I recently completed a novel by Charles Stross called Singularity Sky.
The story is a fairly standard space opera with a romantic sub plot. The main universe is set in a post-singularity version of our future. Technology on Earth has grown to the point where the economy is no longer scarcity based and everyone can have anything they want through the use of nano-technology fabrication machines.
Summary: It was quite interesting from a new ideas point of view, but I didn’t think it was a fantastic story, nor where the characters interesting in any special way.
The story revolves around two deviant societies from the Earth standard civilization. One has reverted to a monarchy-like, pre-singularity imperial state by outlawing nearly all technology. The other is the descendant of a group of humans who where able to upload their consciousness into the post-human “bodies”. The story begins when these two groups meet by accident nearly 500 years after their mutual divergence.
The two main characters are both from Earth and are caught in the middle of the emerging “war” between the two civilizations. They become romantically involved through some of the standard contrived plot-devices, though the interplay between them is still interesting. They struggle to survive the clash between two post-human civilizations that no longer have a common ground for understanding.
While this novel contained many ideas I had not previously read in other novels, they were simply too numerous for my tastes. Obviously the author has a very active imagination and can extrapolate where our current technologies might one day take us. However, with the plethora of ideas crammed into this book the story and characters were lost in the descriptions of the gee-whiz ideas and their interrelations.
Taken in pieces the ideas in this book might have made an excellent collection of short stories that all take place in the same universe. Even the characters might carry from one story to the next. As a whole however, this single story seemed muddy and incoherent.
It’s only worth reading only if you can’t find anything better. I can see why it was nominated for a Hugo in 2004 (the new ideas) but I can also see why it didn’t stand a chance at winning, especially against book two of The Neanderthal Parallax (which also did not win, but is much more interesting).
Alternative suggestion: If you want a story about war between two civilizations where there is no basis for any common understanding try Joe Haldeman’s Forever War.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
It saddens me to see how much the science fiction is played down as arbitrary and completely unimportant to science fiction. What we want is a riveting plot line, charismatic characters, epic romances, and perplexing dilemmas among unfathomable alien species who all speak English. New ideas, shmoo ideas! Who needs those? Who needs to hear about satelites and skyscrapers in a science fiction novel… all these pesky writers with their over active imaginations…
This book opened up my mind to a world of new ideas. It’s job from the very outset was to introduce the reader to the implications of a technological singularity, and it did that and then some. I’m sure that it will inspire writers well into the future who will expand on concepts that were first introduced in Singularity Sky.
Hi BBK,
I’m all for new ideas, and I respect your opinion but I prefer my novel-sized ideas to be wrapped in a cohesive story that hangs together. There are many who agree with you however, otherwise it wouldn’t have even made the final ballot for the 2004 Hugos.
I specifically listen to and read short fiction for new big ideas. If an author wants to try out a big idea, but doesn’t want to develop a full story then short fiction is the way to go in my opinion. I even liked all of the ideas in Singularity Sky which is why I said “Taken in pieces the ideas in this book might have made an excellent collection of short stories that all take place in the same universe.”
Take for example Vernor Vinge and his short “Fast Times at Fairmont High”. It has a single idea and won the Hugo in 2002. An excellent single idea in a good structured story. Later, after he’d considered the reaction to the story and how to develop THE IDEA into a novel, he wrote Rainbows End which isn’t the same story but is in the same universe with a few of the same characters. Rainbows End won the Hugo for best novel this year (2007).
I agree that Stross has a big imagination, but like an eager teenager I think he “blew his whole load” of ideas too early instead of spreading them out a bit over 2 or 3 books. He still has lots to learn from the grand masters of SciFi.
Oh and BTW: Maybe this “It’s only worth reading only if you can’t find anything better.” was a bit harsh. But I stand by my words and am not one to amend history.
Must say I agree with bbk. Awesome ideas, mind-expanding. And look at the later novels – he’s not finished yet!
Okay. So two to one against. That’s cool. Anyone else?
hmmm, i agree with both sides. I really liked the book, but yes the romance was a bit unnecessary. But in sci fi the romance is almost always unnecessary yet there it is. I loved the mash-up of concepts, especially the Festival and will try out more Stross, although Iron SUnrise was not quite as good as this one.
JojO starts out by saying he agrees with both sides, but actually both the actual points he mentions — “I really liked the book”, followed by “but yes the romance was a bit unnecessary” seem to be in favour of the pro-Stross side, the one that disagrees with Cam.
So that makes three to one against you, Cam…
And with me, it makes four.
What do you think this is? A Democracy?!! NO! It’s a dictatorship. You must all agree with my opinions or it’s the airlock for you!
Just kidding.
I have no problem that you all disagree with me. Maybe I was in a bad mood when I read the book or maybe I was just tired.
Science Fiction certainly makes it’s way into real life, maybe real life tainted my opinion of this book.
Who knows. What do other people think?
Haven’t quite finished it yet (2/3 way done), but it’s the most original thing I’ve ever read thus far, and the new ideas are thoroughly entertaining; For me, the conundrum presented by all of them for the characters is just fine.
I do agree that the characters weren’t particularly great and the romance was unnecessary; I’ll forgive it just this once since the ideas more than make up for it.
And one last thing…
“It’s only worth reading only if you can’t find anything better.”
Isn’t that true of ANYTHING? Why would you willingly sit down and read something if you knew you’d enjoy reading “X” better? =P
Max, Yes. I always pick the story from my shelf I think I’ll like best. Sometimes I’m wrong, but you do have a great point
I also agree that the ideas are very original (as I stated in my review) but that as a SINGLE STORY it doesn’t hold together as a story, just one big idea after another. Which brings me back to my statement that “Taken in pieces the ideas in this book might have made an excellent collection of short stories that all take place in the same universe.”
The short format lends itself to less character development and more idea. It’s a shame few current “big name” authors spend serious attention writing short fiction.
I’m about 2/3 of the way through the book and I like it. I like all the ideas and technologies he mentions–so I guess I’m against you, too, Cam, but no worries–but more important, I like his narrative voice and humor. There are frequently little jokes (some obscure) that make me chuckle. IMHO, Singularity Sky is a good example of the post-cyberpunk SF.
I discovered Stross in “Rewired: the Post-Cyberpunk Anthology” and it made me want to read more of this stuff. So far I’m glad I did.
Interestingly, I recently finished Forever War, so I note the similarities: time travel via “folding” or jumping, the unknowable alien culture.
IMO Charles Stross is one of the most original sifi writers around.
The Atrocity Archives is incredible!
This book is great too (not quite as good as Atrocity Archives though
)
I was considering buying this book when I came across this review. Thank you Cam for sharing your thoughts and engaging your readers.
You seem to suggest you prefer sci-fi that takes one or two big ideas and explores them within the context of a well written story. That sort of thing drives me nuts, and I often believe indicates a poverty of thought on the author’s part. From an ideas perspective, I believe all the fertile ground is found in the intersection and interaction of a multitude of a new ideas as they crop up. Consider the dozens of technologies developed during WWII, and how they intersected in dozens of ways that couldn’t be forseen. Human history rarely follows a linear progression of ideas, and I’m delighted when authors like Stross are bold and imaginative enough to string together a dozen ideas and make a constellation out of them.
Chris,
That’s an excellent point. I’m all for a few big ideas, just not dozens that are all very thinly explored.
For the record, and as I alluded to in the review, my favourite SciFi is when an author creates a whole universe full of ideas, and explores them over the course of 3-4 books. For example:
1. Asimov’s Foundation and Robot series
2. Scalzi’s Old Man’s War Universe
3. Campbell’s Lost Fleet
4. Heinlein’s various Future History time lines
Etc.
Each book in those series explores 3-5 different major ideas in depth and alludes to half a dozen more ‘mysterious’ ideas that are developed in later works in the same imaginary places/spaces.
However, all have a strong story about people in each book. This is fiction after all.