Customer Reviews

Harvest

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read a few other books by Wilson, and I liked them all, so when I saw this one, I was hoping this would be good too. I was not disappointed. Wilson does a good job of telling a difficult story.

The most impressive thing about this story, I think, is that it doesn't really make a lot of judgements. The story focuses on people who decline the Travellers offer of immortality, but it doesn't give the impression that they are any better than those who accepted the offer. It also doesn't fall into the boring cliche of the benevolent aliens who save us from ourselves. It does a good job of presenting both sides without making any assumptions about which is right or wrong, or whether either is. This makes for a much more enjoyable story, and I think that is what I like most about Wilson's books overall, is his ability to stay away from tired cliches or predictable endings.

The only thing that really bothered me about this story was the way the people ascended to the "Greater World" leaving only their skins behind. I wondered why only their skins would be left behind, I didn't get the impression that they needed a physical body at all in the Greater World, so why wouldn't the whole thing be left behind? It seems that t was just the skin only for purposes of dramatic effect for the story, which I thought was a little lazy. But that was a fairly minor point, overall, it's a good story, with good characters that you could really feel for having to make tough decisions in an incomprehensible situation.

I will continue to look for more by Wilson, as he is becoming one of my favorite authors, and this book is definitely worth reading if you can find it.

Why are all the best books out of print? And why didn't this man get some sort of award for this book? It was an old topic explored in an original way. I read this on a road trip from Ohio to Florida, and I will tell you, I hated when I had to take my turn driving. I could not get my mind off of this book from page one until the end. What an excellent storyteller this author is!

Like RCW's more recent "The Chronoliths", "The Harvest" explores how regular people deal with cataclismic changes to planet Earth, this time in the form of first contact with aliens.

The purpose of the alien visitation is left a little unclear; are they truly benevolent in offering humanity eternal life? Or is it a bait-and-switch, a 'harvesting' of all intelligent life on Earth? Wilson rightly avoids giving us all the answers, leaving higher meanings to the imagination of the reader. Well done.

Wilson has many strengths as a writer, all of which are on display here: Very realistic characters, some clever ideas, low sentimentality and avoidance of smarmy cliches, and finally, an intelligent yet quick writing style. I plowed through this book.

I especially liked the way the aliens made contact with us humans. It's not what you would expect, but it is very easy to believe.

If you like the more recent Wilson books, this one is worth tracking down.

I loved this book. A kind of "Childhood's End" and secularized Christian Rapture rolled into one. The author writes like Wyndham or Wells, in that the narrator is part of the action but also dispassionately observing the flow. The protagonist of course wishes to have none of it. While everyone has answered the Big Question of immortality in the affirmative, he is skeptical of apotheosis and throws in his lot on the side of his own mortality. In the end, immortality is at a price, assimilation. The book casts a spell of mystery over the reader in that the aliens and their purpose is never revealed. One wonders if our species is really gullable to the point that any confidence artist coming down the celestial highway pedaling immortality in the form of the savior would make us sell our souls for it. Is the novel a satire then of our moral turpitude or a call to existential redemption? I wish the author would give us more wonderful stories.

I've come to love Robert Charles Wilson's books for their complex and thought-provoking conceits; even though almost each one to date has had a whimper of a third act, Wilson's ideas provoke meditations on faith, humanity's place in the cosmos, the nature of the universe, all while creating rich and intriguing characters. So it's a joy to finally find a Wilson book with a great conclusion, one that both expands the themes of the book and yet doesn't feel like an anticlimax. The Harvest creates a world where humanity is offered a choice: live forever but cease to be human, or remain human but face eventual (natural) death. In a neat choice, Wilson follows those who choose to remain, and the result grapples with themes no less epic than religion, the nature of God, and what it means to be human. Simultaneously, he creates a quietly apocalyptic novel, one that builds naturally to a climax that seems completely natural and subtly beautiful. This is what great science fiction is all about, and I can't recommend this enough to anyone up for some challenging ideas wrapped in a deceptively simple science fiction novel.

If you could become immortal, but something not quite human, what would you do? That very question is explored in this thoughtful, haunting science fiction book. This is my second Wilson novel, after Spin, which was phenomenal, and won the Hugo award for best novel. He is such a fantastic writer, a rarity in science fiction. This book is vivid, intelligent, and builds to a very moving conclusion.

Few writers of science fiction can create 3 dimensional characters and fluid prose as good as any "literary" novel. Dan Simmons and Orson Scott Card are in that category, and recently John Scalzi has proven he is a hell of a good writer as well. Put Wilson in that category, too. Both of the books I have read from him have been wonderful, so now I will have to track down the rest. It's a travesty this book is out of print, so do yourself a favor and track down a used copy.

I like to think I'm widely read. This book is, without a doubt, my absolute favourite. The concept of humans changing into immortal/mortal creatures which are gentle but terrify those who refused the gift is enthralling. The characters are each unique, the plot strange and captivating, the writing gentle and curious. No offence to Dr. Wheeler, but without a doubt I would say "Yes". The chance to have eternal life which constantly alters and changes you would be too much to pass up. Wilson outlines this so well you find yourself wishing this book could be real.

This is one of those rare SF novels that manages to balance the far-out (aliens saving humankind from itself) with the tounchingly personal. It makes an intriguing premise more than that -- it becomes a fully dimensional novel that works on several levels. This is the first Wilson novel I read (I actually stumbled upon it in a thrift store) and I certainly plan to read more!

This book reminded me of a Dean Koontz novel but with a little more substance and without the golden retriever. Wilson asks the question, what does it mean to be human? Aliens settle in orbit around earth and ask humans if they would like to live forever. However, living forever would mean becoming something not exactly human but perhaps better. 10% of the world population, including the protagonist, decide not to take them up on their offer. The book then follows the adventures of the hero and his few companions who have also declined the aliens' "gift"

WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE FOEVER? THAT IS THE QUESTION OF THIS POWERFUL AND HAUNTING SF CLASSIC.WILSON TELLS US THE STORY OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ALIENS WERE ABLE TO GRANT ONE OF MANKIND'S OLDEST DREAMS:IMMORTALITY AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOME PEOPLE SAID YES TO IT AND OTHERS SAID NO.WE SEE THIS THROUGH THE EYES OF A SMALL
TOWN DOCTOR WHO SAYS NO BUT HIS DAUGHTER SAYS YES.THE NOVEL RAISES THE QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE HUMAN AND WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU
TO GIVE UP YOUR HUMANITY.