Customer Reviews

Brute Orbits

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is that rarest of books that can actually change how you think. Not just about prisons or prisoners, or cruelty, though there is plentiful speculation on these topics, but indeed I mean HOW YOU THINK. This book is full of so many challenging ideas on so many different aspects of the human experience that my mind buzzed for two full days. Perception, history, biology and evolution, evil, societal limitations, the limitations of one's own mind. And not a paragraph of preaching, just good storytelling rich with scientific speculation that advances the tale. The action is harrowing and there are moments of awe and wonder that resonate much deeper than most good action SF scenes. Go forth and read and ask yourself: HOW DO I THINK?

This is a work of philosophy disguised as a science fiction novel. An impact will be made with readers looking for subversive social commentary, but the book will probably fail with readers looking for a functioning story. The book suffers from a very inconsistent timeline and narration that operates mostly as a front for Zebrowski's thoughts on crime and punishment. Those thoughts are highly incisive, based on the works of solid philosophers like Kant and Pascal (and probably Dostoevsky), and while some readers would justifiably find them preachy, others will find them uncompromising and thought-provoking. Zebrowski has the knowledge to pull off this philosophical treatise on the problems of prisons, and the book holds no punches and launches straight into deep thoughts on the matter.

Most of the book works well as social and political commentary, with a series of vignettes about future prisoners and all of their ugliest behavior. This future society has found a way to conveniently get rid of not just hardened criminals but an expanding palette of political and social undesirables, by putting them in hollow asteroids and launching them into deep space. Most of the story is shocking and provocative, and the behavior of the criminals and the authorities is often hideous, allowing Zebrowski to really explore the ramifications of his philosophical treatise. Critics of this book have perfectly valid points, but readers looking for uncompromising allegorical commentary could enjoy it if they're willing to sacrifice logical development of characters and themes. But there is still a problem with inconsistency, as the conclusion falls into a type of quaint and unrealistic future humanism that contrasts sharply with the rest of the book. It's also too short, as Zebrowski could have devoted much more space to both the philosophy and the development of his characters, but here such matters surge ahead at a very awkward pace. [~doomsdayer520~]

The idea of putting penal colonies in space is really interesting. Zebrowski tries to tell the story of the individuals in the colonies and at the same time examine the long term social effects of hurling thousands of people into a closed environment in only 200 pages. This brevity resulted in the isolation of both ideas. What we get is the beginning and the end of what could have been a good book had the middle not been left out.

What can I say about this book. I picked it up at the local bookstore and started it with anticipation. Well, halfway through the book, I did not know what to think. We have here a brilliant concept, put the World's Criminals in hollowed out asteroids that orbit about the Sun. Well, the concept was brilliant but I don't like being constantly preached at and given a lecture about the evils of society and criminals. The dialog was interesting, which made me pick the book up, and then the endless diatribe about philosopical matters and society really turned me off. You might like it, I maybe just missed the boat. I put it down after 170 pages and figured that I had a whole lotta other books that I could be spending my time on.

Brute Orbit received the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel of 1998.

After reading the back of the book, I was very interested in the concept of putting criminals on hollowed out asteroids and putting them into cometary orbits. As I progressed through the book, however, it seemed to lose focus for me. I was expecting a lot more about the actual people in the asteroids and not so much about how humanity has treated and viewed criminals. After a while, I found myself skimming the second half of the book looking for the parts I wanted to find out about.

In all, the concept for the book was great, but for me it failed to deliver what I was expecting. I would rather have read about how the criminals dealt with their new reality. This is written about, but not to any great lengths. There is a lot of in between the lines kind of reading and that felt unnecessary to me.

This book is still worth reading, even if you skim over parts of it.

WARNING - There is graphic sexual violence against women in this book.

As my title states, this book is basically a means for Zebrowski to share his views of the American prison system. If you are interested in the subject, then read the book. There are pages and pages of his viewpoints. Many times I had to reread a paragraph just to figure out what he was trying to say.

There is not much of a plot here. Prisoners are placed in hollowed out asteroids. Other than Zebrowski's opinions, it is an exploration of how different types of criminals could survive with each other in isolation. As expected, it brings out the worst in human beings. There is graphic sexual violence which is not for the meek.

Great concept. However, the author seems to have run up against an editor's deadline and rushed to finish the book. Also, I thought the author was too graphic at times dealing with sexual deviants and other criminal activities.

okay..i thought this book was great. i found it intersting to learn about what the would do to all those criminals. what really baffleed me was the way it was written. so vivid that u could actaully feel like u were there. the criminal's were more or less..like those that u would find nowadays. the living inside the astroeids seemed so magnificently odd. however, this book had lost o' ideas and pointerz in it that would make one think. (p.s. : i am a teen...i don't know y i read this bk. i found it in the libraryt in adult fic section. i'm addicted 2 adualt fic bks. i like the Dragonriders series and all. adult fic books r soo kewl. and i luv sci-fi/fantasy mix bkz)