A masterful exploration of the medium future
OK. This is a fantastic work, the best new book of 2012 so far -- dare I say, a decade-defining work which captures a snapshot of our medium future's best hopes? There's a solar system-spanning medium future of "qubes" (quantum computer AIs), terraforming and thousands of hollowed out asteroid "terraria", explorations of gender, and post-capitalist extra-terrestrial economies -- amidst the grim passage from here to there through climate change, failed geoengineering fixes, and political and economic crises. There's interstitial future history "non-fiction" excerpts. There's an honest to goodness, memorable, building love story between the Mercurial Swan (an avant garde artist/architect/etc.) and Saturnine Wahram, a diplomat from Io. There's even a (small) bit of policework from Inspector Jean Genette. The book opens well, builds and builds, with perhaps a bit of side-trackery on Venus, and other than some misgivings with some bits of the final resolution (and some stunning repeat stupidity from Swan) I was very much blown away by the novel. The overall planet-spanning plot works; the love story really works; it's wonderful sf across the strata of setting, science, plot, and character. It's on the longer side, but narrator Zimmerman plugs along without much drag behind her. She gives a mostly "invisible narrator" performance, not engaging in vocal gymnastics to develop strong accents, instead relying primarily on slight variations to distinguish speakers when necessary. Clean and crisply done, and well-suited to the work. Highly recommended.