Spin State

I am bleary eyed from staying up late to finish this book but I couldn't put it down until I found out how it ended. Great mix of technology and storytelling. I struggled a bit with the jargon at the beginning but kept at it and by the time I finished I understood quite a bit through context. Fabulous main characters, especially Cohen the AI. I wish the author would write another with the same characters. I could see this being a series!!!!

FANTASTIC! I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. In fact, I would say that it is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read. Most sci-fi and fantasy books just repeat the same clichés over and over again. Moriarty's story of a female soldier and a sentient AI is not one of those other sci-fi stories. Moriarty creates a believable and deep world the way masters like Herbert and Tolkien have. He has combined good character development with far-future science, an elaborate (future) history, and an exciting action story. I particularly enjoyed the depth of the main character and the emotional demons she wrestled with; this is the kind of human drama that is a standard of regular fiction but almost always absent from science-fiction. Reading the other reviews here, there seem to be a lot of complaints that the science doesn't work or that the story leaves some gaps. There is some truth to these comments. All I can say is that story kept me going and I never once said to myself: "Well that's just dumb", "Oh that would never work" or "cliché!" There were some parts that I found hard to follow but after all, this is science-FICTION - a good writer leaves much to the imagination. On the other hand, the end of the novel contains a reading list of quantum physics material that makes me feel there is more science here than most books. The only bad thing I can say about this book is that there isn't a sequel!

I know that if I build this book up too much someone is going to read it and be really disappointed. So I'm going to lay down some ground rules. In order to like this book you: 1. Must like science fiction a. with strong female characters (good and bad) b. be tolerant of what the future might bring in social changes c. Enjoy convoluted political plots.It would not hurt if the reader has some knowledge of the history and present state of the coal mining industry but that is not required because the author does a very good job of presenting the troubles of a mining planet, it would just enhance your enjoyment.Above all the reader should enjoy fast action (C. J. Cherryh & Kristine Smith comes to mind) and one of the more unusual romantic relationships in recent SFF. Thank you Chris Moriarty, I really needed this.

Spin State is a cornucopia of recent SF themes put togather by first time author Chris Moriarty. She pulls it off like a grizzled veteran. It took me a couple of chapters to get acclimated to her style after which the story flowed by with nary a jarring word.The story takes place several centuries in the future where FTL travel has been accomplised but not mastered. There are consequences for using the system, mainly memory loss. The main character,Li, has made thirty seven such trips and struggles with the accuracy of her memories. She wonders how many people are using her for their own purposes. AI's have become sentient and use humans that are equipped with "shunts" to interact with the physical world. Other humans can "use" the shunts too which can become confusing if not paid careful attention to. Li has a love-hate relationship with an AI named Cohen that is the underlying fascinating rollercoaster ride through the pitfalls of human-AI ineractions. The story flip-flops between physical reality and the "spinstream." The spinstream can be a dangerous place for both humans and AI's. The story also contains a hard science element with forays into geology, quantum teleportation, many worlds theory, entanglment and others, but it is worked in in a manner that is painless. The book contains many other elements that I have not touched on but are done in a most competant way. Spin State is a solid SF book.

I couldn't put this book down. I was immediately engaged in Moriarty's world. From the first chapter the story had me completely sucked in. But the best thing is that all the great storytelling is backed up by substance: the characters are as real as people you know, and the intellectual and emotional underpinnings are as real and powerful as it gets. If it's been awhile since you've read a book that made your heart pound and your palms sweat, get Spin State!