Customer Reviews

Schrodinger's Kitten

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

 

 

This novelette is very, very good. The fact that it won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards attests to that.

Set in the Islamic world, Jehan Fatima Ashûfi is a young woman who is beset with problems, not the least is the fact that she seems to inhabit a variety of possible worlds, as envisioned in the 'many worlds' theory that posits an infinite number of worlds or realities based on every possible decision of every human decision maker. Should I have an omlet or french toast for breakfast? That decision might mean a trip to the store, one that could cause a new world or possibility to diverge.

Jehan lives in a violent world, and her decisions follow the idea that various futures await her, depending upon her choices. Many of them end badly, a few seem to end happily. Since she can see her own future (she views these possible futures as visions), she may be able to choose her own destiny, as it were.

The main plot thrust is her own growth as a physicist, and her involvement in the German effort to develop a nuclear weapon. She seems to be able to alter the course of some histories, at least, by helping to sabotage the effort (one in keeping in a general sense with our own time).

My description doesn't convey the depth of the characterizations, the setting of the place, which is richly drawn, and the incredible tension that grips the reader going through the story. You will absolutely not want to put to put it down until you finish. She's in peril!

Very highly recommended. Science fiction at its best. Read this today!

Thought it would be as good as When Gravity Fails, it isn't. The lady narrator's voice is kinda confusing with all the different accent imitation. I'm not discouraging anybody from buying it, but first keep in mind it is not the best of Effinger.

The type of Groundhog Day (15th Anniversary Special Edition) [Blu-ray] story with new physics implications is cool, but, I insist, confussing for an audiobook.

Maybe it's me. I like to listen to audiobooks on my car and, perhaps linear narration is best for that.

A Science Fiction Story

Budayeen physicist choices.


4 out of 5