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Manifold #2
Space
Few writers can combine mind bending scientific speculation with breathtaking adventure like award-winning author Stephen Baxter. In Time, Baxter told a thrilling story in which the fate of the universe hung in the balance. It followed visionary Reid Malenfant, a man who willed humankind to explore space, and ultimately was faced with a harrowing choice between a past that never was and a future that must never be. Now, in Space, Reid Malenfant is back. But this is a different Malenfant. And a different universe.
Fueled by an insatiable curiosity, Malenfant ventures to the far edge of the solar system, where he discovers a strange artifact left behind by an alien A gateway that functions as a kind of quantum transporter, allowing virtually instantaneous travel over the vast distances of interstellar space. What lies on the other side of the gateway? Malenfant decides to find out.
Yet as Malenfant embarks on a grand tour of the universe, back on Earth the Japanese scientist Nemoto fears her worst nightmares are coming true. Startling and chilling discoveries reveal that the Moon, Mars, Venus, even the Jovian moons, once thrived with life . . . life that was snuffed out in the distant past by starfaring races. Snuffed out not just once but many times, in cycles of birth and destruction as plain as they are inexplicable.
One fact is clear. The recent, Earthbound arrival of the Gaijin portend the first alien visitors in a new cycle. And behind them, looms another--a species with an ominous predilection for blowing up suns. In desperation, Nemoto searches for a means of survival. Or failing that, revenge.
Meanwhile Malenfant, having traveled millions of light years, is once more faced with a choice both impossible and necessary--a choice that will push him beyond terror, beyond sanity, beyond humanity itself.
Fueled by an insatiable curiosity, Malenfant ventures to the far edge of the solar system, where he discovers a strange artifact left behind by an alien A gateway that functions as a kind of quantum transporter, allowing virtually instantaneous travel over the vast distances of interstellar space. What lies on the other side of the gateway? Malenfant decides to find out.
Yet as Malenfant embarks on a grand tour of the universe, back on Earth the Japanese scientist Nemoto fears her worst nightmares are coming true. Startling and chilling discoveries reveal that the Moon, Mars, Venus, even the Jovian moons, once thrived with life . . . life that was snuffed out in the distant past by starfaring races. Snuffed out not just once but many times, in cycles of birth and destruction as plain as they are inexplicable.
One fact is clear. The recent, Earthbound arrival of the Gaijin portend the first alien visitors in a new cycle. And behind them, looms another--a species with an ominous predilection for blowing up suns. In desperation, Nemoto searches for a means of survival. Or failing that, revenge.
Meanwhile Malenfant, having traveled millions of light years, is once more faced with a choice both impossible and necessary--a choice that will push him beyond terror, beyond sanity, beyond humanity itself.
452 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2000
150 people are currently reading
2643 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Baxter
403 books2,595 followersStephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
October 17, 2025
Във втората част от поредицата си "Многообразие", Бакстър определено вдига шеметно скоростта и нивото!
Описва ужасно и/или прекрасно бъдеще за човечеството, до степен трудно да се схване без задълбочен размисъл върху пресъздадените вероятности и идеи.
Затова и бавничко я четох, има какво да се научи от тази книга.
Тераформиране на Луната, Марс и заселване на други части на Слънчевата система от хората и техните наследници, извънземни, жестоки цивилизационни сблъсъци, Земя населена от съживени праисторически животни и хора, пътешествия през времето и пространството, абе каквото си пожелае човек - Бакстър му го е дал!
И Рийд Маленфант е отново на линия, вечното добро-лошо момче, неуморен скитник между звездите. :)
Бонус - изображение на бинарна звезда. Който прочете "Пространство" до края, ще узнае защо:
Описва ужасно и/или прекрасно бъдеще за човечеството, до степен трудно да се схване без задълбочен размисъл върху пресъздадените вероятности и идеи.
Затова и бавничко я четох, има какво да се научи от тази книга.
Тераформиране на Луната, Марс и заселване на други части на Слънчевата система от хората и техните наследници, извънземни, жестоки цивилизационни сблъсъци, Земя населена от съживени праисторически животни и хора, пътешествия през времето и пространството, абе каквото си пожелае човек - Бакстър му го е дал!
И Рийд Маленфант е отново на линия, вечното добро-лошо момче, неуморен скитник между звездите. :)
Бонус - изображение на бинарна звезда. Който прочете "Пространство" до края, ще узнае защо:
August 1, 2016
Two and a half stars.
There seem to be several traditional pitfalls in writing cosmic-scale SF. One is picking your audience, so you don't explain too much or assume too much of the technical background. Another is how to explain without introducing lectures and pulling your reader out of the story. A third is characters: to give your story meaning and impact you have to populate it with characters the reader can follow and care about; but how do you establish interesting characters without taking the focus away from the larger story? And finally, for any story involving first contact, how do you do an interesting job of crossing territory that has been familiar since the time of H. G. Wells?
Baxter doesn't do particularly well in skirting any of these pitfalls, but his overall concept does provide some moments of vision and even pathos. The start, though, is not very promising. We get a rehearsal of the arguments behind the Fermi Paradox, and some evidence that We Are Not Alone in the solar system. Here I had a real sense of going-through-the-motions-again (or perhaps I was the wrong audience). Baxter does a fair job of exposition, but there's no sense of mystery or excitement or fear. (In fact throughout the book his writing rarely aspires to be anything more than prosaic and functional. The striking phrase, the sharp image, the poignant memory or expression of real passion are notably rare among Baxter's clear grey sentences.)
So we complete the process of finding and meeting the visitors, who are in fact reasonably original, if not especially interesting. (To be fair, some aspects of these aliens anticipate Peter Watts' Blindsight—in the same sort of way a new-born cub anticipates a prowling tiger.) Gradually a newer and darker vision emerges, maybe a bit too gradually. I was reminded of the fact that parts of the book had been published as separate shorter works. Much of the middle felt choppy and not fully integrated. (A world is being poisoned by chlorine-releasing microbes—which for some reason Baxter calls chlorine fixers—as though it is the victim of a surreptitious planetary ecocide. This suggestion of secret malice is never developed and runs counter to what we learn later. A more serious inconsistency concerns Madeleine, who after centuries spent travelling through interstellar portals, suffers from Dislocation. Her pain responses have become disconnected from her awareness: she cuts herself without knowing, and dares not take a hot drink for fear of scalding her mouth. She reluctantly agrees to undertake another portal-trip on the understanding that it could now be used to reverse her Dislocation. So we await her reaction—anger at betrayal, relief at a cure, delight, the freedom to cast off her protective exoskeleton, the taste of hot coffee . . . ? No. Her Dislocation is never mentioned again, as though we were expected to forget it had ever appeared—or as though the author himself had done just that. And as a different kind of glitch, colonists on Mercury retreat into an underground chamber to wait out a threat. The walls of this chamber are glowing red hot. Some readers might recognise such a chamber as a black-body cavity; others as a roasting oven; still others as hell.)
Some of these sections do develop a genuine science-fictional power: I found the account of neandertals living a nomadic existence on the ravaged surface of Io vivid and memorable. And there are real sense-of-wonder moments in visions of the scale of the Galaxy. (Too often, though, Baxter will break the spell of a character's point-of-view description to tell us how many kilometres in size or how many light-years away some phenomenon is.)
One of the things that suffer as the middle section proceeds through scenes widely disconnected in time and space is the characterisation. Baxter has established a small cast who by various means span centuries and light years. But we meet them usually singly and infrequently and in disparate settings, so that it is difficult to maintain a feeling of connection. Most of them die, essentially unmourned. None seem calculated to make strong initial impressions. Admittedly, they have to survive cosmic changes while remaining sane, or at least largely unchanged, and not shifting focus from the main plot, which doesn't permit much in the way of emotional depth, but towards the end their limitations do weaken the book.
There is an ingenious attack on some invaders of the solar system (if one accepts the plausibility of a remarkable lifeform). Then Baxter widens his vision, shows us the true scale of what is happening—has always been happening—in the Galaxy. This is darkly impressive, and the provisional solution he offers is an ingenious piece of Big Technology. But it comes with a human cost, and here the writing and the characterisation prove inadequate. After consistent displays of competence and resilience Madeleine briefly and without clear justification turns into a weepy female stereotype. Malenfant, the male lead, pushed into the role of epic tragic hero, is revealed as lacking the gravitas for the job. Large emotional and philosophical questions are skirted or minimised. The book ends as it started, both promising and frustrating.
There seem to be several traditional pitfalls in writing cosmic-scale SF. One is picking your audience, so you don't explain too much or assume too much of the technical background. Another is how to explain without introducing lectures and pulling your reader out of the story. A third is characters: to give your story meaning and impact you have to populate it with characters the reader can follow and care about; but how do you establish interesting characters without taking the focus away from the larger story? And finally, for any story involving first contact, how do you do an interesting job of crossing territory that has been familiar since the time of H. G. Wells?
Baxter doesn't do particularly well in skirting any of these pitfalls, but his overall concept does provide some moments of vision and even pathos. The start, though, is not very promising. We get a rehearsal of the arguments behind the Fermi Paradox, and some evidence that We Are Not Alone in the solar system. Here I had a real sense of going-through-the-motions-again (or perhaps I was the wrong audience). Baxter does a fair job of exposition, but there's no sense of mystery or excitement or fear. (In fact throughout the book his writing rarely aspires to be anything more than prosaic and functional. The striking phrase, the sharp image, the poignant memory or expression of real passion are notably rare among Baxter's clear grey sentences.)
So we complete the process of finding and meeting the visitors, who are in fact reasonably original, if not especially interesting. (To be fair, some aspects of these aliens anticipate Peter Watts' Blindsight—in the same sort of way a new-born cub anticipates a prowling tiger.) Gradually a newer and darker vision emerges, maybe a bit too gradually. I was reminded of the fact that parts of the book had been published as separate shorter works. Much of the middle felt choppy and not fully integrated. (A world is being poisoned by chlorine-releasing microbes—which for some reason Baxter calls chlorine fixers—as though it is the victim of a surreptitious planetary ecocide. This suggestion of secret malice is never developed and runs counter to what we learn later. A more serious inconsistency concerns Madeleine, who after centuries spent travelling through interstellar portals, suffers from Dislocation. Her pain responses have become disconnected from her awareness: she cuts herself without knowing, and dares not take a hot drink for fear of scalding her mouth. She reluctantly agrees to undertake another portal-trip on the understanding that it could now be used to reverse her Dislocation. So we await her reaction—anger at betrayal, relief at a cure, delight, the freedom to cast off her protective exoskeleton, the taste of hot coffee . . . ? No. Her Dislocation is never mentioned again, as though we were expected to forget it had ever appeared—or as though the author himself had done just that. And as a different kind of glitch, colonists on Mercury retreat into an underground chamber to wait out a threat. The walls of this chamber are glowing red hot. Some readers might recognise such a chamber as a black-body cavity; others as a roasting oven; still others as hell.)
Some of these sections do develop a genuine science-fictional power: I found the account of neandertals living a nomadic existence on the ravaged surface of Io vivid and memorable. And there are real sense-of-wonder moments in visions of the scale of the Galaxy. (Too often, though, Baxter will break the spell of a character's point-of-view description to tell us how many kilometres in size or how many light-years away some phenomenon is.)
One of the things that suffer as the middle section proceeds through scenes widely disconnected in time and space is the characterisation. Baxter has established a small cast who by various means span centuries and light years. But we meet them usually singly and infrequently and in disparate settings, so that it is difficult to maintain a feeling of connection. Most of them die, essentially unmourned. None seem calculated to make strong initial impressions. Admittedly, they have to survive cosmic changes while remaining sane, or at least largely unchanged, and not shifting focus from the main plot, which doesn't permit much in the way of emotional depth, but towards the end their limitations do weaken the book.
There is an ingenious attack on some invaders of the solar system (if one accepts the plausibility of a remarkable lifeform). Then Baxter widens his vision, shows us the true scale of what is happening—has always been happening—in the Galaxy. This is darkly impressive, and the provisional solution he offers is an ingenious piece of Big Technology. But it comes with a human cost, and here the writing and the characterisation prove inadequate. After consistent displays of competence and resilience Madeleine briefly and without clear justification turns into a weepy female stereotype. Malenfant, the male lead, pushed into the role of epic tragic hero, is revealed as lacking the gravitas for the job. Large emotional and philosophical questions are skirted or minimised. The book ends as it started, both promising and frustrating.
January 9, 2025
This book has not only made me a huge fan of Stephen Baxter's work, but has also earned him my respect and admiration.
This is a book that makes you think. Think beyond the story, and the characters, to the message it gives us, and to the questions it makes us ask ourselves.
What is the value of a life? Of a single life? Of all life?
What could really be out there, beyond our planet, elsewhere in our own solar system? Elsewhere in the galaxy? Elsewhere in the universe? What is the meaning behind it all?
Yes, this is a work of fiction. Highly speculative fiction, at that, but nonetheless, it drives home how little we know, scientifically speaking, about what lies beyond our own planet...and even about what lies on our own planet. Wild ideas are described in a way that makes them seem not only possible, but real.
What if we're not the only beings out there?
What if, though, instead of starfleets of incomprehensibly-technologically-advanced beings coming to either teach us the secrets of the universe or obliterate us...what if those other beings came to us because they were looking for the same answers from the universe that we are? What if their technology was only a little bit better than ours...enough to make interstellar space travel possible, but not enough to fix the world (galaxy) of the problems plaguing it?
Space is the second book in Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy, and for me it was much, much better than the first book. We start out Space with many of the same characters we already know very well from Time...adventurer Reid Malenfant, his sensible yet also adventurous wife Emma Stoney, the hard-working, decent congresswoman Maura Della. They are something of the same characters...yet each profoundly different, as well. I won't consider it a spoiler since we read it in the first one or two pages, but Reid has lost Emma again this time around, this time in a much different (and final) way...yet the loss of Emma is much more powerful for those of us who read Time, because unlike meeting a character for the first time and reading right off the bat that this beloved wife has passed away, this time it's different because we know her. We know Emma. So the loss feels more personal.
I am reminded of a video game that you play to the end, with a fixed set of characters in the beginning, and then you hit reset and start the game over. Same basic elements the second time around...yet different things happen to the characters in a different order, different people stay healthy, different people die.
I found myself liking Reid Malenfant a lot more this time around. In Time, he was just a little too driven, to ruthless in his pursuit of a goal, too damned cocky, for me to really like him. This time, though, Reid is more mature, even at the outset of the story, more humble, more questioning, more fragile. And it really made me connect with him a lot more.
Beyond Reid, though, the supporting cast--nearly all of them female, and very strong, satisfying roles--just shine. Once again, I am susprised by Stephen Baxter's use of such great, (and to use the same word again because no other fits as well) strong female characters. Male authors in the Hard SF (science fiction) genre usually aren't as fair and decent in their treatment of female characters. The buxom amazon warrior woman commanding spaceships and firing deathly laser rayguns are a dime a dozen...but real, complex, tough, decent women like the ones Stephen Baxter creates are a rarity in the genre. My hat is off to him for that.
Xenia Makarova, Madeleine Meacher, Dorothy Chaum, and last but definitely not least, the amazing Nemoto. Because the book is Hard SF and focuses, unsusprisingly, on science and the discoveries of these characters and how their lives are affected by science, over the course of centuries, perhaps we don't get as deep into the minds of every character and achieve total emotional depth and empathy (how can you, in a book that covers so much ground, literally and figuratively, and spans--literally--millenia? But when taken in the context of the genre itself and its norms for good characterization, I'll say this: Baxter did a damned good job. With every leap forward into an increasingly alien future, I always looked for Nemoto, to see what she was doing, knowing that she'd always be there.
Anyone who has ever looked up at the starry sky and asked herself "What's really up there? Are we alone?" or any other similar question, will get a kick out of this story. It was so much fun to go along for the ride, to imagine would it would be like to see other star systems and to realize how much we, as a species, really don't know.
This is a book that makes you think. Think beyond the story, and the characters, to the message it gives us, and to the questions it makes us ask ourselves.
What is the value of a life? Of a single life? Of all life?
What could really be out there, beyond our planet, elsewhere in our own solar system? Elsewhere in the galaxy? Elsewhere in the universe? What is the meaning behind it all?
Yes, this is a work of fiction. Highly speculative fiction, at that, but nonetheless, it drives home how little we know, scientifically speaking, about what lies beyond our own planet...and even about what lies on our own planet. Wild ideas are described in a way that makes them seem not only possible, but real.
What if we're not the only beings out there?
What if, though, instead of starfleets of incomprehensibly-technologically-advanced beings coming to either teach us the secrets of the universe or obliterate us...what if those other beings came to us because they were looking for the same answers from the universe that we are? What if their technology was only a little bit better than ours...enough to make interstellar space travel possible, but not enough to fix the world (galaxy) of the problems plaguing it?
Space is the second book in Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy, and for me it was much, much better than the first book. We start out Space with many of the same characters we already know very well from Time...adventurer Reid Malenfant, his sensible yet also adventurous wife Emma Stoney, the hard-working, decent congresswoman Maura Della. They are something of the same characters...yet each profoundly different, as well. I won't consider it a spoiler since we read it in the first one or two pages, but Reid has lost Emma again this time around, this time in a much different (and final) way...yet the loss of Emma is much more powerful for those of us who read Time, because unlike meeting a character for the first time and reading right off the bat that this beloved wife has passed away, this time it's different because we know her. We know Emma. So the loss feels more personal.
I am reminded of a video game that you play to the end, with a fixed set of characters in the beginning, and then you hit reset and start the game over. Same basic elements the second time around...yet different things happen to the characters in a different order, different people stay healthy, different people die.
I found myself liking Reid Malenfant a lot more this time around. In Time, he was just a little too driven, to ruthless in his pursuit of a goal, too damned cocky, for me to really like him. This time, though, Reid is more mature, even at the outset of the story, more humble, more questioning, more fragile. And it really made me connect with him a lot more.
Beyond Reid, though, the supporting cast--nearly all of them female, and very strong, satisfying roles--just shine. Once again, I am susprised by Stephen Baxter's use of such great, (and to use the same word again because no other fits as well) strong female characters. Male authors in the Hard SF (science fiction) genre usually aren't as fair and decent in their treatment of female characters. The buxom amazon warrior woman commanding spaceships and firing deathly laser rayguns are a dime a dozen...but real, complex, tough, decent women like the ones Stephen Baxter creates are a rarity in the genre. My hat is off to him for that.
Xenia Makarova, Madeleine Meacher, Dorothy Chaum, and last but definitely not least, the amazing Nemoto. Because the book is Hard SF and focuses, unsusprisingly, on science and the discoveries of these characters and how their lives are affected by science, over the course of centuries, perhaps we don't get as deep into the minds of every character and achieve total emotional depth and empathy (how can you, in a book that covers so much ground, literally and figuratively, and spans--literally--millenia? But when taken in the context of the genre itself and its norms for good characterization, I'll say this: Baxter did a damned good job. With every leap forward into an increasingly alien future, I always looked for Nemoto, to see what she was doing, knowing that she'd always be there.
Anyone who has ever looked up at the starry sky and asked herself "What's really up there? Are we alone?" or any other similar question, will get a kick out of this story. It was so much fun to go along for the ride, to imagine would it would be like to see other star systems and to realize how much we, as a species, really don't know.
Read
May 12, 2015This is a great science fiction novel full of interesting ideas. It answers the questions we often ask such as:
Are there aliens out there amongst the stars?
If so why can’t we detect them and why aren’t they already here talking to us?
The answer is chilling!
We do eventually encounter aliens and pass through centuries which bring great changes to the earth. This book is an excellent read.
Stephen Baxter, in collaboration with Terry Pratchett, also wrote the first three books in the ‘Long Earth Series’. Imagine that you could take a step sideways into an alternative earth where things are slightly different. An infinite number of other worlds await exploration and the further you step the stranger it gets. Those books are well worth reading and I am now waiting for the fourth book in the series to be published.
Joseph Delaney
Are there aliens out there amongst the stars?
If so why can’t we detect them and why aren’t they already here talking to us?
The answer is chilling!
We do eventually encounter aliens and pass through centuries which bring great changes to the earth. This book is an excellent read.
Stephen Baxter, in collaboration with Terry Pratchett, also wrote the first three books in the ‘Long Earth Series’. Imagine that you could take a step sideways into an alternative earth where things are slightly different. An infinite number of other worlds await exploration and the further you step the stranger it gets. Those books are well worth reading and I am now waiting for the fourth book in the series to be published.
Joseph Delaney
October 26, 2013
Absolutely magnificent, both in it's scope, and in the strength of it's overall message about a possible future of humanity, and other life forms, in this universe. Baxter's descriptions of planets never before seen by human eyes, such as Venus and Mercury, were truly wonderful and left me almost feeling like I was standing on the planet's surface.
I especially enjoy the fact that each of the book in the Manifold series are in essence are a parallel universe. It fits in with what happened at the conclusion of the first book. Huzzah, Mr. Baxter !
I especially enjoy the fact that each of the book in the Manifold series are in essence are a parallel universe. It fits in with what happened at the conclusion of the first book. Huzzah, Mr. Baxter !
November 16, 2022
Les êtres humains ne peuvent pas changer l'histoire, sauf de cette manière: Lorsque l’un de nous va jusqu’au bout, seul…
Tout ce qui compte, dans notre galaxie darwinienne, c’est l’efficacité à court terme. Peu importe combien de soleils vous détruisez, combien de mondes vous ravagez… Personne n’a le temps d’avoir des remords à ce sujet, c’est tout. Et c’est ainsi que vont les choses, et la Galaxie tourne, indifférente aux petites créatures qui se battent et meurent en son sein…
This book is about world builders Stephen Baxter i will remember the name
➡➡➡➡➡ Origin
Tout ce qui compte, dans notre galaxie darwinienne, c’est l’efficacité à court terme. Peu importe combien de soleils vous détruisez, combien de mondes vous ravagez… Personne n’a le temps d’avoir des remords à ce sujet, c’est tout. Et c’est ainsi que vont les choses, et la Galaxie tourne, indifférente aux petites créatures qui se battent et meurent en son sein…
This book is about world builders Stephen Baxter i will remember the name
➡➡➡➡➡ Origin
February 4, 2022
COUP DE CŒUR
Reid Malenfant, ancien astronaute, se rend sur la Lune, habitée par les Japonais, donner une conférence sur le paradoxe de Fermi (si les aliens existent, où sont-ils et pourquoi n’avons-nous aucune nouvelle d’eux ?). Une scientifique, Nemoto, lui apporte une nouvelle qui va non seulement bouleverser sa vie, mais aussi celle de l’humanité : ils sont déjà là.
Petite précision : ce n’est pas la suite de Time, le premier livre de Manifold, mais un futur alternatif.
Wow. Juste wow. J’ai rarement été soufflé par un livre comme ça. Si je devais le décrire en quelques mots, ce serait : une forme de 2001 : A Space Odyssey, mais en beaucoup plus violent dans ses idées. Véritable exercice de pensée sur la civilisation, l’humanité, ses travers et sa chute, qui s’étend sur plusieurs millénaires, c’est vraiment un des livres qui m’a le plus secouée ces derniers temps. J’ai adoré ma lecture, et je le trouve beaucoup plus poussé que Time dans sa réflexion, mais aussi « mieux écrit ». Les personnages ne sont plus des éléments qui se font balader par l’histoire (même si celle-ci est toujours plus importante que l’individu) ; on a enfin un peu plus accès à leur psychologie et leur point de vue sur le monde, qui manquait au premier livre. Nemoto à part, qui est un peu trop savante pour être crédible, j’ai beaucoup aimé ma balade à travers le temps et l’espace. Et c’est véritablement un coup de cœur pour moi. Fon-cez ! (et pas besoin de lire Time, les deux livres ne se suivant pas)
Reid Malenfant, ancien astronaute, se rend sur la Lune, habitée par les Japonais, donner une conférence sur le paradoxe de Fermi (si les aliens existent, où sont-ils et pourquoi n’avons-nous aucune nouvelle d’eux ?). Une scientifique, Nemoto, lui apporte une nouvelle qui va non seulement bouleverser sa vie, mais aussi celle de l’humanité : ils sont déjà là.
Petite précision : ce n’est pas la suite de Time, le premier livre de Manifold, mais un futur alternatif.
Wow. Juste wow. J’ai rarement été soufflé par un livre comme ça. Si je devais le décrire en quelques mots, ce serait : une forme de 2001 : A Space Odyssey, mais en beaucoup plus violent dans ses idées. Véritable exercice de pensée sur la civilisation, l’humanité, ses travers et sa chute, qui s’étend sur plusieurs millénaires, c’est vraiment un des livres qui m’a le plus secouée ces derniers temps. J’ai adoré ma lecture, et je le trouve beaucoup plus poussé que Time dans sa réflexion, mais aussi « mieux écrit ». Les personnages ne sont plus des éléments qui se font balader par l’histoire (même si celle-ci est toujours plus importante que l’individu) ; on a enfin un peu plus accès à leur psychologie et leur point de vue sur le monde, qui manquait au premier livre. Nemoto à part, qui est un peu trop savante pour être crédible, j’ai beaucoup aimé ma balade à travers le temps et l’espace. Et c’est véritablement un coup de cœur pour moi. Fon-cez ! (et pas besoin de lire Time, les deux livres ne se suivant pas)
March 25, 2023
This book can be confusing at times specially because there are like 5 characters you have to keep track of and they often hop into different planets and star systems without much continuity between them (the characters). So is recommended at least to write down the name of each character and where they are at the moment when reading the book.
It can be also engrossing and slow, mainly because of the above or because the big chunks of Hard SF in each chapter/page.
I would not recommend this book to people who don't have that much of patience for engrossing details or want some more of human drama or a light and easy to follow story because that would be difficult to find in here.
It delivered what I was looking for, and I liked it overall.
4,2.
It can be also engrossing and slow, mainly because of the above or because the big chunks of Hard SF in each chapter/page.
I would not recommend this book to people who don't have that much of patience for engrossing details or want some more of human drama or a light and easy to follow story because that would be difficult to find in here.
It delivered what I was looking for, and I liked it overall.
4,2.
September 17, 2008
This is a depressing, but more realistic than most, take on what space travel would be like, assuming teleportation did exist. Travelers live through generations while being teleported between planetary systems (at light speed) - and come home to an earth they don't recognize.
Aliens take a *very* inhuman shape this time around.
Baxter poses an interesting potential solution to Fermi's Paradox.
Worthwhile though make sure you're not depressed already when you start it.
Aliens take a *very* inhuman shape this time around.
Baxter poses an interesting potential solution to Fermi's Paradox.
Worthwhile though make sure you're not depressed already when you start it.
August 26, 2021
A despoiled Earth; a Japanese Moon; an Aboriginal Triton; a scattering of humans in the Asteroid Belt: this is the setting for Stephen Baxter’s epic novel of Reid Malenfant - scientist and explorer, who is taken into the steel arms of the alien Gaijin, who came from a metal-rich world so long ago that they don’t even know if they were evolved or created. Madeleine Meacher - solar sytem arms dealer given an option to travel throuh the star gates which the Gaijin use to traverse space but which they did not invent. Across all this is the spectre of an even more malevolent event that neatly explains the Fermi Paradox, as all civilizations get reset to Year Zero. Finally, we have the incredibly old Japanese woman Nemoto, who has spent a thousand years creating an unwelcome surprise for the rapacious invading Crackers on Mercury. Throw in Neanderthals, extinct megafauna roaming Earth, giant orbiting Trees, and a trip to the central black hole of the galaxy and you get a riveting, mind-stretching feast for lovers of ultra-hard SF! RECOMMENDED.
June 17, 2020
It is the second in the Manifold series -
1) Manifold: Time
2) Manifold: Space
3) Manifold: Origin
4) Phase Space (collection)
Even though this book starts in 2020, 10 years after the start of Manifold:Time, and features the same Reid Malenfant character, it is definitely not a sequel. The future history of Earth and humanity diverge almost immediately. In this future history, we meet our first contact aliens as they enter the solar system. Through the use of saddle point gateways, individuals are able to translate themselves across space and forward through time, returning to Earth infrequently. So the story of humanity is told in episodes experienced by those few travelers, sprinkled forward through the next thousand years of resource depletion. Baxter's future is original, complex, and insightful, seen through the eyes of humans from our own time as they are propelled forward into an increasingly alien Earth, and Solar System.
I think I enjoyed this book more than the first, and am wondering what in the world Baxter is going to do with Reid Malenfant in Manifold:Origin, which apparently starts half-way between the 2010 and 2020 of the first two books.
1) Manifold: Time
2) Manifold: Space
3) Manifold: Origin
4) Phase Space (collection)
Even though this book starts in 2020, 10 years after the start of Manifold:Time, and features the same Reid Malenfant character, it is definitely not a sequel. The future history of Earth and humanity diverge almost immediately. In this future history, we meet our first contact aliens as they enter the solar system. Through the use of saddle point gateways, individuals are able to translate themselves across space and forward through time, returning to Earth infrequently. So the story of humanity is told in episodes experienced by those few travelers, sprinkled forward through the next thousand years of resource depletion. Baxter's future is original, complex, and insightful, seen through the eyes of humans from our own time as they are propelled forward into an increasingly alien Earth, and Solar System.
I think I enjoyed this book more than the first, and am wondering what in the world Baxter is going to do with Reid Malenfant in Manifold:Origin, which apparently starts half-way between the 2010 and 2020 of the first two books.
March 27, 2011
Manifold is not a series per se, but rather different explorations of the theme “Are we alone in the universe?”. In “Time”, a portal is discovered in the solar system, and some fascinating stuff happens related to preserving life and intelligence in the long term. In “Space”, The Fermi Paradox is suddenly reversed, with aliens appearing everywhere and the whole universe is just one big fight for resources, to the point of utter barbarism.
I had some nasty nightmares after these, which is why I will probably never read the third book, “Manifold: Origin”. On a certain level, this is very stuff, but not like a horror movie. It scares me on a very deep level that I can’t rationalize away. The same level that knows that the goody two-shoes future of Star Trek simply is not a realistic vision. Still, I would rather watch Star Trek since I don’t want to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, however good Baxter is. Read the books if you feel you can take it. They are very good and the themes and subjects are both engrossing and fascinating.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=433
I had some nasty nightmares after these, which is why I will probably never read the third book, “Manifold: Origin”. On a certain level, this is very stuff, but not like a horror movie. It scares me on a very deep level that I can’t rationalize away. The same level that knows that the goody two-shoes future of Star Trek simply is not a realistic vision. Still, I would rather watch Star Trek since I don’t want to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, however good Baxter is. Read the books if you feel you can take it. They are very good and the themes and subjects are both engrossing and fascinating.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=433
September 18, 2011
Not a light read. This book gains mega-points for having a coherent (although complex) storyline which, for the most part, is believable. Someone I know said to me that the difference between sci-fi and fantasy is that sci-fi tries to convincingly justify the new technology, something Baxter does extremely well.
This is a long read, and it does drag in places. But if you're interested in the Fermi Paradox and vaguely believable sci-fi, then this is right up your street.
This is a long read, and it does drag in places. But if you're interested in the Fermi Paradox and vaguely believable sci-fi, then this is right up your street.
February 17, 2024
I gave up after two thirds. I don't expect too much from SF regarding rounded characters with nice character development. But at least ONE character you somehow care for (and if solely to hate them) would be nice...
That's a pity because I can see why people like it, as the premise is a very strong and original take on the Fermi paradox and I bet it culminates in a meditation of what makes humans humans in a galaxy teeming with life. However, it is completely squandered by focussing on some isolated heroic adventurers, a mystic Japanese sage and a Musk-like business titan who succeeds by simply wanting success enough. I get it, you want the hero arc, blablabla, but first, the hero should struggle and not simply be a loner who has nothing better to do than travelling around the stars because every meaningful relation in their life is long gone. And secondly, it is such a waste of the potential: Earth society goes through enormous changes, but we never learn how this feels for the everyman who just tries to survive. You don't have to focus on them, but sprinkle them in here and there and it becomes at least a full-rounded picture of what it all means on a human scale.
All in all an unfortunate waste of an outstanding premise, therefore only 2 out of 5 stars.
That's a pity because I can see why people like it, as the premise is a very strong and original take on the Fermi paradox and I bet it culminates in a meditation of what makes humans humans in a galaxy teeming with life. However, it is completely squandered by focussing on some isolated heroic adventurers, a mystic Japanese sage and a Musk-like business titan who succeeds by simply wanting success enough. I get it, you want the hero arc, blablabla, but first, the hero should struggle and not simply be a loner who has nothing better to do than travelling around the stars because every meaningful relation in their life is long gone. And secondly, it is such a waste of the potential: Earth society goes through enormous changes, but we never learn how this feels for the everyman who just tries to survive. You don't have to focus on them, but sprinkle them in here and there and it becomes at least a full-rounded picture of what it all means on a human scale.
All in all an unfortunate waste of an outstanding premise, therefore only 2 out of 5 stars.
April 30, 2025
Even we can talk about the non-linear nature of time. It's difficult for humans to comprehend time; it's just how we're wired. We can't write a story about space without talking about time. Stephen Baxter nailed this in 'Manifold: Space.' Reid Malenfant's character is toned down and more bearable in this book, perhaps because he's older and wiser.
I wonder if Cixin Liu drew some slight inspiration from Stephen Baxter, as the world feels similar, but the writing and philosophy are nowhere near the same. Cixin's 'The Three-Body Problem' is written with sensitivities and understanding of Eastern ideology, and science fiction told from Eastern voices is refreshing. Stephen Baxter's 'Manifold: Space' has a distinctly American/Western approach to storytelling. I like both, but I lean towards Cixin's work anytime.
P.S. If you like space and science fiction, I highly recommend reading 'Manifold: Space.' You're in for a great treat.
I wonder if Cixin Liu drew some slight inspiration from Stephen Baxter, as the world feels similar, but the writing and philosophy are nowhere near the same. Cixin's 'The Three-Body Problem' is written with sensitivities and understanding of Eastern ideology, and science fiction told from Eastern voices is refreshing. Stephen Baxter's 'Manifold: Space' has a distinctly American/Western approach to storytelling. I like both, but I lean towards Cixin's work anytime.
P.S. If you like space and science fiction, I highly recommend reading 'Manifold: Space.' You're in for a great treat.
November 30, 2020
It starts quite strong, although I prefer the beginning of the first book. And finishes quite strong, but parts in middle are unbearably dreary, with long descriptions following the same patterns. I still want to finish the series, but I need a breather from them first
August 23, 2022
Started really well then became a sort of re-run of the first book. It probably gets better but one and a half novels in and I'm losing interest in the Manifold. One for later... maybe...
September 24, 2021
I’ve waited too long to talk about this book. I had thoughts, deep, philosophical, and insightful. That’s all gone. I was going to talk about how influential this novel was to me when it first came out 20 years ago (give or take) and about reading the whole thing in one sitting at the bookstore because I didn’t have enough money to buy it and it wasn’t available at the library at the time.
Needless to say, it would have been good.
Instead, or by coincidence, the book I’ve actually just finished reading (for those keeping count, I’ve read 13 books since I finished this one a few months ago) is kinda about the same thing. Except it’s very not good while this is excellent. So, I don’t know, it’s sort of a contrast and compare thing I’m doing.
First, this book was at the time, and I don’t know, maybe still is, a real departure from other novels I’d read. It’s the second in a series (or the second in a trilogy, I don’t know) and instead of continuing the story in a linear fashion, it goes back to the beginning of the first novel and makes a little tweak and then it goes off in an entirely different direction.
The first time I read this I was thoroughly confused, but the first novel told the tale of a universe where humans are utterly alone in the cosmos, and how our far future might turn out. In this one, same characters, but here it’s the same character with similar motivations, in a universe teeming with life, and how that would play out.
It’s a sad take, really, in that it doesn’t bode well for humanity. Because resources necessary to support an interstellar civilization can render whole solar systems uninhabitable for residents. Xenocide is the norm when races meet, and on top of all this, it appears something bigger, and badder, than selfish aliens is bubbling under the surface of this story.
Yeah, it’s epic, it’s got a huge sense of scale, and manages to be human enough in the telling that it still has a narrative punch. It’s really good, it feels very modern (despite being 20 years old) and makes me want to put the book down and think about things. I love it.
The book I just finished, which I won’t write about for who-knows-how long, took a premise that at least superficially matched this book, and managed to make every character behave weirdly, be stupid, and focus on anything except the obvious. It was turned into a bad metaphor about sin, or God, or something, I don’t know, and the central mystery was not a mystery at all, it was obvious to the point that when it was revealed near the end of the book I was stunned, I was expecting…. Something… but not my very first guess about every single thing being 100% correct.
Very disappointed. Oh, but in case you lost the thread of what I was talking about, I’m not talking about this novel, I’ve been complaining about this other book. No, this was Stephen Baxter at his best. Sort of in his prime, I think. At the height of his powers, and turning out a truly great piece of philosophical science fiction.
Needless to say, it would have been good.
Instead, or by coincidence, the book I’ve actually just finished reading (for those keeping count, I’ve read 13 books since I finished this one a few months ago) is kinda about the same thing. Except it’s very not good while this is excellent. So, I don’t know, it’s sort of a contrast and compare thing I’m doing.
First, this book was at the time, and I don’t know, maybe still is, a real departure from other novels I’d read. It’s the second in a series (or the second in a trilogy, I don’t know) and instead of continuing the story in a linear fashion, it goes back to the beginning of the first novel and makes a little tweak and then it goes off in an entirely different direction.
The first time I read this I was thoroughly confused, but the first novel told the tale of a universe where humans are utterly alone in the cosmos, and how our far future might turn out. In this one, same characters, but here it’s the same character with similar motivations, in a universe teeming with life, and how that would play out.
It’s a sad take, really, in that it doesn’t bode well for humanity. Because resources necessary to support an interstellar civilization can render whole solar systems uninhabitable for residents. Xenocide is the norm when races meet, and on top of all this, it appears something bigger, and badder, than selfish aliens is bubbling under the surface of this story.
Yeah, it’s epic, it’s got a huge sense of scale, and manages to be human enough in the telling that it still has a narrative punch. It’s really good, it feels very modern (despite being 20 years old) and makes me want to put the book down and think about things. I love it.
The book I just finished, which I won’t write about for who-knows-how long, took a premise that at least superficially matched this book, and managed to make every character behave weirdly, be stupid, and focus on anything except the obvious. It was turned into a bad metaphor about sin, or God, or something, I don’t know, and the central mystery was not a mystery at all, it was obvious to the point that when it was revealed near the end of the book I was stunned, I was expecting…. Something… but not my very first guess about every single thing being 100% correct.
Very disappointed. Oh, but in case you lost the thread of what I was talking about, I’m not talking about this novel, I’ve been complaining about this other book. No, this was Stephen Baxter at his best. Sort of in his prime, I think. At the height of his powers, and turning out a truly great piece of philosophical science fiction.
January 24, 2022
The Manifold series made such a profound impact on me, that for years I wondered why Baxter's other books were either unreadable to me or co-authored. Over time, I notice that the Manifold series was not carried in libraries, and I had a difficult time purchasing it this year. (I could only find used books and had to buy through two different sources for the complete set.)
Now re-reading it 20 years later, I am understanding why. Baxter is super intelligent, thoughtful in detail, jarringly ambitious in scope, and consistent in scientific plausibility. But he is not a fantastic writer. In Manifold:Space especially, his editors were sloppy (especially with overlooked repetition). I'm giving Baxter kudos for intentional female STEM characters - ahead of his time - but I found that all* of their personalities fell flat and rather melded together.
*Except for Nemoto who is practically godlike in her doggedness and general badassery - an exceptional literary character.
Manifold:Space hinges on radiowave transmission teleportation. So, while a traveler subjectively can travel say 12,000 light years in an instant, his objective round-trip will be the actual 24,000 years later on Earth's/humanity's timeline. Baxter doesn't pull any punches here about the apathy or disinterest in people generations removed, and it rings to true and so human! "Not my century, not my problem."
As usual, Baxter raises some great thought experiments to explore and chew on. "What is sentience?" "Are self-replicating, self-repairing, interchangeable machines autonomous?" "What is identity?" "If you are reduced to radiowaves and reassembled in a distant time and place, are you the same person?" "If you live for millennia, and your brain has necessarily purged data and adapted its algorithms, are you still the same you of your past?"
I think this is my favorite of the trilogy, but again I have to give it 4 of 5 stars because of technical flaws in the writing that hinders the readability.
Now re-reading it 20 years later, I am understanding why. Baxter is super intelligent, thoughtful in detail, jarringly ambitious in scope, and consistent in scientific plausibility. But he is not a fantastic writer. In Manifold:Space especially, his editors were sloppy (especially with overlooked repetition). I'm giving Baxter kudos for intentional female STEM characters - ahead of his time - but I found that all* of their personalities fell flat and rather melded together.
*Except for Nemoto who is practically godlike in her doggedness and general badassery - an exceptional literary character.
Manifold:Space hinges on radiowave transmission teleportation. So, while a traveler subjectively can travel say 12,000 light years in an instant, his objective round-trip will be the actual 24,000 years later on Earth's/humanity's timeline. Baxter doesn't pull any punches here about the apathy or disinterest in people generations removed, and it rings to true and so human! "Not my century, not my problem."
As usual, Baxter raises some great thought experiments to explore and chew on. "What is sentience?" "Are self-replicating, self-repairing, interchangeable machines autonomous?" "What is identity?" "If you are reduced to radiowaves and reassembled in a distant time and place, are you the same person?" "If you live for millennia, and your brain has necessarily purged data and adapted its algorithms, are you still the same you of your past?"
I think this is my favorite of the trilogy, but again I have to give it 4 of 5 stars because of technical flaws in the writing that hinders the readability.
abandoned-for-sucking
December 3, 2008I'm not going to give this a rating because I didn't finish it.
After 100 pages of uninteresting crap I decided to just call it quits. It starts in almost the exact same way as Manifold: Time did, but then it rapidly proceeds down hill...in an orderly fashion.
The main character is the same as Manifold: Time. Here he is in one of the alternate time-lines that the first book spawned. Except he doesn't do anything in this one. It takes him about half a page to go from Earth to HALF WAY TO ALPHA-FUCKING-CENTAURI. I was more than a little curious how that trip went, especially since the level of technology they were dealing with was not significantly beyond modern. But no. Half a paragraph, then on to less interesting shit.
There were intriguing little bits, such as Reid (main character) having to spend hours each day swabbing down his habitat so that microscopic organisms wouldn't take hold. They apparently love the tiny droplets of moisture that float and thrive in null-gravity. But it was never expanded on. The most interesting parts of the story were the parts Stephen Baxter decided not to bother with. Manifold: Time confronted all the interesting issues at hand instead of hand-waving them aside and proceeding with a crazy journey of cosmic discovery.
Cosmic discovery is good. I want that. But take your goddamn time.
Anyway, if a book can't grab me in the first 100 pages I see little reason to continue. Life is short, read good books.
After 100 pages of uninteresting crap I decided to just call it quits. It starts in almost the exact same way as Manifold: Time did, but then it rapidly proceeds down hill...in an orderly fashion.
The main character is the same as Manifold: Time. Here he is in one of the alternate time-lines that the first book spawned. Except he doesn't do anything in this one. It takes him about half a page to go from Earth to HALF WAY TO ALPHA-FUCKING-CENTAURI. I was more than a little curious how that trip went, especially since the level of technology they were dealing with was not significantly beyond modern. But no. Half a paragraph, then on to less interesting shit.
There were intriguing little bits, such as Reid (main character) having to spend hours each day swabbing down his habitat so that microscopic organisms wouldn't take hold. They apparently love the tiny droplets of moisture that float and thrive in null-gravity. But it was never expanded on. The most interesting parts of the story were the parts Stephen Baxter decided not to bother with. Manifold: Time confronted all the interesting issues at hand instead of hand-waving them aside and proceeding with a crazy journey of cosmic discovery.
Cosmic discovery is good. I want that. But take your goddamn time.
Anyway, if a book can't grab me in the first 100 pages I see little reason to continue. Life is short, read good books.
December 31, 2018
This is the second in the Manifold series, although not a sequel to Time. Rather, it is an alternate version of the universe created in that book, one of the many timelines to be explored.
Here, the galaxy is full of life but we have not discovered it (until now) due to regular (at the hundreds of millions/billions of years scale) supernovas obliterating most of it and forcing surviving organisms to start from scratch.
The dense scientific explanation felt a little less imposing this time but there is very much still a feeling of lecture notes being inserted into the novel. There are plenty of wild ideas which keep things interesting even when the explanations get a bit too dry.
The focus on the individual sacrifices of brilliant geniuses who are the only ones who can save the day, despite their unrepentant dick nature, does get wearying. There are multiple characters who seem to think only they know the true way of things and the solution to various problems, so everyone else can be sacrificed to their plan.
Luckily the ideas and technology presented are fascinating enough to carry things, with the plot consistently throwing up a neat image when threatening to get bogged down. The various terraforming projects, the nature of the Gaijin and their intentions, the general exploration of the galaxy and development/regression of humanity over the years, I found much I liked but the experience as a whole is quite a slog.
Here, the galaxy is full of life but we have not discovered it (until now) due to regular (at the hundreds of millions/billions of years scale) supernovas obliterating most of it and forcing surviving organisms to start from scratch.
The dense scientific explanation felt a little less imposing this time but there is very much still a feeling of lecture notes being inserted into the novel. There are plenty of wild ideas which keep things interesting even when the explanations get a bit too dry.
The focus on the individual sacrifices of brilliant geniuses who are the only ones who can save the day, despite their unrepentant dick nature, does get wearying. There are multiple characters who seem to think only they know the true way of things and the solution to various problems, so everyone else can be sacrificed to their plan.
Luckily the ideas and technology presented are fascinating enough to carry things, with the plot consistently throwing up a neat image when threatening to get bogged down. The various terraforming projects, the nature of the Gaijin and their intentions, the general exploration of the galaxy and development/regression of humanity over the years, I found much I liked but the experience as a whole is quite a slog.
June 14, 2017
This review covers the entire 4-book Manifold series:
Your garden variety 4-book trilogies usually start the plot off in the first book, then leave you with 2 or 3 cliff-hangers before maybe resolving everything in the 4th book.
Even SB had previously subscribed to this concept.
Today, let's try something new: why don't we make books 2 and 3 be not sequels or prequels to book 1, but rather sidels, if you wish. A sort of rewrites featuring the same characters, only the premises completely different (alternate or side worlds). For example instead of a universe teeming with life, why don't we make life scarce in the universe in the next book?
So the idea is very original here. How about the plots?
There are 3 different plots obviously, among the 3 books, and while not on stellar levels, they don't disappoint in any fashion.
How about the characters? Well, the interesting device with the setting being re-written applies to the characters as well. Some are identical between books, some are slightly different, some completely different. At the end you can even choose your favorite type of each.
The weakest chain in the link here is the 4th book, the collection Phase Space. Not that the stories were necessarily weak in themselves, but some are not related to the Manifold universe. The ones who do follow the same recipe from the first three books.
Your garden variety 4-book trilogies usually start the plot off in the first book, then leave you with 2 or 3 cliff-hangers before maybe resolving everything in the 4th book.
Even SB had previously subscribed to this concept.
Today, let's try something new: why don't we make books 2 and 3 be not sequels or prequels to book 1, but rather sidels, if you wish. A sort of rewrites featuring the same characters, only the premises completely different (alternate or side worlds). For example instead of a universe teeming with life, why don't we make life scarce in the universe in the next book?
So the idea is very original here. How about the plots?
There are 3 different plots obviously, among the 3 books, and while not on stellar levels, they don't disappoint in any fashion.
How about the characters? Well, the interesting device with the setting being re-written applies to the characters as well. Some are identical between books, some are slightly different, some completely different. At the end you can even choose your favorite type of each.
The weakest chain in the link here is the 4th book, the collection Phase Space. Not that the stories were necessarily weak in themselves, but some are not related to the Manifold universe. The ones who do follow the same recipe from the first three books.
October 5, 2017
Warning, spoilers! As much as I admire the originality of the story regarding the Fermi paradox (Neanderthals in space - why not!), there was very little to like about all its characters. The author does not show much love or understanding for the human species as a social group. All the protagonists are lone wolfs bickering on by themselves without ever learning much about the human condition in all their prolonged centuries of existence. Science and humanity do not progress this way. Not that I want to interpolate from the pasts - but most achievements are made by cooperation (standing on the shoulders of giants).
Styling the main character Malenfant as the peak of human evolution (really, a white American dude from the sixties?) strikes me not only as bad taste, it is enforced by all the pathetic bullshit dialogues and misogynistic observations. There are way too many flat flapping breasts and mean name callings ('Bad hair twins', the Neanderthals look Russian and are named accordingly). Sacrificing Malenfant in a Jesus-style transcending ending to save humanity or whatever comes after (while the female protagonist can only watch helplessly) is just straightforward outraging.
Not going to bother with another Baxter book. Science and fiction have been united in so many better ways.
Styling the main character Malenfant as the peak of human evolution (really, a white American dude from the sixties?) strikes me not only as bad taste, it is enforced by all the pathetic bullshit dialogues and misogynistic observations. There are way too many flat flapping breasts and mean name callings ('Bad hair twins', the Neanderthals look Russian and are named accordingly). Sacrificing Malenfant in a Jesus-style transcending ending to save humanity or whatever comes after (while the female protagonist can only watch helplessly) is just straightforward outraging.
Not going to bother with another Baxter book. Science and fiction have been united in so many better ways.
August 24, 2016
Borges pointed out Chesterton attempted to preserve the Epic Mode in "The Ballad of the White Horse," but could not overcome the sweeping majesty of American Western pictures. To me, even though I really enjoyed "Once Upon a Time in the West," it was somewhat deflationary thing to read, especially from my hero. He mentions in the same essay that no great Epics emerged after the two World Wars. I believe that the reason for this is that an Epic, for it to reach the level of the sublime, it must overwhelm our imaginations. I have no doubt this is what Homer's language did to the Ancients, or what Western movies did to Borges. But this won't do after American school children had been told about the real threat of planetary destruction. How does one think beyond that? How does a person step beyond the grandeur of Einstein's cosmology?
This is one of the books that first introduced me to the Epic Mode that began with scrupulously thought out Hard SF ideas, and proceeded from there. Blew my mind. Loved it.
This is one of the books that first introduced me to the Epic Mode that began with scrupulously thought out Hard SF ideas, and proceeded from there. Blew my mind. Loved it.
April 15, 2021
Gotta. Keep. Reading...
Nope, halfway through and gave it up. Was forcing myself to stay with it.
Dull. Here is an author who hasn't come across a theory or interesting science fact that he won't use, and bore us with, in his book. The technique of following multiple characters on alternating chapters not only makes it hard to follow a story line, but interrupts interest in any character (now where were we here, who was this?) Felt more like reading a sequence of magazine articles on science, without any of the hooks used in magazine articles to maintain interest.
Turns out I never developed an interest in any of the earth characters, and none of the alien characters. And, I'm not enough of a science geek to be interested in the deep discussion/description of how things might work.
Maybe if I were more of a science nerd.
Maybe if I had more energy to donate.
Maybe it gets better in the second half.
Maybe it would have been better to read Maniford Space: TIme first.
Maybe...
Nope, halfway through and gave it up. Was forcing myself to stay with it.
Dull. Here is an author who hasn't come across a theory or interesting science fact that he won't use, and bore us with, in his book. The technique of following multiple characters on alternating chapters not only makes it hard to follow a story line, but interrupts interest in any character (now where were we here, who was this?) Felt more like reading a sequence of magazine articles on science, without any of the hooks used in magazine articles to maintain interest.
Turns out I never developed an interest in any of the earth characters, and none of the alien characters. And, I'm not enough of a science geek to be interested in the deep discussion/description of how things might work.
Maybe if I were more of a science nerd.
Maybe if I had more energy to donate.
Maybe it gets better in the second half.
Maybe it would have been better to read Maniford Space: TIme first.
Maybe...
October 9, 2018
Logic and rationalization backed by science and pseudo-science spread out over eons does not necessarily a good story make. The idea of sub-light galaxy conquering - yeah that is in the realm of remote possibility and holds a smattering of interest. A book based on that premise although supplemented by potentially possible transfer gates, well credulity is stretched to the breaking point, although of course this is science fiction. So the first 30 or so pages may be of some interest after that not so much. The exceedingly long lived characters are mostly insipid bystanders to what are or rather should be extraordinary events, but in this instance events reduced to confusing vapor. By skipping ahead and skimming probably I read only about 100 pages of 400+. Save for the almost scientifically sound means of cultural spread across the universe, I cannot recommend.
February 8, 2016
Despite a few minor quibbles (difficult to keep track of characters, some stretching of credulity concerning the lifespan of equipment and technology, some science fatigue), I enjoyed Manifold: Space almost as much as its predecessor. I particularly appreciate that Baxter writes convincing, complex female characters that are central to the action. I will probably seek out the final title in the 'series', Manifold: Origin.
August 22, 2012
I found the story interesting. It has the same characters, but they live totally different lives from the first time you met them. It really does read like an exploration of the theme (Space). Sometimes so, that you loose the storyline a bit: the vast expanses of relapsed time alienate you from the people on the planets, just like it does the main caracters.
I found the theories on the development/ exploitation of planets fascinating to read. All in all an entertaining story.
I found the theories on the development/ exploitation of planets fascinating to read. All in all an entertaining story.
January 30, 2016
Peut-être mon livre de science-fiction préféré. Rempli d'idées fascinantes. Une incroyable et émouvante histoire du futur.
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