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Spin #2
Axis
Wildly praised by readers and critics alike, Robert Charles Wilson's Spin won science fiction's highest honor, the Hugo Award, for Best Novel.
Now, in Spin's direct sequel, Wilson takes us to the "world next door" - the planet engineered by the mysterious Hypotheticals to support human life, and connected to Earth by way of the Arch that towers hundreds of miles over the Indian Ocean. Humans are colonizing this new world - and, predictably, fiercely exploiting its resources, chiefly large deposits of oil in the western deserts of the continent of Equatoria.
Lise Adams is a young woman attempting to uncover the mystery of her father's disappearance 10 years earlier. Turk Findley is an ex-sailor and sometimes-drifter. They come together when an infall of cometary dust seeds the planet with tiny remnant Hypothetical machines. Soon, this seemingly hospitable world will become very alien indeed - as the nature of time is once again twisted, by entities unknown.
Now, in Spin's direct sequel, Wilson takes us to the "world next door" - the planet engineered by the mysterious Hypotheticals to support human life, and connected to Earth by way of the Arch that towers hundreds of miles over the Indian Ocean. Humans are colonizing this new world - and, predictably, fiercely exploiting its resources, chiefly large deposits of oil in the western deserts of the continent of Equatoria.
Lise Adams is a young woman attempting to uncover the mystery of her father's disappearance 10 years earlier. Turk Findley is an ex-sailor and sometimes-drifter. They come together when an infall of cometary dust seeds the planet with tiny remnant Hypothetical machines. Soon, this seemingly hospitable world will become very alien indeed - as the nature of time is once again twisted, by entities unknown.
10 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 18, 2007
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About the author
Robert Charles Wilson
91 books1,691 followersI've been writing science fiction professionally since my first novel A Hidden Place was published in 1986. My books include Darwinia, Blind Lake, and the Hugo Award-winning Spin. My newest novel is The Affinities (April 2015).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 617 reviews
May 8, 2023
I purchase plenty of (old-fashioned print) books for the library I work at each month but almost never purchase books for myself.
It speaks volumes for this series that, unless one of my libraries adds the e-copy of book #3 in the next month or so, I will HAVE to buy it for myself.
Love, love, love this series. This is science fiction done right.
It speaks volumes for this series that, unless one of my libraries adds the e-copy of book #3 in the next month or so, I will HAVE to buy it for myself.
Love, love, love this series. This is science fiction done right.
February 19, 2021
3.5 starts rounded up.
Although far from Spin, with less character development and not so interesting as the first one in the series, I still highly enjoyed RCW's writing and the eerie atmosphere he creates.
* Spin: 5★ (superbe concept & interesting plot, ok characters)
* Axis: 3.5★ (the novelty faded and the plot was rather boring, ok characters)
* Vortex: 4★ (mind blowing at the end)
The characters are only ok in all three books, but the writing is exquisite and I highly enjoyed these books. Although, as my friend Claudia says, a duology would have been even better: book 1 plus o mix of 2+3.
Although far from Spin, with less character development and not so interesting as the first one in the series, I still highly enjoyed RCW's writing and the eerie atmosphere he creates.
* Spin: 5★ (superbe concept & interesting plot, ok characters)
* Axis: 3.5★ (the novelty faded and the plot was rather boring, ok characters)
* Vortex: 4★ (mind blowing at the end)
The characters are only ok in all three books, but the writing is exquisite and I highly enjoyed these books. Although, as my friend Claudia says, a duology would have been even better: book 1 plus o mix of 2+3.
August 23, 2008
Axis is entertaining and expands on Spin's novel idea, but seems incomplete. By the time it really starts to pickup and get interesting, it ends rather abrubtly. It doesn't exactly leave at a cliffhanger but it doesn't exactly answer all of my questions either. Good thing wikipedia shows a sequel in the works, Vortex, so I know we'll still have more to look forward to.
As always, Wilson writes good characters. The main character, Lise, actually seemed a tad underdeveloped, but her companion Turk was definitely interesting. One of my favorite aspects of Wilson's writing is that he always takes the time to focus on the characters and how they mould to the events that take place around them. His books always read like character dramas where the theme happens to be sci-fi. In my opinion, that is a trait of a good writer. Care about your characters first and make your reader care about them and the events and plot that surrounds them will seem more believable and engrossing. The characters here didn't quite have the depth that they did in Spin, but that could be becaue the book is shorter than Spin and focuses on more characters. Still, that's a definite strong point here.
I do wonder, however, whether we may have been better off waiting until this story was complete, with Axis and the next installment simply as one book, even it it were a lenghty read. I don't want to get into any spoilers, but the events that happened at the end of this book didn't quite seem... monumental enough to warrant writing an entire book about it. Wilson definitely shows us a new and bizarre aspect of the hypotheticals, but not much has really changed by knowing this. At least not yet. it felt like a pit-stop on the way to an even greater revelation that we've yet to know about. I'm sure that'll be revealed in Vortex, but who knows when that'll be out?
Also, seeing as how the book takes place entirely on Equatoria (the newly colonized world given to humans by the Hypotheticals), we don't really learn that much about the planet. It almost seems... boring really. A group of the characters lived in the desert on this planet, but the environment isn't described for any of the other characters with the exception of the major city, Port Magellan. Are there large plains areas or large forests or rivers or anything like that? Because of this, I pictured the entire planet to look like a large, mostly-empty desert. I'd also love to hear if there was any wildlife native to the planet that they'd discovered or if wildlife from Earth had been brought there and how they'd adapted. These little things aren't necessary to the story, but would help to make this new world believable and interesting.
Also, concepts of the story that seem important and pretty interesting are barely touched on at all. Like the arches. Not only is there an arch leading folk from Earth into Equatoria, but there's another arch on Equatoria that leads to yet another world and one from that world to another and so on. It's explained briefly that there are expeditions into the other world but it's just a barren rock. So there's not much there, but after several decades wouldn't they have found something? Doesn't anyone wonder why this barren planet was linked to theirs? These are things that I'd like to hear more about.
Another thing that bothered me was a character from Spin that makes an appearance. I won't say who, but this almost seemed cheap, like an added attempt to keep us interested in the story. The character makes a cameo at first and I liked that; just a nice reference to Spin to remind us that we're reading about the same world. But then the character becomes a major player and I didn't feel that the character was very distinguishable from many of the others in the book and I wasn't entirely convinced. Just one more thing that could've been expanded on to make the book fell more complete.
I did enjoy this book, for all I complained about it. The ashfall scenes were creepy and Wilson instills a sense of realism, even with something so strange as ash and decaying machinery dumping from the sky. He does a great job of making you feel like you are there. The ending of the book isn't bad. It's definitely interesting, but still I left wanting so much more. Granted, Spin is a hard act to follow and is also one of my favorite books of any genre, so maybe that's why I'm being so picky here. I'll still be buying Vortex as soon as it's out.
As always, Wilson writes good characters. The main character, Lise, actually seemed a tad underdeveloped, but her companion Turk was definitely interesting. One of my favorite aspects of Wilson's writing is that he always takes the time to focus on the characters and how they mould to the events that take place around them. His books always read like character dramas where the theme happens to be sci-fi. In my opinion, that is a trait of a good writer. Care about your characters first and make your reader care about them and the events and plot that surrounds them will seem more believable and engrossing. The characters here didn't quite have the depth that they did in Spin, but that could be becaue the book is shorter than Spin and focuses on more characters. Still, that's a definite strong point here.
I do wonder, however, whether we may have been better off waiting until this story was complete, with Axis and the next installment simply as one book, even it it were a lenghty read. I don't want to get into any spoilers, but the events that happened at the end of this book didn't quite seem... monumental enough to warrant writing an entire book about it. Wilson definitely shows us a new and bizarre aspect of the hypotheticals, but not much has really changed by knowing this. At least not yet. it felt like a pit-stop on the way to an even greater revelation that we've yet to know about. I'm sure that'll be revealed in Vortex, but who knows when that'll be out?
Also, seeing as how the book takes place entirely on Equatoria (the newly colonized world given to humans by the Hypotheticals), we don't really learn that much about the planet. It almost seems... boring really. A group of the characters lived in the desert on this planet, but the environment isn't described for any of the other characters with the exception of the major city, Port Magellan. Are there large plains areas or large forests or rivers or anything like that? Because of this, I pictured the entire planet to look like a large, mostly-empty desert. I'd also love to hear if there was any wildlife native to the planet that they'd discovered or if wildlife from Earth had been brought there and how they'd adapted. These little things aren't necessary to the story, but would help to make this new world believable and interesting.
Also, concepts of the story that seem important and pretty interesting are barely touched on at all. Like the arches. Not only is there an arch leading folk from Earth into Equatoria, but there's another arch on Equatoria that leads to yet another world and one from that world to another and so on. It's explained briefly that there are expeditions into the other world but it's just a barren rock. So there's not much there, but after several decades wouldn't they have found something? Doesn't anyone wonder why this barren planet was linked to theirs? These are things that I'd like to hear more about.
Another thing that bothered me was a character from Spin that makes an appearance. I won't say who, but this almost seemed cheap, like an added attempt to keep us interested in the story. The character makes a cameo at first and I liked that; just a nice reference to Spin to remind us that we're reading about the same world. But then the character becomes a major player and I didn't feel that the character was very distinguishable from many of the others in the book and I wasn't entirely convinced. Just one more thing that could've been expanded on to make the book fell more complete.
I did enjoy this book, for all I complained about it. The ashfall scenes were creepy and Wilson instills a sense of realism, even with something so strange as ash and decaying machinery dumping from the sky. He does a great job of making you feel like you are there. The ending of the book isn't bad. It's definitely interesting, but still I left wanting so much more. Granted, Spin is a hard act to follow and is also one of my favorite books of any genre, so maybe that's why I'm being so picky here. I'll still be buying Vortex as soon as it's out.
May 1, 2023
This is book two in Robert Charles Wilson’s Spin Trilogy. He won the Hugo for best novel with book one - ‘Spin.’ I feel a bit guilty judging book two before finishing the trilogy – as I think it’s in large part a set-up for the final book in the trilogy.
The book has some cool concepts, building on the excellent ideas in book one. Earth has been connected to a string of planets via an alien megastructure Arch in the Indian Ocean. The adjacent planet is habitable and is quickly being colonized by humans. We still know very little about the alien entity(s) (the Hypotheticals) that are responsible for the tech in both books. The book only carries forward one character from book one. You’ve probably read a similar plot before in sci-fi. A group of characters have come together and are being drawn to a location where something amazing is going to happen.
So, this book was much less of a soap opera than book one. It largely focused on the sci-fi elements, along with a minimal ‘love affair’ story line, and some shadowy quasi-government characters adding to the tension. The best parts are the sci-fi elements carried forward from book one – this is what got me through to the end. I have to say, the book dragged for me. There was opportunity – a new world, a post-human group of people (the Fourths), and the mysterious Hypotheticals. However, the new world is only slightly different than Earth, the Fourths are just crusty, emotionally stunted humans. So, it’s really the mystery of the Hypotheticals that pulled me through. And while there was a climax of action, the answer to the central questions of the series were not answered (of course not, it’s book two!) I’m invested enough to continue with book three (partially because I bought the whole trilogy up front).
A serviceable middle-book that unfortunately fails to stand up to its predecessor. Three stars for this continuation of a fantastic apocalyptic sci-fi saga, established in ‘Spin.’
The book has some cool concepts, building on the excellent ideas in book one. Earth has been connected to a string of planets via an alien megastructure Arch in the Indian Ocean. The adjacent planet is habitable and is quickly being colonized by humans. We still know very little about the alien entity(s) (the Hypotheticals) that are responsible for the tech in both books. The book only carries forward one character from book one. You’ve probably read a similar plot before in sci-fi. A group of characters have come together and are being drawn to a location where something amazing is going to happen.
So, this book was much less of a soap opera than book one. It largely focused on the sci-fi elements, along with a minimal ‘love affair’ story line, and some shadowy quasi-government characters adding to the tension. The best parts are the sci-fi elements carried forward from book one – this is what got me through to the end. I have to say, the book dragged for me. There was opportunity – a new world, a post-human group of people (the Fourths), and the mysterious Hypotheticals. However, the new world is only slightly different than Earth, the Fourths are just crusty, emotionally stunted humans. So, it’s really the mystery of the Hypotheticals that pulled me through. And while there was a climax of action, the answer to the central questions of the series were not answered (of course not, it’s book two!) I’m invested enough to continue with book three (partially because I bought the whole trilogy up front).
A serviceable middle-book that unfortunately fails to stand up to its predecessor. Three stars for this continuation of a fantastic apocalyptic sci-fi saga, established in ‘Spin.’
July 22, 2018
Axis continues 30 years after the events in Spin. This time, the narration is in third person and we mainly follow different characters, although some of the ones from Spin are making an appearance, one way or the other.
While I can’t say I rooted much for them, the world building on the new world is something I will chew upon a long time from now on: eerie is the closest word I found for what the Hypotheticals are doing here.
However, something is missing on the whole. RCW never provides a straight answer to questions in his books, which I rather like, because it gives a lot of food for the brain. But here there are a lot of incomplete facts and actions left in the air.
I guess I will find some of them in Vortex.
While I can’t say I rooted much for them, the world building on the new world is something I will chew upon a long time from now on: eerie is the closest word I found for what the Hypotheticals are doing here.
However, something is missing on the whole. RCW never provides a straight answer to questions in his books, which I rather like, because it gives a lot of food for the brain. But here there are a lot of incomplete facts and actions left in the air.
I guess I will find some of them in Vortex.
November 22, 2018
The Hypotheticals are some of the most terrifying things ever created in science fiction. I call them things because I’m not quite sure if the term “creature” would apply here. It’s the stuff of nightmares, but it’s fascinating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2009
***STOP***
Axis is the sequel to Spin, the second book in a trilogy. If you haven't read Spin, and want to read it unspoiled in the future, don't even think about reading my review or any reviews about Axis. Don't ruin your experience of Spin -- it's so, so good on its own.
Otherwise, if you've already read Spin or Axis, or have no intention of reading them, feel free to continue...
The vast differences between Spin and Axis make the sequel hard to digest and hard to rate. It has a different structure, different levels of characterization, a different narrative timescale, and so on. The biggest difference is the action in Axis takes place off-world, in the New World, Equatoria, the distant planet past the Arch. Perhaps Wilson was trying to make an entirely off-Earth book feel different? If so, he succeeded, but to the story's detriment.
Like Spin, the story in Axis is propelled by a single apocalyptic event. However, the vast dust storms blanketing Equatoria just aren't as compelling as the temporal membrane blocking out the stars in Spin. It just isn't a game-changing event for all of humanity. In addition, without a main character like Jason Lawton, we have little scientific discussion or evidence through most of the story.
In effect, Axis reads like much less of a Hard SF book than Spin. Whereas Spin opens up new scientific and sociological questions for the reader, the main question in Axis is just an extension of those posed in Spin. What is the nature of the Hypotheticals, and are they sentient? To me, the answers to these aren't answered in a satisfying way. The story remains in a philosophical, almost mystical realm. Maybe Wilson will continue the discussion in Vortex (as yet unpublished), with the type of scientific and sociological commentary that was so brilliant in Spin.
Axis is the sequel to Spin, the second book in a trilogy. If you haven't read Spin, and want to read it unspoiled in the future, don't even think about reading my review or any reviews about Axis. Don't ruin your experience of Spin -- it's so, so good on its own.
Otherwise, if you've already read Spin or Axis, or have no intention of reading them, feel free to continue...
The vast differences between Spin and Axis make the sequel hard to digest and hard to rate. It has a different structure, different levels of characterization, a different narrative timescale, and so on. The biggest difference is the action in Axis takes place off-world, in the New World, Equatoria, the distant planet past the Arch. Perhaps Wilson was trying to make an entirely off-Earth book feel different? If so, he succeeded, but to the story's detriment.
Like Spin, the story in Axis is propelled by a single apocalyptic event. However, the vast dust storms blanketing Equatoria just aren't as compelling as the temporal membrane blocking out the stars in Spin. It just isn't a game-changing event for all of humanity. In addition, without a main character like Jason Lawton, we have little scientific discussion or evidence through most of the story.
In effect, Axis reads like much less of a Hard SF book than Spin. Whereas Spin opens up new scientific and sociological questions for the reader, the main question in Axis is just an extension of those posed in Spin. What is the nature of the Hypotheticals, and are they sentient? To me, the answers to these aren't answered in a satisfying way. The story remains in a philosophical, almost mystical realm. Maybe Wilson will continue the discussion in Vortex (as yet unpublished), with the type of scientific and sociological commentary that was so brilliant in Spin.
July 12, 2010
Not as good as the excellent Spin, but a fairly good sequel. A few complaints:
* Diane doesn't show up until almost page 70; Tyler isn't in Axis at all (although Jason is, sort of, at the end!). Since they -- especially Tyler -- were the POV characters of Spin, this was both disappointing and disconcerting.
* This was touted as the answer to who/what the Hypotheticals really were, and the reason behind the Spin. The characters imply and/or state this repeatedly, and it was implied by at least some of the official or semi-official summaries of the book. But really, at the end of the book, we still have at least as many questions about the Hypotheticals as we did at the beginning. Which may be the point, in a way, but is nonetheless frustrating and confusing. Even the few answers we've found don't make much sense. (I just found out this is meant to be a trilogy, so this is probably simply symptomatic of middle-book-itis. :P )
* Since Spin took repeated potshots at Christian fanatics, it seems Wilson decided Axis should give other religious fanatics their turn in the crosshairs. He mentions in passing that Muslim extremists irrationally loathe the idea of Fourths (why is not explained), and then we have the late husband of Rebka and father of Isaac. I believe his name is given once, in passing, but for the most part he is deliberately nameless. Rebka tells us that because he was a devout orthodox Jew, he refused the Fourth treatment, even though it could have saved him from dying from an aneurysm. As a devout orthodox Jew, I call BS. Exactly how Jewish Law (halacha) would view a theoretical and not well-explained medical treatment is purely speculative, of course. However, while I could see it being forbidden for a healthy individual to take the risk merely for the heck of it, I can see NO reason why it would be forbidden as a life-saving measure; it might even be required in some cases, were it a viable option. (The legal issues add another kink to the equation, but in cases of life and death, would not be sufficient to forbid it.) And if this nameless husband were so devout, why did he marry a woman who is clearly not? A woman who planned to abort her own child, not for reasons of health but simply because the child was an inconvenience?
* Names! Why, oh why, is she named Rebka? Pick the English version of the name: Rebekah, Rebecca, or another spelling; or the Hebrew: Rivka, Rivkah, Rifkah. The spelling Rebka is Czech or Polish, and completely out of place among a group of academics associated with the American University! And why is her child Isaac? Biblically, Isaac was Rebecca's husband, not her child. If we're going for the symbolism of the sacrificial child (and given that Divali's name is Avram, I must assume we are), why name her Rebecca? Call her Sarah! Or give her a name not associated with Isaac at all. Call her Hannah, mother of another child given to God.
* Lise, Brian, and Turk: Unlike the main characters in Spin, this time the main characters are just interesting enough to get my attention . . . and then never really made three-dimensional. Wilson can do better than this -- why didn't he?
* What is with the little metal tangs on the first page of each section? I mean, they're obviously compass pointers. But why are some gold and some copper? What does their position on the page indicate? And why bother with them at all?
All this aside, every reader of Spin will want to read Axis. And then, apparently, bide their time waiting for the forthcoming Vortex. (Why do I keep getting sucked into unfinished trilogies without knowing that's what they are?)
* Diane doesn't show up until almost page 70; Tyler isn't in Axis at all (although Jason is, sort of, at the end!). Since they -- especially Tyler -- were the POV characters of Spin, this was both disappointing and disconcerting.
* This was touted as the answer to who/what the Hypotheticals really were, and the reason behind the Spin. The characters imply and/or state this repeatedly, and it was implied by at least some of the official or semi-official summaries of the book. But really, at the end of the book, we still have at least as many questions about the Hypotheticals as we did at the beginning. Which may be the point, in a way, but is nonetheless frustrating and confusing. Even the few answers we've found don't make much sense. (I just found out this is meant to be a trilogy, so this is probably simply symptomatic of middle-book-itis. :P )
* Since Spin took repeated potshots at Christian fanatics, it seems Wilson decided Axis should give other religious fanatics their turn in the crosshairs. He mentions in passing that Muslim extremists irrationally loathe the idea of Fourths (why is not explained), and then we have the late husband of Rebka and father of Isaac. I believe his name is given once, in passing, but for the most part he is deliberately nameless. Rebka tells us that because he was a devout orthodox Jew, he refused the Fourth treatment, even though it could have saved him from dying from an aneurysm. As a devout orthodox Jew, I call BS. Exactly how Jewish Law (halacha) would view a theoretical and not well-explained medical treatment is purely speculative, of course. However, while I could see it being forbidden for a healthy individual to take the risk merely for the heck of it, I can see NO reason why it would be forbidden as a life-saving measure; it might even be required in some cases, were it a viable option. (The legal issues add another kink to the equation, but in cases of life and death, would not be sufficient to forbid it.) And if this nameless husband were so devout, why did he marry a woman who is clearly not? A woman who planned to abort her own child, not for reasons of health but simply because the child was an inconvenience?
* Names! Why, oh why, is she named Rebka? Pick the English version of the name: Rebekah, Rebecca, or another spelling; or the Hebrew: Rivka, Rivkah, Rifkah. The spelling Rebka is Czech or Polish, and completely out of place among a group of academics associated with the American University! And why is her child Isaac? Biblically, Isaac was Rebecca's husband, not her child. If we're going for the symbolism of the sacrificial child (and given that Divali's name is Avram, I must assume we are), why name her Rebecca? Call her Sarah! Or give her a name not associated with Isaac at all. Call her Hannah, mother of another child given to God.
* Lise, Brian, and Turk: Unlike the main characters in Spin, this time the main characters are just interesting enough to get my attention . . . and then never really made three-dimensional. Wilson can do better than this -- why didn't he?
* What is with the little metal tangs on the first page of each section? I mean, they're obviously compass pointers. But why are some gold and some copper? What does their position on the page indicate? And why bother with them at all?
All this aside, every reader of Spin will want to read Axis. And then, apparently, bide their time waiting for the forthcoming Vortex. (Why do I keep getting sucked into unfinished trilogies without knowing that's what they are?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2024
No sé. Donde ya eran planos los personajes, aquí que la mitad son "cuartos" y están mezclados con los hipotéticos, ni te cuento. De lo malo, al menos ahora hay una justificación argumental para tanta planicie😅
Pues... me ha parecido un libro con grandes tramos aburridos para tratar una conclusión a la que ya se había llegado el libro anterior sobre la naturaleza de los hipotéticos y que aquí tampoco terminó de desarrollarse, así que entonces... no veo la finalidad de este libro. Era innecesario.
Las preguntas que se plantearon el libro anterior no han sido contestadas ni desarrolladas, las preguntas que se plantean ahora, ya se plantearon el libro uno. Pasan cosas, sí. Incluso hay escenas impactantes como la lluvia de ceniza... pero no hacen avanzar la trama. Así que sólo "pasan cosas" sin más. La mezcla hipotético-humano y sus consecuencias según grado de la mezcla, ya se vio el libro pasado. Cambiarle la edad a los experimentos no aportó conocimiento nuevo alguno.
Y la conclusión final a la que se llega, es la misma a la que se llegó el libro pasado, sólo que repetido más veces, por si no nos habíamos enterado con que nos lo dijeran una vez.
Y todavía hay un libro más. ¿Nos llevará a alguna parte?. Porque lo de los hipotéticos era un idea excelente, pero así sin más, sólo es una idea. Esto demuestra que las ideas originales no son tan importantes como se cree. Pueden llegar a serlo si se cuentan bien. Una historia bien contada, original o conocida, es lo que cuenta. En fin. A ver si en el libro final avanza la cosa.
Pues... me ha parecido un libro con grandes tramos aburridos para tratar una conclusión a la que ya se había llegado el libro anterior sobre la naturaleza de los hipotéticos y que aquí tampoco terminó de desarrollarse, así que entonces... no veo la finalidad de este libro. Era innecesario.
Las preguntas que se plantearon el libro anterior no han sido contestadas ni desarrolladas, las preguntas que se plantean ahora, ya se plantearon el libro uno. Pasan cosas, sí. Incluso hay escenas impactantes como la lluvia de ceniza... pero no hacen avanzar la trama. Así que sólo "pasan cosas" sin más. La mezcla hipotético-humano y sus consecuencias según grado de la mezcla, ya se vio el libro pasado. Cambiarle la edad a los experimentos no aportó conocimiento nuevo alguno.
Y la conclusión final a la que se llega, es la misma a la que se llegó el libro pasado, sólo que repetido más veces, por si no nos habíamos enterado con que nos lo dijeran una vez.
Y todavía hay un libro más. ¿Nos llevará a alguna parte?. Porque lo de los hipotéticos era un idea excelente, pero así sin más, sólo es una idea. Esto demuestra que las ideas originales no son tan importantes como se cree. Pueden llegar a serlo si se cuentan bien. Una historia bien contada, original o conocida, es lo que cuenta. En fin. A ver si en el libro final avanza la cosa.
February 15, 2021
DNF @ 25%
Boring, boring and yet again boring. I cannot believe that Spin had been written by the same author and from the same series. This book has nothing in common with its predecessor, it's just a pale imitation. So disappointing.
Boring, boring and yet again boring. I cannot believe that Spin had been written by the same author and from the same series. This book has nothing in common with its predecessor, it's just a pale imitation. So disappointing.
May 5, 2012
I loved Spin. In that giddy new love have to rush out and buy every book by the author way. I was nervous that my second opinion wouldn't hold up to my first. Well, it did and didn't.
New characters. New planet. New mysteries. And for the most part it is interesting. Just not on the same scale of the first. This one seems smaller. In scope. And in content. It just doesn't seem like a lot happens until the end. And then things happen a little too fast.
So, I liked it. I highly recommend the first book. But this one will probably slip one or two stars for you. So if you rated the first book three or less stars you might want to avoid.
New characters. New planet. New mysteries. And for the most part it is interesting. Just not on the same scale of the first. This one seems smaller. In scope. And in content. It just doesn't seem like a lot happens until the end. And then things happen a little too fast.
So, I liked it. I highly recommend the first book. But this one will probably slip one or two stars for you. So if you rated the first book three or less stars you might want to avoid.
September 15, 2008
A very disappointing sequel to Spin, Axis is mostly an explanation of who the Hypotheticals are. The characters are uninteresting and flat, as is the ending. The only redeeming quality is Wilson's writing itself. As usual, it's of a very high caliber.
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June 8, 2019DNF 100...COK sıkıldım kendime daha fazla işkence etmenin anlamı yok...
January 16, 2009
I noticed this book received very mixed reviews, most of them not very complimentary. I’ve read most of Robert Charles Wilson’s books, and enjoyed them to one degree or another, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I started this one.
I found I enjoyed this one as much as I liked the others. To quote the blurb at the back of the book, the premise of the story is in the post-Spin world, the planet “next door” was engineered by the mysterious Hypotheticals to support human life, and connected to Earth by way of the Arch that towers hundreds of miles over the Indian Ocean. Humans are colonizing this new world--and, predictably, fiercely exploiting its resources, chiefly large deposits of oil in the western deserts of the continent Equatoria.
Lise Adams is a young woman attempting to uncover the mystery of her father's disappearance ten years earlier. Turk Findley is an ex-sailor and sometimes-drifter. They come together when an infall of cometary dust seeds the planet with tiny remnant Hypothetical machines.
Now Lise, Turk, a Martian woman, and a boy who has been engineered to communicate with the Hypotheticals, are drawn to a place in the desert where this seemingly hospitable world has become suddenly very alien indeed - and the nature of time is being once again twisted by entities unknown.
I don’t know why I like Wilson’s books, I just do. They often deal with “the Big Unknown” - not necessarily the Big Black Object in Space and frequently there isn’t a resolution or answer per-se. Maybe that’s why, not everything CAN be answered. So I conclude by saying, I liked this and I look forward to his next book.
I found I enjoyed this one as much as I liked the others. To quote the blurb at the back of the book, the premise of the story is in the post-Spin world, the planet “next door” was engineered by the mysterious Hypotheticals to support human life, and connected to Earth by way of the Arch that towers hundreds of miles over the Indian Ocean. Humans are colonizing this new world--and, predictably, fiercely exploiting its resources, chiefly large deposits of oil in the western deserts of the continent Equatoria.
Lise Adams is a young woman attempting to uncover the mystery of her father's disappearance ten years earlier. Turk Findley is an ex-sailor and sometimes-drifter. They come together when an infall of cometary dust seeds the planet with tiny remnant Hypothetical machines.
Now Lise, Turk, a Martian woman, and a boy who has been engineered to communicate with the Hypotheticals, are drawn to a place in the desert where this seemingly hospitable world has become suddenly very alien indeed - and the nature of time is being once again twisted by entities unknown.
I don’t know why I like Wilson’s books, I just do. They often deal with “the Big Unknown” - not necessarily the Big Black Object in Space and frequently there isn’t a resolution or answer per-se. Maybe that’s why, not everything CAN be answered. So I conclude by saying, I liked this and I look forward to his next book.
September 25, 2012
Spin took an epic hard science fiction concept then focused on the human reaction, leading to a very approachable and enjoyable book. Axis, the sequel, fails in every way that Spin succeeded. The story is small, the characters are flat and uninteresting, the setting was remarkably stale. The timeline also seemed questionable in relation to the previous book, although I may have simply misread or misunderstood when this story is supposed to take place. Overall, one of the more disappointing sequels I've read, perhaps enhanced by the fact that, in my opinion, Spin in no way required a sequel. I'm sure I'll end up reading the third (and presumably final) book, but I can only hope that it is a big step up from this one.
April 27, 2022
Pirmos trilogijos knygos beveik nepamenu, bet įvertinau neblogai. Todėl ir paėmiau antrą. Bet jei pirma patiko, tai antra yra ne tik boring, bet ir kažkokia lyg ne knyga būtų, o dalis knygos. Arkos neužbaigtos, o jei ir užbaigtos, tai buvo nereikšmingos ir neišskirtinės. Nieko labai naujo apie universe nesužinojau. Niekas nenustebino. Trečią imu, nes nestora knyga ir įdomu kaip baigsis, bet vilties, kad bus super, jau nebeturiu. Soso #LEBooks #Spin #RobertCharlesWilson #Axis
August 8, 2017
Book #1 of this series, "Spin" was so very cool it was inevitable that any sequel was going to be a little of a letdown.
Well, this is more than a "little" letdown. It's still a pretty cool novel in itself, but the magic of "Spin" is lost here.
The action being moved to a remote planet instead of Earth this time, following a group of mostly uninteresting characters, and taking the plot sideways instead of forwards to an "absolute" resolution, I found this to be harder to read. I didn't care as much what happens to this new planet, or to the new cast. The mysteries of the falling ashes and of the Isaac child are still okay-ish, but nowhere as cool as those in book #1.
Well, this is more than a "little" letdown. It's still a pretty cool novel in itself, but the magic of "Spin" is lost here.
The action being moved to a remote planet instead of Earth this time, following a group of mostly uninteresting characters, and taking the plot sideways instead of forwards to an "absolute" resolution, I found this to be harder to read. I didn't care as much what happens to this new planet, or to the new cast. The mysteries of the falling ashes and of the Isaac child are still okay-ish, but nowhere as cool as those in book #1.
June 11, 2021
2,5/5 Segunda parte de una trilogía: novela valle casi asegurada. La chicha que te ha atrapado ya ha pasado y todavía no han llegado las grandes revelaciones de la conclusión. Y esta es MUY valle, pero bueno, el camino a la cima pasa por aquí, así que no queda otra. Este me ha recordado a La Tierra Larga, solo que bastante más flojo, superficial y desinflado. ¿Todo mal? No: queda la esperanza del tercer libro y, desde luego, el primero valió la pena.
August 12, 2011
I don't not like this book, but it's no Spin.
I agree with the other reviewers about this book: it's really less sci-fi and more about a spiritual journey; it hangs out in the realm of vague, even mystical speculation; it's a bridge between Spin and Vortex and reads like it.
The last item - about the book being a bridge - may be its most redeeming assessment. The book has a very transitional feel. The plot involves constant motion/travel almost exclusively in one dedicated direction (east to west), which starts and the Arch crossing from Earth to Equatoria and ends at another Arch crossing from Equatoria to ... where? We're not told. Probably wherever (WHENever) Vortex happens. This book is a quick jog through a post-Spin reality.
It's not as innovative or engrossing as Spin, but it's still a fun read. It does have a few of what I believe is one of this author's biggest flaws - I've come to call them "Sad Trombone Moments." These are where the dialogue or action is so awkward that it just begs for a sad-trombone sound effect. In Spin, it was whenever Dr. Tyler Dupree, MD, was written as too dense to follow the science of the Spin membrane. In Axis, there were a few of these moments (mostly involving the supposed aged wisdom of the Fourths), but none so overwhelming as this:
"A billion years of evolution. It that was true, Turk thought, then these things, as a species, were older than the human race itself."
Can I get a herp-derp? Granted, this character is uneducated and decidedly not the sciencey type, but... really? Even coming from a character who is way out of his depth, this is a clunker of a line. Sad trombone.
Overall Axis was an enjoyable read, worth it even if it is only a whirlwind tour of Equatoria on our way to Vortex.
I agree with the other reviewers about this book: it's really less sci-fi and more about a spiritual journey; it hangs out in the realm of vague, even mystical speculation; it's a bridge between Spin and Vortex and reads like it.
The last item - about the book being a bridge - may be its most redeeming assessment. The book has a very transitional feel. The plot involves constant motion/travel almost exclusively in one dedicated direction (east to west), which starts and the Arch crossing from Earth to Equatoria and ends at another Arch crossing from Equatoria to ... where? We're not told. Probably wherever (WHENever) Vortex happens. This book is a quick jog through a post-Spin reality.
It's not as innovative or engrossing as Spin, but it's still a fun read. It does have a few of what I believe is one of this author's biggest flaws - I've come to call them "Sad Trombone Moments." These are where the dialogue or action is so awkward that it just begs for a sad-trombone sound effect. In Spin, it was whenever Dr. Tyler Dupree, MD, was written as too dense to follow the science of the Spin membrane. In Axis, there were a few of these moments (mostly involving the supposed aged wisdom of the Fourths), but none so overwhelming as this:
"A billion years of evolution. It that was true, Turk thought, then these things, as a species, were older than the human race itself."
Can I get a herp-derp? Granted, this character is uneducated and decidedly not the sciencey type, but... really? Even coming from a character who is way out of his depth, this is a clunker of a line. Sad trombone.
Overall Axis was an enjoyable read, worth it even if it is only a whirlwind tour of Equatoria on our way to Vortex.
August 19, 2018
Axis is set approximately 30 years after the conclusion of the first book in the series, Spin, and takes place on the world set up by the Hypothetical at the end of that book. We start the story with a boy, a boy who is in some way we don't yet know special. Martian and Earth relations have gone south in a somehow uninteresting way, and while the author brings up again the lack of resources and destruction of the planet, there are no real concrete examples to demonstrate that, other than certain characters general longing for home, which could simply translate to a longing for childhood.
While the panic of losing the stars in Spin left a lasting impression, little about this world did. It's mentioned, the impact of knowing another world is right at your fingertips, but if felt artificial. We revisit some characters from the original book, but most of those introduced here fell flat. The major driver of the plot, and what kept me reading, were the Hypotheticals.
The rise of the "Fourths" on Earth and in the new world played a central role, but it also didn't have the impact it did in the original book. Most of things discussed here about Fourths were already revealed in Spin, so it was repetitive. Maybe if I hadn't read the books back-to-back that wouldn't have been an issue? Considering there was an entirely new world introduced in this book, there was very little world building to be had, which was a larger issue for me.
All the disappointments aside, I will continue with the third book in the series, and hope this is just "middle book" issues working their way out.
While the panic of losing the stars in Spin left a lasting impression, little about this world did. It's mentioned, the impact of knowing another world is right at your fingertips, but if felt artificial. We revisit some characters from the original book, but most of those introduced here fell flat. The major driver of the plot, and what kept me reading, were the Hypotheticals.
The rise of the "Fourths" on Earth and in the new world played a central role, but it also didn't have the impact it did in the original book. Most of things discussed here about Fourths were already revealed in Spin, so it was repetitive. Maybe if I hadn't read the books back-to-back that wouldn't have been an issue? Considering there was an entirely new world introduced in this book, there was very little world building to be had, which was a larger issue for me.
All the disappointments aside, I will continue with the third book in the series, and hope this is just "middle book" issues working their way out.
September 28, 2022
Listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it! This was shorter than the first book and was faster paced, and was more plot driven. In general, those are things I prefer when I’m reading! Book one was SO character driven and slow and focused on a lot of “mundane” slice of life things, though surprisingly I really liked it. This book had more of a straightforward plot, including uncovering the mystery of what happened to Lise’s dad, what is so special about the boy Isaac, and of course what is the nature of the strange ash falls on Equitoria.
I loved that we got to see things that were more “alien” in this book, whereas in the last book the aliens themselves were very esoteric and not really the focus of the story (of course, they are STILL very mysterious in this book, but we actually get to “see” them, so to say). I do wish we would have gotten to see a bit more of Equitoria rather than just being confined to one area of it that is very desert-like (I can’t recall if the entire planet is supposed to be like that, or just that continent). It did make the setting feel a bit plain. There were some very freaky scenes that gave me the heebie-jeebies, and I just really enjoyed seeing more of the alien side of this story.
The ending did feel a little abrupt, and there are still questions the reader will probably have about the Hypotheticals that aren’t answered. But I was interested the entire time reading this, I like the narrator Scott Brick, and the faster pace/shorter length doesn’t leave too much time to get bogged down or bored with anything (in my experience with it anyway). It was great! I just read the blurb for book 3 and WOW, I can’t wait to read the conclusion to this saga!
YouTube Review: https://youtu.be/ZMQX17DmNDM
I loved that we got to see things that were more “alien” in this book, whereas in the last book the aliens themselves were very esoteric and not really the focus of the story (of course, they are STILL very mysterious in this book, but we actually get to “see” them, so to say). I do wish we would have gotten to see a bit more of Equitoria rather than just being confined to one area of it that is very desert-like (I can’t recall if the entire planet is supposed to be like that, or just that continent). It did make the setting feel a bit plain. There were some very freaky scenes that gave me the heebie-jeebies, and I just really enjoyed seeing more of the alien side of this story.
The ending did feel a little abrupt, and there are still questions the reader will probably have about the Hypotheticals that aren’t answered. But I was interested the entire time reading this, I like the narrator Scott Brick, and the faster pace/shorter length doesn’t leave too much time to get bogged down or bored with anything (in my experience with it anyway). It was great! I just read the blurb for book 3 and WOW, I can’t wait to read the conclusion to this saga!
YouTube Review: https://youtu.be/ZMQX17DmNDM
October 12, 2025
Meno intenso del capolavoro iniziale Spin, ma pur sempre un romanzo di ottima fattura, questo secondo capitolo si svolge trent'anni dopo gli eventi in cui la Terra, avvolta nella bolla temporale che ne rallenta il tempo rispetto al resto del sistema solare, Marte compreso, si imbatte negli Ipotetici: una civiltà senziente? Soltanto milioni di macchine autoreplicanti? Dei?
Alla caduta dello Spin sulla Terra si è formato un Arco sull'oceano indiano che apre un varco senza quasi soluzione di continuità con un altro pianeta e, fin da subito, con lo spirito colonizzatore che da sempre la caratterizza (negativamente), l'umanità prova a sfruttarne le risorse, costruisce nuove città e insediamenti minerari, scoprendo anche l'esistenza di un secondo Arco verso un ulteriore ignoto pianeta.
Ma perché tutto ciò? Chi o che cosa ha generato queste possibilità di esplorazione per una civiltà che era a rischio estinzione?
Pochi, ma ben caratterizzati personaggi cercheranno la o le risposte: Lise Adams assieme al pilota Turk Findley (del quale è innamorata) che spera di trovare indizi sulla sparizione del padre, una Quarta marziana che arriva troppo tardi per bloccare un esperimento, già fallito in precedenza, ad opera del dottor Dvali (smanioso di comunicare con una civiltà per lui quasi divina) con lo scopo di creare un ibrido umano, il giovane Isaac, e renderlo capace di una simbiosi con gli Ipotetici grazie alle biotecnologie sviluppate su Marte nel periodo dello Spin terrestre e quindi, in milioni di anni di evoluzione e altri contatti con le macchine aliene, Brian, ex marito di Lise e funzionario del dipartimento della sicurezza genica a caccia dei Quarti terrestri, Diane Dupree, Quarta e infermiera nei cantieri navali e Anne Rebka, forse la più vicina a una madre che l'esperimento-bambino abbia mai avuto.
In questo secondo romanzo capiremo quanto i ricordi siano un sistema di comunicazione dati e come gli stessi possano viaggiare nel tempo, non dico altro per evitare inutili spoiler.
Buona lettura.
Alla caduta dello Spin sulla Terra si è formato un Arco sull'oceano indiano che apre un varco senza quasi soluzione di continuità con un altro pianeta e, fin da subito, con lo spirito colonizzatore che da sempre la caratterizza (negativamente), l'umanità prova a sfruttarne le risorse, costruisce nuove città e insediamenti minerari, scoprendo anche l'esistenza di un secondo Arco verso un ulteriore ignoto pianeta.
Ma perché tutto ciò? Chi o che cosa ha generato queste possibilità di esplorazione per una civiltà che era a rischio estinzione?
Pochi, ma ben caratterizzati personaggi cercheranno la o le risposte: Lise Adams assieme al pilota Turk Findley (del quale è innamorata) che spera di trovare indizi sulla sparizione del padre, una Quarta marziana che arriva troppo tardi per bloccare un esperimento, già fallito in precedenza, ad opera del dottor Dvali (smanioso di comunicare con una civiltà per lui quasi divina) con lo scopo di creare un ibrido umano, il giovane Isaac, e renderlo capace di una simbiosi con gli Ipotetici grazie alle biotecnologie sviluppate su Marte nel periodo dello Spin terrestre e quindi, in milioni di anni di evoluzione e altri contatti con le macchine aliene, Brian, ex marito di Lise e funzionario del dipartimento della sicurezza genica a caccia dei Quarti terrestri, Diane Dupree, Quarta e infermiera nei cantieri navali e Anne Rebka, forse la più vicina a una madre che l'esperimento-bambino abbia mai avuto.
In questo secondo romanzo capiremo quanto i ricordi siano un sistema di comunicazione dati e come gli stessi possano viaggiare nel tempo, non dico altro per evitare inutili spoiler.
Buona lettura.
June 11, 2025
Ugh! Now I have to read the next one!
Fascinating world, fun characters, not quite enough happens for the page count. Feels like it could have been shorter or had more happen. Coming freshly off of Coyote by Allen Steele I found a lot of parallels between Equatoria (terrible name) and Coyote (great name). That said the overall writing in Axis is a shade better and more coherent. At a minimum less time passes so it's easier to follow.
Without spoilers, all I can really say is that somehow Equatoria in Axis is less alien than Earth was in Spin. It definitely feels somehow *less* scifi, and more mundanely science fantasy.
I also get the impression from the big reveal that Wilson has more to say and a lot more to explain so I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO READ THE REST OF THEM. Hopefully it's worth the time investment.
Fascinating world, fun characters, not quite enough happens for the page count. Feels like it could have been shorter or had more happen. Coming freshly off of Coyote by Allen Steele I found a lot of parallels between Equatoria (terrible name) and Coyote (great name). That said the overall writing in Axis is a shade better and more coherent. At a minimum less time passes so it's easier to follow.
Without spoilers, all I can really say is that somehow Equatoria in Axis is less alien than Earth was in Spin. It definitely feels somehow *less* scifi, and more mundanely science fantasy.
I also get the impression from the big reveal that Wilson has more to say and a lot more to explain so I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO READ THE REST OF THEM. Hopefully it's worth the time investment.
January 6, 2018
Axis is as well written as spin was, but unfortunately it lives off the ideas already introduced in spin. Nothing new is added to the mix. Alas if possible something is taken away, because characters in axis are more 2-dimensional and it's more difficult to empathize with them. it's a shame because I had high expectations for this novel :-(
Read
August 8, 2019A nice follow up to Spin
While it wasn’t as breathtaking and awe inspiring as it’s predecessor, Axis effectively builds on the universe the first book established. And it does so with compelling, dynamic characters who you won’t mind spending the story with. And as ever, Wilson’s prose is a match for the grand ideas he’s exploring.
While it wasn’t as breathtaking and awe inspiring as it’s predecessor, Axis effectively builds on the universe the first book established. And it does so with compelling, dynamic characters who you won’t mind spending the story with. And as ever, Wilson’s prose is a match for the grand ideas he’s exploring.
January 7, 2026
Aliens that feel truly alien! A decent extension of the initial book, while I do much prefer the first novel I found this one a hugely satisfying continuation of such a fascinating world.
October 24, 2018
He's still not giving anything away about what the Hypotheticals motives might be, this series is just one big wait and see! And yet, I quite like being blindly taken along for the ride with the failible and fleshed out characters blowing from here to there on the whim of these vast but not entirely benign intelligences. These are truly inscrutable aliens and their timescales and ours may never see eye to eye.
I'm certainly ready to dive into book three to see if my continued curiosity is rewarded.
I'm certainly ready to dive into book three to see if my continued curiosity is rewarded.
January 23, 2020
As with most reviews of books that form a part of a series, I inevitably compare them with each other. As you can tell from the rating, this book did worse than the first instalment, but even if I didn't have that benchmark, this would still have been a disappointing read. And while I enjoyed Spin, the first book in this series, I definitely didn't have unreasonably high expectations for this sequel. Unfortunately, this book failed to live up to the standards set in Spin, let alone improve on it and move the story forward in a satisfying way.
*There will be a few minor spoilers for Spin in this review, so be warned from here on out.*
Let's start with the world. Most of the story takes place on a new planet which we learn very little about. And I don't say that in some subjective sense either. We literally only get a handful of factoids about the equatorial continent and its main city. No mention of native flora or fauna at all, even though there are oil fields which imply a substantial amount of biomass over a long period of time. A bizarre bit of world-building in my opinion. There's also almost no development of Earth's society in the months after the last book concluded which, once again, seemed like both an amateurish oversight and a huge lost opportunity.
We once again get the multiple pov treatment with three main characters and two occasional perspectives, one of which was wholly unnecessary. And for such a short book, that many perspectives ended up being detrimental to the story and its characters. No one seemed to get much development, apart from, perhaps, one exception, but even their character arc was pretty basic. That wouldn't necessarily be an issue for me - flat characters can be quite fun in very plot-driven stories, but this, much like Spin, isn't written as a strong plot-driven book. It spends a lot of time with the characters and tries to give us their perceptions of events. Unfortunately, the characters were so poorly characterized and fleshed out, I simply didn't care about any of them. In fact, most of them kind of blended into each other to a large extent to the point where I kept forgetting who was who.
The story itself was also quite bland. Sure, the inciting incident and ongoing mystery had some intrigue to it, but those were pretty much the only aspects that kept me interested. All the hopping around and being chased by nefarious organizations got rather boring quite quickly. The various relationships felt trivial and the whole 'will they - won't they' dynamic of the two main characters got tired almost as soon as it was set up. The ending was fine, I guess, but also a tad underwhelming considering all the build-up we got. I enjoyed finally getting some answers to all the questions the series has brought up so far, but it also seemed to withhold a lot for the final book.
This was boring enough to actually make it a 1.5 in my logbook, but it's getting the rounded up treatment here thanks to the good legwork done in the first book. This definitely fell victim to the 'middle book in a series' syndrome where the author ends up juggling with setting up the finale and trying to tell a good, contained story. The lazy characterzation and lack of world-building were prime examples of that, hinting that we probably won't see much more of them. I'm really not sure if I even want to carry on with the series though. Not if I have to struggle through more of this kind of drawing out of questions we could easily have gotten answers to in the first book.
*There will be a few minor spoilers for Spin in this review, so be warned from here on out.*
Let's start with the world. Most of the story takes place on a new planet which we learn very little about. And I don't say that in some subjective sense either. We literally only get a handful of factoids about the equatorial continent and its main city. No mention of native flora or fauna at all, even though there are oil fields which imply a substantial amount of biomass over a long period of time. A bizarre bit of world-building in my opinion. There's also almost no development of Earth's society in the months after the last book concluded which, once again, seemed like both an amateurish oversight and a huge lost opportunity.
We once again get the multiple pov treatment with three main characters and two occasional perspectives, one of which was wholly unnecessary. And for such a short book, that many perspectives ended up being detrimental to the story and its characters. No one seemed to get much development, apart from, perhaps, one exception, but even their character arc was pretty basic. That wouldn't necessarily be an issue for me - flat characters can be quite fun in very plot-driven stories, but this, much like Spin, isn't written as a strong plot-driven book. It spends a lot of time with the characters and tries to give us their perceptions of events. Unfortunately, the characters were so poorly characterized and fleshed out, I simply didn't care about any of them. In fact, most of them kind of blended into each other to a large extent to the point where I kept forgetting who was who.
The story itself was also quite bland. Sure, the inciting incident and ongoing mystery had some intrigue to it, but those were pretty much the only aspects that kept me interested. All the hopping around and being chased by nefarious organizations got rather boring quite quickly. The various relationships felt trivial and the whole 'will they - won't they' dynamic of the two main characters got tired almost as soon as it was set up. The ending was fine, I guess, but also a tad underwhelming considering all the build-up we got. I enjoyed finally getting some answers to all the questions the series has brought up so far, but it also seemed to withhold a lot for the final book.
This was boring enough to actually make it a 1.5 in my logbook, but it's getting the rounded up treatment here thanks to the good legwork done in the first book. This definitely fell victim to the 'middle book in a series' syndrome where the author ends up juggling with setting up the finale and trying to tell a good, contained story. The lazy characterzation and lack of world-building were prime examples of that, hinting that we probably won't see much more of them. I'm really not sure if I even want to carry on with the series though. Not if I have to struggle through more of this kind of drawing out of questions we could easily have gotten answers to in the first book.
July 14, 2013
"Axis" is a lot less ambitious than its predecessor "Spin", but what it does it does well. It does not attempt to span decades of history, and so it avoids long stretches of tedium with which "Spin" is riddled. In "Axis" we don't have to watch the characters live their pedestrian lives while mysterious events unfold somewhere in the background. The main characters are always in action, and plot tension is sustained from beginning to end.
However, "Axis" is also a lot less conceptual than "Spin". It does not introduce new ideas, only elaborates (and only minimally) on the ones introduced in "Spin". My biggest disappointment with this book was that we don't really learn more about the Hypotheticals than we knew at the beginning. The idea that the Hypotheticals come to Earth to collect memories and upload them into some kind of vast cosmic network, is so basic and vague that it does not advance our understanding of the Hypotheticals very much. We still don't know why they want those memories, what they are going to do with them, or why did they have to move the Earth billions of years ahead in time. Or why did they attach a parallel universe to it, joined by the Arc. I wonder if the author chose an ignorant and simple-minded protagonist, a 12-year-old child, to communicate with the Hypotheticals, so as not to have to intelligently speculate about all that. I would have been more interested if the communicator was someone educated, especially someone who had studied the Hypotheticals, such as Lise's father. If Lise's father had enough material to write a book about them, he must have had more than just vague speculations?
Apparently the focus of this trilogy is not the Hypotheticals, but how the contact with them will affect humanity. At the end of "Axis" it becomes clear that the third book will be about humanity having to deal with uploading and the "5th age". This makes me look forward to it despite the underwhelming second book.
Although scientific mysteries go unanswered, "Axis" is still a good character-driven novel. With just a few brushstrokes Wilson sets up a wide range of believable characters. There is a determined truth-seeker (Lise); a person whose purpose in life is to preserve the existing order (Lise's ex-husband); a drifter who is nevertheless courageous and likeable (Turk); there are characters who and resist change kicking and screaming, like Lise's mother; and ambitious opportunists who seek to manipulate the change for their own purposes, like Dr. Dvali. For some reason secondary characters like Brian the ex-husband, and Dr. Dvali came through as the most vivid, while the protagonist, Lise, somehow didn't feel like a real person to me. But overall the diverse cast of characters and the plot tension made this book an enjoyable read.
However, "Axis" is also a lot less conceptual than "Spin". It does not introduce new ideas, only elaborates (and only minimally) on the ones introduced in "Spin". My biggest disappointment with this book was that we don't really learn more about the Hypotheticals than we knew at the beginning. The idea that the Hypotheticals come to Earth to collect memories and upload them into some kind of vast cosmic network, is so basic and vague that it does not advance our understanding of the Hypotheticals very much. We still don't know why they want those memories, what they are going to do with them, or why did they have to move the Earth billions of years ahead in time. Or why did they attach a parallel universe to it, joined by the Arc. I wonder if the author chose an ignorant and simple-minded protagonist, a 12-year-old child, to communicate with the Hypotheticals, so as not to have to intelligently speculate about all that. I would have been more interested if the communicator was someone educated, especially someone who had studied the Hypotheticals, such as Lise's father. If Lise's father had enough material to write a book about them, he must have had more than just vague speculations?
Apparently the focus of this trilogy is not the Hypotheticals, but how the contact with them will affect humanity. At the end of "Axis" it becomes clear that the third book will be about humanity having to deal with uploading and the "5th age". This makes me look forward to it despite the underwhelming second book.
Although scientific mysteries go unanswered, "Axis" is still a good character-driven novel. With just a few brushstrokes Wilson sets up a wide range of believable characters. There is a determined truth-seeker (Lise); a person whose purpose in life is to preserve the existing order (Lise's ex-husband); a drifter who is nevertheless courageous and likeable (Turk); there are characters who and resist change kicking and screaming, like Lise's mother; and ambitious opportunists who seek to manipulate the change for their own purposes, like Dr. Dvali. For some reason secondary characters like Brian the ex-husband, and Dr. Dvali came through as the most vivid, while the protagonist, Lise, somehow didn't feel like a real person to me. But overall the diverse cast of characters and the plot tension made this book an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2012
This book reminds me, in unfortunate ways, of Greg Bear's Eternity. I really enjoyed Eon, and was happy about there being a sequel... which then had almost nothing connected to the first book. Axis eventually drops in a couple of lines to let you know what happened to Tyler and Diane after Spin, but we're pretty much meeting people utterly unconnected to that first book.
This is a problem for me because it's very difficult to do well. The Foundation Trilogy manages to skip like a stone across the decades and centuries because it does it from the beginning; Speaker for the Dead keeps the characters we love at the center. Greg Bear's other duology, The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars (which I always thought needed a third book, with a title like Hammer of... something. Angels? Space? Time? anyway...) manages the trick very well, even though the only character that continues in the second book is the son of one of the main characters in the first book.
Wow, how did I get way out here in left field? The point is, I kept reading because I love the idea of the Hypotheticals, and the millennia needed to fire the synapses, so to speak. Even the motivator for the protagonist, Lise, in the mystery of what happened to her father, never became important to me.
I'm sure I'll read Vortex, eventually, but it's not in the top ten of my to-read list.
This is a problem for me because it's very difficult to do well. The Foundation Trilogy manages to skip like a stone across the decades and centuries because it does it from the beginning; Speaker for the Dead keeps the characters we love at the center. Greg Bear's other duology, The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars (which I always thought needed a third book, with a title like Hammer of... something. Angels? Space? Time? anyway...) manages the trick very well, even though the only character that continues in the second book is the son of one of the main characters in the first book.
Wow, how did I get way out here in left field? The point is, I kept reading because I love the idea of the Hypotheticals, and the millennia needed to fire the synapses, so to speak. Even the motivator for the protagonist, Lise, in the mystery of what happened to her father, never became important to me.
I'm sure I'll read Vortex, eventually, but it's not in the top ten of my to-read list.
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