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Till Human Voices Wake Us: A Novel
In such groundbreaking novels as Crache and Idolon , Mark Budz established his reputation as one of science fiction’s most exciting and innovative writers. Now he surprises us again with an ambitious new thriller set in three realities at once, where three different lives hang in the balance. . . .
What if your world were rapidly running out of tomorrows? And what if the only way to save the future was to relive the past? But which past holds the key to survival? That’s the life-and-death question faced by three desperate people separated by the past, present, and future but who share a single terrifying reality. A tortured soul, brain-damaged in a motorcycle accident, issues a pirate broadcast out of a van in near-future California. In Depression-era San Francisco an architect with an inoperable brain tumor seeks a mystical cure. A post-human space traveler caught in a cosmic accident searches for a way to reconstruct himself and the future. In Mark Budz’s spellbinding narrative, their lives–and deaths–are drawn together by a force even more powerful than destiny.
What if your world were rapidly running out of tomorrows? And what if the only way to save the future was to relive the past? But which past holds the key to survival? That’s the life-and-death question faced by three desperate people separated by the past, present, and future but who share a single terrifying reality. A tortured soul, brain-damaged in a motorcycle accident, issues a pirate broadcast out of a van in near-future California. In Depression-era San Francisco an architect with an inoperable brain tumor seeks a mystical cure. A post-human space traveler caught in a cosmic accident searches for a way to reconstruct himself and the future. In Mark Budz’s spellbinding narrative, their lives–and deaths–are drawn together by a force even more powerful than destiny.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
386 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 12, 2009
This book was a total surprise. There are three separate stories that take place in three separate time frames--early twentieth century, near future, and far future--and that start to tie together in the middle. It is actually an exquisite exploration of memory and how that is tied to our sense of self and consciousness, as well as how our hopes and dreams define us (or not) as well. Very emotional, powerful descriptions of human suffering and loss. However, the book eventually moves toward an obscure ending where I was left scratching my head and thinking WTF, so it was ultimately unsatisfying. I would love somebody to read this and tell me what happened. It is the sort of book that lingers in your mind for weeks, which is always a sign of good writing to me.
October 3, 2008
This is a really strange book. I picked it up on a whim at the used bookstore; the back-cover blurb made the story sound interesting, and a glance inside showed that the prose was readable, at least. I was expecting a difficult, intellectual story, possibly about the end of the world. What I got was... something different.
The novel follows four narrative threads. You could say that it has three main characters, or four-- two of the protagonists are actually the same character, Olavo, existing in two different places simultaneously. The other two are Rudi, who lives on Earth in the (apparently-)near future, and Benjamin Taupe, who is dying of an inoperable brain tumor in the late 1930s.
Olavo is a "homunculus," an artificial human being created from the uploaded memories of a real human long ago. One version of him "lives" in a rehab facility in a "Design Space," or virtual-reality program. The other inhabits a tank-grown "simunculus" body on a planet called Sand Mountain. There appear to have been other versions, but all except these two were destroyed by a sudden discontinuity in the fabric of space. ("Anti de Sitter space," for the record, which rendered pretty much all the sci-fi content of the novel pretty much inaccessible to me.) The rehab version of Olavo is trying to remember who he is; the Sand Mountain version is flailing around feeling angsty about things that are never properly detailed. (There is actually a bit more to these two storylines, but it was very difficult to follow and I really don't feel like digging it up to describe it properly.)
Rudi is a homeless man. At the beginning of the novel he's in Santa Cruz operating an underground radio station out of a stolen broadcast van. He initially comes off as mentally ill, but then eventually appears to be... less mentally ill? Sort of recovered?
Rudi and Olavo both spend the entire novel dealing with their feelings for, and issues with, a few important women in their lives. In neither case are these feelings/issues properly resolved; in Olavo's case, I only came away with more questions. In any case, I was expecting a lot more action out of this story, and a lot less navel-gazing.
Benjamin Taupe, suffering grievously, seeks solace from a mediu/guru named Madame Grurie. He's in love with his partner's wife, Etta, a fellow student. His story has no connection with the other arcs, except the shoddy (and rather predictable) one brought up at the end. I think that the novel would have been much better had he been cut from the novel entirely, since all his narrative does is bring up a few ruminations on the nature of the soul that could easily have been stuck in anywhere.
Had Taupe been removed, then Budz could have used the remaining space to properly introduce his settings. Sand Mountain, especially, is eventually described in small and intriguing details-- but only long after the storyline there has been introduced. Rudi's setting is also very poorly established-- the reader does figure out that it's supposed to be a few years in the future, but only from one mention of "FEMA drones" in the description of a hurricane early in the story.
More time could also have been devoted to the issue of Tenley, Rudi's childhood friend and erstwhile love interest, who is only brought up in painful memoris and a brief, awkward visit late in the story. Even more important is Rudi's sister, Linnea, who turns out to be one of the main points of his narrative but is only mentioned in passing before the end of the novel. Other characters pass in and out of the story at various times, making little impact and remembered only in brief mentions towards the end.
Overall, the novel is quite hard to follow, and I think it's pretty poorly organized in general. I keep trying to stick it into a nutshell, and failing. The story has potential at several points, but devolves into pointless maundering. Brief flashes of action are quickly over and generally inconsequential. Some of the characters are likable, I guess. Benjamin Taupe was my favorite ; it was unfortunate that he ended up stuck in the wrong novel. I'm glad that I was able to finish reading Till Human Voices Wake Us, because I really hate to leave a book unfinished, but I can't say I'm all that happy to have picked it up in in the first place. Maybe someone else with a bit more knowledge of the science involved would understand and appreciate it better.
The novel follows four narrative threads. You could say that it has three main characters, or four-- two of the protagonists are actually the same character, Olavo, existing in two different places simultaneously. The other two are Rudi, who lives on Earth in the (apparently-)near future, and Benjamin Taupe, who is dying of an inoperable brain tumor in the late 1930s.
Olavo is a "homunculus," an artificial human being created from the uploaded memories of a real human long ago. One version of him "lives" in a rehab facility in a "Design Space," or virtual-reality program. The other inhabits a tank-grown "simunculus" body on a planet called Sand Mountain. There appear to have been other versions, but all except these two were destroyed by a sudden discontinuity in the fabric of space. ("Anti de Sitter space," for the record, which rendered pretty much all the sci-fi content of the novel pretty much inaccessible to me.) The rehab version of Olavo is trying to remember who he is; the Sand Mountain version is flailing around feeling angsty about things that are never properly detailed. (There is actually a bit more to these two storylines, but it was very difficult to follow and I really don't feel like digging it up to describe it properly.)
Rudi is a homeless man. At the beginning of the novel he's in Santa Cruz operating an underground radio station out of a stolen broadcast van. He initially comes off as mentally ill, but then eventually appears to be... less mentally ill? Sort of recovered?
Rudi and Olavo both spend the entire novel dealing with their feelings for, and issues with, a few important women in their lives. In neither case are these feelings/issues properly resolved; in Olavo's case, I only came away with more questions. In any case, I was expecting a lot more action out of this story, and a lot less navel-gazing.
Benjamin Taupe, suffering grievously, seeks solace from a mediu/guru named Madame Grurie. He's in love with his partner's wife, Etta, a fellow student. His story has no connection with the other arcs, except the shoddy (and rather predictable) one brought up at the end. I think that the novel would have been much better had he been cut from the novel entirely, since all his narrative does is bring up a few ruminations on the nature of the soul that could easily have been stuck in anywhere.
Had Taupe been removed, then Budz could have used the remaining space to properly introduce his settings. Sand Mountain, especially, is eventually described in small and intriguing details-- but only long after the storyline there has been introduced. Rudi's setting is also very poorly established-- the reader does figure out that it's supposed to be a few years in the future, but only from one mention of "FEMA drones" in the description of a hurricane early in the story.
More time could also have been devoted to the issue of Tenley, Rudi's childhood friend and erstwhile love interest, who is only brought up in painful memoris and a brief, awkward visit late in the story. Even more important is Rudi's sister, Linnea, who turns out to be one of the main points of his narrative but is only mentioned in passing before the end of the novel. Other characters pass in and out of the story at various times, making little impact and remembered only in brief mentions towards the end.
Overall, the novel is quite hard to follow, and I think it's pretty poorly organized in general. I keep trying to stick it into a nutshell, and failing. The story has potential at several points, but devolves into pointless maundering. Brief flashes of action are quickly over and generally inconsequential. Some of the characters are likable, I guess. Benjamin Taupe was my favorite ; it was unfortunate that he ended up stuck in the wrong novel. I'm glad that I was able to finish reading Till Human Voices Wake Us, because I really hate to leave a book unfinished, but I can't say I'm all that happy to have picked it up in in the first place. Maybe someone else with a bit more knowledge of the science involved would understand and appreciate it better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2018
weird. intricate. melancholy.
October 1, 2019
Budz novel Till Human Voices Wake Us deserves praise not only for its ambitious, intricately woven story line, but also for the strength of its writing. Descriptions are crisp and vivid, dialogue is warm and human, and the characters deep and complex. This is no small feat in hard sci-fi genre.
The first chapter of the book doesn't immediately captivate you, but don't give up too early. There's a lot to love here. Yes, the story can be hard to follow at times, so it's best read without long gaps in between readings, but otherwise I have no complaints.
I look forward to reading some of Budz other novels.
The first chapter of the book doesn't immediately captivate you, but don't give up too early. There's a lot to love here. Yes, the story can be hard to follow at times, so it's best read without long gaps in between readings, but otherwise I have no complaints.
I look forward to reading some of Budz other novels.
January 10, 2020
Great story but with average writing. Someone like Richard Matheson may have done it more justice. The story deserves it.
September 2, 2020
I’m not exactly sure wtf is going on, bur I liked it!
November 8, 2010
This is harder SF than I usually pick, but Budz has managed to weave together a hard SF concept with some deeply human characters--three men in separate times, each suffering from head trauma. The author draws the reader on his own journey of integrating these characters within themselves and the larger narrative. It's not always clear what story is being told, but if you have patience, the threads untangle.
January 4, 2012
I really did not enjoy this book very much. I found it disjointed and difficult to keep track of the story lines. The last third was an easier read as the stories started to mesh and I found the ending very fitting. All in all I would not recommend the book to anyone that is not a dedicatwd "hard" sci-fi fan.
September 27, 2010
A wildly inventive and a fascinating look at the possible four-dimensionality of personality. It took me a while to care for many of the characters - it's the fascinating ideas that drove me to
keep reading. Three stars, largely for the cool idea.
keep reading. Three stars, largely for the cool idea.
August 24, 2013
Was confusing for a while, until the separate threads came together. I'm still not sure I "get" this book, but it was a good read all the same. I like science fiction that doesn't fit the mold, and goes its own way. This felt different to me, and so it grabbed my interest.
February 16, 2008
Strong futurist SF with a rich fugue-like plot that connects several times/places/people in a web of probability and possible outcomes. You've got to pay attention or loose the threads.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews