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Acadie
The first humans still hunt their children across the stars. Dave Hutchinson brings far future science fiction on a grand scale in Acadie.
The Colony left Earth to find their utopia--a home on a new planet where their leader could fully explore the colonists' genetic potential, unfettered by their homeworld's restrictions. They settled a new paradise, and have been evolving and adapting for centuries.
Earth has other plans.
The original humans have been tracking their descendants across the stars, bent on their annihilation. They won't stop until the new humans have been destroyed, their experimentation wiped out of the human gene pool.
Can't anyone let go of a grudge anymore?
The Colony left Earth to find their utopia--a home on a new planet where their leader could fully explore the colonists' genetic potential, unfettered by their homeworld's restrictions. They settled a new paradise, and have been evolving and adapting for centuries.
Earth has other plans.
The original humans have been tracking their descendants across the stars, bent on their annihilation. They won't stop until the new humans have been destroyed, their experimentation wiped out of the human gene pool.
Can't anyone let go of a grudge anymore?
112 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2017
38 people are currently reading
1098 people want to read
About the author
Dave Hutchinson
54 books234 followersUK writer who published four volumes of stories by the age of twenty-one – Thumbprints, which is mostly fantasy, Fools' Gold, Torn Air and The Paradise Equation, all as David Hutchinson – and then moved into journalism. The deftness and quiet humaneness of his work was better than precocious, though the deracinatedness of the worlds depicted in the later stories may have derived in part from the author's apparent isolation from normal publishing channels.
After a decade of nonfiction, Hutchinson returned to the field as Dave Hutchinson, assembling later work in As the Crow Flies; tales like "The Pavement Artist" use sf devices to represent, far more fully than in his early work, a sense of the world as inherently and tragically not a platform for Transcendence. His first novel, The Villages, is Fantasy; The Push, an sf tale set in the Human Space sector of the home galaxy, describes the inception of Faster Than Light travel and some consequent complications when expanding humanity settles on a planet full of Alien life. Europe in Autumn (2014), an sf thriller involving espionage, takes place in a highly fragmented and still fragmenting Near-Future Europe, one of whose sovereign mini-nations is a transcontinental railway line; over the course of the central plot – which seems to reflect some aspects of Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 – the protagonist becomes involved in the Paranoia-inducing Les Coureurs des Bois, a mysterious postal service which also delivers humans across innumerable borders.
- See more at: http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/hutc...
Works
* The Villages (Holicong, Pennsylvania: Cosmos Books, 2001)
* Europe in Autumn (Oxford, Oxfordshire: Rebellion/Solaris, 2014)
Collections and Stories
* Thumbprints (London: Abelard, 1978)
* Fools' Gold (London: Abelard, 1978)
* Torn Air (London: Abelard, 1980)
* The Paradise Equation (London: Abelard, 1981)
* As the Crow Flies (Wigan, Lancashire: BeWrite Books, 2004)
* The Push (Alconbury Weston, Cambridgeshire: NewCon Press, 2009)
After a decade of nonfiction, Hutchinson returned to the field as Dave Hutchinson, assembling later work in As the Crow Flies; tales like "The Pavement Artist" use sf devices to represent, far more fully than in his early work, a sense of the world as inherently and tragically not a platform for Transcendence. His first novel, The Villages, is Fantasy; The Push, an sf tale set in the Human Space sector of the home galaxy, describes the inception of Faster Than Light travel and some consequent complications when expanding humanity settles on a planet full of Alien life. Europe in Autumn (2014), an sf thriller involving espionage, takes place in a highly fragmented and still fragmenting Near-Future Europe, one of whose sovereign mini-nations is a transcontinental railway line; over the course of the central plot – which seems to reflect some aspects of Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 – the protagonist becomes involved in the Paranoia-inducing Les Coureurs des Bois, a mysterious postal service which also delivers humans across innumerable borders.
- See more at: http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/hutc...
Works
* The Villages (Holicong, Pennsylvania: Cosmos Books, 2001)
* Europe in Autumn (Oxford, Oxfordshire: Rebellion/Solaris, 2014)
Collections and Stories
* Thumbprints (London: Abelard, 1978)
* Fools' Gold (London: Abelard, 1978)
* Torn Air (London: Abelard, 1980)
* The Paradise Equation (London: Abelard, 1981)
* As the Crow Flies (Wigan, Lancashire: BeWrite Books, 2004)
* The Push (Alconbury Weston, Cambridgeshire: NewCon Press, 2009)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 158 reviews
March 20, 2018
Rating: 4.75* of five
The Publisher Says: The first humans still hunt their children across the stars. Dave Hutchinson brings far future science fiction on a grand scale in Acadie.
The Colony left Earth to find their utopia--a home on a new planet where their leader could fully explore the colonists' genetic potential, unfettered by their homeworld's restrictions. They settled a new paradise, and have been evolving and adapting for centuries.
Earth has other plans.
The original humans have been tracking their descendants across the stars, bent on their annihilation. They won't stop until the new humans have been destroyed, their experimentation wiped out of the human gene pool.
Can't anyone let go of a grudge anymore?
My Review: What I love about reading Dave Hutchinson's work is the certainty that he's going to flip the script on you at some point. Usually just after you've become comfortable with the world as it is. And always to the effect that you're longing to go back to the way things were. But, just like life, that's not on the table. You can't unsee/unhear/unlearn what's happened. It's a bear, innit?
Why would a sane person like that?! As if I'd know what sane people like, still less why.
In the space of a novella, Hutchinson packs a space opera's worth of concepts and creations. Chief among them is the first-ever pop culture mention of kudzu in a positive light. Kudzu for the uninitiated is a terrifying invader of the southern USA. It destroys any and every man-made thing in its path. It terrifies me. But given its incredibly thoroughgoing colonial growth habit and ability to fix nitrogen, it makes sense to us it for structural elements in a hab(itat) in space.
Stuff still gives me the willies.
I love the use of quantum-entangled bits (qubits) for instant communication across immense distances. It sounds so plausible that I just assigned it the mental label ansible and didn't think much about it again while I was reading. It is cause for pause that I'm using one fictional communication concept to explain another in my mind...maybe I read too much sci fi...naaahhh, not possible. Quantity "too much sci fi" not defined.
It's also the script-flipping ending of the book that leads me into the star-granting stratosphere. It's delicious. It's like the Big Bang...it leads to more questions than answers, which is exactly how I want my fiction. I began to go back over the beginning as I read the ending. It made more sense, It made different sense, really, not more, and that's something to savor. I've read a lot of books in my life so I'm always after a new sensation. When I find one it makes me very happy.
Which leads to that missing quarter-star. Why, given the praise I'm heaping up here, didn't I give the damn thing the full five?
Ninety-six pages. Ninety-lousy-fucking-six pages. Really, Dave? There'd better be more stories set in this universe.
Just sayin'.
The Publisher Says: The first humans still hunt their children across the stars. Dave Hutchinson brings far future science fiction on a grand scale in Acadie.
The Colony left Earth to find their utopia--a home on a new planet where their leader could fully explore the colonists' genetic potential, unfettered by their homeworld's restrictions. They settled a new paradise, and have been evolving and adapting for centuries.
Earth has other plans.
The original humans have been tracking their descendants across the stars, bent on their annihilation. They won't stop until the new humans have been destroyed, their experimentation wiped out of the human gene pool.
Can't anyone let go of a grudge anymore?
My Review: What I love about reading Dave Hutchinson's work is the certainty that he's going to flip the script on you at some point. Usually just after you've become comfortable with the world as it is. And always to the effect that you're longing to go back to the way things were. But, just like life, that's not on the table. You can't unsee/unhear/unlearn what's happened. It's a bear, innit?
Why would a sane person like that?! As if I'd know what sane people like, still less why.
In the space of a novella, Hutchinson packs a space opera's worth of concepts and creations. Chief among them is the first-ever pop culture mention of kudzu in a positive light. Kudzu for the uninitiated is a terrifying invader of the southern USA. It destroys any and every man-made thing in its path. It terrifies me. But given its incredibly thoroughgoing colonial growth habit and ability to fix nitrogen, it makes sense to us it for structural elements in a hab(itat) in space.
Stuff still gives me the willies.
I love the use of quantum-entangled bits (qubits) for instant communication across immense distances. It sounds so plausible that I just assigned it the mental label ansible and didn't think much about it again while I was reading. It is cause for pause that I'm using one fictional communication concept to explain another in my mind...maybe I read too much sci fi...naaahhh, not possible. Quantity "too much sci fi" not defined.
It's also the script-flipping ending of the book that leads me into the star-granting stratosphere. It's delicious. It's like the Big Bang...it leads to more questions than answers, which is exactly how I want my fiction. I began to go back over the beginning as I read the ending. It made more sense, It made different sense, really, not more, and that's something to savor. I've read a lot of books in my life so I'm always after a new sensation. When I find one it makes me very happy.
Which leads to that missing quarter-star. Why, given the praise I'm heaping up here, didn't I give the damn thing the full five?
Ninety-six pages. Ninety-lousy-fucking-six pages. Really, Dave? There'd better be more stories set in this universe.
Just sayin'.
May 13, 2018
On a whim sponsored by a buddy read, I hopped on this novella by Hutchinson not knowing what to expect at all.
I mean, sure, the cover kinda tells me something, but other than something like a deep space opera or a generational ship and perhaps some AI action, I kinda cleansed my mind and let myself slide in.
And it was a gentle ride! Superbrights and an interesting colony and technological advancement and a really laid-back narrator. It was cool and light and pleasant...
Until the end. Or nearly so.
I LOVED the dark twist. :) No spoilers, but it's quite hardcore and tickled all my fancies. Hard SF shouldn't be afraid to go all dark. :) Fun twist, solid story.
I mean, sure, the cover kinda tells me something, but other than something like a deep space opera or a generational ship and perhaps some AI action, I kinda cleansed my mind and let myself slide in.
And it was a gentle ride! Superbrights and an interesting colony and technological advancement and a really laid-back narrator. It was cool and light and pleasant...
Until the end. Or nearly so.
I LOVED the dark twist. :) No spoilers, but it's quite hardcore and tickled all my fancies. Hard SF shouldn't be afraid to go all dark. :) Fun twist, solid story.
May 14, 2018
This was such an interesting view at the future!
In the distant future, we have a guy supervising part of a space colony that has no further contact with Earth after an "incident". They travel through space, occasionally settling in a system for some time, but always running away from their persuers while creating all kinds of impressive tech and even tweaking the human genome in some very weird ways.
One day, a probe appears in-system of the current colony so there is an imminent danger, which prompts the MC to take action and sets in motion some interesting events.
What makes this so special is the feel of deep-space exploration combined with human politics, the allure of all that might (hopefully) be possible scientifically in the future and people doing what they do best.
Plus an atmosphere that grabbed me from the beginning and a pretty cool twist to it all in the end.
In the distant future, we have a guy supervising part of a space colony that has no further contact with Earth after an "incident". They travel through space, occasionally settling in a system for some time, but always running away from their persuers while creating all kinds of impressive tech and even tweaking the human genome in some very weird ways.
One day, a probe appears in-system of the current colony so there is an imminent danger, which prompts the MC to take action and sets in motion some interesting events.
What makes this so special is the feel of deep-space exploration combined with human politics, the allure of all that might (hopefully) be possible scientifically in the future and people doing what they do best.
Plus an atmosphere that grabbed me from the beginning and a pretty cool twist to it all in the end.
October 6, 2017
Great novella-length space opera piece with an interesting setup and follow-through.
A group of renegades that have built themselves a space habitat utopia via gene-modding are hiding out from a restrictive Earth regime that vindictively pursues them over centuries. The current president, Duke Faraday, is enjoying his life in the society the group have created when a probe from Earth is detected and action needs to be taken.
This is an interesting novella in a way. A lot of the recently fashionable novellas are either serial novels or novel ideas that haven't been fleshed out to a normal novel length. This one has a more traditional feel, that of a long short story which pivots around a single idea or concept.
It's well-written, but I think the ending will be off-putting for some. It originally went that way for me, but on reflection I quite like what he did with it.
A group of renegades that have built themselves a space habitat utopia via gene-modding are hiding out from a restrictive Earth regime that vindictively pursues them over centuries. The current president, Duke Faraday, is enjoying his life in the society the group have created when a probe from Earth is detected and action needs to be taken.
This is an interesting novella in a way. A lot of the recently fashionable novellas are either serial novels or novel ideas that haven't been fleshed out to a normal novel length. This one has a more traditional feel, that of a long short story which pivots around a single idea or concept.
It's well-written, but I think the ending will be off-putting for some. It originally went that way for me, but on reflection I quite like what he did with it.
October 26, 2017
Short (cause it’s a novella, d’uh), but packs a powerful punch. Hutchinson sketches our quite the universe in so few pages. Very much enjoyed!
October 12, 2017
Didn't know what to expect when I started this novella, and sure enough, the ending completely got me, which meant I had to re-read it immediately. Some will love this, while others won't, but it will make you think.
This was my first Hutchinson, and yes, I do want to try something else of his, especially now that I have an inkling of his style.
This was my first Hutchinson, and yes, I do want to try something else of his, especially now that I have an inkling of his style.
May 5, 2020
At first you think "pretty good, but there are some weird details that don't quite add up..." and then the dark twist pulls the rug out from under you and you realize WHY - very enjoyable novella!
January 3, 2018
Excellent novella (or long short story) with a fab ending. I just wish it were longer.
September 27, 2017
Three and half stars.
An awesome start, very promising; the plot develops well, good dialogues and characters well depicted... but the end kills me. Perhaps this story deserves a full novel.
An awesome start, very promising; the plot develops well, good dialogues and characters well depicted... but the end kills me. Perhaps this story deserves a full novel.
October 23, 2017
For a short novel, the beginning made me really work to get through it. But the story did eventually pick up, and got pretty enjoyable. That being said, it seemed a little too self-aware, to the point of being precious.
Seriously, hundreds and hundreds of years in the future, people are still making Tolkien and Star Wars references? #doubtit
Seriously, hundreds and hundreds of years in the future, people are still making Tolkien and Star Wars references? #doubtit
February 10, 2018
Acadie's formula is all about the setup for the ending when I felt that the setup should have been more explained. I didn't really enjoy the way the story was told, it seemed like a lot was cut out of the novella. At times it felt like a novel with large chunks taken out. I still enjoyed it and thought the ending was fantastic. I would still recommend it to readers.
July 29, 2017
Full review coming.
September 10, 2017
This is another one of those short ‘Single’ novellas that Tor are producing at the moment. At a mere 112 pages, there’s not a lot of space for expansion, but it’s a Space Opera tale that packs a lot in!
You may know Dave from his ‘Fractured Europe’ series of award-winning alternate-history series of books (Europe in Autumn, Europe at Midnight, Europe in Winter) but this is very different.
Acadie is more like a scenario that Peter F Hamilton or Alastair Reynolds would normally write. It’s a story that follows ‘Duke’ Faraday, 150-year old ex-lawyer. Following the old Heinlein maxim that no one in their right mind should be given power and responsibility, Duke reluctantly holds the position of President of Acadie.
In the finest traditions of old-school SF, the story tells of human expansion into space. Like the Pilgrim Fathers before them, a group of hyper-intelligent genetically adapted people, many of them created by radical scientist Professor Isabel Potter, have left Earth to avoid ethics laws and discrimination.
The only problem was that by leaving, Potter and her acolytes ‘borrowed’ a colony ship from the mega-corporation Bureau of Colonisation, (the BoC) who monopolised Earth’s planetary expansion. This unfortunately also included 150 other colonists suspended in deep-sleep, something that, even after 500 years, the BoC is reluctant to forget, even though the unfrozen colonists were returned to Earth if they wished.
And now the colony, up to now kept in secret, seem to have been found by a BoC probe. The question now is what should the colony do, and whether this is a deliberate search or an unfortunate accident? It’s Duke’s job to sort out the problem – something that’s going to take clever negotiation, cunning and skill.
Acadie is a well-written tale. What this story does is show a writer willing to play with traditional tropes, an author who is very skilful at setting scene and developing characters in a limited amount of words. The first part of the book reminded me much of a Heinleinesque-style story, a style something often imitated but rarely executed well. It’s surprisingly light of touch compared with Dave’s more serious, meatier novels, but I liked it a lot. There’s clever touches of backstory combined fairly seamlessly with events in the present. Unlike many attempts of ‘aping Heinlein‘ I’ve read, the dialogue is realistic without falling into the trap of information dump too often. The characters are likeable, too, although, as to be expected in a 100-ish page story, there’s not too many. Dave even manages to get some humour in without it being too far-fetched. (I don’t want to give it away here, but Council meetings in Acadie look like fun!)
And then….. the story hinges on an almighty twist. Once the reader has been lulled into the setting and the characterisation at the beginning, the second part of the novella reveals the true purpose of the story. What began as fun ends up as… more than that.
The conclusion is something that will leave you thinking, and made me start the story again straight after I had finished. I did not see the twist coming, which is how it should be. (But on re-reading – there are clues there.)
In summary, Acadie is a great story, showing that there’s more to this author than his well-known series. It’s also another novella that shows the power of the medium, one that made me want to read more. Skilfully done and cleverly engaging, I heartily recommend it as a story worth reading.
You may know Dave from his ‘Fractured Europe’ series of award-winning alternate-history series of books (Europe in Autumn, Europe at Midnight, Europe in Winter) but this is very different.
Acadie is more like a scenario that Peter F Hamilton or Alastair Reynolds would normally write. It’s a story that follows ‘Duke’ Faraday, 150-year old ex-lawyer. Following the old Heinlein maxim that no one in their right mind should be given power and responsibility, Duke reluctantly holds the position of President of Acadie.
In the finest traditions of old-school SF, the story tells of human expansion into space. Like the Pilgrim Fathers before them, a group of hyper-intelligent genetically adapted people, many of them created by radical scientist Professor Isabel Potter, have left Earth to avoid ethics laws and discrimination.
The only problem was that by leaving, Potter and her acolytes ‘borrowed’ a colony ship from the mega-corporation Bureau of Colonisation, (the BoC) who monopolised Earth’s planetary expansion. This unfortunately also included 150 other colonists suspended in deep-sleep, something that, even after 500 years, the BoC is reluctant to forget, even though the unfrozen colonists were returned to Earth if they wished.
And now the colony, up to now kept in secret, seem to have been found by a BoC probe. The question now is what should the colony do, and whether this is a deliberate search or an unfortunate accident? It’s Duke’s job to sort out the problem – something that’s going to take clever negotiation, cunning and skill.
Acadie is a well-written tale. What this story does is show a writer willing to play with traditional tropes, an author who is very skilful at setting scene and developing characters in a limited amount of words. The first part of the book reminded me much of a Heinleinesque-style story, a style something often imitated but rarely executed well. It’s surprisingly light of touch compared with Dave’s more serious, meatier novels, but I liked it a lot. There’s clever touches of backstory combined fairly seamlessly with events in the present. Unlike many attempts of ‘aping Heinlein‘ I’ve read, the dialogue is realistic without falling into the trap of information dump too often. The characters are likeable, too, although, as to be expected in a 100-ish page story, there’s not too many. Dave even manages to get some humour in without it being too far-fetched. (I don’t want to give it away here, but Council meetings in Acadie look like fun!)
And then….. the story hinges on an almighty twist. Once the reader has been lulled into the setting and the characterisation at the beginning, the second part of the novella reveals the true purpose of the story. What began as fun ends up as… more than that.
The conclusion is something that will leave you thinking, and made me start the story again straight after I had finished. I did not see the twist coming, which is how it should be. (But on re-reading – there are clues there.)
In summary, Acadie is a great story, showing that there’s more to this author than his well-known series. It’s also another novella that shows the power of the medium, one that made me want to read more. Skilfully done and cleverly engaging, I heartily recommend it as a story worth reading.
November 28, 2017
3.5 stars. Interesting little space opera of a bunch of scientists/rogues/criminals who've established a colony far from Earth. The colony has been researching and implementing a variety of different technologies, and live in fear of being discovered by Earth. The colony is jeopardized with the arrival of a ship/probe.... I liked the setup and the characters, though I was confused by the ending.
June 4, 2017
3,5/5 rounded up to 4 because the ending was incredible, blew my mind!! Like WOW. I might read this again because that final twist is the kind that makes you want to read the story again once you know what was going on
September 9, 2017
‘Duke’ is the president of a utopian colony that has escaped from the tyranny of the rest of humanity. The ‘habs’ they live in are the perfect dream. Illness and even death is overcome. No-one needs to work and life is great. The only thing they have to worry about is being discovered by the rest of humanity.
After three hundred years their security misses a probe but it is captured and disarmed by a pilot of a mining ship. ‘Duke’s security team cannot understand why the probe was missed and they make plans to move their society on to a new location.
Considering this is a measly 112 pages long, this story could easily cover a trilogy yet it is complete. The characters are likeable, the world is one we would all hope to live in and I think we would all want to defend that life in a similar way.
I love a good short story and Acadie is certainly that. Well written, well thought out and perfectly executed. Fantastic read!
Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for the free digital version to review. I always give an honest and unbiased review
After three hundred years their security misses a probe but it is captured and disarmed by a pilot of a mining ship. ‘Duke’s security team cannot understand why the probe was missed and they make plans to move their society on to a new location.
Considering this is a measly 112 pages long, this story could easily cover a trilogy yet it is complete. The characters are likeable, the world is one we would all hope to live in and I think we would all want to defend that life in a similar way.
I love a good short story and Acadie is certainly that. Well written, well thought out and perfectly executed. Fantastic read!
Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for the free digital version to review. I always give an honest and unbiased review
April 14, 2021
Meh sf novella, marred by self-indulgent humor and a gimmicky ending.
If your sense of humor is such that you think half way through a generally not tongue-in-cheek sf novella 500+ years in the future, having the MC go visit the colony council and them turn out to be a bunch of Tolkien fans who've modded themselves into elves and dwarves and klingons, etc. is funny and not story destroying idiocy, then ymmv. That was probably the worst of several attempts at humor that just completely shattered the story world for me, not that the author had done a very good job of building one in the first place, but I hate that kind of crap.
This is maybe a 100 page-ish novella, and I considered dnf, and probably would have if it had been a full length novel. I probably should have, because the ending, while not the worst I've ever read, turned out to be the gimmicky "twist" variety which rarely works for me.
While overall setup and concept had potential, based on this I think I can safely avoid wasting another minute of my life on anything from this author.
If your sense of humor is such that you think half way through a generally not tongue-in-cheek sf novella 500+ years in the future, having the MC go visit the colony council and them turn out to be a bunch of Tolkien fans who've modded themselves into elves and dwarves and klingons, etc. is funny and not story destroying idiocy, then ymmv. That was probably the worst of several attempts at humor that just completely shattered the story world for me, not that the author had done a very good job of building one in the first place, but I hate that kind of crap.
This is maybe a 100 page-ish novella, and I considered dnf, and probably would have if it had been a full length novel. I probably should have, because the ending, while not the worst I've ever read, turned out to be the gimmicky "twist" variety which rarely works for me.
While overall setup and concept had potential, based on this I think I can safely avoid wasting another minute of my life on anything from this author.
October 22, 2017
Enjoyable novella.
September 27, 2022
Acadie by Dave Hutchinson
I was initially turned off by the facile "hippies paradise" start to this book, where everyone is cool, laidback, doing their own thing, but everything is running just great. It is the vibe you get from your ganja smoking friends before the arguments start about who has to replenish the refrigerator.
The focal character is "Duke" Faraday. Duke had been working for the Bureau of Colonization before he realized how it was the home of corrupt, narrow-minded hypocrites. He was shanghaied into a secret colony of "Writers," who can rewrite the genetic code. It seems that 500 years ago, the Writers had stolen a Colonization ship to flee a theocratic right-wing government that wouldn't allow them to promote human flourishing through science. Since that time, the Colony has remained on the fringes of human space inventing scientific miracles, but always ready to pick up and leave if the Bureau stumbles onto them.
Finally, the Bureau has with a lone probe.
Then, a larger and stranger probe arrives and Duke has been left behind to deal with it.
Or has he?
I thought this story was a very fine science fiction story with just the right twist at the end.
I was initially turned off by the facile "hippies paradise" start to this book, where everyone is cool, laidback, doing their own thing, but everything is running just great. It is the vibe you get from your ganja smoking friends before the arguments start about who has to replenish the refrigerator.
The focal character is "Duke" Faraday. Duke had been working for the Bureau of Colonization before he realized how it was the home of corrupt, narrow-minded hypocrites. He was shanghaied into a secret colony of "Writers," who can rewrite the genetic code. It seems that 500 years ago, the Writers had stolen a Colonization ship to flee a theocratic right-wing government that wouldn't allow them to promote human flourishing through science. Since that time, the Colony has remained on the fringes of human space inventing scientific miracles, but always ready to pick up and leave if the Bureau stumbles onto them.
Finally, the Bureau has with a lone probe.
Then, a larger and stranger probe arrives and Duke has been left behind to deal with it.
Or has he?
I thought this story was a very fine science fiction story with just the right twist at the end.
September 16, 2017
3.5/5.0
June 3, 2018
Ahoy there me mateys! I picked this sci-fi novella up from a local library as soon as I saw it was published by Tor. I adore their novella line. Five out of the six novellas nominated for the Hugo this year were published by them. I have read four of them so far and highly enjoyed them all.
This particular story was published in 2017. I have heard of Dave Hutchinson and have his work on me ports for plunder list but have not read any of it yet. I have to admit that the author’s name didn’t even register when I saw this. I saw the sci-fi sticker and the Tor logo and snatched it up.
The premise is that a group of colonists, led by scientist Isabel Potter, fled Earth due to its restrictions on genetic engineering. The problem was that they stole a ship with colonists on it when they left. Potter and the colonists’ descendants have been trying to eke a life outside of Earth’s influence for generations. Duke Faraday, a lawyer, has been drawn into the conflict. Why is Earth still hunting Potter and her gang? Will they ever give up? And what is Duke going to do about it?
It was a quick, fun read and I devoured it. I absolutely loved the whole story, the set-up, the conflict, the ending, the writing style, the plot, and Duke himself. A fabulous novella that ye should read if ye can. I will certainly be picking up more work by Dave Hutchinson. Arrr!
Side note: For lists of the 2015/2016 novellas released by Tor click below. I kinda want to read them all! If any of me crew knows of a definitive list of novellas released after that please let me know! Me search was fruitless.
Tor.com Publishing 2015/2016 Novella Lineup
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
This particular story was published in 2017. I have heard of Dave Hutchinson and have his work on me ports for plunder list but have not read any of it yet. I have to admit that the author’s name didn’t even register when I saw this. I saw the sci-fi sticker and the Tor logo and snatched it up.
The premise is that a group of colonists, led by scientist Isabel Potter, fled Earth due to its restrictions on genetic engineering. The problem was that they stole a ship with colonists on it when they left. Potter and the colonists’ descendants have been trying to eke a life outside of Earth’s influence for generations. Duke Faraday, a lawyer, has been drawn into the conflict. Why is Earth still hunting Potter and her gang? Will they ever give up? And what is Duke going to do about it?
It was a quick, fun read and I devoured it. I absolutely loved the whole story, the set-up, the conflict, the ending, the writing style, the plot, and Duke himself. A fabulous novella that ye should read if ye can. I will certainly be picking up more work by Dave Hutchinson. Arrr!
Side note: For lists of the 2015/2016 novellas released by Tor click below. I kinda want to read them all! If any of me crew knows of a definitive list of novellas released after that please let me know! Me search was fruitless.
Tor.com Publishing 2015/2016 Novella Lineup
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
October 20, 2017
Received to review via Netgalley; publication date 5th September 2017
Acadie is a fun enough little story that had me just sort of nodding along… up until the ending, which packs a bit of a punch and casts all the rest in a new light. I still think that some more world-building could go into the utopian colony, because the little bits that were there were only just enough to whet my appetite; a bit more emotional involvement would probably make that ending even more satisfying. Right now, it’s satisfying in an intellectual way, and didn’t leave me as conflicted as I’d hoped.
Nonetheless, it’s an absorbing story with a heck of a sting in the tail. My favourite sort!
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
Acadie is a fun enough little story that had me just sort of nodding along… up until the ending, which packs a bit of a punch and casts all the rest in a new light. I still think that some more world-building could go into the utopian colony, because the little bits that were there were only just enough to whet my appetite; a bit more emotional involvement would probably make that ending even more satisfying. Right now, it’s satisfying in an intellectual way, and didn’t leave me as conflicted as I’d hoped.
Nonetheless, it’s an absorbing story with a heck of a sting in the tail. My favourite sort!
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
February 24, 2018
3.0 Stars
This little space opera novella attempts to tell a story of epic proportions in a limited number of number of pages. The tone is very light-hearted and even silly in some places. The ending will be quite polarizing among readers. I personally did not love it, which affected my overall impression of the novella.
This little space opera novella attempts to tell a story of epic proportions in a limited number of number of pages. The tone is very light-hearted and even silly in some places. The ending will be quite polarizing among readers. I personally did not love it, which affected my overall impression of the novella.
May 6, 2018
Hutchison accomplishes a lot in this 103 page space operetta. Interesting characters. Solid world building. And a twist at the end you'll not see coming. Worth the $4 asking for the Kindle version. I note Hutchison's Europe series is also highly rated on GR. I'll be checking it out.
September 17, 2017
8'5/10
Que agradable sorpresa.
https://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/20...
Que agradable sorpresa.
https://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/20...
December 5, 2017
Interesting concept. I didn't find that the worldbuilding really resonated with me (liked the giant christmas-bauble spaceship, didn't enjoy the modified "Kids" or the antique fantasy references), and the ending left me with some questions which are probably irrelevant, given that this is a short story built around a concept, not a serious, full-length novel meant to be picked apart. But:
Sure, they're nitpicky questions, but they did take me out of the story enough that the twist ending didn't have the emotional impact it should have.
Sure, they're nitpicky questions, but they did take me out of the story enough that the twist ending didn't have the emotional impact it should have.
February 4, 2018
Dave Hutchinson is best know for his Fractured Europe series – an excellent, gritty near future mixture of spy, noir and even fantasy. So far, I’ve only read the first two books, both of which ended up in my favorite lists of what I read that year. I thought a break from that series before I tackle Europe In Winter might shed some more light on Hutchinson as an author. And while this 103-page novella is not as successful or original as both Europes I’ve read, it’s still a good, entertaining read.
For all the talk about Fractured Europe, Hutchinson’s short story collections seem to have been forgotten in the mists of time: he published 4 of those as David Hutchinson between 1978 and 1982. When he returned to fiction that was largely unacknowledged too. His 2001 full length debut The Villages only has 7 Goodreads ratings. The Push, a 2009 Hard SF novella, was only released in 350 copies. It took another 5 years before Europe At Autumn really got things going. Today Acadie is even published by powerhouse Tor, who seem to have picked up on Hutchinson’s critical acclaim.
Hutchinson’s narrative voice is again as confident as it is in Europe. (...)
Read the full review on Weighing A Pig...
For all the talk about Fractured Europe, Hutchinson’s short story collections seem to have been forgotten in the mists of time: he published 4 of those as David Hutchinson between 1978 and 1982. When he returned to fiction that was largely unacknowledged too. His 2001 full length debut The Villages only has 7 Goodreads ratings. The Push, a 2009 Hard SF novella, was only released in 350 copies. It took another 5 years before Europe At Autumn really got things going. Today Acadie is even published by powerhouse Tor, who seem to have picked up on Hutchinson’s critical acclaim.
Hutchinson’s narrative voice is again as confident as it is in Europe. (...)
Read the full review on Weighing A Pig...
August 29, 2023
Çok komik bir kitaptı. Karakter isimleri, tavırları (Ernie’nin sürekli gebertelim gitsin tavrında olmasına çok güldüm), aralarındaki muhabbet; gemilerin isimleri, şekilleri (One Potato, Two Potato; Something Better Than That); başkanın tavrı, konuşmaları… Çok eğlendim.
Kimi teknolojiler çok şaşırtıcıydı. Dewline ne kadar zekice bir fikir.
Kitabın genel hali eğlenceli olsa bazen çok sarsıcı meselelere daldı. Bu da beni etkiledi. Özellikle o şok edici son beni üzdü. Aklıma Moon filmi geldi.
Kimi teknolojiler çok şaşırtıcıydı. Dewline ne kadar zekice bir fikir.
Kitabın genel hali eğlenceli olsa bazen çok sarsıcı meselelere daldı. Bu da beni etkiledi. Özellikle o şok edici son beni üzdü. Aklıma Moon filmi geldi.
December 8, 2024
"Acadie" is a fun, fast paced science fiction novella which, although not particularly derivative, is reminiscent of many, many, many other works that portray a band of merry, freedom-loving frontier people resisting the onslaught of a tyrannical, power-seeking central government bent on their subjugation. The various plotting and planning that makes up the bulk of the story is the real draw but the anticipated "big twist" at the end really feels like a Deus ex Machina device employed to keep the novella at the right word count.
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