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Acadia
Five years ago, Kate jumped on every opportunity to come out here. She’d loved the thrill of staring off the ship’s stern, watching the Sun slowly shrink, peering as closely at the white-hot thrusters as she could before Virgil shut off her visor. She’d loved looking forward at Acadia’s magnetic scoop, trying to catch some glimpse of the invisible cone that was funneling the vacuum’s stray atoms into its antimatter furnace. In those days, she’d even grinned at the dizzying challenge of spacewalking on a rotating cylinder. But that was five years ago . . .
Acadia — the latest work of fiction from critically acclaimed author, James Erwin (Rome, Sweet Rome) takes to the far reaches of space to weave a tale of intrigue and suspense among the stars.
Acadia — the latest work of fiction from critically acclaimed author, James Erwin (Rome, Sweet Rome) takes to the far reaches of space to weave a tale of intrigue and suspense among the stars.
- GenresScience Fiction
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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March 3, 2015As the author, I saw every plot twist coming.
I wanted to revisit this to say something. You may have noticed that I've clicked the "like" button for all the reviews I've read, even the negative ones. Couple of reasons for that - I deeply, deeply appreciate the time and money that every reader put into what I created. I appreciate the willingness to think carefully about my work, and to share what you concluded.
I've talked a lot about why I wanted to put out at least one novel without anyone else's hands on it - a manager, an agent, a publisher. That was a personal decision taken for personal reasons, and what resulted isn't what a lot of people expect. Whether that's artistic disagreement or dubious professionalism is your judgment to make as much as mine. My interpretation of this work stopped being the only yardstick when I offered it to you.
It's terrifying and exhausting to create something like this and put it out there defenseless and it is also absolutely correct to do so. I do not dispute anything or agree with anything any of you say in your reviews. (That's not -strictly- true, but you get where I'm going with this, I hope.) I am honored that any of you have chosen to engage with my work. I accept your judgment and I will reflect on all of these reviews as I reflect on my own review of this novel.
Thanks so much for reading this book.
I wanted to revisit this to say something. You may have noticed that I've clicked the "like" button for all the reviews I've read, even the negative ones. Couple of reasons for that - I deeply, deeply appreciate the time and money that every reader put into what I created. I appreciate the willingness to think carefully about my work, and to share what you concluded.
I've talked a lot about why I wanted to put out at least one novel without anyone else's hands on it - a manager, an agent, a publisher. That was a personal decision taken for personal reasons, and what resulted isn't what a lot of people expect. Whether that's artistic disagreement or dubious professionalism is your judgment to make as much as mine. My interpretation of this work stopped being the only yardstick when I offered it to you.
It's terrifying and exhausting to create something like this and put it out there defenseless and it is also absolutely correct to do so. I do not dispute anything or agree with anything any of you say in your reviews. (That's not -strictly- true, but you get where I'm going with this, I hope.) I am honored that any of you have chosen to engage with my work. I accept your judgment and I will reflect on all of these reviews as I reflect on my own review of this novel.
Thanks so much for reading this book.
February 19, 2015
Beautiful setting, clever ideas, but utterly confusing. The sheer number of simultaneous plot threads (so. many. flashbacks.) and inability to really differentiate between characters meant I was flying blind until the denouement. If you're looking for a short, near-future-semi-dystopia, more-opera-than-hard, american-exceptionalism sci-fi story, this'll suit nicely. But skip if you're outside that target audience.
March 5, 2015
If you read the kickstarter page for this book it says, in part " I’ve been working on a new story, and there’s been a lot of interest from publishers. To go through them and get this story out there means years of work yet and, again, major changes."
My uncharitable view of that is "I have a really pretty cool idea and other people agree but these super boring editors wants to make changes to the pacing and organization and I'm just not into that"
It's a really cool idea, and while I found the first half of the book confusing, especially reading in kindle format (what date is it? where does that fall in relationship to the other timelines? what character is this, or what version of an oft-cloned, occasionally deleted and backed up fragmented AI mind?) I still was on board with the concept and the plot. Around 55% though it just goes off the rails. Shit gets weird, past events that were never really explained are referenced with great significance, the invisible hand of Charlie is literally everywhere ... If you push through to the end though, in the last 5 pages everything is explained and it all wraps up, so ... stick with it, I guess.
Really could have shone with a decent editor, pity he didn't choose to work through the traditional publishing route.
My uncharitable view of that is "I have a really pretty cool idea and other people agree but these super boring editors wants to make changes to the pacing and organization and I'm just not into that"
It's a really cool idea, and while I found the first half of the book confusing, especially reading in kindle format (what date is it? where does that fall in relationship to the other timelines? what character is this, or what version of an oft-cloned, occasionally deleted and backed up fragmented AI mind?) I still was on board with the concept and the plot. Around 55% though it just goes off the rails. Shit gets weird, past events that were never really explained are referenced with great significance, the invisible hand of Charlie is literally everywhere ... If you push through to the end though, in the last 5 pages everything is explained and it all wraps up, so ... stick with it, I guess.
Really could have shone with a decent editor, pity he didn't choose to work through the traditional publishing route.
March 2, 2015
'Acadia' is an imperfect but deeply enjoyable, bold first effort (of fiction) by James Erwin. While they may not age well, its speculative imagining of where cutting-edge technology and societal trends of today may wind up in a century or so reward awareness of nerdy current events. This is a novel set in a not-too-distant future where drones are ubiquitous, AIs are governed by a UN agency, and nanotechnology is (rightly) considered worse than nuclear weapons, and I loved the few days I spent in it. I can understand the complaints from some that its twisting, recursive-flashback-laden structure was confusing, but Erwin's talent for sprinkling clues and references along the way rewards attention (though I still would like to know what LOA stands for). I loved this book and can't wait for what I assume will be many more in Erwin's future, new career.
March 31, 2015
the kindle sample is the start of this story about a woman and a spaceship, and had me wanting to know more about what happened, so i bought the book.
then i got this stream of consciousness war story and contorted flashbacks (or something? i couldn't figure out how to connect any of it). that went on until i hit 27% of the book, and gave up.
still want to know what happens to kate, but that just made the rest of it that much more frustrating.
then i got this stream of consciousness war story and contorted flashbacks (or something? i couldn't figure out how to connect any of it). that went on until i hit 27% of the book, and gave up.
still want to know what happens to kate, but that just made the rest of it that much more frustrating.
December 1, 2015
Edit:
After a second read, things seemed to fall into place much better. Ive added a star to my review.
I loved the concept, but it didnt all quite come together for me in the end. I wasnt able to read it all in one sitting, so parts of the story I was not able to connect.I'd love to see a discussion of the plot to see if I interpreted it correctly.
After a second read, things seemed to fall into place much better. Ive added a star to my review.
I loved the concept, but it didnt all quite come together for me in the end. I wasnt able to read it all in one sitting, so parts of the story I was not able to connect.I'd love to see a discussion of the plot to see if I interpreted it correctly.
September 14, 2020
This is a cool science fiction novel with lots of interesting ideas about artificial intelligence. Despite being relatively short, it packs in a lot of politics, action, and interstellar intrigue.
March 15, 2015
First off, like some of the other reviewers, I read "Acadia" spaced out rather than on a binge, and I found myself a little lost a number of times, struggling to pull the various plot threads and elements of the chronology together. However, I think it's a disservice to say the book is messy or outright hard to follow. It's intentionally a little disorienting on occasion, and in some cases, I ended up reading a little too fast and not scrutinizing the details well enough because the chapters themselves are generally written in a breezy, easy-to-follow way.
There are a lot of really interesting ideas here. Many of the concepts–from AI/robotics to asteroid mining to future politics–have certainly come up before in many other media, but I found Acadia gave everything enough its own spin that the novel felt unique and refreshing. Erwin does a good job of making the concepts feel 'lived in', crafting enough of a tangible world that it never feels like he's writing a treatise on asteroid belt mining or AI. The nature and history of AI and robotics presented in the book is really interesting, and revealed incrementally, rather than as an indulgent and tiresome infodump. I also thought the book also did a great job of presenting the AI's as neither human nor unfathomably cold and alien–they mostly lay in a sort of middle ground, in a way that makes most of them pretty compelling as characters.
In short, I felt like Acadia straddled the line between hard sci-fi and being more of a pop sci-fi read, so readers in either camp may have to stretch themselves a bit in ways that might not be entirely comfortable to them. However, there are both some really neat ideas here and some engaging action, and those occasionally troublesome plot threads do (mostly?) come together in the end.
Plus there were two robotic dogs biting each other once and that was pretty rad.
There are a lot of really interesting ideas here. Many of the concepts–from AI/robotics to asteroid mining to future politics–have certainly come up before in many other media, but I found Acadia gave everything enough its own spin that the novel felt unique and refreshing. Erwin does a good job of making the concepts feel 'lived in', crafting enough of a tangible world that it never feels like he's writing a treatise on asteroid belt mining or AI. The nature and history of AI and robotics presented in the book is really interesting, and revealed incrementally, rather than as an indulgent and tiresome infodump. I also thought the book also did a great job of presenting the AI's as neither human nor unfathomably cold and alien–they mostly lay in a sort of middle ground, in a way that makes most of them pretty compelling as characters.
In short, I felt like Acadia straddled the line between hard sci-fi and being more of a pop sci-fi read, so readers in either camp may have to stretch themselves a bit in ways that might not be entirely comfortable to them. However, there are both some really neat ideas here and some engaging action, and those occasionally troublesome plot threads do (mostly?) come together in the end.
Plus there were two robotic dogs biting each other once and that was pretty rad.
February 24, 2015
Acadia was a book I was looking forward to for a long time, having been introduced to the Kickstarter project early on. I really wanted to enjoy this book and for the most part I did. The setting was pretty interesting as were the characters, to the point the story allowed anyway. My biggest issue with the book is the disjointed nature in which the story unfolds. What could have been an amazing scifi tale was rendered into a hard-to-follow mess. I basically read the story in a single sitting because each individual story thread is very entrancing, but keeping everything ordered in my head was quite a challenge. You'll read one chapter focusing on one character then the next chapter will be about a different character in a different time, then you might get a chapter about that first character but now it's taking place before the first chapter did. Acadia has great story threads but they're woven together into a muddled tapestry.
I would love to see a re-issue of this book with story segments arranged with better flow and perhaps a less abrupt ending. I assume it was the author's intention to keep the reader engaged by swapping story lines so often but for me it just made the book difficult to read. I was constantly asking myself 'Who is this character again?' or 'When are we??'. Again, the bits and pieces of Acadia are very good so it is still worth a read if you're interested in scifi with AI aspects.
I would love to see a re-issue of this book with story segments arranged with better flow and perhaps a less abrupt ending. I assume it was the author's intention to keep the reader engaged by swapping story lines so often but for me it just made the book difficult to read. I was constantly asking myself 'Who is this character again?' or 'When are we??'. Again, the bits and pieces of Acadia are very good so it is still worth a read if you're interested in scifi with AI aspects.
June 1, 2015
If the overview for this book gets you excited, you will get solid enjoyment from this book.
This book asks you to see beyond the words a fair bit. Perhaps where other lengthy science fiction books are ponderous to get through, this one relies on you to make some of your own connections. I respect this vision from the author, but it has left me feeling slightly confused about the book, more than thoughtful. For me, Acadia didn't form that perfect storm of science, speculation, theme and character that gives me that sweet, sweet sci-fi awe.
Perhaps there was just something in the air when I read it, and I'll need to do a second read of this relatively short book. I'd like to think I can handle heavy science fiction books, but you'll want to pay attention with this book. I liked the questions that it asked and I think I will revisit it in some form.
This book asks you to see beyond the words a fair bit. Perhaps where other lengthy science fiction books are ponderous to get through, this one relies on you to make some of your own connections. I respect this vision from the author, but it has left me feeling slightly confused about the book, more than thoughtful. For me, Acadia didn't form that perfect storm of science, speculation, theme and character that gives me that sweet, sweet sci-fi awe.
Perhaps there was just something in the air when I read it, and I'll need to do a second read of this relatively short book. I'd like to think I can handle heavy science fiction books, but you'll want to pay attention with this book. I liked the questions that it asked and I think I will revisit it in some form.
May 9, 2016
The shifting back and forth thru time, from space ship to space ship, from human POV to AI POV is confusing. Maybe not the best book for reading in starts and stops like I do. If you read one book at a time this likely won't be an issue for you. Great book especially if you're interested in AI. We need benevolent bad-ass AI's like the MasterChief's Cortana. Erwin's AI's can be terrifying. Really terrifying.
The sporadic pictures were more confusing than helpful. I don't think they added anything and were somewhat sophomoric. I would have strongly suggested their removal from the finished product. Let the words speak for themselves. The words are the art, they set the scenes and create the emotions.
The sporadic pictures were more confusing than helpful. I don't think they added anything and were somewhat sophomoric. I would have strongly suggested their removal from the finished product. Let the words speak for themselves. The words are the art, they set the scenes and create the emotions.
February 1, 2016
AIs FTW
Acadia, the book, like Acadia, the star ship, accelerated as it progressed. At the risk of torturing the analogy, I felt it had some trouble reaching escape velocity and for a while I wasn't sure it would. But escape it did and after a slow start the threads came together and some fascinating issues are explored. It is worth persevering with, particularly to see the possibilities that artificial intelligence offers.
Acadia, the book, like Acadia, the star ship, accelerated as it progressed. At the risk of torturing the analogy, I felt it had some trouble reaching escape velocity and for a while I wasn't sure it would. But escape it did and after a slow start the threads came together and some fascinating issues are explored. It is worth persevering with, particularly to see the possibilities that artificial intelligence offers.
March 2, 2015
I thought the premise was good and the first half of the book was excellent, but the plot seemed to fall apart in the second half. It feels rushed to resolution for no good reason, like maybe an editor cut out several hundred pages to get a desired total length but now the end result is an unbalanced story.
March 17, 2015
As I read, many times I thought that the author must have tripped on the way to his publisher. His chapters were stapled individually, but when they were retrieved from the sidewalk they were put back together in random order. I think if I rewound and started again at page 1 right now this would make more sense. Not willing though.
February 16, 2015
I give the book a 4.5/5 stars.
Great story told around deep space travel & AI. I had some trouble with how the story was broken up, but that may also be due in part to my scattered reading of it over the last 2 months.
Great story told around deep space travel & AI. I had some trouble with how the story was broken up, but that may also be due in part to my scattered reading of it over the last 2 months.
February 28, 2015
Confusing. Wonderful.
March 18, 2015
I loved the AI characters - I really got a sense of their experiences and motivations. I was disappointed by what seemed to be an abrupt ending that came from nowhere, almost deus ex machina (pun?).
April 18, 2015
There may have been a good book somewhere in the mind of the author but I couldn't find it, or even much of the plot. This book needs an editor and a lot more work.
April 21, 2015
Wonderfully written, Erwin has created a compelling story about space that expertly portrays the human condition.
September 21, 2017
This has been on my to-read list for ages. I think I saw the author posting about this on Reddit and thought it sounded cool and always looked out for it.
It *was* cool - there were some really interesting themes and set pieces. However it was also utterly, utterly confusing. The timeline was all over the place, there were far too many point-of-view characters, the format of the narration/storytelling just wasn't very good, and to top all that off there were some pretty abstract concepts and weird hallucination and/or sci-fi sections. I really wanted to enjoy this more, and I think I really would enjoy this story if it were told better, but I just found myself boggled and annoyed most of the time.
It *was* cool - there were some really interesting themes and set pieces. However it was also utterly, utterly confusing. The timeline was all over the place, there were far too many point-of-view characters, the format of the narration/storytelling just wasn't very good, and to top all that off there were some pretty abstract concepts and weird hallucination and/or sci-fi sections. I really wanted to enjoy this more, and I think I really would enjoy this story if it were told better, but I just found myself boggled and annoyed most of the time.
August 16, 2021
Intense but erratic
The premise was amazing and motivation of the characters was engaging. Dialogue jumped around at times but I followed it ok. Sadly there a couple chapters that left me a bit lost as to what just happened or where. It could have been two books perhaps, with more details fleshed out between them. If the author decided to continue this story I would happily buy the next book.
The premise was amazing and motivation of the characters was engaging. Dialogue jumped around at times but I followed it ok. Sadly there a couple chapters that left me a bit lost as to what just happened or where. It could have been two books perhaps, with more details fleshed out between them. If the author decided to continue this story I would happily buy the next book.
November 21, 2016
Muddled execution with flashbacks and multiple parallel timelines with the same "narrator", but ultimately fun and rewarding if you take the time to put it all together and read carefully.
Unfortunately, the plot depends heavily on non-linear story-telling (like the movie Memento) to provide most of the mystery and suspense, and it requires the reader to read and reread things to make sense of it all. The prose, too, can be vague and cryptic (seemingly unintentional at times), requiring yet another level of effort from the reader to fill in the blanks and resolve the ambiguities in the writing.
Still, though, a rip roaring sci-fi tale of space travel, AIs, drones, conspiracies, and unreliable narrators that scratched that Iain M. Banks itch I haven't been able to scratch since his passing.
So despite the confusing writing and glaring plot holes, I opted for 4 rather than 3 stars, if only because rereading the book was increasingly more fun than the first time around.
Unfortunately, the plot depends heavily on non-linear story-telling (like the movie Memento) to provide most of the mystery and suspense, and it requires the reader to read and reread things to make sense of it all. The prose, too, can be vague and cryptic (seemingly unintentional at times), requiring yet another level of effort from the reader to fill in the blanks and resolve the ambiguities in the writing.
Still, though, a rip roaring sci-fi tale of space travel, AIs, drones, conspiracies, and unreliable narrators that scratched that Iain M. Banks itch I haven't been able to scratch since his passing.
So despite the confusing writing and glaring plot holes, I opted for 4 rather than 3 stars, if only because rereading the book was increasingly more fun than the first time around.
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