Customer Reviews

Bios

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Robert Charles Wilson's Darwinia had well-deserved success last year including a nomination for the Hugo Award (and getting my vote, as it happens). His slim new novel is Bios. Wilson has shown a good deal of range over his career, and to see a novel like Bios following on the heels of Darwinia is evidence of that range. Darwinia was (nominally) set on Earth in the early part of this century, and married description of a radically altered, sort of alternate-Prehistoric, Europe with some wild speculation on the very far future. By contrast, Bios is much more traditionally science-fictional: set a few centuries in the future as a small group of researchers attempt to explore a deadly alien planet. To be sure Wilson has surprises in store for the reader and the eventual explanation for the novel's mysteries is pretty much as strange as with Darwinia, if probably less likely to annoy some readers.

Bios opens as the body of Zoe Fisher is prepped for transmission to the distant solar system containing the planet Isis, and as brief hints are dropped about the intriguing background to the story. In this future, Earth, devastated by plagues, is under the draconian control of several "Families." The Family control extends to reproductive rights, and indeed their most trusted servants are castrated to remove that distraction. The rest of the Solar System is independent of Earth, consisting of a Mars colony and an individualistic set of Kuiper Belt colonies. The two factions are collaborating somewhat uneasily on the research effort at Isis.

The story proper begins as Zoe arrives at Isis Orbital Station. Her arrival coincides with the first of a series of on-planet catastrophes. It seems that the native organisms are getting better and better at breaching the various security barriers humans have placed about their different research stations. As even a single breath of Isis' air will kill a human horribly in hours, this is very disturbing. Zoe Fisher's new equipment, both external and internal, is intended to be a step in increasing human ability to explore Isis, but is she too late? And what is her real purpose? Station manager Kenyon Degrandpre fears she is a tool foisted on him by the rival faction that developed her. Scientist Tam Hayes fears he is falling for her, and doesn't know if he can bear to put her at risk. And Zoe wonders why her emotions and memories are so different now, and why she is no longer sure of her own purpose and loyalty.

This is a short book, not much over 60,000 words, which is a nice contrast to many of today's novels. In this brief space, Wilson stays focussed on the arc of the disaster facing the research station. The hints of the background culture are fascinating, but I think Wilson chooses well to leave the hints as just hints. His real purpose is to tell an exciting story of a desperate battle against an unremittingly harsh environment, and then to advance a somewhat mystical explanation for the conditions on Isis and on Earth. The story is a good read, and the ending, purposely left a bit open, is thought-provoking. It falls a bit short, however, in emotional impact. We don't have the time to really get to know the main characters, and as such, the resolution doesn't grip quite as strongly as it might have. The novel's theme, also, while thought-provoking, is just a bit too lightly sketched. I wasn't quite convinced. Nonetheless, I enjoyed Bios. It's not as good as Darwinia, but from my point of view, that's hardly a major fault. Wilson is one of our most exciting and versatile writers, and if this is middle-range for him, it's still very good.

Set in the far future, in the far reaches of the galaxy, Bios is an unusual tale. Unlike so many other stories of human settlement on foreign planets this time we have a planet which just doesn't seem to want us there. This is not simply a wild west story set among the stars. With Bios, Robert Charles Wilson has not given us a tale of settlers getting to know their new home so much as he has given us a tale of a new home getting to know it's settlers. The planet Isis is hostile and toxic and it wants very much to break through the protective seals the invading humans have built around their outposts. It tries and tries again to get through and it learns from its past failures. Little by little it makes headway in its quest to oust the humans. But is Isis really a vindictive force out to get us or is it merely curious? And what secrets does this distant planet hold about our own nature? In the end, Bios is not so much about a journey to the stars as it is about a journey into and beyond ourselves. And what an ending it has! Robert Charles Wilson gives his readers a real kick of a surprise at the close of this book. This is sci-fi in the old tradition. This is a book that has something to say. It has all the flash and glitter we expect from the genre but it also has that underlying message that characterizes true SF. I'm glad I read this and I would recommend Bios to anyone in search of a good read.

I've read all of Mr. Wilson's books and he is getting better all of the time. The problem he faces is that his books, always excellently conceived, usually peter out by the end. As in BIOS, the characters are basically victims of a (well-conceived) planetary environment, the "bios" of the title. The characters are mostly stock and are removed from the novel one by one in such a way as to give the impression that the book has no real plot. It just ends, leaving me with the impression, "Is that all there is?" To Mr. Wilson's credit, the book is excellently written and the sci-fi elements all credible and in place. It's not a bad read, but I wanted more "novelistic" elements threaded throughout the book. I wanted a plot.

Robert Charles Wilson's most recent novel, BIOS, is a compelling, well-written book that is ultimately unsatisfying. As other reviewers have noted, the book concerns Earth's efforts to understand and ultimately conquer the planet Isis, a world teeming with microbes, viruses, and prions that make Ebola and AIDS look incredibly tame. These efforts parallel ones on an Earth that has itself been decimated by plagues. Wilson creates a tense narrative by raising many questions--why is Isis so toxic? who is Zoe Fisher? will her special talents help her discover the secret of Isis? what is the secret of Zoe's past?--and only slowly giving away the answers. Just as in Wilson's recent DARWINIA, the secret of Isis, once revealed, turns out to be of a different order than the first half or so of the novel leads to the reader to expect. The last-minute twist is a common tactic for Wilson, and I believe that it has failed in every instance in which he has used it (and it works better in DARWINIA than it does here). On the other hand, his MYSTERIUM is probably the only novel that Wilson draws to a satisfactory close. I recommend buying the book (in paperback), but be prepared to be disappointed in the end.

Let me just begin by saying I'm a terrible reviewer. I will never achieve the necessary objectivty to analyze novels I care for. With that said, I'm not sure what the first reviewer is going on about. The characters are touchingly drawn, especially Zoe and Tam. Granted, the dialogue might be described as minimalist, but with no sacrifice in style. In my opinion, his review only underscores that the better part of aesthetics is mostly personal taste.

Permit me to gush,I think this novel is brilliant. With Wilson it all comes down to endings. In a few delicate strokes, and on a few pages, he has the artist's ability to paint something geniunely beautiful and moving. What a gorgeous universe he delivers! A wonderful rendering of speculative metaphysics in fiction, to boot. I so enjoyed the motif of life 'descending'(falling?) to earth and becoming corrupted. The earth and humans cut off from LIFE are in a cosmic prison house, so very gnostic and reminiscent of Lurianic Kabbalah.

I just wanted to say how grateful I am to have met Robert Charles Wilson at a Borders book signing in Farmington Michigan. It ranks as one of the top ten great conversations of my life.

(And if you need anyone to read works in progress mail away!)

Sincere thanks to RCW for his work. My life is better for having encountered your stories.

Much like it's predecessor Darwinia, Bios is an ambitious combination of hard science fiction and pan-universal spirituality. Wilson writes beautifully; I'm envious. Of particular interest is his treatment of emerging biohazards. Let's hope this book isn't as prophetic as it may seem to be. If you really appreciate literature and science fiction (and especially a combo of the two) you owe it to yourself to read both Bios and Darwinia.

This is my favorite story by Robert Charles Wilson by far. Although somewhat short, I will never forget the story. This book has so many unique aspects- a look at alien biology at the microbe level, genetic engineering, an interesting love story- I nearly read it in one sitting and was left wanting more, more, more. (in a good way).

I won't give away the ending but throughout I found myself deeply moved.

One of the rising masters of human oriented science fiction (Gypsies, A Bridge of Years) has now gone into hard science fiction. Although not quite up to the efforts of Greg Bear and Gregory Benford, Robert Charles Wilson is close.

This first foray into hard, space oriented themes is well plotted and realised. It tastes like bittersweet chocolate. The themes are fairly straightforward and humanely presented.

The only quibble with the book is that it is a bit choppy and underdeveloped. The underlying essence of the book has been done before by the two previous authors, however, Robert Charles Wilson has given it an acrid uniqueness. Overall, an excellent book meriting a four star rating. I've given it five to counter-balance the unmerited one star review.

Never have I wrote a review, but this time I just had to. This book was so disappointing.

I kept waiting for the author to start the story. Perhaps I am old fashioned that way, I want a plot. Many issues and concepts were hinted at but it all came to a crashing end with no real closure. Wilson was developing great characters but he kept killing them off before you got to know them. This story of earth science against alien nature is interesting, but it is more just a short story instead of a novel. Actually, it reads like the introduction to one of those space operas (which I happen to like reading now and then, so it isn't a bad thing.)Then just when something could really start to happen, the book ends.

Wilson's first off-Earth novel (as far as I know)and a fascinating exploration of the themes of communication and isolation. Loved it. Can't wait for more -- I wish Wilson were more prolific.