Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson (2016-04-26)

This science fiction book hits on several very interesting and complex topics; what a generational spacecraft would be like, both the mental and physiological effects would be on humans, and how an AI would develop self-consciousness. The author does a good job of world building where these things take place and makes the audience wonder how they are happening what the characters will do. I was severely disappointed with the book when the author created characters that whined in the face of adversity and gave up at the first sign of trouble. I finished the novel in the hopes that things would turn around at the end but they did not, instead the book lets the audience know that no matter what you do in the universe it is useless and therefore that life is useless. Kim Stanley Robinson is good at creating an interesting world world but fills it with people, who, you would not want to share it with. I suggest you stick with Robinson's Mar's Trilogy.

Never a huge fan of Kim Stanley Robinson, but one of the things I like about him is that he's not totally 'starry-eyed' about the future of space travel. He understands the rigors and dangers it's likely to entail and asks if it's really worth it. The answer we get here is apparently 'no,' so if you find that upsetting as a sci-fi fan, this may not be the book for you. Otherwise you'll probably find this a thoughtful, engaging read.

Yeah, tried to get into this. Read the whole thing expecting something, anything, interesting to happen. Nope - not here. A.I. in control of generation ship gains consciousness and yet is completely boring. Something explodes - happens off camera. And this would be ok if the philosophical meanderings went anywhere - but no, it just keeps circling around.

Kim Stanley Robinson is a great writer and has told a wonderful, original story here. He is questioning the value of interstellar space travel, a conservative position from a man who has the credentials to speak wisely on the topic. The final section of the book is a demonstration of his literary skills as he devotes it entirely to the discovery of a simple pleasure, known to millions of beach-going ten year-olds. Simple pleasure, yes, but profoundlly displayed here, it is a gift from Gaia, available here on Earth, and not to be found elsewhere no matter how wonderful the technologies of space travel.

I love his writing as always, but was disappointed by the downer vibe a bit. The main characters were too willing to give up too easily on humanity's ultimate goal. Also, many obvious solutions to problems faces by these people weren't explored or justified as to why they were ignored. Despite all that I love this authors works, all of them, this one included and this was nonetheless a great book.

A great exploration of the "voyage to the stars" theme tackled by so many sco-fi authors. Stephen Baxter's ARK makes a wonderful companion read. The similarities are striking and the differences illuminating. Both are entertaining and thoughtful. What's best is how Kim Stanley Robinson intelligently questions some of the basic sci-fi assumptions about the desireability of colonization of other stars. This story is artfully told and demands the reader pause and reflect as events unfold. A "must read" for sci-fi readers.

Great story at the beginning. The
narrative from the ships computer was intriguing and interesting. Characters stories just stopped...what happened? The last part of the book all about swimming??? Don't think I'll
Try this author again.

I have a very strong preference for imagination in science fiction as opposed to fantasized science fiction. This books is all about imagination and it is the best science fiction I've read in some time.

This novel is a cautionary tale about the problems future interstellar space travelers and planetary settlers and planet terraformers may have to solve. Like much science fiction, this novel is not really about space exploration and settlement as much as it is about correcting the problems man has made when modifying earth's environment.

In turns exhilarating and heartbreaking, this novel is a masterpiece which delves deep into the existential nature of human consciousness and our drive to preserve and ensure our future. It is a grand journey beyond all we've ever known, both in terms of space and human mettle. The narrative is presented in eloquent third person, and though the chapters are a bit long the material itself is riveting enough to enthrall the reader throughout. I was surprised and delighted by the serpentine turns of the plot and will absolutely recommend this novel to all lovers of hard SF.

I skimmed over a lot of the AI narrarator sections towards the latter half. Lot's of intellectually stimulation though - here's an incomplete list of conceptual keywords relevant to the plot:

Island biogeoraphy
Regression to mean
Coriolis effect
Order of magnitude
Quantum computing/mechanics
Moments per narrative unit
Subordinating conjunctions
Tautological formulations
Ouroboros problem
Greedy algorithm
Traveling salesman problem
Ease of representation, probability blindness, overconfidence, anchoring
Narrative account misrepresentation
Zeno's paradox
Halting problem
Language based inductive inference

Kim Stanley Robinson has produced a worthy successor to the Mars series. His vision of intergenerational, interstellar travel, its benefits and drawbacks is absorbing. The more one reads, the more one becomes involved with the world of the ship, the ship as the platform, then the sustainer, then the narrator, then the caretaker.

The hard scientific detail is woven into the story in a subtle yet clever manner, leading the reader to an understanding of the facts of interstellar travel that would have been challenging if presented on its own.

Highly recommended.

Proper science fiction - a look at what it would really be like to send a generation ship off to the stars. Unfortunately I like my speculation to be optimistic at its heart and this was kind of a downer. This means that while it was interesting at the end I went "yea, probably" and then wanted retreat into a blanket cocoon and eat pie - Hence 3 stars.

Kim Stanley Robinson has produced a worthy successor to the Mars series. His vision of intergenerational, interstellar travel, its benefits and drawbacks is absorbing. The more one reads, the more one becomes involved with the world of the ship, the ship as the platform, then the sustainer, then the narrator, then the caretaker.

The hard scientific detail is woven into the story in a subtle yet clever manner, leading the reader to an understanding of the facts of interstellar travel that would have been challenging if presented on its own.

Highly recommended.

Proper science fiction - a look at what it would really be like to send a generation ship off to the stars. Unfortunately I like my speculation to be optimistic at its heart and this was kind of a downer. This means that while it was interesting at the end I went "yea, probably" and then wanted retreat into a blanket cocoon and eat pie - Hence 3 stars.

Maybe not the greatest sci-fi for adventure types. But I enjoyed the philosophical discussion very much and appreciated the conclusion of the book. It is extremely well written and where it lacks in adventure it has even better thought provoking discussion. This author is class above in style of prose. Best overall book I have read in some time.

Such a shame! If shaped by a talented (and ruthless) editor, this novel could have been a genre-breaking short story or novella. Instead, it plods as the author puts down every bit of his research into biology and physics until it all runs together and becomes an incomprehensible mush. But the core conceits -- rates of evolution/devolution in isolated ecosystems, the very concept of how life on planets is created and the implications of such diversity -- are imaginative and fresh. Robinson even manages to make his two main characters -- a woman and the AI of the ship itself -- dull and painful to endure, despite the initially clever and speculative development. Overall, this book is just not worth wading through all the padding to get to the core ideas. A lost opportunity. This book seems to have garnered awards because of what kind of book it could have been, not what is actually delivered to the readers ....

Out to the stars. Well done by a master storyteller. Surprisingly cautious for the author of the more optimistic Mars trilogy. A deep dive into the swirling ocean of existence. Great read for hard sci-fi lovers. Doesn't break much new ground, but the story is compelling. He does leave you hanging regarding the ultimate fate of the colonists. Room for a sequel perhaps?

Very detailed, scientifically realistic. The characters are complex and believable. I only gave it four stars instead of five because the author sometimes tends to drone on and on about specifics technologies that are not really plot-relevant. Otherwise, it's a great book.

A good read with some interesting propositions and concerns about long term space travel, especially as it pertains to humans colonizing the stars. I felt there were some sections that were slow, but others moved along well. I stayed interested in the arc of the novel throughout, and the fate of key protagonists. But not as good as some of his other books.

A rambling tale that really doesn't go anywhere. I've tried to connect with this author's writing, and now through 4 books realize I've wasted my time. Interspersed with details that do nothing to move the plot forward are emotions and dialogue that seem to be thrown in for no reason. I ended up at the poor finish wondering why I bothered slogging through the whole thing. I won't make that mistake again.

Starts off strong, drags some in the latter third until it gets near the conclusion and finishes strong. In general I find KSR to be a spotty writer in that he usually has good ideas, but somehow manages to make them come out a bit boring. This was one of his better efforts. The basic story has strong foundations.

I enjoyed this book and found it thought provoking. Like Robinson's other books, this is a pretty dense / heavy sci-if read, where the plot-line often gets lost in minutia.

I felt this book's ending lacked power or closure, which was somewhat disappointing. Having said that, still a good read for fans of the genre.

Great writer, he makes a fascinating scientific adventure and I feel for the characters. There is a lot of musing about language and sociology that may be tiresome to some readers but I used the time to gird myself for the next hurdle the characters faced.

I quit reading this book 3 times - which is probably a record for me! Ordinarily if I quit a story twice, it is history. If I hadn't had 2 long flights I might not have succumbed at all. Robinson applies scientific thinking occasionally, but only when it works for his plot (such as it is), and the same scientific conclusions aren't followed thru for other story points. You'll be left scratching your head about why factor X applies here but not there. However... I did finish it, so it must be have called up some curiosity. As with other KSR books, I assume that he's being paid by the word, so the book ends up being 250% the size necessary to cover the story line.

It's an interesting story with fleshed out characters. The story is one that will make you think about the universe and your place in it. The writing is deliberately odd, but this is by design. I enjoyed it a lot but don't expect chapter after chapter of action. Definitely worth reading for any sci fi fan.

Some nice hard SF from Kim Stanley Robinson. This isn't the same old generation ship story, it's a different take, a different way of looking at the main character. I found the ending to be unfulfilling, but I think it was meant to be.

"Aurora" was typical of other Kim Robinson books I've read, containing lots of thoughtful scientific speculation with occasional bouts of poorly motivated human drama. Also, some parts seemed heavy handed. It was definitely worth the read, though, with everything considered. He presents the science in accessible and engaging ways without seeming unrealistic, which is ultimately what I'm looking for in hard sci-fi.

Beautifully written and characterised. The sci-fi ideas are fascinating. The evolving language of the AI is very well done. But I was disappointed by three things that in the end overwhelmed the positive. I'm glad I read it though.

Spoilers:

1. The plot is disappointing. Everything fails. As a reader it is not a particularily enjoyable experience.

2. The big idea, or central concept is disappointing (though perhaps important.) Wherever it is possible life could form, (water basically,) life does. If you try to colonise, you will find the niche occupied, and anyway, you wouldn't be able to live there because you are inextricably tied to your own solar system because reasons. All of this is extrapolated from one case where something (never explained) lives on the target planet and kills our colonists, thereby convincing the "good guys" that colonisation of any alien planet anywhere is impossible. Hmmm. I do think it is an interesting idea, but wow, to base a whole novel on destroying our dreams? I would have preferred to have expended the energy on a short story, and had a good time with the characters that I had come to respect and like.

3. The narrative tricks are IMMENSELY disappointing. The book is narrated by an increasingly conscious and aware AI. I love the character and the developing narrative style. And then... Who narrated the last section? That last section basically tells us that the AI lived. If not, who is telling us this part? The AI lived. That was the part of the book I was looking forward to most. But apparently the AI didn't make it round the Sun. Pah. You can't set up a first person narrator as a major theme in your book (and the idea of this narrator is explored well and deeply, with the narrative style being pointed up self-consciously throughout the novel) then kill them and then... continue the story in 3rd person. WHO is the narrator? You have set us up to ask the question and fail to answer it. Grrrr. It made me really grrr.

Grrr. I'm still mad about it. :D

Oh, and 4. While it is explained that the colonists are getting stupider over time, it is soooo dull to read about people killing people because stupid. Stupid people doing stupid things being treated as important people doing important PLOT things is disappointing too. It's why I find the Planet of the Apes films excruciating. Ohhhh it's all going to go wrong because of stupid. Gah.

I've read and enjoyed KSR novels ({color} Mars) before, so I expected the narrative to bog down a bit at times for exposition -- I even enjoy that part of "hard" science fiction, to some extent. But this narrator is exceptionally dispassionate (albeit with good reason), so once the human action fades, it becomes terribly boring (as opposed to the first 2/3 of the novel, which is only somewhat boring).

read the first 250 pages and never finished the book. It might just be me but i never fell in love with the characters or the plot of the book. I sent the book to my Father you enjoys Science fiction more than i. The book was well written but i never got engaged in the story line.

There are 2 Lady Raikers, both widows, roughly the same age and very much in competition for the status of being Lady Raiker. Clare was married to the father and Marnie was married to his son, but since Clare bore her Lord a son, she held the winning hand – or thought she did. The story opens with Clare having successfully routed Marnie from Raiker Hall and banishing her to the rundown dowager house. The fly in Clare’s ointment was that the rightful heir to her dead husband was his son Kenelm, standing between her own 11 year old son Charlie.

But, Kenelm has been gone from Raiker Hall for 11 years, having left under mysterious circumstances when he was 16. Ever busy, Clare has gone to court and obtained a decree that gives her son the title and herself control of his fortune, and is well on her way to having the missing Kenelm declared dead.

The very day she intends to introduce her son as the new Lord Raiker, who shows up but a dark, handsome man claiming to be the long-lost Kenelm. The rest of the story unfolds as a cute combination mystery and growing romance – is he the real Kenelm, or is he an imposter? Who will become the 3rd Lady Raiker, if he is who he claims to be?

Joan Smith’s novels are light, amusing and satisfying to read. This book in particular contains a secondary character, Malone, who clearly illustrates Smith’s clever writing. Malone, a former nursemaid to the heroine and her sister, is aptly nicknamed ‘Mrs. Malaprop.’ So much fun to read for yourself to see why!

Kim Stanley Robinson is the author of some eleven novels. The current novel in review is one named “Aurora”. Robinson has a penchant for writing in the realm of science fiction for which he has previously received some related awards and acknowledgements.

“Aurora” plays out differently than one might have imagined. While the underlying theme of “earthly star-travelers” who make it to another star system only to find it inhospitable is, unto itself, decidedly interesting; that is not what Aurora turned out to be about in main. Here a perfectly good theme was tread over by worn weary philosophy and “techno-speak”, and not some new look at human evolvement, but a rehash of age old philosophical dichotomies. After some many pages of development of the culture that developed during the extended trip to Aurora by the travelers and their dilemma at being unable to colonize , the resulting schism the travelers faced – some returning to earth, others remaining- posed a fascinating delve into a “fork in the road” situation. Much to my surprise, this was abandoned and the following chapters rang hollow, peppered with “techno-speak” the latter totally unnecessary to the story. The colony remaining behind was all but dismissed in a sentence or two as was the earth born starship and its only remaining occupants! And where does this all wind up? Back on earth where we retrieve all the old fear…..global warming! Ugh. In the final chapter we spend innumerable pages learning how to swim in the ocean….what a disappointment! The only bright spot was the evolvement of “ship”, the starship quantum computer; it seems to evolve into what we would truly believe is the human essence. How truly amazing it would have been for “Ship” to have continued on and for Robinson to have speculated on its development.

In the final analysis, the book was not very interesting, informative, thought provoking or anything else but possibly boring. I would therefore not recommend this book and suggest you chose elsewhere. If you do chose to read it, be prepared for gobs of philosophy drilled with techno-speak.

As a novel of interstellar exploration, it is excellent. The Star Wars and Star Trek universes now seem like they're for children. I'd say this book and Seveneves by Stephenson are the best SF books that I have read in years.

Good story line about a starship sent from Earth with political issues. At times the text dragged on with, seemingly, no purpose. The book probably could have been 20% less and not lost the gist of the story

Sometimes engrossing but not well paced. As two protagonists often tell the computer "Get to the point", advice which Mr. Robinson blithely ignores for a major portion of his book. Three stars for the good parts and efforts to explain what living on one of these ship may be, if ever.

The first third was great, very interesting and compelling. The second third was not as interesting as it should be and the final third devolved into a very boring narrative that sucked the life out of the story.

The author's skill is amazing. The story was gripping. On the other hand my favorite plot lines were cut off in a very anticlimactic way, though ending in a more realistic way than the typical Hollywood endings. These days I prefer stories that don't hide the point in artistry, but if you like to bring your brain to the game, you'll find a lot of hidden meaning in this one.

Another great novel from a great sci-fi author, well at least part of a great novel. It starts out so great and I couldn't put it down. Then the group splits up and the book follows only one of the subgroups and then existential questions abound as the book lost its way a bit

Chocolate Chocolate Moon author Jackie #Kingon writer of a humorous sci-fi novel thinks that Aurora is almost great. I kept you turning pages and had some unique ideas. I especially liked the double ringed space ship and the generations who lived there. Definitely a recommend.

Sort of glosses over the most interesting parts of hard sci fi and goes into exhaustive descriptions of characters feelings. The last section of the book just crawls. I'm generally more interested in humanity in hard sci fi where this is more character driven.

There is a noticeable trend in the US science fiction to bury a relatively short story under tons of unnecessary details: Seveneves, The Martian, now Aurora… Why would the authors do it? They surely know better. Aurora is generally a good read although the end of the book does not make much sense.

Kim Stanley Robinson writes books with big, thought-provoking ideas and full-bodied characters. Aurora is no exception, but the big idea here, which it takes reading the entire book to work out, is a real downer for lovers of scify. Worth reading if only to keep the wheels turning after you finish it, but expect to wonder if you're having fun yet.

A very detailed and realistic portrayal of man's first attempt at colonization of a Goldilocks planet, and the things that can go horribly wrong on a ship with 2000 people on it. Very detailed if you are of the engineering bent to scifi. Very interesting.

This is the best, most original, and most profound of Robinson's novels since The Years of Rice and Salt and his Mars trilogy. A brilliant work, and, if less optimistic than those masterpieces, yet profound and involving in a way you won't forget.

I really wanted to like this book. Kim Stanley Robinson has quickly become one of my favorite science fiction authors. I was introduced to his work with 2312, a novel that ranks high in my personal, all time book list. I recently finished his Mars Trilogy. Through these books I have come to know an author with an amazing imagination and a firm grasp on hard science. It is obvious that he does his homework before writing these types of novels, and he usually writes characters about which I care. He is a master of different types of narrative styles and points of view.

Aurora seemed like a poor version of all of this. He never spent enough time or depth on any of the characters. I certainly was invested very little in very few of them. The narrative style was also soulless, and sometimes overly rambling. The story itself was depressing, but made worse by bland execution.

The only thing that got me to the unfulfilling conclusion of this book was the fact that this was a KSR book. I kept hoping for something great. It didn't happen.

First, I have to recommend that you don't buy this book. And second, if you do, don't judge the author based on it. I would hate for you to miss out on some of his other, amazing works

Unique content raising deep ideas in our dawn of space travel. How many components are needed for a self sustaining biome...

Machine reflecting on expressed ideas, science, ancient poetry and philosophy and the use of language to describe and communicate

This is an assured, incisive piece of speculative fiction. It's not only a broad and visionary view of a future attempt to colonise another star system: it encompasses a remarkable examination of artificial intelligence, and yet the central narrative of Freya's journey is deeply human - flawed, passionate and fascinating. Kim Stanley Robinson brings a compassionate yet clear eye to the brutal realities of life on habitats speeding through space - including Earth.

Pretty good sci-fi. Some aspects are quie good, though verbal descriptions of technical issues (e.g., the interstellar ship) left a bit to be desired.
The end winds up pretty quickly, almost as if the author wanted to move on to writing the next novel.

Robinson has clearly joined the group of SF authors that are interested in lecturing us about how we'll never achieve anything great anymore. This is a book about failure, and how you can be redeemed only by being a Californian. There's no interesting science. There's no interesting politics. There's just hectoring about how we all need to give up and just enjoy hanging out on the beach.

Robinson once wrote great novels about great things humans could do. This is not one of those novels.

In a market sadly lacking in hard science fiction Mr Robinson brings us a work that not only revels in it but brings forward intriguing themes as well. What is self? Who bears the responsibility of our descendant's fate? Even if travel to another system becomes possible can it ever be successful?

A wonderful read.

This book was a colossal waste of time. It concerns a human mission to colonize a nearby habitable planet in a 2000 person generational starship. However, the author has an obvious political "don't waste money on space travel because it amounts to nothing" bias, and interjects multiple unreasonable plot events that causes the protagonists' mission of colonization to fail. In the end the protagonists end up back on earth, abandoning space exploration, advocating that space colonization is impossible, with the final 60 pages of the tome about the protagonists' day at the beach on earth. The result is a story which is not inspiring, but instead is something that poorly attempts to crush the human spirit for exploration, but instead ends up instead just making the reader feel ripped off. It is not inspiring, not cute, and is really just plain bad. It would be like a book about a moon landing failure before 1969. Terrible book.

Disappointed I was. I usually enjoy Robinson's work but this one just never got going. Interesting ideas and clearly the author had put a lot of thought into how to build an interstellar starship but the people and their troubles and conflicts just did not come to life for me.

This was a thoughtful meditation on colonizing Space. It did have a major turn in the middle of the novel which made the book interesting and enjoyable. This was a well thought out plot line and speaks to our place in the cosmos.