Robert Charles Wilson is my favorite author and discovery in 2010, notably through the most excellent " Spin " and" The Chronolithes ". I therefore continued in 2011 the discovery of his work including his "Darwinia" read in shared reading with Lhisbei and Cachou under the Winter Time Challenge. + + + The back cover + + +
March 1912, Europe and parts of England suddenly disappear, replaced by a mainland fauna and flora not land that one does not take long to appoint the Darwin. For the young Guilford Law, this tragedy has nothing of a miracle or divine punishment, rather a mystery that science will one day solve
With this certainty, he will sacrifice everything to be part of the first major exploring expedition intended to sink the heart of the unknown continent, an expedition of violent death in violent death, led him away he could not imagine ... Nominated for the prestigious Hugo Award in 1999, Darwinia is a work of singular ambition, which evokes the glorious era when scientists were also explorers and adventurers
With this certainty, he will sacrifice everything to be part of the first major exploring expedition intended to sink the heart of the unknown continent, an expedition of violent death in violent death, led him away he could not imagine ... Nominated for the prestigious Hugo Award in 1999, Darwinia is a work of singular ambition, which evokes the glorious era when scientists were also explorers and adventurers
+ + + + + + My opinion
Since
reading "The Chronolithes" , this is pure pleasure for me to dive into the work of Robert Charles Wilson , with of course the pinnacle reached for "Spin" . Fifth reading of the author so for me, and it is always so pleasant. Of course it is not yet the level reached by the two works above named, but there's already here the seeds of the great art of the author.
This novel has everything from the start of an alternate history. In 1912, that the content of the European continent disappears to make room for something more. It's the same continent but devoid of human presence and cover of vegetation unknown. An ancient land unexplored opens a continent covered with new vegetation strange and unknown animals like from another planet. Strange phenomenon, scary, and even fatal for all the inhabitants of Europe have disappeared. In short we are facing a new territory to reclaim and why Americans competed the game with the English colonies of emigrants returning to the country to rebuild the territory of London and the English crown. But what does all this represent? For some, this is simply a divine punishment or a miracle. For others an incomprehensible phenomenon. Still, a group of U.S. scientists set sail for the continent in order to study the content of this change. Guilford Law is the game, as a photographer, and he goes in this great expedition of exploration in the hope of bringing historic pictures of a continent in rediscovery. Of course, there's a trick that will slip, but Robert Charles Wilson yarn comes to us with this dizzy adventure explorers. I loved all these passages discoveries of the continent and this unnamed city that had all of a temple Lovecraftian. We also find in this text a bunch of references to the great old sci-fi turn of the century (Edgar Rice Burroughs , etc.), and the SF pulp magazines of the time. Too bad there is no more descriptive of the plants and animals Darwin.
Guilford Besides, we follow the lives of his wife by expatriate English requirement on the island, forced s'adaptéer to this new life and faces to the supposed death of her husband. Vision and a woman's life in a community of European settlers. We will also follow the throes of a mind possessed by a god ... An evil being who can take control of his person at all times and also making immortal the same time. So for three, three lives are linked by a few things but three lives that do not really believe. What is certain is that Robert Charles Wilson offers us a fine gallery of endearing characters, especially for Guilford Law.
We feel already there, the beginnings of a romantic way of describing things to Wilson . It takes three different characters and we follow their ways of reacting to an external phenomenon that disrupts everything on earth. We find once again that human way of approaching the world, get an external threat and then acting on it. But there is also ultimately a little something like thriller Wilson knows how to make a good dose of adventure SF background.
And then there 's dizzy: "Maybe we're all spirits in a machine" (P304) . After frightening reflection of this novel but finally summarizing the density of vertigo offered by the author. We come here to something more unsettling a novel by Philip K. Dick . It discusses the concept of reality and tangibility, free will, etc.. Or do we live as self-reproducing loops mathematics in a machine galaxy beyond us? Scary! But then, are we really in an alternate history or a novel about parallel worlds? Well both for the good half of this novel is an alternate history, but differs in a while to develop the theme of parallel worlds and reality.
short, rich themes, a novel that reads very well and donned easily. Endearing characters and a certain richness in the book. Nevertheless this is not the best Wilson, and say it is also true master of a novel that displeases many people. Perhaps in these parts too scientific (hard SF?) Too rich vocabulary that is abstruse and easily lose the thread of the narrative and thus the depths of history. Y 'it may be a little something bof on length, it is this struggle between good and evil too limited a story of an angel and demons are not really in fact . A good novel but is still far from the top of Wilson. A novel that will please some and displease probably others. A novel that has potential but can not be worn thoroughly as in "Spin" . Who will want, but it's still a good book.
This novel has everything from the start of an alternate history. In 1912, that the content of the European continent disappears to make room for something more. It's the same continent but devoid of human presence and cover of vegetation unknown. An ancient land unexplored opens a continent covered with new vegetation strange and unknown animals like from another planet. Strange phenomenon, scary, and even fatal for all the inhabitants of Europe have disappeared. In short we are facing a new territory to reclaim and why Americans competed the game with the English colonies of emigrants returning to the country to rebuild the territory of London and the English crown. But what does all this represent? For some, this is simply a divine punishment or a miracle. For others an incomprehensible phenomenon. Still, a group of U.S. scientists set sail for the continent in order to study the content of this change. Guilford Law is the game, as a photographer, and he goes in this great expedition of exploration in the hope of bringing historic pictures of a continent in rediscovery. Of course, there's a trick that will slip, but Robert Charles Wilson yarn comes to us with this dizzy adventure explorers. I loved all these passages discoveries of the continent and this unnamed city that had all of a temple Lovecraftian. We also find in this text a bunch of references to the great old sci-fi turn of the century (Edgar Rice Burroughs , etc.), and the SF pulp magazines of the time. Too bad there is no more descriptive of the plants and animals Darwin.
Guilford Besides, we follow the lives of his wife by expatriate English requirement on the island, forced s'adaptéer to this new life and faces to the supposed death of her husband. Vision and a woman's life in a community of European settlers. We will also follow the throes of a mind possessed by a god ... An evil being who can take control of his person at all times and also making immortal the same time. So for three, three lives are linked by a few things but three lives that do not really believe. What is certain is that Robert Charles Wilson offers us a fine gallery of endearing characters, especially for Guilford Law.
We feel already there, the beginnings of a romantic way of describing things to Wilson . It takes three different characters and we follow their ways of reacting to an external phenomenon that disrupts everything on earth. We find once again that human way of approaching the world, get an external threat and then acting on it. But there is also ultimately a little something like thriller Wilson knows how to make a good dose of adventure SF background.
And then there 's dizzy: "Maybe we're all spirits in a machine" (P304) . After frightening reflection of this novel but finally summarizing the density of vertigo offered by the author. We come here to something more unsettling a novel by Philip K. Dick . It discusses the concept of reality and tangibility, free will, etc.. Or do we live as self-reproducing loops mathematics in a machine galaxy beyond us? Scary! But then, are we really in an alternate history or a novel about parallel worlds? Well both for the good half of this novel is an alternate history, but differs in a while to develop the theme of parallel worlds and reality.
short, rich themes, a novel that reads very well and donned easily. Endearing characters and a certain richness in the book. Nevertheless this is not the best Wilson, and say it is also true master of a novel that displeases many people. Perhaps in these parts too scientific (hard SF?) Too rich vocabulary that is abstruse and easily lose the thread of the narrative and thus the depths of history. Y 'it may be a little something bof on length, it is this struggle between good and evil too limited a story of an angel and demons are not really in fact . A good novel but is still far from the top of Wilson. A novel that will please some and displease probably others. A novel that has potential but can not be worn thoroughly as in "Spin" . Who will want, but it's still a good book.
+ + + + + + But still
Playing with shared common Cachou and Lhisbei . Check out their review!
My reading other posts on Robert Charles Wilson.
Fifth reading so for the Winter Time Travel Challenge, challenge literary theme for the alternate history. My presentation post
Other Tickets for the Challenge
The RSF's blog post that launched the Challenge
The uchronic what is it? See more at Wikipedia
+ + + + + + The book
- Paperback: 444 pages
- Publisher: Editions Gallimard (October 8, 2003)
- Collection: Folio Science Fiction
- Translation: Michele Charrier
- Illustration: Sparth
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