Singularity's Ring (Tor Science Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Paul Melko (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This superior debut initially resembles a straightforward YA adventure but abruptly veers into much stranger territory. Various factions struggle for control of the Ring, a colossal space station built around Earth by engineers who turned most of humankind into a group mind called the Community, which promptly figured out how to access other realities and vanished from this one. The few remaining humans genetically engineer their children to form pods of individuals so closely bonded that they function as one person. After stumbling on secret research during a training exercise, the teenage pod called Apollo Papadopulos soon find themselves on the run from shadowy forces who want to seduce or kill them. The setting extends from Earth orbit to the Amazon jungle, and the action ranges from a tense space rescue to an almost idyllic trek through the Rockies with a family of genetically altered bears. Though some loose plot ends dangle a bit, the ingenious character development and startling images and ideas are deeply satisfying. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Earth is surrounded by an artificial ring, former home of the human-cybernetic Community, which vanished in the Singularity, years after which multiple person Apollo Popadopulos (a pod of five individuals) is one of several competitively training to captain the starship Consensus to search for the vanished preponderance of humanity. Training is arduous, and returning to Mother Redd’s farm to await assignment proves harder. Apollo meets Malcolm Leto, recently removed from stasis, who was once part of the Community. As Apollo falls victim to more and more accidents, and Leto schemes to bring back the Community, harsh truths come to light about Apollo’s origins and the bleak reality of the Community’s disappearance. Melko’s world is a fascinating one, in which single humans are increasingly rare, pods like Apollo are the norm, and the Singularity did not necessarily improve the human condition. This strong first novel boasts engaging characters and tight, fast-paced action sustained through some acrobatic plot stunts. --Regina Schroeder --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; Reprint edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076535702X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765357021
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #442,169 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original, involving, "quint"essential..., June 9, 2008

By	J. Burke "jcburke1" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Singularity's Ring (Hardcover)

The idea of humans who can share thoughts and feelings is not a new concept in SF but I have never read a book that pulled the reader into the personal experience so completely. The personalities of the characters have depth and the reader becomes involved as they get to witness "linking" from the point of view of each of the participants. Action is laced throughout as the pace kept me totally engrossed and wanting to turn the page. Very good book and made me want it to be about twice as long. This is an author to watch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, September 2, 2009

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singularity's Ring (Hardcover)

Single Group Conflict


The main character here is a quintet, or a group person - with five bodies. Each has enhanced communication with the others.

On an Earth with a massively reduced population thanks to wars.

Group humans are now common, but not in fives, just lower numbers.

The quintet is to be trained to fly a Starship.

However, single people still exist - and the remnants of the previous civilisation of jacked in to a Community net adherents.

Therefore, you get your dodgy geneticists, violence, and not so nice areas, and our Famous Five ends up on the run.

This is a pretty standard quality novel, call it a 3.25.

The most interesting part is perhaps the episode with the sentient bear group - a similar arrangement, enhanced much like our heros. So, if you want to know what sort of jokes bears tell... shades of Murray Leinster's Exploration Team, even. Here the group is on the run, literally in the wild, no spaceships or anything like that to be seen.

So the story descends from Starship in space training to roughing it, ramping back up at the end.


(call it 3.25)
3.5 out of 5

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time Well Spent, June 5, 2008

By	Paul Johnston (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Singularity's Ring (Hardcover)

I loved reading Singularity's Ring. I became quite involved with the characters and found myself quite concerned over what became of them. Is that somewhere in the definition of a good read? Short and sweet, I wanted this book to go on and I can hardly wait for more from Paul Melko. Very highly recommended.