Titan

There's something very rewarding about Titan. It's more measured in pace than most books I've read, but it's written with a careful attention to detail, a broad (and sometimes frightening) view of the future, and real originality. This is one to take your time with and enjoy. Titan features an ensemble cast of characters - all of which have flaws. It doesn't dwell on them individually for too long (which some reviewers here fault it for). But for the story it's trying to tell, breadth should trump depth. I enjoyed the range of individuals present; their combined observations give the story a lot more detail and make it more complete. Some readers dislike the course that the world takes in this near-future book. Frankly, I'm chilled by Baxter's apparent prescience. Of course the incident with the Columbia at the beginning of the book is pretty unsettling - I'm sure Baxter wishes he'd written the scene with a different shuttle. But the course America takes over the novel is also chilling, and not too far from our current trajectory. We may not have an administration that has eschewed space exploration, but the Maclachlan character has a few other similarities with the present president that should give us pause. The details of the mission to Titan are fascinating, even if occasionally disgusting. Baxter really did his homework on the effects of prolonged space travel on human physiology - the book is really remarkable in that regard. The drama in this book takes a little while to build, but I was hooked by its portrayal of a space program in deep malaise, and by the desperate struggle of the astronauts, once sent into space. Titan builds to a tremendous conclusion - one worth waiting for. Be patient with this book - you will not regret it.

The scientific details are amazing, and the glimpse the book allows to the space program is priceless.And today it's creepily close to reality: Columbia is lost and the Chinese are going to space...

This was my first Baxter book. I'm an avid sci fi reader leaning heavily towards space novels. This one started off slow, but showed promise, so I kept on reading. Lots of original thought with a mixture of what could truly come to be if we're not careful. I was afraid for the world after reading this one. Lots of good science which I understand he's known for. For me, a worthy book is one which makes me truly feel as I turn the last page, and this one was one I'd put on that list.

Excellent read. Like the journey in the novel, the read is also long. Baxter succeeds in making the reader feel the misfortunes that happen to the crew at an individual level and at the same time gasp in incredulity at the stupidity of the human race "en masse". That contradiction in itself is a real mindful. The ending is a stunner and questions the very ethos or meaning of human survival. It infact ends on a hopeful note even though some find it depressing. This novel is about life, the beauty and struggle of it. It is also about being alone and yet at the same time part of a beautiful, if violent evolution that we are all, mostly unknowingly a part of, a cosmic drama that started well before the birth of our sun and will continue well after the end of our galaxy! I suggest you read it slowly and savor each feeling that arises from the events that unfold. Contrast the individual with the group, with the cosmic and only then will the reader really appreciate the depth of this work.

Some reviewers seem to find the first part of the book nonbelievable. Being a professional historian, I am painfully aware how a civilized society can descend into ignorance, superstition, and barbarism in a surprisingly short time, for reasons even historians do not yet understand fully,( see Germany under Hitler, Russia inder Lenin and Stalin, Cambodia under Pol Pot, and China during the Cultural Revolution. ) I am also painfully aware of what happens when one political or religious group, be it Red, Brown, Black or Green, gains complete control over society, and as a result gets intoxicated by its power. I therefor e regard the first part of TITAN as a strong warning to be heeded, or ignored at our peril. The rest of the book I consider a good example of hardcore, near-future SF, the accuracy of which will be determined in 2004, when Cassini will reach Saturn.