Customer Reviews

Newton's Wake

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

 

 

Newton's Wake is billed as "A Space Opera", which I guess is supposed to explain why this is a bit of a creampuff of a novel. MacLeod is a deft writer, with a nice ability to turn phrases.

We are dropped into the action and MacLeod does a good job of the "slow reveal" of the characters and the circumstances. We get a good feel for this universe and the folks who inhabit it. We get a variety of characters who's basic humanity is challenged by circumstances: there were trapped as a program, head replaced with a metal head, social pariah, simulation of the original person, etc. And there are little touches (Ben Ami's play about Leonid Breznhev is a hoot).

But... I found some jarring elements here too. We don't get close enough to most of these characters to really care all that much about them. Perhaps it is supposed to be telling that there are no real "bad guys" or "good guys", but the author should have had some stance on the Big Issues he raises, like: if you die and a version of you is brought back to life, it is really you? What if the version of you that is brought back isn't really you, it's just a reconstruction of other people's perception of you? Those are truly interesting questions and MacLeod goes nowhere with them: he asks without developing either an opinion or going near the really thorny bits. We are told more often than we are shown the developments that really matter.

I was annoyed by some "reverse anachronisms" here: things from today that inappropriately show up in this far future time and don't fit. I found the debate about "Returners" vs. "Runners" was ultimately empty, as much of the plot was empty, because the author doesn't seem to feel the motivations. The conflicts in the novel are set pieces.

As a space opera, this is neither gonzo enough to be a really wild ride nor pithy enough to really deal with the fascinating issues the book raises. This is a good read and I'll be keeping an eye on MacLeod, though. Here's an author with some talent. But this won't be his best novel.

This novel is of a galaxy full of post-human technology, mind back-ups in case of death (with the associated question of identity survival), faster-than-light space travel, Drexler cornucopia macines, and post-singularity war machines. Most of the book centers around Carlyle's Drift, which are a series of wormholes connecting places many light years apart, with Lucinda Carlyle the principle character here. Across interstellar space there are several human factions, in various technological levels, competing with each other, allowing an interesting plot. I won't write about this further as I hate plot spoilers

I will give you my impressions of the book, however. At times, particularly the later one third, the writing seemed kind of vague, sometimes it was disjointed, making it difficult to recall who was fighting who. Perhaps MaCleod was trying to cover ground too quickly. But in the end it all does make sense. It may be that the main message of the novel is that we will always find ways to kill each other, and justify it, no matter how far technolgy takes us. After reading this, you may wonder as I did, what is real and what is'nt? If you enjoy this kind of science fiction, check out the fine novels by Richard K. Morgan.

The war between Europe and the United States ended abruptly (although not before huge destruction) when the U.S. artifical intelligences jumped the firewalls and subsumed much of the human population. For moments, the hugely grown artificial intelligence was all-powerful, then, it vanished into infinity, too vast to be comprehended or even bothered by the petty wars and struggles left behind. Most of humanity was caught up in the 'rapture.' A few groups, though--America Offline descended from rural out-of-touch farmers, the Knights of Enlightenment--descendents of surviving Japanese and Chinese, Kemokratische Kommunistbund--northern Koreans cut off from computers by their governments isolationism, and a family of Scottish bandits (combat archeologists) who mostly control the tunnels between the stars. When Lucinda Carlyle of the Scots family stumbles across a planet settled by humans who had been on Mars at the time of the Rapture, everything changes. The inhabitants of Eurydice have access to the wormholes between the stars in a new way that puts the Carlyles to shame. But will the new variable in the equation mean war? And even in Eurydice, ancient rivalries between those who wanted to flee the solar system and those who hoped to save the humans forced into the artificial intelligence remain. Now, for the first time, it might actually be possible to realize that dream.

Author Ken MacLeod creates an intriguing universe and populates it with authentic characters and a touch of humor. He calls NEWTON'S WAKE a 'Space Opera,' and it does contain excitement, space travel, and youthful characters attempting to survive terrible mistakes and outrageous odds, but WAKE is much more thoughtful than an old-fashioned space opera. MacLeod asks fundamental questions about humanity, our future, and the nature of our goals--and provides only hints of an answer in the context of an entertaining story. Trust me, it works.

MacLeod is firmly tongue-in-cheek with his playwright, Benjamin Ben-Ami and his plays, including the 'Tragedy of Leonid Brezhnev,' 'The Madness of George II' and Jesus Koresh. I enjoyed the way MacLeod integrated his political beliefs into the story, unlike the more heavy-handed approach he had used in the earlier (but still enjoyable) books reviewed on this site. MacLeod is maturing as a writer, creating in layers now that make his work far more approachable, yet every bit as complex and thoughtful as his earlier novels.

I did finish it though, which gives it some credit. MacLeod is part of a new breed of Scottish authors that manage to write for both an international and Glaswegian audience. It is as if they primarily write for their home market, but that their writing is so good that outsiders also read their books. Anyway, there is enough material here for everyones taste. Good things first. There are tonnes and tonnes of plots and subplots squeezed into a relatively thin volume - makes for exciting reading. The book is a thinly veiled satire. I do not think, for instance, that it is a conicidence that a band of street-thugs turned interplanetary entrepeneurs has the same name as a company closely affiliated with the present US administration. A company well-known for its bullish business methods.
I could fill the entire review with examples of subtle, and not so subtle, jokes about our present post-2000 "election" society. Hovewer, one group of survivors have created a kind of Hollywood society, where entertainment is the main business, and eternal youth and beauty is available to all. One playwright, somewhat similar to Shakespeare, produces plays about Breznev, Osama bin Laden, and David Koresh. In the descriptions of these plays MacLeod manage to cram more satire about just about the entire US than other writers need an entire book to do.
However, I think that MacLeod enjoyed writing this book too much - it is as he loved the details so much that he never really thought of a coherent story.
I think that if you borrowed the book from the library you might be happier than if you bought it.

It's hard to even come up with a synopsis of the story. A woman and her team investigate an old artifact and consequences ensue?

The first problem was the dialect in the dialog. The author didn't make it clear in the beginning that it was Scottish. (I don't always read the author's biography before selecting a book to read.) The reference alluding to it being English made it difficult for me to get into the flow of it. After I finally got the hang of it, it was OK. The back and forth usage of dialect didn't really help move the plot. The plot seemed to move better when the dialect was dropped. It might be just my preference, but I prefer dialect be kept to minimum. It can help with an emotional outburst. Prolonged usage though just gets in the way of the story. I think once the reader knows someone speaks with a Scottish accent they can fill in the inflections in their own head.

The other problem I had with this book is the ending. The middle had some drama. A sense of moving towards a resolution of conflict. The ending though seemed to just dribble out. I ended up thinking what was the point of it all? I guess in summary I could say parts are good, but don't expect a big finish.

From the very beginning of this attempt at an epic space opera I was uncomfortable.

"As soon as she stepped through the gate Lucinda Carlyle knew the planet had been taken and knew it would be worth taking back." How do you assess a planet in an instant? You can't, of course and readers know that.

From the beginning the reader is assaulted with worm hole travel, faster than light space ships (flitters), nanotechnology, artificial intelligences that can store deceased humans for resurrection and a vast array of personal weaponry, battle suits and sentient technologies. It is as if the author set out to introduce every element of current, science fiction mythology.

This is all contained within a vast sociopolitical environment of competing cultures that appear to have evolved following a nuclear war intervened in by an artificial intelligence that scooped up the essence of the dying humans for virtual storage. Read it if you can't imagine it!

It is not a bad novel but it is a disappointing effort by a talented and experienced author. I don't know what his editorial advice was but they failed him in this effort. The novel is not without areas of brilliance and potential. There is a delightful piece of writing where a live dramatic performance is described with well crafted and evocative descriptions.

Some of the scenarios could have been developed into exciting and suspenseful episodes such as the exploration of the cavern while dying of radiation. Images of 'Raiders of The Lost Ark' flashed to mind only to be lost with a too sudden jump to the next world.

I can't give it any more than 2.5 or 3 due mainly to my high levels of frustration and disappointment as well as confusing scene changes, difficult dialogue (pseudo-Scottish) and simply too much material crammed in to let the story breath. There are at least a dozen stories interwoven through the novel but none get a chance to grow. Pity as each of them could have held their own.

MacLeod can do better and I am sure he will again - maybe he just needs to go back to basic story telling. He certainly has the ability but maybe hasn't given himself the time on this one.

There are some great ideas and background story in this book, but when it comes to action and suspense to drive the plot along, things are few and far between. MacLeod has a habit of wrapping up action in a few paragraphs or pages while going on for pages about nothing that really motivates the story or characters. One problem with this is that there is no real climax to the book - there are a few spots where things happen of import, but they get glossed over after a few pages till the next crisis. That's why the book reads more like a series of short stories than a full, coherent novel.

MacLeod also really needs to get out of the Scots and Marxism shticks. These seem to pop up in every book he writes and it is really beginning to get repetitious. Another problem is, like Charles Stross, he throws in too many contemporary references that feel contrived after a while. Speaking of anachronisms, the fractured Engrish his Korean characters speak is like something out of an old war movie and is borderline offensive.

His descriptions of the Hard Rapture and the US/Europe war were some of the better parts of the book, especially as he weaves them into a play, and MacLeod is still one of the better current SF writers at drafting dialogue, so it's a shame so much of it felt wasted.

MacLeod has written some great books before, notably the Cassini Division, so I know that he can do better than this, and I'll hope the next one is better.

There is SF tht takes itself seriously; then there is SF parody. Good parody like Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steel Rat and Mary Gentle's "Grunts" is a lot of fun.

Then there is "Newton's Wake".

There were times when I thought I should be laughing. There were times when it was clearly serious. There were many times when I caught myself wondering is just maybe MacLeod wasn't having us all on.

I am still confused by Runners and Returners: who betrayed who and why. Who is double-dealing who and why remains a mystery.

Yet, still a good read. Not something that I could not put down, but engaging from front to back.

This book was for me a disappointment. At first, I was intrigued by the book's introduction but as I started reading it, I became confused and discouraged. Ken Macleod may had created a few master pieces but this book can not be considerate as a part of it.

Fist, the writer plunge the reader straight in the middle of his universe without giving him/her any references to base the reader's experience. Obviously, Ken MacLeod know what and where it coming from but fail to share his vision with the reader.

Newton's Wake has its share of actions but those episode are short and the interval in between are close to a painful crawl. Yet, this novel isn't all black. Ken Macleod do ask questions about the possibility of uploading and downloading the mind and personality of a person thus insuring the reincarnation of decease person into a new body. He also ask if the reincarnated person will be the same as the one who died or merely a copy with the memory of the original that or may not follow the footsteps of the original. Those are indeed interesting questions, however, Ken Macleod didn't seem to want bringing the debate to its conclusion or worst, didn't seem to wish sharing his own believe in the matter. He left us wondering and pondering on the subject.

The last thing that threw me off, was when I finished the novel, I re read the introduction then realise the writer didn't made up to its promises. Instead of giving the reader what he promised, he lead the reader on to a different path... was this on purpose??? At last, on of my greatest difficulties with this novel, was probably the language barrier. English is my second language and I must say I had a very had time to understand the Scottish/Gaelic expressions used by some of the characters... This alone may explain why I had a very hard time to read this novel.

Having recently stumbled upon space operas I did a little research and Macleod's name popped up, so when I saw Newton's Wake used I snatched it up. It was shortly in that I realized this is certainly not that great of a sci fi book.

The plot was very forced, a square peg trying to fit into a circle. Nothing really flowed. We see war machines and wait and wait to see why they are even in the plot (with the exception of adding a background story) only to see them glanced upon, almost as a side note. The characters are forced into roles and stereotypes in order to add flavor to the story and show the different human colonies all over the galaxy.

The Carlyles, for example, have this horrid accent that Macleod persists in writing by spelling everything wrong. Lucinda only speaks with an accent half the time, if that, and how is this explained? Oh, the accent kicks in when she is under stress. Yet she would be stressed and have the accent, be relaxed, it didn't matter. All it ultimately did was break the flow of the narrative and dialogue so that it distracted the reader as they had to stop and try and see what was being said. Macleod also used ah, and like, and you know throughout the dialogue that was intended to give the dialogue a more natural feel, and ultimately did the same thing as the forced scottish accents.

I certainly am not going to judge Macleod on this one and will find one of his more well known books, but Newton's Wake didn't really sit too well for me. In the end I found that I didn't care what happened to Lucinda or the other characters. I wouldn't recommend the book, not sure about the author yet.

2.5 stars.