The Phoenix Exultant

Phaeton, who is a character from Greek mythology. From wikipedia: Perhaps the most famous version of the myth is given us through Ovid in his Metamorphoses (Book II). Phaeton seeks assurance that his mother, Clymene, is telling the truth that his father is the sun god Helios. When Phaeton obtains his father's promise to drive the sun chariot as proof, he fails to control it and is killed to prevent further disaster. In The Golden Age, Phaeton (whose father actually controls a great solar array that powers civilization) agrees to have his recent memory erased to prevent censure/banishment for building a great starship to explore the universe, against the wishes of his society, even though his activities are legal. They fear he will birth an extra solar civilization that will eventually war with the home civilization. At the same time he loses his wife, who due to the stresses of his conflict, escapes reality by permanently immersing herself in a dream state. However, with Phaeton's recent memories erased, he is unaware of his recent past, but becomes curious when he encounters hints that something is amiss. He comes across his memories, which are metaphorically placed in a box, upon which is written: "Sorrow, great sorrow, and deeds of renown without peer, within me sleep, for truth is here. Truth destroys the worst in man; pleasure destroys the best. If you love truth more than happiness, then open; otherwise, let rest." Pretty cool! It waxes a little philosophical, and I think the books will probably devolve into way too much heavy philosophy, but it started off good.

First off, if you haven't read Wright's The Golden Age, just buy it. You could read Phoenix Exultant without having read it, but you would just be cutting yourself short on one of the most creative, visionary, and exciting science fiction trilogies. Phoenix starts out right exactly where Golden Age stops. And pretty much just keeps plowing ahead. That may have sounded a little monotonous, but let me assure you Wright's epic is anything but. The most amazing aspect of Wright's writing, in my mind, is how he can cultivate a conflict and conspiracy, an enemy and allies that continue to evolve throughout this book and into the next one. This book, to me, was one adventure right after the next with hardly any downtime in between. It's pretty much nonstop from start to finish. Mixing the movement of the plot with the action, you also have the zany but strangely familiar world Wright has created.What is so beautiful about this book, about the entire trilogy, is that the true conflict of the story lies in the impact of the technology of this future on mankind. That is the essential nature of science fiction. So do I recommend it? Absolutely, especially if you like science fiction - but I highly recommend reading Golden Age first, and I'd even recommend trying to have Golden Transcendence on hand as well. That way you don't have to wait at all to continue the story.

Rating System: 1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten 2 star = poor; a total waste of time 3 star = good; worth the effort 4 star = very good; what writing should be 5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others THE STORY: Continuing right where Book1: The Golden Age left off, we find Phaethon exiled from society as he knows it. This story is of his attempt to rise to power in a society where it is a crime to associate with Phaethon, as he works to regain control of his ship, The Phoenix Exultant, and still live out his dream of reaching the stars. THE BOOK: In this second of a trilogy the author looses much of the ethical debates of the first book for one more physical in action. There still exists debates to boot, but the majority of the book is our protagonist and his allies working their way through the murk of deception and technology in order to identify who Phaethon's true enemy is and how a broke exile could leverage the system to gain him control of his ship again. The setting, though away from the Peers and the rest of the Transcendence, remains vivid and colorful. Even in the areas of exiles and rejects, technology still is an overpowering force that governs the actions of men and Phaethon utilizes this to his advantage wherever possible. The allies that emerge leave the reader glad for Phaethon and cheering...expectant of what is to come. Phaethon continues to show his intelligence as a protagonist which allows him to overcome obstacles that most of us would have shyed away from. The story ends where one must again keep reading into the next book, but that isn't a bad thing. That just means a great story continues. OVERALL: If you've read the first book and enjoyed it you must keep reading. Once you read this book you'll feel compelled to keep reading more, as I am. So off I go to start the finale to this epic space saga. Don't miss out, get it and read it!

John C. Wright has done it again with a fantastic follow-up to "The Golden Age", which set the stage for a sweeping space opera pitting an adventerous soul against a complacent and stagnating society. "The Phoenix Exultant" begins with our hero, Phaethon, in exile. He finds relative safety in a Seussian town peopled by the dregs and outcasts of the Golden Oecumene. Phaethon is trying to reclaim his ship, from which the book takes its title, but to do so he must first overcome the vice and lethargy of those around him, skirt the terms of his exile, and battle agents of his unknown enemy.One of Mr. Wright's strengths is his ability to craft an amazing array of fascinating characters, and he certainly delivers again in this book. We learn quite a bit more about Phaethon's wife, Daphne. Or rather, it is a close copy of Daphne, which sets the stage for interesting complications in the love story. Some reviewers found the Daphne subplot too corny, but I felt it charming. Other interesting characters include, but are not limited to, Old-Woman-Of-The-Sea, the Bellipotent Composition, and the soldier Atkins, who sees a little action. There are many more characters, and Mr. Wright helpfully includes a lengthy list of "dramatis personae" at the beginning of the tale to help readers keep track.The book also continues the philosophic and moral themes begun in the first volume. Phaethon, a man of ability, intelligence and ambition opposed in the first book by society's elite for threatening the peaceful order of civilization, is challenged in this story by the lowest rung of humanity, people who prefer to lose themselves to drugs or computer stimulation rather than to engage in productive and satisfying work. Phaethon also grapples with fundamental questions when he realizes whom he is fighting and comes to understand that they stand for everything anathema to his understanding of a rational and sane universe. Those looking for something meaty in their space opera will find plenty to gnaw on here.As in the first book, there is plenty of imaginative technology kicking about Mr. Wright's future. He avoids the temptation to flaunt fundamental physics like the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Special Theory of Relativity, but delights in speculating about the far-out possibilities offered by quantum weirdness and computing on a planetary scale. Practically each page has something weird and wonderful that would be worthy of a short story in its own right.Finally, the writing is simply great. These novels have more in common with classic literature and plays than with the gritty, journalistic/pulp style that marks much science fiction today. It has been a long time since I've had the pleasure of simply savoring dialogue and turns of phrase in a science fiction book.If there's anything negative to say about "The Phoenix Exultant" it is that it is wedged between two stronger tales (the sequel is "The Golden Trascendence", which I read before writing this review).

Having read all three volumes in this trilogy now, I can say that this is truly a masterpiece. John C. Wright manages to update Jack Vance into the nanotech/deity-computer age. His future universe is remarkably well-imagined, an all the more difficult feat since it takes place thousands of years in the future. But rather than create a "Dying Earth" going-forward-means-backwards milieu, as did Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe, Wright aggressively imagines a high tech (and, unlike Gene Wolfe, explicit rather than implicit) future. Godlike AIs, mass-minds, augmented humans, and many other creations populate this remarkable universe.In these volumes, Wright shows himself a master of dialogue (here is where he most often resembles Vance), although he is occasionally somewhat too twee (the conversations between Daphne and Phaethon). He shows himself a master of plot, with a number of unexpected plot twists. And, as alluded to above, he shows himself a master of invention.Strangely, the three volumes resemble the three Matrix movies in their nature. The first volume, The Golden Age, is by far the best, for the simple reason that the reader is immersed for the first time in this wonderfully realized world (just as in the Matrix). The Matrix Reloaded did not have the newness of the first movie, but compensated for it by dangling mysteries in front of the viewer and by dazzling pyrotechnics and action. This is largely the case for the second volume of Wright's trilogy, The Phoenix Exultant. We are familiar with Phaethon's world, so it is comfortable rather than new and exciting, but the plot itself drives us along. The third volume, the recently released The Golden Transcendence, is the least satisfying of the three, just as the third Matrix movie is the least satisfying, as what mysteries are revealed are not quite as interesting as we might have hoped. But it nonetheless is still a winner by any standards. Together, they represent a remarkable achievement.So, get this if you love good science fiction, but also especially if you like:1) Jack Vance2) Gene Wolfe3) Iain M. Banks4) Walter Jon Williams' Aristoi5) literate high tech space opera6) far far future romanceThese are, truly, very good books (and deserved to have better proofreading by Tor).