Customer Reviews

Ark

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really enjoyed this novel having read most of Baxter's other works including "Flood". As other reviewers have mentioned, you just have to except the plot device that we could actually develop a faster-than-light starship within the next generation. Much like "Flood", this is a very dark story following people living out their entire lives in the most dismal of situations. Like his novel, "Titan", Baxter portrays space travel as a very miserable and uncertain endeavor. It's not a complete downer, however, with an overriding theme that human ingenuity can conquer all, albeit a little implausibly sometimes. The novel leaves open room for at least 3 sequels following the continuing stories left open in this universe.

Having read several other Baxter books, I found this now two-book SF series to be quite refreshing considering how other series he's either fully authored or co-authored. What I do like about the future Baxter paints in both Flood and Ark is that technological advancement seems to freeze in a not too far future, making this personally for me very believable. Although some of the technology presented later on (such as the collection of anti-matter, creation of the warp bubble and superluminal interstellar flight) may seem a little far-fetched - yet! - the author uses much of older and recent scientific research and discussion as background for his book. In other words, he has blended imagination and science in a very successful way.

Unlike another customer review here, I actually do think you should read the previous book, Flood, to understand Ark. Flood sets the desperate, gruesome and gloomy mood of the everflooding Earth and an apparent dying humanity. Ark represents the faint hope that is presented at the very end of the first book. I feel the stories are inextricably intertwined and equally important to understand the series.

The only reason why I don't give this book 5 stars is that I found it too short (!) and that it was a tiny bit less exciting than Flood.

But if you like a believable story about exploration of exo-planets, a play on how we might escape the solar system with a semi-current level of technology well mixed with a good human drama - Ark is for you.

Let me enter into ARK by noting some minor difficulties that Baxter is not able to overcome. The sheer number of characters involved threatens to leave them undifferentiated. Some of the dialogue from Gordo, the old NASA right stuff archetype, and from President Vasquez might be interchangeable, for instance, and Vasquez herself is a model for most of the old women who surface and disappear in this ongoing catastrophe, but this novel is one of those rare works of science fiction that transcends genre, nearly the equal of more traditional literary forms, and it took my breath away from sheer relief to find someone who is a master of his science, with plausible if unlikely scenarios to dog our heels as we travel onward into this century.

Liu Zheng's sacrifice as the aeronautics engineer who left an entire life behind in China for the sake of his belief in a spaceship sanctuary, brought the magnitude of the flood crisis home to me with particular force, but the entire novel is grounded in a disaster that could happen, and Baxter rightly spares us little about the price tag for our own lack of humility and gratitude for this stable terra firma planet.

I also find ARK a telling political allegory about the end of American Exceptionalism, and the mythology deployed to sustain it for so long, and the hidden ugliness beneath our so-called civil convictions. This is without a doubt a masterwork, one which I hope to continue to enjoy as I buy up the prequel FLOOD, and Baxter's other spin offs in the franchise.

I have to give Baxter credit for the amount of research done on this novel and much of that becomes quite evident throughout the book. It will certainly keep many a science/scifi fan on the hook based around the theory and science alone. However, this simply didn't redeem the book for me and his disjointed writing style, where the book constantly skips months, years, etc ahead, is just not enjoyable for me. This time leap becomes especially problematic towards the end of the book when the jump period becomes larger and larger to the point where the reader is asking, why not just jump to the end already?

In addition, we really have two novels slapped together in one book; the pre launch novel and the post launch novel. Much of the magic of the book was insufficiently teased out of the pre launch novel where the real drama was situated; this notion that millions upon millions were dying and beating each other to try to save themselves. There was something horrific and equally fascinating about the years of the approaching flood and there was an entire novel in there, just waiting to be written, that fully explored these events. This pre launch novel was where much of the excitement and interest was for me and I lost a significant amount of that soon afterward.

The other major thing that the book never sufficiently addresses, why not just build a massive raft, platform, etc? It seems so obvious and stupid while reading the novel that engineering a massive floating city would be far easier than building an interstellar spacecraft. Sure, a spacecraft makes for a far more interesting story, but let's be honest about which option will save more lives, is less risky and has a much more viable chance of succeeding.

After the disastrous FLOOD (pun intended) i was holding my breath for the sequel. My initial pleasure was probably relief that it was not another FLOOD. And the story WAS interesting, the tale of the two arks, their separate missions and separate journeys. FLOOD reminded me of "THE DAY AFTER" in its fast paced global disaster tone. ARK is different, not a sudden crash but a slow downward drift, casting off hopes as we descend. This one shows better structure and characters and yet many of the same problems persist.

First and foremost in any novel are the characters and again, we are disappointed. As other reviewers have noted, none were likable or realistic. What does it mean when the most interesting character (by far) is insane? One can follow (but not empathize) with Venus, Holle, Grace, etc (only the women were even partially interesting) without empathizing or liking them. Of course it was utterly absurd that we should develop faster than light travel in one generation. Predictable and yet implausible. Still, it was not too far out of place.

Baxter just can't decide what kind of story he wants - a disaster story, space opera or survival tale. So he mixes all three with pretty good results. A follow-up about Earth II, Earth III and the still-traveling ship would be nice but I imagine they will be as depressing as these. I would also like to see how the alien signal figures into one of the new Earths (if possible). My grade - B-

I just read and reviewed Flood awhile back so when the hardcover of Ark arrived I picked it up and dove in. I was already familiar with the flooding earth presented in the previous book and ready for the anticipated trip to the stars. When the book opens the earth is still in the process of becoming inundated. A few characters from the previous book allow the reader some continuity but many new characters soon become the focus as they train and compete to become the crew of the Ark, to be sent away from Earth on a multigenerational journey to a new planet. This beginning portion of the book reminded me of Ender's Game as we see those known as the Candidates through the training and selection process. As the years pass and the waters rise the designers of the Ark struggle to overcome the engineering problems associated with such a long mission spanning decades and light years. Here Baxter's use of modern technologies and some perhaps which are just on the horizon shines. The crew of the Ark faces many years together trapped inside the narrow confines of their spacecraft. The human drama that unfolds is certainly hard to look away from as children are born, accidents happen, tough decisions are made, and psychological pressures mount. As the best Sci-fi does, the human condition is explored under the microscope afforded by the years spent in close confinement. As I read this book, I felt more connection to the characters than I did in Flood. The use of modern science in planet finding and such I also found pretty interesting. Overall I enjoyed this book a bit more than Flood. I cared more about what happened to these characters and felt like there was some hope for their survival.

*WARNING*
I am docking the book a star due to the overly explicit depiction of pedophilia. While these actions had consequences for the characters, I think one particular scene was too graphic and not really necessary to get the plot where the author wanted it to go. I would strongly encourage the reader to simply skip this scene as they see it approaching and enjoy the rest of the book.

I really enjoyed this book because it contains my favorite aspects of Sci Fi: Hard science fiction and deep space travel. The characters were well developed and the story moved along pretty well. All in all, I highly recommend this book.

I think this book was a phenomenal read, and was an interesting blend of science fiction with actual physical scientific theory. The book was a very fast paced read, with some kind of action and plot development happening on every page and being expanded upon. The book definitely has a lot going on, and has a highly multifaceted story line, with several different stories converging, splitting and changing constantly. The book combines phenomenal sci fi writing, with astro-physical, string and quantum physical theories, as well as with astronomy. The book is brilliantly written and kept me wanting to keep going. My only complaint with this book was that there was a 3 way split in the main plot and the author sufficiently follows up on 2 of the 3 separate subplots, but only hinted towards the outcome of the third in a manner that is very subtle and hard to miss (It is indirectly mentioned by a one liner, in which it can only be inferred to which that is the reference). The third subplot is not spoken about and is completely ignored... that seriously irked me.. if you start something.. finish it!

The book shows a vision of earth between 2020-2070, in which global warming, melting ice caps and general environmental degradation has led to world-wide flooding. Additionally, civil war (religious vs secular), mass population displacements and an out of control government plague the United States. Lastly it should be mentioned that the world itself is ravaged by resource and land disputes and warfare as major swaths of land go underwater. The book focuses on the "candidates" for a special project designed to create an interstellar spaceship in order to find a new home world many light years away. As the book progresses political favoritism and social desperation cause violence and hatred within the main group. Part 2 of the book follows the flight through space and many of the internal issues aboard the space ship. The remaining portion of the book chronicles internal fighting, social hatred, jealousy, crime and psychotic breaks of the crew. I will not go any further with the plot details as if I do, I will ruin the book. Parts 3 & 4 offer some real thrills and real surprises.

The book is a great read, and is very fast, additionally it is fascinating and the theories behind it are beyond interesting. I definitely recommend this book, it has a great ending and the entire book makes you wish there was another follow up novel.

It's hard for me to find a place to start my review for "Ark" because there really isn't much to say about it. I mean, how can I find the words to truly describe, what is, in my opinion at least, the best disaster novel in the last 10 years?
There is no doubt that this is Stephen Baxter's triumph, the novel that he will never be able to top.
Don't let the negative reviews fool you with their talk of unlikeable, unbelievable characters because that is a flat out lie. I don't think I've ever become so attached to a group of people in a novel since Stephen King's "It". Holle Groundwater, Zane Jerzy, Venus Jenning, you can't help but feel for them and their plight, both on the flooding planet Earth and about Ark 1.
And there is yet another fantastic element to "Ark". It's totally engaging, captivating, and yes, even a scary plot. Think about it. How scary is it when mother Earth turns against you, flooding even to the absolute highest mountain, covering every living thing? You can't escape that, you can't go anywhere. Baxter has written the horrendous, almost gut wrenching details in a way that is so realistic, so captivating that you cannot, and I absolutely mean that word, CANNOT put this book down.
After waiting 9 LONG, grueling, agonizing months (although that pales in comparison to the 40 years the crew of Ark one spent spinning through space) for this book to finally be released in paperback, I engulfed the whole thing (kinda like the rising flood waters in this book) in 3 days, just under 72 hours, eschewing friends, conversations, even a social life, so completely taken I was by "Ark" I'm not kidding when I say It is that good.
Don't believe me? Give it a try. Not a single paragraph, sentence, word, or even punctuation mark is misplaced or misused. Nor is there ever a time where the science gets too difficult to understand or the epic lengths covered too long to get through. With an uncanny and incredible skill, Baxter has proven to be the absolute master of actually readable, and even more importantly, believable science fiction (and this coming from a guy who prefers zombies and bloodshed over alien species and galaxies light years away).

Let me start off by saying I am a huge fan of the sci-fi genre, alas, Space ships and warp drives do not a good sci-fi novel make. The story is borderline hilarious and it feels like one of those incredibly corny sci-fi channel B movies: a flood mysteriously begins to take over the land mass of the earth due to VAST underground lakes suddenly leaking their contents up into the world's oceans. All of this beginning in the year 2012... come on, Mr. Baxter. Feeding off the apocalyptic paranoia that has sprouted over the years and mixing it ever so slightly with Global Warming he has created this mediocre story that doesn't seem to go anywhere for a good while.
The story begins in the year 2040 and leaves you there for a couple pages and then sends you back in time to get the back story on the main character, Holle Groundwater... sounds like a name out of a novel filled with dwarves and dragons, but that's beside the point. The chapters that serve as backstory do not serve any real purpose other than to list a bunch of names of people you are supposed to get to know, in the few lines the speak and the very few actions they have. I could not sympathize with or empathize with ANY of the characters except, perhaps Holle. And the random scene of a young teenager rubbing one out for the pedophile teacher... could have done without that too, seeing as how it was already alluded to that there was molestation and underage sex going on. - no I do not have repressed issues, because I see comments about this from hecklers coming, it's just weird to have that scene randomly thrown in -
Contrary to another reviewer, I do not believe that this author hates babies: the theme is about babies being the future of mankind, so it only makes sense to allude to the dangers posed to them on the journey and to have the characters deal with these events. I do not think Ark is some type of political garbage heap about Global Warming and whatnot, it's just a very mediocre story.
Events moved by much too fast, and I feel that the entire backstory would have been much more entertaining and meaningful if the entire novel had been dedicated to it... so instead of racing through the lives of the characters at break-neck speeds, we could have taken the time to get to know them and actually feel something for them rather than just be indifferent towards them when they die or get left out of things, or get the daylights beaten out of them. The entire story could have been a trilogy: Flood, Ark, and then another novel that comprised the after-backstory element, as it stands "Ark" feels like one bad story with another 'could have been better' story quickly thrown in and just as quickly thrown out. And I chose to give it 2 stars because 1 and a half was not an option and I feel sorry enough to scale up rather than scale down.
If you're going to read it I suggest you either: take it out of a library, buy it at a bookstore and then return it after reading, or just buy the book used because it does not hold up well enough to be read again and it is not something that anyone who calls themselves a sci-fi fan would want to have on their shelf. Final words: should have been made into a sci-fi channel movie of the week because it's just as easily forgettable and it would have saved a lot of resources being wasted on its printing.