Spin State (Paperback)

by Chris Moriarty (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In her debut novel, the terrific thriller Spin State, Chris Moriarty melds cutting-edge science with post-cyberpunk fiction and neo-noir suspense to create a complex, believable future inhabited by one of the most intriguing characters in modern science fiction.

Major Catherine Li is a veteran United Nations Peacekeeper in a future of world-nations. Humanity has spread across interstellar space by "jumping": teleportation enabled by quantum physics and a bizarre crystal found only on Compson's World. The jumps destroy memory, so jumpers back up their memories on computer. Despite this precaution, frequent jumpers still lose some memories, a fact that poses a far greater problem for Catherine Li than it does for other Peacekeepers. For Li has a dangerous, potentially deadly secret: she's an illegal clone.

When a UN mission goes awry, Li finds herself shipped on solo duty to Compson's World--her home world, to which she'd vowed never to return. Her mission initially seems simple: to determine if the death of brilliant physicist Hannah Sharifi was a crystal-mining accident or cold-blooded murder. Like Li, Sharifi is a clone--in fact, she's Li's genetic twin. Li swiftly finds herself enmeshed in the intertangled politics of the UN, the multiplanetary corporations, the miners, and the human-created Artificial Intelligences, who have enigmatic agendas of their own. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly
Despite incorporating nearly every well-worn SF theme, Moriarty still manages fresh insights into humanity-and posthumanity-in this highly atmospheric debut, a hefty far-future exploration of AI, human cloning, class conflict and plain old-fashioned murder. Major Catherine Li and her fellow UN Peacekeepers battle hive-minded Syndicate genetic constructs for domination of planets settled through FTL (faster than light) migrations enabled by mysterious crystals, quantum-level anomalies of unimagined substance mined only on Compson's World. Resembling the Victorian British empire, the UN's vast interstellar commercial empire runs on the blood and sweat of a few thousand pitifully exploited miners like Li's father, who died so she could remake herself and escape the miners' fate. Now wired into "streamspace" with an AI lover who interacts with her through both male and female hosts, Li is tapped to investigate the murder of physicist Hannah Sharifi, her cloned twin who hoped to share the crystals' power. Based on the short, dangerous life of miners as well as the heady scientific stuff of quantum physics, the book can be heavy slogging for the uninitiated. Moriarty effectively postulates the Faustian price of enhancing humanity with silicon, of playing God through genetic manipulation. Beneath this complex tale ominously simmers Orwell's question: If all animals are to be equal, what can prevent some from making themselves more equal than the others?
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553382136
• ISBN-13: 978-0553382136
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #565,074 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing characters and technology never get fleshed out, April 26, 2004

By	M. S. Hillis (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Spin State" starts out full of promise for fans of "hard" sci-fi, the sub-genre that loads stories with lots of plausible technology and science. It is a good debut novel. However, after a solid beginning that has the reader's mind racing to keep to pace, the book backs away from its potential, dragging on far too long before concluding in a rather predictable and unsatisfying manner.

It is clear that Moriarty has done her homework on quantum mechanics. This is one of the only sci-fi books I've read that supplies a bibliography of dozens of academic papers and books on the subject. She writes convincingly about a quantum-based communications system that is one step shy of actual teleportation -- even sensations like taste and temperature are conveyed through the magic of quantum entanglement.

Other cool features of Moriarty's far-out future include urbane yet shadowy AIs, hardware enhancements for the body, mind and memory, and people who have had their genetic makeup so radically altered that they aren't legally considered to be human any longer.

Although this theme of genetics is supposed to be central to the development of the main character, I felt the theme was never really fleshed out. Indeed, perhaps the book's greatest flaw is that most of the characters -- with the exception of the AI called Cohen -- come across as two- or even one-dimensional. The main character is a decorated commando running from a murky past. We meet a greedy and corrupt mine boss, a manipulative and ruthless general, a selfish and naive beauty, and a selfless and brilliant scientist. Not many surprises.

There are quite a few similarities between this work and "Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan. Specifically: 1) both books are set a few hundred years ahead in a future where the UN is the chief political authority 2) the heroes are special UN commandos haunted by brutal past missions who are called on to investigate mysterious deaths 3) in "Spin State", the hero is from a planet called "Compson's World", in "Altered Carbon", the hero is from "Harlan's World" 4) both books feature bionic enhancements ("neurachem" in AC, "ceramsteel in SS") 5) in AC, human consciousness is backed up by a hardware "stack", in SS, memories and knowledge are backed up in hardware. I read these two books very close together, so the similarities really stood out.

Spin State's story revolves around the investigation of a mining disaster that killed society's pre-eminent quantum scientist, who had been conducting secretive experiments that could turn humanity's interstellar order on its head. I had trouble keeping track of the minor characters who disappeared for long stretches only to reappear later with no reference to earlier actions. The story had trouble holding my attention and I found myself slogging through the second half mainly out of obligation to just finish the book.

I give this book serious credit for painting a detailed picture of quantum, genetic and computing technology a few centuries hence. For hard sci-fi buffs that will probably be more than enough to offset the thinly drawn characters and convoluted plot. Moriarty obviously has a lot of skill and ambition, and I hope her future efforts -- hopefully in the Spin State universe -- are able to deliver on the promise of this book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Quantum Romance , February 21, 2005

By	Ian Mccullough "bookninja" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Spin State packages itself as a far future military space opera/murder mystery on the rear cover. It fits these sub-genres, but is also a thoughtful romance of quantum theory that tackles cultural identity, bigotry, imperialism, and has a fully developed political universe.

Catherine Li is assigned to investigate a delicate and suspicious accident at a vital mine on her homeworld. The mine contains a type of crystal needed for interstellar communication and whoever controls the source of these crystals basically controls known space. Li's presence doesn't settle things down, with military factions, oppressed locals, cut-throat corporate executives, and a genetically modified splinter of humanity jockeying to control and exploit the situation.

Catherine Li is a terrific protagonist. She had a tough background that was honed by experience - or did she? Spin State is a universe where individuals store their memories while traveling cryogenically frozen to avoid decoherence - the bleed of information from the soft tissue. Long term travelers begin to lose their identity unless bolstered by computer backed memories. But if you wanted to hide something, would you remember it? Would it be erased in the next flight? I think this central question of identity hasn't been fully appreciated by other reviewers.

Spin State works on a number of levels. The mystery story element is passable, but not great. The military ops sections are exciting and fluid, but infrequent. The political scene Moriarty creates is rich and fascinating. Moriarty's thoughts on imperialism and worker's rights are neither shallow nor moralizing. But Li's search for herself and her feelings were unusually compelling for a science fiction novel. I like SF, but unconvincing love interests are the norm. I found myself really pulling for Li to get it together. By the end of Spin State so will you.

Much of Spin State revolves around political maneuvering and relationship issues. If you are expecting "Altered Carbon II - Now With a Girl!" you will be sorely (and deservedly) disappointed. To enjoy Spin State you should: A) enjoy the science in science fiction, B) appreciate a detailed political backdrop, and C) like a good romance.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spin State is great, May 22, 2006

By	James Tepper (Boonton Township, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Spin State" delivers exactly what is promised in the little blurb printed on the front cover; an interesting and highly original mix of quantum physics, A.I.. FTL, and an enjoyably atypical love story.

The physics revolves around the consequences of the discovery on a distant planet (Compson's World) of a unique material that is a macroscopic Bose-Einstein condensate at room temperature. That means that pieces of this stuff, known as crystal, act as single quantum entitities and taking one piece, (obtained by mining on Compson's World and no where else in the known universe) splitting it in two and separating the two pieces gives an instantaneous method for FTL communication and travel because of stable quantum entanglement.

This is the setting for a murder mystery that also is built around genetically modified humans, clones, superpowerful A.I.s, military mysteries and perhaps most originally, a believable love story between the main character, Catherine Li, and an A.I. named Cohen. Cohen appears in willing hosts who allow him to take control of their bodies for periods of time in exchange for (one supposes) monetary payment.

The story moves quickly, there are red herrings all over the place and unless you are a lot sharper than me, you won't actually figure out why the murder was committed or by whom until very late in the book.

I liked the writing and the ideas, and will certainly give Ms. Moriarty's next book a read.