An intriguing premise that suffers from a few missteps in execution.
One is the loneliest number in this astute, science-tinged account of one man’s solo journey to another solar system.
A scientific breakthrough in the mid-20th century–the Holy Grail of medicine: a cure for aging–provides the spark that sets this story in motion. Psychologist Anna Binder, among many others who share her rosy view of this “miracle” cure, rejoices now that there’s time for both children and a career. But some, like her lover physicist Tim Turner, only see the drawback that accompanies such an achievement–rampant overpopulation to the tune of one billion new people a year, which will further tax the planet’s scarce resources. Tim’s work on vital recycling technologies is now too important to put on hold for a family, so he looks on helplessly as the love of his life packs up and leaves. Irony is the order of the day when Tim’s next lover, Yang Lou-ni, decides that, in these troubled times, a career in politics is more important than their relationship. Reichert cleverly mingles these personal struggles with the broader forces driving chaos in the world around his characters. Thus, it is more out of despair over two loves lost than any altruistic motives that Tim applies, and is conveniently selected, to undertake the titular “dangerous voyage” of the book–a one-man, 40-year expedition to search for human-habitable worlds as a safety valve for Earth’s population pressures. Tim’s travels are the familiar stuff of serious science fiction, save in one respect: Reichert has made an admirable effort at presenting a psychologically complex account of the unbearable isolation of four decades alone in space. But his effort is not entirely successful. Tim’s conversations with himself and ravings against inanimate objects often become tedious although they create just enough suspense to keep the journey interesting.
An intriguing premise that suffers from a few missteps in execution.Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-595-42301-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A new edition of the by now classic collection of affiliated stories which has already established its deserved longevity.
Pub Date: Aug. 16, 1963
ISBN: 055338256X
Page Count: -
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1963
Although this sequel doesn’t break new ground, it will appeal strongly to fans of the first book.
More steampunk adventures of a samurai prognosticator, his clockwork octopus, and his human lovers.
Five years after her charming debut novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (2015), Pulley brings back the main characters for another scramble through the dangers and consequences of clairvoyance. Readers of the first book already know the big reveal: that Keita Mori—the eponymous London watchmaker—has an unusual memory that works both backward and forward. (Readers new to the series should put this book down and start with Watchmaker.) This time Pulley sets the action principally in Japan, where Mori; Thaniel Steepleton, a British translator and diplomat; Grace Carrow Matsumoto, a physicist; and Takiko Pepperharrow, a Kabuki actress and baroness, are working together to foil a samurai’s power grab and turn away a Russian invasion. At least, that’s what Mori’s doing; the others are rushing blindly down paths he’s laid out for them, which may or may not get them where he wants them to go. But if Mori knows what’s coming and what steps they can take to change the future, why doesn’t he just tell them what to do? The answer is half satisfying (because, as in any complicated relationship, communication isn’t always easy; because the characters have wills of their own and might not obey) and half irritating (because if he did, there wouldn’t be much of a story). Pulley’s witty writing and enthusiastically deployed steampunk motifs—clockwork, owls, a mechanical pet, Tesla-inspired electrical drama—enliven a plot that drags in the middle before rushing toward its explosive end. Perhaps more interesting than the plot are the relationships. The characters revolve through a complex pattern of marriages of passion and convenience, sometimes across and sometimes within genders and cultures, punctuated by jealousy and interesting questions about trust.
Although this sequel doesn’t break new ground, it will appeal strongly to fans of the first book.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63557-330-5
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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