternative timeline where the roman empire endured against an overwhelming force of inca's, somewhere inside a space habitat thousands of miles long, coated with an ocean and a rainforest, where even native americans still live. If you need any more of a recommendation, I do question your sense of wonder ... I at least was awed by the flights of imagination of the author (even if the level of technology proposed for the alternative spacefaring civilizations seemed a little off, it read more like a movie, taking narrative shortcuts, than reality). And there was more: speculations about the deep biosphere (the bacteria living in the earths crust), paths of evolution, the physics of alternative universes, and even artificial intelligence. Baxters style as always seems a bit clinical, to my tastes at least, and some of his characters serve no other purpose than provide background information and discussions about theories. But here he also serves up some memorable people, for instance Titus Valerius, a Roman veteran, practical and with a seemingly never ending supply of anecdotes. His other characters were pretty good too, even if they didn't have much of an influence on the plot. But this book is not really about characterisation, but about ideas, and it didn't lack in that regard. I would even call it mind blowing. Don't know if it would hold out over the course of re-reads, but at this first pass it definitely made an impression.
March 22, 2015
ROMANS IN SPACE.
That's right, in an alternate universe, the Roman Empire was not content with its conquests of Southern Europe, Northern Africa and South America, so Caesar's legions built spaceships and set out for the stars.
If that description alone doesn't convince you to read this book, well, I don't know what will (unless perhaps I can entice you with this teensy spoiler: ?).
But as entertaining as Romans in Space is (and I thoroughly enjoyed this trope 'til the very last chapter) RiS (official Space-Romans acronym) actually isn't what Ultima is about.
Baxter again shows off his fantastic world-building skills as we flit not only between different planets, but parallel realities in search of the answers to questions posed in Proxima. What are the kernels? Who built the hatches? Seriously though, how did the Romans end up in space?
We continue to follow a few characters from Proxima, but more frequently their descendants, in this long-spanning book. But slowly the meta-narrative comes together, and in the end Ultima gets deep and philosophical, with (apparently) a solid speculatively-scientific foundation. It's a great book, poignant and bitter-sweet in parts, enthralling throughout.
That's right, in an alternate universe, the Roman Empire was not content with its conquests of Southern Europe, Northern Africa and South America, so Caesar's legions built spaceships and set out for the stars.
If that description alone doesn't convince you to read this book, well, I don't know what will (unless perhaps I can entice you with this teensy spoiler: ?).
But as entertaining as Romans in Space is (and I thoroughly enjoyed this trope 'til the very last chapter) RiS (official Space-Romans acronym) actually isn't what Ultima is about.
Baxter again shows off his fantastic world-building skills as we flit not only between different planets, but parallel realities in search of the answers to questions posed in Proxima. What are the kernels? Who built the hatches? Seriously though, how did the Romans end up in space?
We continue to follow a few characters from Proxima, but more frequently their descendants, in this long-spanning book. But slowly the meta-narrative comes together, and in the end Ultima gets deep and philosophical, with (apparently) a solid speculatively-scientific foundation. It's a great book, poignant and bitter-sweet in parts, enthralling throughout.
November 2, 2015
Space Romans and the end of everything! The latter is a longtime obsession for Stephen Baxter, and the space Romans are his latest twist on the subject. They're entertaining, as are some of the other surprises in the book.
However, it's hard to ignore the fact that most of the characters are passive observers of mighty cosmic ideas. It's kind of the point of the book, which makes it interesting without ever really being engaging.
However, it's hard to ignore the fact that most of the characters are passive observers of mighty cosmic ideas. It's kind of the point of the book, which makes it interesting without ever really being engaging.
December 6, 2014
A 2000 years old Roman Empire that uses legions and swords alongside spaceships is absurd, and the only interesting characters are the two Artificial Intelligence, but that last third of the novel is very impressive.
September 17, 2015
A good sequel.
May 13, 2021
Le moins qu’on puisse dire, c’est que ce livre est un vrai roller-coaster. Un voyage étrange, qui n’a pas vraiment de sens pendant un certain temps, et puis d’un coup, tout prend forme.
Enfin, presque.
Ultima est la suite de Proxima, et reprend l’aventure juste au moment où on l’abandonne dans le premier livre. Nos héros sont donc amenés dans un vaisseau spatial conduit par des romains. De la Rome Antique. Genre jupette, toge et épée.
Non, je ne déconne pas
On a la même avec des Incas un peu plus loin dans le livre. Je ne suis normalement pas fane de ces grosses incohérences technologiques genre « eh on a à peine passé le stade victorien en terme de médecine et on a encore des esclaves, mais on sait construire des vaisseaux super puissants ! » (duh), mais … je suis prête à laisser passer pour cette fois, parce que la fin du livre est très bien amenée. SI j’apprécie les théories de multivers, j’apprécie encore plus l’idée d’une civilisation unicellulaire capable de contrôler l’espace et le temps (oui) grâce à l’exploitation de l’énergie déployée lors de la fin de notre univers (non vous n’avez pas un anévrisme, c’est la vraie histoire du livre). Est-ce que c’est complètement barré ? Est-ce que ça n’a vraiment aucun sens ? Est-ce qu’on se fout de la plupart des personnages et qu’ils ne servent qu’à suivre l’intrigue ? Oui, oui, oui et oui.
C’est difficile à décrire et encore plus à analyser … mais ça vaut le coup de lire, je pense. Je suis confuse, je l’admets.
The least I can say is that this book is a real roller-coaster. A weird ride, that makes no sense for a while, and then, just all of a sudden, it all makes sense. Well, almost.
Ultima is the sequel of Proxima, and takes the adventure back to where we left it in the first book. Our heroes are then brought up in a spaceship driven by romans. From Ancient Rome. Like with the skirts, togas and swords.
No, I’m not joking. We even have the same thing but with Incas later on in the book. I am normally not a fan of these kinds of big technological incoherences like « Eh we are just barely out of the Victorian stage in terms of medicine and we still have slaves, but we know how to build very cool spaceships ! » (duh), but … I am ready to let that go for that one time, because the end of the book is quite well done. If I like the multiverse theories, I like even more the idea of a unicellular civilisation able to manipulate space and time (yes) thanks to the exploitation of the energy released during the end of the universe (no, you did not just have an aneurism, this is the true story of the book). Is this completely crazy ? Does it just not make sense ? Do we not care about most of the characters and do they only serve to get to the end of the story ? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
It is difficult to describe, and even worse to analyse … But I think you can give it a go. I am confused, I will give you that.
Ultima est la suite de Proxima, et reprend l’aventure juste au moment où on l’abandonne dans le premier livre. Nos héros sont donc amenés dans un vaisseau spatial conduit par des romains. De la Rome Antique. Genre jupette, toge et épée.
Non, je ne déconne pas
On a la même avec des Incas un peu plus loin dans le livre. Je ne suis normalement pas fane de ces grosses incohérences technologiques genre « eh on a à peine passé le stade victorien en terme de médecine et on a encore des esclaves, mais on sait construire des vaisseaux super puissants ! » (duh), mais … je suis prête à laisser passer pour cette fois, parce que la fin du livre est très bien amenée. SI j’apprécie les théories de multivers, j’apprécie encore plus l’idée d’une civilisation unicellulaire capable de contrôler l’espace et le temps (oui) grâce à l’exploitation de l’énergie déployée lors de la fin de notre univers (non vous n’avez pas un anévrisme, c’est la vraie histoire du livre). Est-ce que c’est complètement barré ? Est-ce que ça n’a vraiment aucun sens ? Est-ce qu’on se fout de la plupart des personnages et qu’ils ne servent qu’à suivre l’intrigue ? Oui, oui, oui et oui.
C’est difficile à décrire et encore plus à analyser … mais ça vaut le coup de lire, je pense. Je suis confuse, je l’admets.
The least I can say is that this book is a real roller-coaster. A weird ride, that makes no sense for a while, and then, just all of a sudden, it all makes sense. Well, almost.
Ultima is the sequel of Proxima, and takes the adventure back to where we left it in the first book. Our heroes are then brought up in a spaceship driven by romans. From Ancient Rome. Like with the skirts, togas and swords.
No, I’m not joking. We even have the same thing but with Incas later on in the book. I am normally not a fan of these kinds of big technological incoherences like « Eh we are just barely out of the Victorian stage in terms of medicine and we still have slaves, but we know how to build very cool spaceships ! » (duh), but … I am ready to let that go for that one time, because the end of the book is quite well done. If I like the multiverse theories, I like even more the idea of a unicellular civilisation able to manipulate space and time (yes) thanks to the exploitation of the energy released during the end of the universe (no, you did not just have an aneurism, this is the true story of the book). Is this completely crazy ? Does it just not make sense ? Do we not care about most of the characters and do they only serve to get to the end of the story ? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
It is difficult to describe, and even worse to analyse … But I think you can give it a go. I am confused, I will give you that.
May 28, 2017
Great implementation of established scientific knowledge. Epic answers to philosophical issues.
Very bad character-development and basically non-existing emotions, inter-relationships rendered detached and impassive.
The story itself still has some gaps, some threads even unexplained in the end. But overall, the jumps in space And time coalesc into a great telltale narrative, exploring some pretty mind-boggling scientific probabilities.
That was what kept me reading.
3 stars
Very bad character-development and basically non-existing emotions, inter-relationships rendered detached and impassive.
The story itself still has some gaps, some threads even unexplained in the end. But overall, the jumps in space And time coalesc into a great telltale narrative, exploring some pretty mind-boggling scientific probabilities.
That was what kept me reading.
3 stars
February 29, 2024
It's not as good as the first in the series but solid enough once it got going. Unfortunately, that was almost halfway through the book. The first half displays all the problems in lack of character and dull dialogue that plagues Baxter's worst efforts. The most interesting character from book 1 is quietly sidelined and dies 'offscreen'. However, the novel achieves liftoff when we pass through another "jonbar hinge." And we explore another alternate reality and return to 'Per Ardua'.
Ultimately satisfying, but flawed Duology.
Ultimately satisfying, but flawed Duology.
July 19, 2018
What a journey!!
October 24, 2017
Baxter fans will love this, and since I'm a Baxter fan, I have to include myself. I particularly enjoyed thinking about the contingency of history in addition to Baxter's usual Arthur C. Clarke-style cosmic scale business.
(See my blog version: http://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/20...)
I really enjoyed the previous volume in the duology, Proxima, which you might say is part of the trend of "Interstellar Colonization 101" (see my blog post on the topic: http://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/20...).
While Ultima is definitely a sequel, it goes in a really different direction, which is not too surprising given the discovery of the mysterious Hatches at the end of the previous book. It turns out that the Hatches are not just wormholes in space, but also between dimensions/universes.
Minor spoilers ahead...
One criticism is that it was hard to keep track of the characters, some of whom are children or grandchildren (maybe great-grandchildren?) of characters from the previous book. Characterization isn't Baxter's strong suit, which makes it extra hard to keep track of who's who and what universe they're from. With a couple exceptions, most of the characters are so bland it's hard to distinguish them, serving as they do primarily as vehicles for the plot and ideas. Since the ideas are so cool, I'm fine with that, but if you're not used to Baxter or Hard SF in general, that might be a hard pill for some readers to swallow.
Aside from some deeper elements of the plot that really only come together at the end (which I will leave spoiler-free), some of the most interesting philosophical content surrounds the contingency of history. Could human history of the last few thousand years have gone really differently than it did? How do contingent events of climate and disease shape history? Do science, technology, and ethics proceed in a linear fashion from one stage to the next, as a lot of science fiction supposes? (See especially Star Trek, where the historical trajectory of Western Europe sets the standard for all civilizations in the galaxy). Could you imagine societies with spaceflight, but without sophisticated computers, even opting for low tech interstellar travel? Or a society that eliminates hunger but not slavery? A society that colonizes this and other solar systems but with a deeply traditional view of its past and acceptance of social hierarchies including empires and royalty?
What Baxter does, in other words, is to shake up the whole notion of naive, necessary progress. While history should be understood causally, it shouln't be understood teleologically. One event causes the next, but history is not following any particular plan to any particular destination. There is no end of history in the sense of a goal or telos, although existence might, in fact, end.
I don't find this particularly troubling. If anything, the idea that history is a steady march irrespective of our actions ought to be troubling, and besides, has little evidence in its favor (this is why I've never warmed to Hegelian/Marxist views of history). What the contingency of history ought to do, however, is to remind us of the preciousness of the good we have accomplished as well as how much more there is to be done, while acknowledging that there may be other ways to shape the future. There's nothing necessary about the way we have been, nor the way we have to be in the future. It's up to us, at least partially.
One of the most liberating effects of science fiction is how it limbers up our minds to imagine more than the past and present as we know them. Baxter's historical what if's are definitely a lot of fun, which is reason enough to read Ultima, but its deeper work comes in opening up new ways to think of ourselves, our histories, and our futures.
(See my blog version: http://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/20...)
I really enjoyed the previous volume in the duology, Proxima, which you might say is part of the trend of "Interstellar Colonization 101" (see my blog post on the topic: http://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/20...).
While Ultima is definitely a sequel, it goes in a really different direction, which is not too surprising given the discovery of the mysterious Hatches at the end of the previous book. It turns out that the Hatches are not just wormholes in space, but also between dimensions/universes.
Minor spoilers ahead...
One criticism is that it was hard to keep track of the characters, some of whom are children or grandchildren (maybe great-grandchildren?) of characters from the previous book. Characterization isn't Baxter's strong suit, which makes it extra hard to keep track of who's who and what universe they're from. With a couple exceptions, most of the characters are so bland it's hard to distinguish them, serving as they do primarily as vehicles for the plot and ideas. Since the ideas are so cool, I'm fine with that, but if you're not used to Baxter or Hard SF in general, that might be a hard pill for some readers to swallow.
Aside from some deeper elements of the plot that really only come together at the end (which I will leave spoiler-free), some of the most interesting philosophical content surrounds the contingency of history. Could human history of the last few thousand years have gone really differently than it did? How do contingent events of climate and disease shape history? Do science, technology, and ethics proceed in a linear fashion from one stage to the next, as a lot of science fiction supposes? (See especially Star Trek, where the historical trajectory of Western Europe sets the standard for all civilizations in the galaxy). Could you imagine societies with spaceflight, but without sophisticated computers, even opting for low tech interstellar travel? Or a society that eliminates hunger but not slavery? A society that colonizes this and other solar systems but with a deeply traditional view of its past and acceptance of social hierarchies including empires and royalty?
What Baxter does, in other words, is to shake up the whole notion of naive, necessary progress. While history should be understood causally, it shouln't be understood teleologically. One event causes the next, but history is not following any particular plan to any particular destination. There is no end of history in the sense of a goal or telos, although existence might, in fact, end.
I don't find this particularly troubling. If anything, the idea that history is a steady march irrespective of our actions ought to be troubling, and besides, has little evidence in its favor (this is why I've never warmed to Hegelian/Marxist views of history). What the contingency of history ought to do, however, is to remind us of the preciousness of the good we have accomplished as well as how much more there is to be done, while acknowledging that there may be other ways to shape the future. There's nothing necessary about the way we have been, nor the way we have to be in the future. It's up to us, at least partially.
One of the most liberating effects of science fiction is how it limbers up our minds to imagine more than the past and present as we know them. Baxter's historical what if's are definitely a lot of fun, which is reason enough to read Ultima, but its deeper work comes in opening up new ways to think of ourselves, our histories, and our futures.
October 15, 2015
Ich will gleich zur Sache kommen. Übrigens etwas, das Stephen Baxter nicht so recht beherrscht, wie er schon früher bewiesen hat. :)
Nach Proxima legt er mit 'Ultima' einen Nachfolgeband vor, der wirklich alle offenen Fragen klärt. Aber nicht, ohne vorher noch selbst ein paar aufzuwerfen. Wir erinnern uns: Das Buch 'Proxima' beendet sein unstetes Funkeln mit dem plötzlichen Auftauchen von etwas gänzlich unerwartetem. Man rechnet nämlich im Verlauf des Weltraumabenteuers mit vielen, aber nicht mit dem Fuß eines römischen Legionärs, der Staub auf einem fremden Planeten aufwirbelt. Und genau da setzt 'Ultima' die Reise fort.
Die überlebenden Kolonisten treffen auf eine Kultur, die ich gerne 'Weltall-Römer' bezeichnen möchte. Klar, die Idee wirkt, als hätte Baxter sie aus einem Mel-Brooks-Film geklaut, aber im Zuge des Romans wird die Entwicklung, die zu römischen Astronauten führte, recht plausibel beschrieben.
Immer deutlicher wird nämlich, dass die 'Kernels' und die 'Luken' zusammenhängen. Nicht zufällig haben die Menschen die Energie spendenden, außerirdischen Wunderdinger gefunden. Und noch viel weniger zufällig existieren Löcher in der Raumzeit, die durch die Luken miteinander verbunden zu sei scheinen.
Und obwohl die Legionäre, denen die Kolonisten begegnen, zweifelsfrei Latein sprechen, so sind sie doch nicht mehr Römer, wie wir sie aus dem Geschichtsunterricht kennen.
Mit Hilfe der KI 'KolE' gelingt es, das stark veränderte, aber noch immer verständliche Latein zu übersetzen. Sehr bald findet man heraus, dass man nicht auf einem tatsächlich fremden Planeten gelandet ist (wiewohl trotzdem nicht die Erde!), sondern sogar in einer gänzlich anderen Zeitlinie. Einige wenige Ereignisse - wie mit einem Skalpell zerschnitten und neu zusammengefügt - in der Antike reichten aus um der Menschheit einen völlig neuen Dreh zu geben. So sind UN und China verschwunden; an ihrer statt kämpfen die Xin aus Asien gegen Römer und Brikanti um die Vorherrschaft. Letztere sind die Nachfahren der britischen und germanischen / nordisch-skandinavischen Länder.
Wie dem auch sei - die Kolonisten fügen sich in ihr Schicksal. Sie teilen sich auf, Leben ihre Leben in der veränderten Welt. Doch außer ihnen sind auch einige Überlebende des fulminanten Endes des uns bekannten Universums in diese alternative Zeitlinie geraten: Erdschein, die KERN-KI, und alle, die er gerettet hat.
Doch hier wie dort gilt, dass man ihm nicht vollends trauen kann. Selbst unter römischer Vorherrschaft treibt er seine eigenen Pläne voran, will wissen, was es mit alledem auf sich hat.
Ja, 'Ultima' baut auf 'Proxima' auf - und ist doch etwas völlig anderes. Denn während man bei ersterem das Gefühl hat tatsächlich einen Weltraum-Roman zu lesen, ist zweiteres eher ein Roman über verschiedene Universen, die denkbar wären. Römer. Brikanti. Später Azteken und eine Spezies, die mehr mit den Planeten selbst zu tun hat, auf denen sie heimisch ist, als mit allen übrigen Lebensformen. Ja, bis ans Ende der Welt führt die Geschichte sogar - und wenn Raumschiffe auf den Plan treten, dann zumeist nicht notwendiger Weise als solche zu erkennen.
wie schon gesagt: Fragen bleiben keine offen. Zumindest bei mir nicht. Und obwohl Stephen Baxter die Antworten auch hätte einfach herausrücken können (was wesentlich kürzer gewesen wäre), ist es gut, dass er mit 'Ultima' sozusagen die tieferen Schichten seiner Welt(en) freigelegt hat. Denn auch, wenn ich mir mehr denn je gewünscht habe, dass er endlich lernt sich (zumindest hie und da) kurz zu fassen, so mag ich seine Art ganze Universen und neue Realitäten zu schaffen. Ja, mir gefällt es, wenn er Handlung rund um spannende wissenschaftliche Themen konstruiert.
Aber ich kann mir vorstellen, dass das für viele andere Leser einfach zu viel ist. Deshalb kann ich 'Ultima' nur noch eingeschränkter empfehlen, als das bei 'Proxima' der Fall war. Wer mit alternativen Universen, Weltraum-Römern, Space-Azteken und übermächtigen künstlichen Intelligenzen seinen Spaß hat, dem sei's allerdings (nach der Lektüre des ersten Teils!) ans Herz gelegt. :)
Nach Proxima legt er mit 'Ultima' einen Nachfolgeband vor, der wirklich alle offenen Fragen klärt. Aber nicht, ohne vorher noch selbst ein paar aufzuwerfen. Wir erinnern uns: Das Buch 'Proxima' beendet sein unstetes Funkeln mit dem plötzlichen Auftauchen von etwas gänzlich unerwartetem. Man rechnet nämlich im Verlauf des Weltraumabenteuers mit vielen, aber nicht mit dem Fuß eines römischen Legionärs, der Staub auf einem fremden Planeten aufwirbelt. Und genau da setzt 'Ultima' die Reise fort.
Die überlebenden Kolonisten treffen auf eine Kultur, die ich gerne 'Weltall-Römer' bezeichnen möchte. Klar, die Idee wirkt, als hätte Baxter sie aus einem Mel-Brooks-Film geklaut, aber im Zuge des Romans wird die Entwicklung, die zu römischen Astronauten führte, recht plausibel beschrieben.
Immer deutlicher wird nämlich, dass die 'Kernels' und die 'Luken' zusammenhängen. Nicht zufällig haben die Menschen die Energie spendenden, außerirdischen Wunderdinger gefunden. Und noch viel weniger zufällig existieren Löcher in der Raumzeit, die durch die Luken miteinander verbunden zu sei scheinen.
Und obwohl die Legionäre, denen die Kolonisten begegnen, zweifelsfrei Latein sprechen, so sind sie doch nicht mehr Römer, wie wir sie aus dem Geschichtsunterricht kennen.
Mit Hilfe der KI 'KolE' gelingt es, das stark veränderte, aber noch immer verständliche Latein zu übersetzen. Sehr bald findet man heraus, dass man nicht auf einem tatsächlich fremden Planeten gelandet ist (wiewohl trotzdem nicht die Erde!), sondern sogar in einer gänzlich anderen Zeitlinie. Einige wenige Ereignisse - wie mit einem Skalpell zerschnitten und neu zusammengefügt - in der Antike reichten aus um der Menschheit einen völlig neuen Dreh zu geben. So sind UN und China verschwunden; an ihrer statt kämpfen die Xin aus Asien gegen Römer und Brikanti um die Vorherrschaft. Letztere sind die Nachfahren der britischen und germanischen / nordisch-skandinavischen Länder.
Wie dem auch sei - die Kolonisten fügen sich in ihr Schicksal. Sie teilen sich auf, Leben ihre Leben in der veränderten Welt. Doch außer ihnen sind auch einige Überlebende des fulminanten Endes des uns bekannten Universums in diese alternative Zeitlinie geraten: Erdschein, die KERN-KI, und alle, die er gerettet hat.
Doch hier wie dort gilt, dass man ihm nicht vollends trauen kann. Selbst unter römischer Vorherrschaft treibt er seine eigenen Pläne voran, will wissen, was es mit alledem auf sich hat.
Ja, 'Ultima' baut auf 'Proxima' auf - und ist doch etwas völlig anderes. Denn während man bei ersterem das Gefühl hat tatsächlich einen Weltraum-Roman zu lesen, ist zweiteres eher ein Roman über verschiedene Universen, die denkbar wären. Römer. Brikanti. Später Azteken und eine Spezies, die mehr mit den Planeten selbst zu tun hat, auf denen sie heimisch ist, als mit allen übrigen Lebensformen. Ja, bis ans Ende der Welt führt die Geschichte sogar - und wenn Raumschiffe auf den Plan treten, dann zumeist nicht notwendiger Weise als solche zu erkennen.
wie schon gesagt: Fragen bleiben keine offen. Zumindest bei mir nicht. Und obwohl Stephen Baxter die Antworten auch hätte einfach herausrücken können (was wesentlich kürzer gewesen wäre), ist es gut, dass er mit 'Ultima' sozusagen die tieferen Schichten seiner Welt(en) freigelegt hat. Denn auch, wenn ich mir mehr denn je gewünscht habe, dass er endlich lernt sich (zumindest hie und da) kurz zu fassen, so mag ich seine Art ganze Universen und neue Realitäten zu schaffen. Ja, mir gefällt es, wenn er Handlung rund um spannende wissenschaftliche Themen konstruiert.
Aber ich kann mir vorstellen, dass das für viele andere Leser einfach zu viel ist. Deshalb kann ich 'Ultima' nur noch eingeschränkter empfehlen, als das bei 'Proxima' der Fall war. Wer mit alternativen Universen, Weltraum-Römern, Space-Azteken und übermächtigen künstlichen Intelligenzen seinen Spaß hat, dem sei's allerdings (nach der Lektüre des ersten Teils!) ans Herz gelegt. :)
August 16, 2015
I remember in my review of Proxima being wrong-footed by the first instalment, which I thought was a generation starship story. Instead Baxter dealt rather perfunctorily with the journey to Per Adua around Poxima Centauri, where the hapless travellers find a mysterious hatch. So much for the rigours of inter-galactic travel, made mockingly redundant by a blunt deus ex machina.
Ultima picks up at the exact moment when the aptly-named Yuri Eden steps through the aforesaid hatch. Exactly where (perhaps more importantly, when) he ends up is the chief subject matter, and delight, of the second volume. I hesitate to call it the concluding instalment, given the anticipated cliff-hanger ending.
Baxter is most adept at a rather old-fashioned kind of ‘what if?’ SF, which has a distinguished lineage from Olaf Stapledon to Arthur C. Clarke. However, he leavens his sense-of-wonder with cutting-edge scientific speculation and a kind of existentialist philosophy that ponders such vast questions as the end of space and time.
One of the chief criticisms of this kind of intellectual SF has always been that it pays short shrift to characterisation. Stock characters are often clumsily deployed as opposing spectrums of various dialectic positions, given to info-dumping a lot of arcane terminology as opposed to advancing any sense of plot or narrative.
What Baxter achieves with Ultima is a perfect synthesis of sense-of-wonder and a range of believable characters that grow in unexpected ways (and which astonish the reader with their selflessness, endurance and curiosity towards the end, which here is the End Time, when our universe bumps against the wall of another structure in the Multiverse, resulting in an ambiguous ‘wall of light’).
‘Big Concept’ Baxter is unique in the genre in the breadth and depth of his scientific speculation, always linked to or extrapolated from current theory and thinking, as testified to by generous Afterwords to his books, which are detailed enough to include citations of current academic papers.
There are truly jaw-dropping moments in Ultima. Rather than overwhelm the reader, however, Baxter carefully ratchets up the sense-of-wonder to what one suspects will be a kind of 2001 ending ...
That the true ending focuses on a disparate bunch of characters – displaced people from Roman and Incan interstellar empires, a couple of AIs and stragglers from Earth – huddling together at the end of the universe on the alien planet of Ultima, is fitting and bittersweet, giving a very human face to some highly daunting astrophysical speculation.
This is one of the best books that Baxter has written to date, cleverly conflating some of his most beloved ideas, from deep time to alternate histories. Not to mention the immutability of the human spirit.
Bold, brave and exciting, this is world-building that is intellectually vigorous and supple, without forgetting to be deeply humane. A magnificent, thrilling achievement that is testament to Baxter’s reputation as one of the best SF writers in this world. Or any other.
Ultima picks up at the exact moment when the aptly-named Yuri Eden steps through the aforesaid hatch. Exactly where (perhaps more importantly, when) he ends up is the chief subject matter, and delight, of the second volume. I hesitate to call it the concluding instalment, given the anticipated cliff-hanger ending.
Baxter is most adept at a rather old-fashioned kind of ‘what if?’ SF, which has a distinguished lineage from Olaf Stapledon to Arthur C. Clarke. However, he leavens his sense-of-wonder with cutting-edge scientific speculation and a kind of existentialist philosophy that ponders such vast questions as the end of space and time.
One of the chief criticisms of this kind of intellectual SF has always been that it pays short shrift to characterisation. Stock characters are often clumsily deployed as opposing spectrums of various dialectic positions, given to info-dumping a lot of arcane terminology as opposed to advancing any sense of plot or narrative.
What Baxter achieves with Ultima is a perfect synthesis of sense-of-wonder and a range of believable characters that grow in unexpected ways (and which astonish the reader with their selflessness, endurance and curiosity towards the end, which here is the End Time, when our universe bumps against the wall of another structure in the Multiverse, resulting in an ambiguous ‘wall of light’).
‘Big Concept’ Baxter is unique in the genre in the breadth and depth of his scientific speculation, always linked to or extrapolated from current theory and thinking, as testified to by generous Afterwords to his books, which are detailed enough to include citations of current academic papers.
There are truly jaw-dropping moments in Ultima. Rather than overwhelm the reader, however, Baxter carefully ratchets up the sense-of-wonder to what one suspects will be a kind of 2001 ending ...
That the true ending focuses on a disparate bunch of characters – displaced people from Roman and Incan interstellar empires, a couple of AIs and stragglers from Earth – huddling together at the end of the universe on the alien planet of Ultima, is fitting and bittersweet, giving a very human face to some highly daunting astrophysical speculation.
This is one of the best books that Baxter has written to date, cleverly conflating some of his most beloved ideas, from deep time to alternate histories. Not to mention the immutability of the human spirit.
Bold, brave and exciting, this is world-building that is intellectually vigorous and supple, without forgetting to be deeply humane. A magnificent, thrilling achievement that is testament to Baxter’s reputation as one of the best SF writers in this world. Or any other.
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