Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Title: Aurora
Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Orbit
Publishing date: 7th of July 7, 2015
ISBN: 9780316098106

Synopsis:Our voyage from Earth began generations ago. Now, we approach our new home. AURORA.

My Review:

“Aurora” is a science fiction novel that defies romanticized notions of deep space exploration. In this story, you journey with the characters on a generational ark. The Author’s unwavering commitment to crafting a “hard” science fiction work is commendable. In a genre where scientific accuracy often takes a backseat, Robinson diligently incorporates scientific principles. This results in a thought-provoking narrative.

The story revolves around a community of space farers aboard a generational ark. A generational ark is a spacecraft engineered to traverse the cosmos and reach a distant solar system over generations. Throughout the novel, Robison incorporates scientific concepts into the fabric of the story, which adds a layer of authenticity to the plot.

Narrated through the perspectives of select individuals, each offering a unique viewpoint. The most captivating personality in the novel is Ship, the ship’s quantum computer. Ship’s distinct voice injects vitality into the narrative, overshadowing the relatively flat portrayal of the human characters. The scientific aspects maintain their allure throughout the story. While the plot and character development could have been more robust. This leads to occasional stumbles in an otherwise very engaging read.

As the story unfolds, Robinson introduces mysterious events set centuries in the future. Humanity’s struggle to make sense of these occurrences reflects Robinson’s underlying ecological and philosophical arguments. This is occasionally diverting attention from the overarching narrative. At times, the characters’ decisions appear moulded to serve Robinson’s intentions, rather than arising for the story’s natural progression.

In its scientific depth and musings, “Aurora” excels, but it falls a bit short when it comes to storytelling. Despite its imperfections, the novel provides an absorbing reading experience. And I can only say that Robinson’s unwavering dedication to scientific accuracy is admirable. Yet, readers seeking a more balanced fusion of science and narrative might find the story lacking.

“Aurora” engages both the intellect and imagination, but it sacrifices storytelling for scientific rigour. Nevertheless, it remains a captivating read, showcasing Robinson’s prowess as a writer. Whether you’re a fan of hard science fiction or curious about humanity’s journey into the cosmos, “Aurora” offers a compelling exploration of our limitless quest for discovery.

About the author:

Kim Stanley Robinson is an acclaimed American science fiction writer renowned for his Mars trilogy, which reflects his extensive research and fascination with the Red Planet. His novels often explore ecological and sociological themes, earning him a reputation for “literary science fiction.” Additionally, Robinson’s passion for Mars has led him to become a member of the Mars Society.

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Title: Redshirts
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor Books
Publishing date: June 5th, 2012
ISBN: 9780765316998

Synopsis:Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that:
(1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces
(2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations
(3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

My Review:

As a moderate StarTrek-fan this book immediately tickled my fancy once I came across it while browsing John Saclzi’s bibliography. I found this story a little harder to get into at firsts, but once I got the hold of the characters I found the story easy to follow (Despite thinking that one of the male characters were female until the last part of the book for some unknown reason). The book is a humorous commentary on our science fiction TV-show trends, mainly of course: StarTrek, hence the title “Redshirts.” Redshirts is a rather familiar term, and it plays into the story as it plays with breaking the fourth wall, something I found very well done in this story. I found the characters to be likeable and entertaining, even though the story has an aura of lightheartedness and doesn’t take itself too seriously. While reading I did find myself laughing several times  because of the humorous and moronic events the characters were facing.
Please be advised that the rest of this review contain spoilers.
Normally I am very critical of stories where they are attempting to break the fourth wall in literature, in TV shows and movies they can be entertaining but in books it tends to be less well done and with less entertainment value. The build up for this angle in Redshirts was well done. It builds on a slow and steady pace to ease you into the first proposed mystery and for you to be convinced of the “insane” truth proposed in the story.
The entertainment value in this book come from your own interest in science fiction, if you have little interest in science fiction many references will be lost form you. I am not huge science fiction buff, and I still enjoyed reading it, though some references might have flow straight past me. All in all I was greatly entertained while reading this book, and I know I will be visiting more books by Scalzi in the future.

About the author:

John Michael Scalzi II is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Old Man’s War series, three novels of which have been nominated for the Hugo Award, and for his blog Whatever, where he has written on a number of topics since 1998. Lock In is a science fiction police procedural novel.
His 2012 book Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Scalzi decided to write Redshirts after noticing that while many short satirical works dealt with the idea of “‘redshirts’—the unnamed, low-ranking characters of Star Trek who always died on away missions,” there was a dearth of novels exploring the concept
Website | @scalzi

We Are Legion We Are Bob by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: We Are Legion – We Are Bob
(Series: Bobiverse #1)
Author: Dennis E. Taylor
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
Publishing date: April 14th, 2017
ISBN: 9781680680584

Synopsis: The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad – very mad.

My Review:

This is the first book in the Bobiverse series which was initially recommended to me by a former co-worker, but I put off for way too long. “We Are Legion” is one of those hard to describe books that are highly entertaining, and I still haven’t found the correct words for how to describe this book in a flattering way. (Which might suggest I shouldn’t write this review, but I’ll give it a try anyway). 
This book series, and the first book in particular, has quickly jumped up as one of my all times favourite books. It got lots of humour, and it is full of references to pop-culture and current science fiction trends. The first time I read it I felt the first book started off a little slow and it took me a while to get the hang of what was going on, but reading the series again (within a matter of months) I having a blast.
Because of how the story is progressing it is a little hard to know where the first book stops and where the next book picks up,but that is what you would expect when you are reading a trilogy, it is one story over three volumes, and this is the beginning of one huge story.
The world building in We are legion is done carefully with great attention to details, even minors such as how a language changes in a century. This is careful planning that I really appreciate because it makes the story believable and sucks you in.
I did not really think that I could care about and AI, just like I did not think I could care about Spiders. The character of Bob is very entertaining, with his wit, sarcasm and humour. Not to mention the all the geekiness and culture references that pops up and colours the story so that we can see it though Bob, though I cannot go further into that without revealing too much of the surprises that lays ahead of you in this book.
Because I enjoyed this book so much, I find it very hard to describe, if you enjoy science fiction that is quirky, fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously, this book if definitely for you.
I would also like to mention that this is also wonderfully narrated by Ray Porter on Audible, if you prefer audiobooks.

About the author:

Dennis E. Taylor is a Canadian novelist and former computer programmer known for his large-scale hard science fiction stories exploring the interaction between artificial intelligence and the human condition. He is also an enthusiastic snowboarder.
Homepage | @Dennis_E_Taylor