Newton's Wake: A Space Opera

---------------------------------------------------------------- "A": MacLeod's best yet -- gripping far-future space-opera, all the good KenMac stuff with hardly any of the bad. The only serious fault is a murky ending. Must-read now, and a definite reread later. Don't miss. I don't have much to add to a bunch of rave reviews. Forex: It was the small hours of the morning before I closed this book, which is probably the highest praise I can give a novel. I could babble on for a bit about how well written it is, how inventive, but really, all you need to know is that this is probably the best book MacLeod has written in years. -- David Kennedy, Google Groups He's kicking up his heels and having a high old time with this one, bringing in loads of satire to give this transhumanist adventure yarn a whimsical edge we haven't quite seen from him before. -- TM Wagner, sfreviews.net Newton's Wake is without a doubt Ken MacLeod's finest work to date. It has all the depth, substance and action of his previous novels, while displaying a new level of maturity and artistic growth. -- Adam Volk, SF Site I am a bit surprised at the number of indifferent to negative reviews posted here. Well, there's no accounting for taste. But, to my taste, this is red-hot stuff. Don't miss. Happy reading-- Pete Tillman

This novel is of a galaxy full of post-human technology, mind back-ups in case of death (with the associated question of identity survival), faster-than-light space travel, Drexler cornucopia macines, and post-singularity war machines. Most of the book centers around Carlyle's Drift, which are a series of wormholes connecting places many light years apart, with Lucinda Carlyle the principle character here. Across interstellar space there are several human factions, in various technological levels, competing with each other, allowing an interesting plot. I won't write about this further as I hate plot spoilers I will give you my impressions of the book, however. At times, particularly the later one third, the writing seemed kind of vague, sometimes it was disjointed, making it difficult to recall who was fighting who. Perhaps MaCleod was trying to cover ground too quickly. But in the end it all does make sense. It may be that the main message of the novel is that we will always find ways to kill each other, and justify it, no matter how far technolgy takes us. After reading this, you may wonder as I did, what is real and what is'nt? If you enjoy this kind of science fiction, check out the fine novels by Richard K. Morgan.

The war between Europe and the United States ended abruptly (although not before huge destruction) when the U.S. artifical intelligences jumped the firewalls and subsumed much of the human population. For moments, the hugely grown artificial intelligence was all-powerful, then, it vanished into infinity, too vast to be comprehended or even bothered by the petty wars and struggles left behind. Most of humanity was caught up in the 'rapture.' A few groups, though--America Offline descended from rural out-of-touch farmers, the Knights of Enlightenment--descendents of surviving Japanese and Chinese, Kemokratische Kommunistbund--northern Koreans cut off from computers by their governments isolationism, and a family of Scottish bandits (combat archeologists) who mostly control the tunnels between the stars. When Lucinda Carlyle of the Scots family stumbles across a planet settled by humans who had been on Mars at the time of the Rapture, everything changes. The inhabitants of Eurydice have access to the wormholes between the stars in a new way that puts the Carlyles to shame. But will the new variable in the equation mean war? And even in Eurydice, ancient rivalries between those who wanted to flee the solar system and those who hoped to save the humans forced into the artificial intelligence remain. Now, for the first time, it might actually be possible to realize that dream. Author Ken MacLeod creates an intriguing universe and populates it with authentic characters and a touch of humor. He calls NEWTON'S WAKE a 'Space Opera,' and it does contain excitement, space travel, and youthful characters attempting to survive terrible mistakes and outrageous odds, but WAKE is much more thoughtful than an old-fashioned space opera. MacLeod asks fundamental questions about humanity, our future, and the nature of our goals--and provides only hints of an answer in the context of an entertaining story. Trust me, it works. MacLeod is firmly tongue-in-cheek with his playwright, Benjamin Ben-Ami and his plays, including the 'Tragedy of Leonid Brezhnev,' 'The Madness of George II' and Jesus Koresh. I enjoyed the way MacLeod integrated his political beliefs into the story, unlike the more heavy-handed approach he had used in the earlier (but still enjoyable) books reviewed on this site. MacLeod is maturing as a writer, creating in layers now that make his work far more approachable, yet every bit as complex and thoughtful as his earlier novels.

I agree that this glorious space opera is at once serious and hilarious. What is more important is how it remains believable while introducing us to highly interesting characters as well as a galaxy of cultures. This book has definitely earned a place alongside: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "Foundation", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, as well as books as new to the genre as "Advent of the Corps" and others on my book shelves.

"Space opera" is just right; it's hilarious and serious all at once, and quite an adventure. Unlike Stross' Singularity Sky, which bogs down a bit in the planet-bound revolution part, this novel doesn't bog down anywhere. Instead, we're taken on a wild ride as Lucinda bounces from one disaster to the next. We get an introduction to all the cultures of this universe, illustrating the potential of today's trends extrapolated out. Lots of neat tech mixed with political commentary, including allusions to issues of the past decade or so. This really is one of the books you won't want to put down until you've finished it. MacLeod is really coming into his own with this novel. I count this as one of the top 2 or 3 books I've read this year.