Macrolife: A Mobile Utopia, Limited Edition [Hardcover]

George Zebrowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2006

Subtitled "A Mobile Utopia", this pioneering novel, about the meaning of space habitats for human history, presents space faring as no work did in its time, and since. This is a utopian novel like no other, presenting a dynamic utopian civilisation that transcends the failures of our history. Epic in scope, "Macrolife" opens in the year 2021. The Bulero family owns one of Earth's richest corporations. As the Buleros gather for a reunion at the family mansion, an industrial accident plunges the corporation into a crisis, which eventually brings the world around them to the brink of disaster. Vilified, the Buleros flee to a space colony where young Richard Bulero gradually realises that the only hope for humanity lies in macro life - mobile, self-reproducing space habitats. A millennium later, these mobile communities have left our sunspace and multiplied. Conflicts with natural planets arise. John Bulero, a cloned descendant of the twenty-first century Bulero clan, falls in love with a woman from a natural world and experiences the harshness of her way of life. He rediscovers his roots when his mobile returns to the solar system, and a tense confrontation of three civilisations takes place. One hundred billion years later, macro life, now as numerous as the stars, faces the impending death of nature. Regaining his individuality but falling away from a highly evolved macro life, a strangely changed John Bulero struggles to see beyond a collapse of the universe into a giant black hole. Inspired by the possibilities of space settlements, projections of biology and cosmology, and basic human longings, "Macrolife" is a visionary speculation on the long-term future of human and natural history. Filled with haunting images and memorable characters, this is a vivid and brilliant work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George Zebrowski’s forty books include novels, short-fiction collections, anthologies, and a book of essays. His works have appeared in all the science fiction magazines, as well as in Omni, Nature, Popular Computing, and the Bertrand Russell Society News. Arthur C. Clarke described Macrolife as "a worthy successor to Olaf Stapledon’s Star Maker. It’s been years since I was so impressed. One of the few books I intend to read again." Library Journal listed Macrolife as one of the one hundred best science fiction novels, and The Easton Press published it in its "Masterpieces of Science Fiction" series. Cave of Stars, a recent novel, also belongs to the Macrolife mosaic. Zebrowski’s works have been translated into eight languages; his short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. Brute Orbits, an uncompromising novel about a future penal system, was honored with the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel of the Year in 1999.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 385 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023408
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023401
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,747,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, November 30, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macrolife: A Mobile Utopia (Paperback)

Shell houses in space.

A book that manages to be ahead of its time and retro at the same time.

Ian Watson's claims of how good it is in the intro may be overstating the case a bit, though, in this new version.

It is interesting, though, but a lot of highly philosophical discussion which some people maybe find a tad dry. If some of that Wells or Stapledon stuff is not liked by you, you could probably skip this one, too, apart from the first section of three, all set in different eras.

Basically, a family invents a substance that allows immense buildings due to its strength, but discovers it has subatomic explosive flaws that need working out.

Later on, humans have expanded into space, and to the end of time.

The latter section is rather annoying in that it has immense passages all in italics, an these are prefaced with :: type quotation marks to indicate one of the strange end of time intelligences is speaking, to start with. Very bloody annoying.

A book that is worth a look, though, for considering a Utopian type vision in the tradition of those authors mentioned above, or even Clarke, who is also mentioned throughout. Should definitely appeal to those who like these gentlemen.

There is a lengthy afterword by the author detailing how the book came to be, and his thought processes in coming up with it over a lengthy period of time. Length is also what you would call Watson's introduction.


3.5 out of 5

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars reprint of a fabulous cerebral outer space thriller, February 18, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macrolife: A Mobile Utopia, Limited Edition (Hardcover)

In 2021 the apparently recently discovered durable element bulerite becomes the prime material in construction on earth and in space. That is until bulerite proves unstable leading to biblical destruction; millions die along with the death of the planet.

The only hope for survivors is in space as we finally killed earth with technological progress. Those who escape into other areas of the solar system begin building habitats inside hollow asteroids. By 3000 (earth calendar) the new mobile environments that serve as home to the exiled earthlings lead to radical changes in society and prove once and for all evolution rules; eventually those mobile space residence comes into contact with planet bound life as they revolve around the galaxy. Perhaps a billion years into the future humanity and its macrolife existence has turned into mini mobile utopias, but now confront the first pandemic threat since the death of earth, the death of the galaxy

This is a reprint of a fabulous cerebral outer space thriller that seems even more relevant today than its 1979 release thanks to the recent debate between intelligent design vs. evolution and the administration attack on science; for instance a censuring of a NASA science report deletes reference to our sun dying in 5 billion years as being too depressing. The novel contains a new introduction and pictures, but the prime story line told in three ages over the eons remains the same and as puissant as ever. Each of the periods, 2021, 3000, and "The Dream of Time" provide a deep look at humanity where it was, where it is, and where it is going through the cycle of one family, the Bulero brood. George Zebrowski provides a thought provoking winner that remains pertinent today.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars Over rated essay with a pretense of a story, yet visionary, November 12, 2011

By 

mobiusklien "mobiusklien" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macrolife: A Mobile Utopia (Paperback)

Ian Watson and author and fan of this book, provided a forward lecturing the reader that the theme of the story should overshadow the characters if the theme is important enough. He is dead wrong and a turn off, as he insults US scifi readers. His attempt at schooling should be saved for after you read this book, then you can decide the degree of pomposity Watson exhibits.

Now for the book, a story in 3 parts.
In essence you learn of a family that found a "miracle compound" named after the the family name Bullero, it is called Bullerite. you get a glimpse of the family strife in the book and discussions about permanently living in mobile platforms, such as hollow asteroids.

This miracle compound is incredibly durable and has transformed Earth making tiered cities possible, allowing the use of thermal heat for the earth's core as a source of energy, industrial processes have been removed from the Earth, allowing for some ecological healing.

The Strawman big boss, John Bolero, a fraud with an ego, and a slob in terms of work ethic, dies in an accident that presages the inherent instability of Bullerite. Before you know it all of the infrastructure on Earth that depends upon Bullerite goes haywire and there is a complete collapse.

Some of the Bulleros get away to a mobile asteroid. Meanwhile the Earth becomes engulfed in some sort of massive sphere of what appears to be Bullerite. After some political gamesmanship, the asteroid with the Bulleros takes off for outer space leaving earth.

At a later time, this asteroid comes back to earth, about 1000 years later, the sphere has receded, the civilization has recovered, and the asteroid comes back just as earth is being visited by an alien species who also lives in a mobile asteroid. No interaction with the recovered earth civilization is covered, neither is anything about the FIRST alien species they cover.

There is a significant sequence where a clone of the original Bullero feels the urge to go to a planet of Humans that settled after traveling. But their civilization failed, it is a glimpse into a brutal horrid life. it leaves an impression on the clone, which is referenced in the last book.

In the last book the essence of the clone is revived after 100's of billions of years (literally at the end of existence), because the sentient life, mostly stored personalities cannot overcome their fear to make a decision to execute a plan to escape to the new universe through a black hole, because they see too many things that can go wrong. Some entities have opted for suicide instead. So now they rely on this relatively peanut sized intelligence to give them a mental kick in the pants. Of course he muddles through and succeeds. So what do they find on the other side? another set of Macro lifers that were hidden in the previous universe, because they jumped into the birth of our universe, whom they now join. Is there any insight into that? NO!!!!!!!!! What were those clowns doing for 100's of billions of years, watching reruns of Star Trek, Dancing with the Stars and I love Lucy?

The concepts portrayed in the early 1970's have clearly found their way into the workings of Greg Bear ( Eon), Greg Egan (Diaspora) and Peter Hamilton ( Night's dawn Trilogy). And they wrote real stories, not dressed up essays. But to say this is in the top 100 of the best scifi of the 20th century ??? NO WAY.