Comments on: Vernor Vinge’s Rainbows End: A review

By: Ghostwoods

Ghostwoods — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:59:12 +0000

I see what you’re getting at, but personally, I believe that the ‘cracked mirror’ school of sf is just one strand, not the whole thing. I enjoyed the chance to see through the eyes of a character who was so alien to myself — something Vinge has always been good at. Otherwise good sf can even be spoilt by over-playing the human/relationships element; Ken McLeod springs to mind. If I want fiction that’s about relationships, I’ll generally go read chick lit. I like my sf to take me to places I wouldn’t have thought of myself, and Rainbow’s End did that nicely.

By: Renai LeMay

Renai LeMay — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:04:33 +0000

@Simon Sharwood:

“What is more human than the quest for a place in the world, for love and for acceptance?”

Those are superficially human values indeed :) But I think the quest for what humanity itself means is a much greater quest, and one which science fiction writers commonly aspire to. David Zindell’s book ‘Neverness’ is the perfect example of this. And of course, the trilogy which came after it: A Requiem for Homo Sapiens.

By: Renai LeMay

Renai LeMay — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:01:47 +0000

@Sharon E. Dreyer:

Cheers, will add to my list!

By: Renai LeMay

Renai LeMay — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:01:19 +0000

@Steve Steiner:

I understand completely where you’re coming from, and a lot of people do really like that dry background rooted in real science. That’s fair enough! But I’m not one of them … I like some more soul :)

But each to their own!

By: Simon Sharwood

Simon Sharwood — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:29:19 +0000

I thought this novel was all about what it means to be human! Gu awakes, finds himself without friends, disconnected from his family other than its teenaged members. He tries to rebuild his life, does so by looking backwards rather than forwards and finds this does not work entirely well! What is more human than the quest for a place in the world, for love and for acceptance?

By: Sharon E. Dreyer

Sharon E. Dreyer — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:05:33 +0000

Not certain about this novel. I’ll have to think a bit more on it, but thanks for your insight.

Check out my first and recently released novel, Long Journey to Rneadal. This exciting story is a romantic action adventure in space.

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By: Steve Steiner

Steve Steiner — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:34:53 +0000

Your dislike of Rainbow’s End seems largely grounded in it not being a fast paced sci-fi themed fantasy tale of swashbuckling adventure. I love that kind of book, but I don’t really consider it science fiction. Rainbow’s End is not Vinge’s best, but it certainly is a fun read. Exploring how Gu’s expertise fits differently into a future society (becoming not irrelevant but differently relevant) is exactly what good sci-fi does. Also … all of my favortie sci-fi authors have that same ‘dry background’ firmly rooted in real science.

By: Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End: A review | bookreview

Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End: A review | bookreview — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:43:40 +0000

[...] more here: Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End: A review Tags: evolution, ride-at-times, science, selection, sometimes-glacial, the-main, [...]