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Jump 225 #2
MultiReal
Natch has just won his first battle with the Defense and Wellness Council for control of MultiReal technology. But now the Council has unleashed the ruthless cunning of Lieutenant Executive Magan Kai Lee. Lee decides that if Natch's company can't be destroyed from without, it must be destroyed from within.
As black code continues to eat away at Natch's sanity, he faces a mutiny from his own apprentices, a legal onslaught from the government, and the return of enemies old and new. In desperation, the entrepreneur turns to some unlikely a radical politician with an agenda of his own, and a childhood enemy to whom he has done a terrible wrong.
Natch's struggle will take him from the halls of power in Melbourne to the ruined cities of the diss. Hanging in the balance is the fate of MultiReal, a technology that could end the tyranny of the Council forever—or give the Council the ultimate weapon of oppression.
Book 2 in the Jump 225 Series.
Praise for
“Slick high-finance melodrama and dizzying technical speculation lift Edelman’s SF debut. . . . Bursting with invention and panache, this novel will hook readers for the story’s next installment.” —Publishers Weekly
“INFOQUAKE should appeal to just about any SF reader, but if you like Herbert’s Dune or any of Stross’ work, you should really enjoy this book.” —SF Signal
Praise for
“Edelman brings fresh air to the technological thriller. . . . MultiReal itself is firmly established as one of the most fascinating singularity technologies in years.” —Publishers Weekly
“Once you realize that Natch is less Neo than he is Steve Jobs, you’re in for a swell ride.” —Sci-Fi Weekly
Praise for
“This smart, idiosyncratic blend of cyberpunk, libertarian entrepreneurship, and social engineering will, I think, stand as a seminal work of 21st century SF.” —Locus
“Takes the series one level higher, beyond mundanity to true sense-of-wonder SF, so it finally plays on the level of the masters of modern SF.” —Fantasy Book Critic
As black code continues to eat away at Natch's sanity, he faces a mutiny from his own apprentices, a legal onslaught from the government, and the return of enemies old and new. In desperation, the entrepreneur turns to some unlikely a radical politician with an agenda of his own, and a childhood enemy to whom he has done a terrible wrong.
Natch's struggle will take him from the halls of power in Melbourne to the ruined cities of the diss. Hanging in the balance is the fate of MultiReal, a technology that could end the tyranny of the Council forever—or give the Council the ultimate weapon of oppression.
Book 2 in the Jump 225 Series.
Praise for
“Slick high-finance melodrama and dizzying technical speculation lift Edelman’s SF debut. . . . Bursting with invention and panache, this novel will hook readers for the story’s next installment.” —Publishers Weekly
“INFOQUAKE should appeal to just about any SF reader, but if you like Herbert’s Dune or any of Stross’ work, you should really enjoy this book.” —SF Signal
Praise for
“Edelman brings fresh air to the technological thriller. . . . MultiReal itself is firmly established as one of the most fascinating singularity technologies in years.” —Publishers Weekly
“Once you realize that Natch is less Neo than he is Steve Jobs, you’re in for a swell ride.” —Sci-Fi Weekly
Praise for
“This smart, idiosyncratic blend of cyberpunk, libertarian entrepreneurship, and social engineering will, I think, stand as a seminal work of 21st century SF.” —Locus
“Takes the series one level higher, beyond mundanity to true sense-of-wonder SF, so it finally plays on the level of the masters of modern SF.” —Fantasy Book Critic
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2008
19 people are currently reading
539 people want to read
About the author
David Louis Edelman
7 books103 followersDavid Louis Edelman is a science fiction novelist and web programmer. As the author of the Jump 225 trilogy (Infoquake, MultiReal, and Geosynchron), he has received nominations for the John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Barnes & Noble’s SF Novel of the Year (winner 2006), and spots on best-of-the-year lists by io9, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, and SFFWorld. Locus magazine called the trilogy "a seminal work of 21st century SF."
Edelman has also programmed websites for the U.S. Army, the FBI, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Jesuit Conference of America, and Rolls-Royce; taught software to members of the U.S. Congress and the World Bank; and directed the marketing departments of biometric and e-commerce companies.
Edelman has also programmed websites for the U.S. Army, the FBI, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Jesuit Conference of America, and Rolls-Royce; taught software to members of the U.S. Congress and the World Bank; and directed the marketing departments of biometric and e-commerce companies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
December 1, 2019
Pub date: Jan 2020
3.5 What had hooked me in the description in Edelweiss was the comparison to Clancy, Crichton and Preston/Child, but this is a hard core science fiction book that people who geeked out over the real science in The Martian might love. The way the author interweaves the old Soviet ships logs into the current story of the US astronauts flying to Pluto to find that ship, surprisingly launched more than 40 years ago, was well done. And what they do find is surprising. The way politics plays a part in human exploration also was intriguing, both from the USSR and US sides. With that, I realize the comparison to Clancy was pretty accurate. I can imagine this as a successful movie, and the more I think about this book, the more I like it.
3.5 What had hooked me in the description in Edelweiss was the comparison to Clancy, Crichton and Preston/Child, but this is a hard core science fiction book that people who geeked out over the real science in The Martian might love. The way the author interweaves the old Soviet ships logs into the current story of the US astronauts flying to Pluto to find that ship, surprisingly launched more than 40 years ago, was well done. And what they do find is surprising. The way politics plays a part in human exploration also was intriguing, both from the USSR and US sides. With that, I realize the comparison to Clancy was pretty accurate. I can imagine this as a successful movie, and the more I think about this book, the more I like it.
February 15, 2013
MultiReal picks up right where Infoquake leaves off. Natch has successfully demonstrated the revolutionary new product to the masses—and now the Defense and Wellness Council wants control. He refuses and goes on the run (several times) while his fiefcorp dissolves into bickering and bureaucratically-induced chaos. Oh, and infoquakes continue on the Data Sea.
As with many middle books in a trilogy, MultiReal is one endless spiral of bad luck for the protagonists. From the red tape and threats thrown at them by Magan Kai Lee to the deleterious effects of the black code on Natch, it seems like our heroes can’t catch a break. Eventually, the stress snaps the bond between Natch and his second-in-command, Jara, who is disillusioned with his petty selfishness. With Jara in control of the fiefcorp and Natch essentially forced out, the two of them go their separate ways, with the spectre of MultiReal floating in the Data Sea like some kind of digital child caught in a divorce.
Edelman captures some of the tension and philosophical difficulties inherent in a government’s pursuit to control new technologies. Len Borda makes a convincing zealot, one who believes that control is the only way to ensure stability. Like many real-life politicians, he fears the development of technologies or other innovations that he can’t regulate. On the other hand, MultiReal is dangerous, because of how it controls what people perceive as reality, what they remember and how they react. Its usage takes a physical toll, and it is not just a toy. This book is much clearer on what MultiReal does and how it can be used, and it’s a little scary.
But it’s not that scary, mostly because—as Natch tries to point out to Brone—it doesn’t scale. There is just no way that everyone could have their own set of infinite realities; the computing power doesn’t exist. Managing the infinitely branching realities of a single person seems mind-boggling enough to me. Similarly, MultiReal is a powerful weapon, but it is still limited. It might let someone dodge bullets, but they can only do that for so long. Eventually they will get exhausted and get back to square one.
Edelman manages nevertheless to get me thinking and to help me articulate my own philosophies. I came down strongly in the, “Release MultiReal to everyone, unlimited choice cycles!” camp, and my position did not waver. Information really does want to be free, in my opinion, so it is just a matter of time before that scenario becomes reality (and I mean the reality). Might as well get it over with. While I don’t always see eye-to-eye with the libertarian ideals of limited government, there are moments in the history of innovation when government cannot effectively manage the social change precipitated by new technologies. All it can do is ride out the storm as best it can—or, failing that, fold in upon itself as society experiences the turmoil of revolution.
It would be nice to see that, or anything like that, happening here. Unfortunately, MultiReal is mostly talk. It is incredibly slow-burning—oh, there are plenty of action sequences, and a lot of plotting and strategizing on the part of both sides. Yet none of this seems to come to much. Natch drifts in and out of hiding; Jara and the fiefcorp debate how they should proceed without his leadership; Borda and Kai Lee alternately cackle and threaten each other. It’s a maddeningly flat plot structure that leaves me simultaneously enthusiastic and frustrated! There were moments, such as when Natch held his finger on the button at the meeting of the Prime Committee, threatening to release MultiReal to the public, when I could cheer. For the most part, though, all I could manage was a resigned apathy.
And I can’t say this book did much to improve my opinion of Natch. He’s not a nice person. To be fair, Edelman showed us how he got that way in Infoquake. But I can’t muster much in the way of admiration or respect. Plus, Natch is much more reactive in this book. He runs away, licks his wounds, makes quick decisions based on what other people try to do to him. There is little of that lateral-thinking fiefcorp master whose scheming got him to the number one spot on Primo’s overnight. At least that Natch could move some pages!
MultiReal, like the first book in this series, is a fun science-fiction thriller that asks some good questions about how technology is changing our lives. It’s definitely my cup of tea, and it presents the kind of deep implications of computers and posthumanism, the questions about governance and religion and autonomy that seem so topical these days. However, it doesn’t stand out against the rest of the posthumanism, post-governance crowd, and wow me with its unique characters or extremely memorable twists and turns. It’s a competent but not compelling example of its ilk—and I must say I’m interested in how the trilogy turns out, but I’m not getting my hopes up for any big surprises.
My reviews of the Jump 225 trilogy:
← Infoquake | Geosynchron (forthcoming)
As with many middle books in a trilogy, MultiReal is one endless spiral of bad luck for the protagonists. From the red tape and threats thrown at them by Magan Kai Lee to the deleterious effects of the black code on Natch, it seems like our heroes can’t catch a break. Eventually, the stress snaps the bond between Natch and his second-in-command, Jara, who is disillusioned with his petty selfishness. With Jara in control of the fiefcorp and Natch essentially forced out, the two of them go their separate ways, with the spectre of MultiReal floating in the Data Sea like some kind of digital child caught in a divorce.
Edelman captures some of the tension and philosophical difficulties inherent in a government’s pursuit to control new technologies. Len Borda makes a convincing zealot, one who believes that control is the only way to ensure stability. Like many real-life politicians, he fears the development of technologies or other innovations that he can’t regulate. On the other hand, MultiReal is dangerous, because of how it controls what people perceive as reality, what they remember and how they react. Its usage takes a physical toll, and it is not just a toy. This book is much clearer on what MultiReal does and how it can be used, and it’s a little scary.
But it’s not that scary, mostly because—as Natch tries to point out to Brone—it doesn’t scale. There is just no way that everyone could have their own set of infinite realities; the computing power doesn’t exist. Managing the infinitely branching realities of a single person seems mind-boggling enough to me. Similarly, MultiReal is a powerful weapon, but it is still limited. It might let someone dodge bullets, but they can only do that for so long. Eventually they will get exhausted and get back to square one.
Edelman manages nevertheless to get me thinking and to help me articulate my own philosophies. I came down strongly in the, “Release MultiReal to everyone, unlimited choice cycles!” camp, and my position did not waver. Information really does want to be free, in my opinion, so it is just a matter of time before that scenario becomes reality (and I mean the reality). Might as well get it over with. While I don’t always see eye-to-eye with the libertarian ideals of limited government, there are moments in the history of innovation when government cannot effectively manage the social change precipitated by new technologies. All it can do is ride out the storm as best it can—or, failing that, fold in upon itself as society experiences the turmoil of revolution.
It would be nice to see that, or anything like that, happening here. Unfortunately, MultiReal is mostly talk. It is incredibly slow-burning—oh, there are plenty of action sequences, and a lot of plotting and strategizing on the part of both sides. Yet none of this seems to come to much. Natch drifts in and out of hiding; Jara and the fiefcorp debate how they should proceed without his leadership; Borda and Kai Lee alternately cackle and threaten each other. It’s a maddeningly flat plot structure that leaves me simultaneously enthusiastic and frustrated! There were moments, such as when Natch held his finger on the button at the meeting of the Prime Committee, threatening to release MultiReal to the public, when I could cheer. For the most part, though, all I could manage was a resigned apathy.
And I can’t say this book did much to improve my opinion of Natch. He’s not a nice person. To be fair, Edelman showed us how he got that way in Infoquake. But I can’t muster much in the way of admiration or respect. Plus, Natch is much more reactive in this book. He runs away, licks his wounds, makes quick decisions based on what other people try to do to him. There is little of that lateral-thinking fiefcorp master whose scheming got him to the number one spot on Primo’s overnight. At least that Natch could move some pages!
MultiReal, like the first book in this series, is a fun science-fiction thriller that asks some good questions about how technology is changing our lives. It’s definitely my cup of tea, and it presents the kind of deep implications of computers and posthumanism, the questions about governance and religion and autonomy that seem so topical these days. However, it doesn’t stand out against the rest of the posthumanism, post-governance crowd, and wow me with its unique characters or extremely memorable twists and turns. It’s a competent but not compelling example of its ilk—and I must say I’m interested in how the trilogy turns out, but I’m not getting my hopes up for any big surprises.
My reviews of the Jump 225 trilogy:
← Infoquake | Geosynchron (forthcoming)
January 7, 2020
Outstanding! I thought when I picked this up I’d read for a couple hours before bed. It’s now after 2am. I couldn’t stop. I needed to find out what happened next and what happened in the past. An excellent, compelling read that fans of The Martian are sure to enjoy!
January 22, 2020
DNF at 90% This is the most boring book that I've read in years.
January 8, 2020
Find this and other reviews at The Reader in Indigo
Four astronauts blast off in a nuclear-powered ship en route to Pluto, chasing after a secret decades-old Soviet mission that went awry. (I'd recommend readers avoid this book's Amazon/Goodreads description, as it basically spoils the big reveal. And not subtly, either.)
This was . . . not to my taste. Hard science fiction soars when it explores new realms of the possible, but it's also infamous for flat characters, tedious science descriptions, and emotionless prose. Frozen Orbit, alas, falls prey to two of those three mighty sins: the characters are pretty lifeless and the prose tends to plod. Moments that should feel emotional instead feel hollow, clunky. (I actually found the scientific descriptions to be somewhat interesting, which is unusual for me in this subgenre. )
The political machinations at home seemed unrealistic, and I didn't find any of the subplots (the 'mystery' of the Soviet commander's journal, the A.I., the relations between the crew) very engaging. It takes about two-thirds of the book to actually get to Pluto, which surprised me, and not in a good way; the early sections felt almost like filler.
Overall, I thought the description made the book sound a lot more interesting than it turned out to be---in part, I suspect, because the description basically spoils the 'mystery' of what was waiting at Pluto.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Four astronauts blast off in a nuclear-powered ship en route to Pluto, chasing after a secret decades-old Soviet mission that went awry. (I'd recommend readers avoid this book's Amazon/Goodreads description, as it basically spoils the big reveal. And not subtly, either.)
This was . . . not to my taste. Hard science fiction soars when it explores new realms of the possible, but it's also infamous for flat characters, tedious science descriptions, and emotionless prose. Frozen Orbit, alas, falls prey to two of those three mighty sins: the characters are pretty lifeless and the prose tends to plod. Moments that should feel emotional instead feel hollow, clunky. (I actually found the scientific descriptions to be somewhat interesting, which is unusual for me in this subgenre. )
The political machinations at home seemed unrealistic, and I didn't find any of the subplots (the 'mystery' of the Soviet commander's journal, the A.I., the relations between the crew) very engaging. It takes about two-thirds of the book to actually get to Pluto, which surprised me, and not in a good way; the early sections felt almost like filler.
Overall, I thought the description made the book sound a lot more interesting than it turned out to be---in part, I suspect, because the description basically spoils the 'mystery' of what was waiting at Pluto.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2023
I liked this quite a lot. It’s on the Arthur C. Clarke end of Hard Science Fiction and feels real. I don’t know how accurate it is, but it has the ring of verisimilitude. If you like books like Heart of the Comet and Allen Steele’s work, this is definitely for you.
I listened to the audiobook and Paul Heitsch’s narration is top notch.
I listened to the audiobook and Paul Heitsch’s narration is top notch.
April 28, 2020
The unexpected firing of Russian missile defence systems at what turns out to be a spacecraft returning from the outer solar system sets off alarms at NASA. Two years later, the Magellan II mission to Pluto sets off to unravel the mystery.
The story is ambitious, casting threads back in history to the end of the Cold War, with a top secret Soviet space project as bonkers as it seems weirdly plausible, making it a fantastic hook for the story. The protagonists are the four crewmembers on the spacecraft Magellan, finely crafted and believable, down to their intelligent and meandering debates on (and with) AI, and regarding the meaning of life. The technical aspects are nicely lacking in logic holes, a must for a novel of this kind.
I very much enjoyed this near-future space adventure. Like any good technothriller, it was hard to put down. Unfortunately, some plot points, such as the expanded use of the hydroponic garden, went from seemingly very important to unresolved later in the book. This left the reader with some disjointedness, though to clear the overall story was paced very well, with an unexpected but logical ending.
Plus I’ve never heard a pilot call the control column a “joystick”, but now I am nitpicking.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/2020/04/...
The story is ambitious, casting threads back in history to the end of the Cold War, with a top secret Soviet space project as bonkers as it seems weirdly plausible, making it a fantastic hook for the story. The protagonists are the four crewmembers on the spacecraft Magellan, finely crafted and believable, down to their intelligent and meandering debates on (and with) AI, and regarding the meaning of life. The technical aspects are nicely lacking in logic holes, a must for a novel of this kind.
I very much enjoyed this near-future space adventure. Like any good technothriller, it was hard to put down. Unfortunately, some plot points, such as the expanded use of the hydroponic garden, went from seemingly very important to unresolved later in the book. This left the reader with some disjointedness, though to clear the overall story was paced very well, with an unexpected but logical ending.
Plus I’ve never heard a pilot call the control column a “joystick”, but now I am nitpicking.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/2020/04/...
February 20, 2020
Patrick Chiles suggests that in 1991 the USSR improbably sent a ship to Pluto using atomic bombs for thrust. For some reason the cosmonauts stayed in Frozen Orbit (Trade from Baen) and the USSR, now breaking up, decided to keep the mission secret. Forty three years later NASA sends mission out to find out what happened. The trip goes as expected with some technical problems, and political ones at home. This is a solid hard science tale, though I wasn’t happy with the ending.Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
April 20, 2020
For this NASA geek, Frozen Orbit is near-time, hard scifi that feels very real. I could quote much of the last three chapters but this sticks for me, "... because the pursuit of knowledge was ultimately pointless without having the liberty to do something with it."
Excellent!! More please!
Excellent!! More please!
September 5, 2008
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally. Sorry, the last few sentences get cut off today!)
All hail the mighty science-fiction epic trilogy! Bow and tremble before the mighty science-fiction epic trilogy! Because Lord knows, if you're a SF fan, it's not like you're going to be able to get away from the mighty science-fiction epic trilogy; there have been so many successful ones now, after all, starting with Star Wars and making your way down the financial chain, that they've become almost more of a staple within this particular genre than even standalone books. And there are some great things that come with this, of course, but also some complications, for both reader and reviewer: for example, like that you need to read book one of such trilogies before books two and three will fully make sense, that books one and two will never seem fully complete unless you read book three as well, and that in general the trilogy will eventually be judged as one related unit when it's finally all published, and that any review of an individual book within this series is ultimately a bit futile.
That said, I was lucky enough earlier this summer to receive a copy of David Louis Edelman's MultiReal, book two of his massive science-fiction epic trilogy "Jump 225;" and I did definitely want to do a write-up of it here, because I did definitely enjoy it quite a bit, even more than volume one which I reviewed here at CCLaP last year. But then this leads to the exact problems I just mentioned: that the first book simply must be part of the consideration when judging this newest one, that the yet-unseen third volume will undoubtedly change what I originally thought of this middle one. It's a frustrating situation, but one I'll try to muddle through today; because make no mistake, this is a series that genre fans will definitely want to check out, and an individual chapter here that could very well garner a Hugo nomination next year (or at the least is no worse than any of the 2008 nominees, four of which I reviewed here at CCLaP earlier this year).
So let's start, then, with the fact that this is a massive "universe-building" style of project, one that like the "Star Trek universe" has its own insanely complicated history and entire glossary of made-up terms; those with an interest will want to see the 500-word recap of just this background alone that I wrote in my review for the first novel, 2006's Infoquake, or of course you can always stop by the official website for the series [multireal.net:], containing a veritable Tolkienian amount of backstory and supplemental essays and complicated timelines and the like, the entire site actually programmed and maintained by Edelman himself. (In fact, for those who don't know, Edelman is still more of a professional web designer during the day than a full-time author, a situation he is trying to change these days through massive touring and public appearances; Infoquake was in fact his first novel, a surprise Campbell Award nominee and the true definition of a "sleeper hit.")
In a nutshell, the series is set on an Earth several thousand years in the future from our own times, one that in our near-future sees first the rise of artificial intelligence and then an apocalyptic war against these smart machines; it led essentially to a Second Dark Age, a period of hundreds of years where the only societies that managed to hold together were violent, extremely conservative and religious ones, so dedicated to avoiding another machine war that all knowledge of modern science basically disappeared for centuries. What brings it all back, then, in a period known as "The Re-Awakening," is basically the rediscovery of the concepts behind free-market capitalism, which in their far-future society they treat with the same reverence as we do the ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans (The Enlightenment 2.0?); this is then specifically applied to a brand-new industry called bio/logics, the first time in a millennium that humanity has started building new computers and machines, designed this time not to replace natural human functions (which is what got them into such big trouble to begin with) but rather to enhance these functions, to help them along and fill in during weak spots. And that essentially breaks down into a three-tiered bio/logics industry, the whole thing an intriguing play on a democratic republic's checks and balances: there are the people who make the actual nanobots that run the system, billions of them that live inside your bloodstream at any moment; then the companies who develop all the software that run on these nanobots, hundreds of thousands of programs on the open market for everything from regulating heartbeat to changing the color of one's eyes; and then there is the governmental agency which maintains the objective medical databases concerning all this technology, and that publicly ensures all software on the market to be safe.
Last year's Infoquake, then, spent most of its time simply setting up this situation, told through the specific milieu of one of these thousands of entrepreneurial software companies, one owned by a Jason-Calacanis-type charming as-hole who goes by the name of Natch, along with all the underlings of his "fiefcorp," an organization which smartly combines the ideas of vested stock options with medieval apprenticeships. And then this finally gets us around to what volume two of the series is about; because what Natch ends up doing in book one is partnering with a mysterious world-renown scientist named Margaret Surina, a descendent of the original brilliant Sheldon Surina who invented bio/logics in the first place. Margaret, it turns out, has created her own brilliant new cutting-edge world-changing technology; it's called "MultiReal," and essentially (follow me here) lets a person use their bio/logics in order to shuffle through a million possible responses to a possible incoming situation, then choose just the specific set of motions or actions that would lead to the outcome you want. So, say, you're a football goalie, and someone's kicking the ball at you; you simply switch on your MultiReal (or, er, the software that's been designed to be used with MultiReal, that is), and you can suddenly dial through a million possible jumps and dives and other responses until you find the one where you save the day, and instruct your bio/logics to move your body in a split moment in that exact way that will let you catch the ball.
And in fact, if I can be a bit digressive for a moment, this is yet another proud tradition within mighty science-fiction epic trilogies, which Edelman is clearly guilty of as well; of the "science" part of the "science-fiction" being just a bit fuzzy, and with you basically having to squint at some of the details with half-closed eyes and not pay too much attention to them, else them suddenly making less and less rational sense. Because really, once you stop and really start thinking about it, there's no way a system like MultiReal could actually work in the way Edelman describes here; there'd be no way for the human brain to both rattle through a million possibilities in a microsecond and consciously choose one of those options and say to itself, "Yes, that's what I want to happen." Like other so-called "magic words" within the SF genre (Quantum! Singularity! Cyber Cyber Cyber!), it's best not to get caught up in the details of Edelman's bio/logics system, but rather do what he does and concentrate more on the overall story, more on the big ethical issues these sketchily-detailed breakthroughs would raise if they actually existed.
Because when it comes to all that, I'm happy to report that MultiReal is most decidedly a better-written novel than Infoquake, just as I prayed it would be in my original review; Edelman has for sure gotten better at dialogue, at creating arresting mental images, and in general on most of the building-block issues concerning literature that I most complained about last year with his first novel. And in fact, it's becoming clear that it's the painting of indelible visual images that Edelman naturally excels at, more than any other aspect of contemporary writing; I have to admit, for example, that his chapter describing the quasi-religious compound Andra Pradesh simply took my breath away at points, especially when describing the mile-high indoor atrium and glass elevator that zoomed swiftly into the loving hands of a giant concrete Sheldon Surina at the top, carved in bas-relief on the temple's ceiling. Man, talk about an image that will stick in your head for awhile.
There are still problems with this book, for sure; for one, like last time most of the characters are still coming off as too unlikable, which in turn makes the reader not care that much about their fates, which in turn makes the entire storyline a weaker one than it should be. And also, I have to admit, I wish that the dialogue on display here was even better than it currently is, although admittedly it's better than before, and in fact some people will undoubtedly argue with me over its quality in the first place; or to put it another way, I found a lot of the dialogue here on the same level as, say, a random episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I consider a slight insult while others would consider a slight compliment. (And of course will make some of you indignantly sit up a little straighter, frown, and say to your computer monitor, "What the f-ck is wrong with Buffy, Pettus?" Another time, dear reader, another time.) All in all, though, I have a...
All hail the mighty science-fiction epic trilogy! Bow and tremble before the mighty science-fiction epic trilogy! Because Lord knows, if you're a SF fan, it's not like you're going to be able to get away from the mighty science-fiction epic trilogy; there have been so many successful ones now, after all, starting with Star Wars and making your way down the financial chain, that they've become almost more of a staple within this particular genre than even standalone books. And there are some great things that come with this, of course, but also some complications, for both reader and reviewer: for example, like that you need to read book one of such trilogies before books two and three will fully make sense, that books one and two will never seem fully complete unless you read book three as well, and that in general the trilogy will eventually be judged as one related unit when it's finally all published, and that any review of an individual book within this series is ultimately a bit futile.
That said, I was lucky enough earlier this summer to receive a copy of David Louis Edelman's MultiReal, book two of his massive science-fiction epic trilogy "Jump 225;" and I did definitely want to do a write-up of it here, because I did definitely enjoy it quite a bit, even more than volume one which I reviewed here at CCLaP last year. But then this leads to the exact problems I just mentioned: that the first book simply must be part of the consideration when judging this newest one, that the yet-unseen third volume will undoubtedly change what I originally thought of this middle one. It's a frustrating situation, but one I'll try to muddle through today; because make no mistake, this is a series that genre fans will definitely want to check out, and an individual chapter here that could very well garner a Hugo nomination next year (or at the least is no worse than any of the 2008 nominees, four of which I reviewed here at CCLaP earlier this year).
So let's start, then, with the fact that this is a massive "universe-building" style of project, one that like the "Star Trek universe" has its own insanely complicated history and entire glossary of made-up terms; those with an interest will want to see the 500-word recap of just this background alone that I wrote in my review for the first novel, 2006's Infoquake, or of course you can always stop by the official website for the series [multireal.net:], containing a veritable Tolkienian amount of backstory and supplemental essays and complicated timelines and the like, the entire site actually programmed and maintained by Edelman himself. (In fact, for those who don't know, Edelman is still more of a professional web designer during the day than a full-time author, a situation he is trying to change these days through massive touring and public appearances; Infoquake was in fact his first novel, a surprise Campbell Award nominee and the true definition of a "sleeper hit.")
In a nutshell, the series is set on an Earth several thousand years in the future from our own times, one that in our near-future sees first the rise of artificial intelligence and then an apocalyptic war against these smart machines; it led essentially to a Second Dark Age, a period of hundreds of years where the only societies that managed to hold together were violent, extremely conservative and religious ones, so dedicated to avoiding another machine war that all knowledge of modern science basically disappeared for centuries. What brings it all back, then, in a period known as "The Re-Awakening," is basically the rediscovery of the concepts behind free-market capitalism, which in their far-future society they treat with the same reverence as we do the ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans (The Enlightenment 2.0?); this is then specifically applied to a brand-new industry called bio/logics, the first time in a millennium that humanity has started building new computers and machines, designed this time not to replace natural human functions (which is what got them into such big trouble to begin with) but rather to enhance these functions, to help them along and fill in during weak spots. And that essentially breaks down into a three-tiered bio/logics industry, the whole thing an intriguing play on a democratic republic's checks and balances: there are the people who make the actual nanobots that run the system, billions of them that live inside your bloodstream at any moment; then the companies who develop all the software that run on these nanobots, hundreds of thousands of programs on the open market for everything from regulating heartbeat to changing the color of one's eyes; and then there is the governmental agency which maintains the objective medical databases concerning all this technology, and that publicly ensures all software on the market to be safe.
Last year's Infoquake, then, spent most of its time simply setting up this situation, told through the specific milieu of one of these thousands of entrepreneurial software companies, one owned by a Jason-Calacanis-type charming as-hole who goes by the name of Natch, along with all the underlings of his "fiefcorp," an organization which smartly combines the ideas of vested stock options with medieval apprenticeships. And then this finally gets us around to what volume two of the series is about; because what Natch ends up doing in book one is partnering with a mysterious world-renown scientist named Margaret Surina, a descendent of the original brilliant Sheldon Surina who invented bio/logics in the first place. Margaret, it turns out, has created her own brilliant new cutting-edge world-changing technology; it's called "MultiReal," and essentially (follow me here) lets a person use their bio/logics in order to shuffle through a million possible responses to a possible incoming situation, then choose just the specific set of motions or actions that would lead to the outcome you want. So, say, you're a football goalie, and someone's kicking the ball at you; you simply switch on your MultiReal (or, er, the software that's been designed to be used with MultiReal, that is), and you can suddenly dial through a million possible jumps and dives and other responses until you find the one where you save the day, and instruct your bio/logics to move your body in a split moment in that exact way that will let you catch the ball.
And in fact, if I can be a bit digressive for a moment, this is yet another proud tradition within mighty science-fiction epic trilogies, which Edelman is clearly guilty of as well; of the "science" part of the "science-fiction" being just a bit fuzzy, and with you basically having to squint at some of the details with half-closed eyes and not pay too much attention to them, else them suddenly making less and less rational sense. Because really, once you stop and really start thinking about it, there's no way a system like MultiReal could actually work in the way Edelman describes here; there'd be no way for the human brain to both rattle through a million possibilities in a microsecond and consciously choose one of those options and say to itself, "Yes, that's what I want to happen." Like other so-called "magic words" within the SF genre (Quantum! Singularity! Cyber Cyber Cyber!), it's best not to get caught up in the details of Edelman's bio/logics system, but rather do what he does and concentrate more on the overall story, more on the big ethical issues these sketchily-detailed breakthroughs would raise if they actually existed.
Because when it comes to all that, I'm happy to report that MultiReal is most decidedly a better-written novel than Infoquake, just as I prayed it would be in my original review; Edelman has for sure gotten better at dialogue, at creating arresting mental images, and in general on most of the building-block issues concerning literature that I most complained about last year with his first novel. And in fact, it's becoming clear that it's the painting of indelible visual images that Edelman naturally excels at, more than any other aspect of contemporary writing; I have to admit, for example, that his chapter describing the quasi-religious compound Andra Pradesh simply took my breath away at points, especially when describing the mile-high indoor atrium and glass elevator that zoomed swiftly into the loving hands of a giant concrete Sheldon Surina at the top, carved in bas-relief on the temple's ceiling. Man, talk about an image that will stick in your head for awhile.
There are still problems with this book, for sure; for one, like last time most of the characters are still coming off as too unlikable, which in turn makes the reader not care that much about their fates, which in turn makes the entire storyline a weaker one than it should be. And also, I have to admit, I wish that the dialogue on display here was even better than it currently is, although admittedly it's better than before, and in fact some people will undoubtedly argue with me over its quality in the first place; or to put it another way, I found a lot of the dialogue here on the same level as, say, a random episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I consider a slight insult while others would consider a slight compliment. (And of course will make some of you indignantly sit up a little straighter, frown, and say to your computer monitor, "What the f-ck is wrong with Buffy, Pettus?" Another time, dear reader, another time.) All in all, though, I have a...
March 27, 2023
I thought you had to be able to see things to MultiReal them? I'm still confused how the core technology here works.
January 28, 2010
Review from my blog cybermage.se
If Infoquake was cyberpunk-business then Multireal is cyberpunk-politics.
I am afraid I didn’t like Multireal as much as Infoquake. Maybe it is suffering from sequel sickness. Everything was new and fresh in the first book. David Louis Edelman invented a whole new cyberpunk-business kind of science fiction with Infoquake.
Maybe it is the character’s helplessness. In Infoquake Natch and his team kicked the oppositions ass. Here the team crumbles, the Defense and Wellness Council foils them at every point, taking the fiefcorp from Natch, leaving Jara in charge. Natch himself only react. I am unhappy for Jara in this book, she was the only likable character in Infoquake, here she is more the object of others manipulation than being the actor herself, perfectly in line with the story mind you. But I liked the taking-charge Jara from the climax of Infoquake. I have hopes for her in the final book of the Jump 225 trilogy: Geosynchron.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a great story, but I am not happy about our protagonists.
At the center of the story is a new technology Multireal, that allows users to iterate through possible outcomes of an action and choosing the one with the preferred outcome. Used as a weapon in war or as a tool for oppression it would be unstoppable. Using it in everyday life would be a game changer of world shattering proportions. Infoquake introduced the technology and Multireal is about who should be in charge of it. The Defense and Wellness Council wants to suppress it and maybe use it to take control of society. Against them is Natch and his tiny fiefcorp, Natch is not totally defenseless, he ruthlessly uses both friend and foes, not stopping at worldwide insurrection to archive his goals. He also have Margaret Surinas, the inventor of Multireal, legacy on his side.
There are other players behind the scene and by it’s side. The world is about to change and Luddite groups are on the march, increasing their attacks. Then there is old enemies. Natch have gone through life making enemy after enemy and never looking back. Now when he is playing for higher stakes than ever, those enemies will come back to haunt him.
There are no space battles in this book but there is a firefight of epic proportions. And the twists and turns the story takes are as interesting and thrilling as any space opera.
One of David’s strong point is the world building, he creates a believable and complex future world. With well thought out institutions, government and technology as are further explained in the appendixes to the book.
Multireal is the middle book in a truly epic trilogy and if you are seriously into science fiction you should read it and it’s prequel Infoquake because it is a game changer.
If Infoquake was cyberpunk-business then Multireal is cyberpunk-politics.
I am afraid I didn’t like Multireal as much as Infoquake. Maybe it is suffering from sequel sickness. Everything was new and fresh in the first book. David Louis Edelman invented a whole new cyberpunk-business kind of science fiction with Infoquake.
Maybe it is the character’s helplessness. In Infoquake Natch and his team kicked the oppositions ass. Here the team crumbles, the Defense and Wellness Council foils them at every point, taking the fiefcorp from Natch, leaving Jara in charge. Natch himself only react. I am unhappy for Jara in this book, she was the only likable character in Infoquake, here she is more the object of others manipulation than being the actor herself, perfectly in line with the story mind you. But I liked the taking-charge Jara from the climax of Infoquake. I have hopes for her in the final book of the Jump 225 trilogy: Geosynchron.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a great story, but I am not happy about our protagonists.
At the center of the story is a new technology Multireal, that allows users to iterate through possible outcomes of an action and choosing the one with the preferred outcome. Used as a weapon in war or as a tool for oppression it would be unstoppable. Using it in everyday life would be a game changer of world shattering proportions. Infoquake introduced the technology and Multireal is about who should be in charge of it. The Defense and Wellness Council wants to suppress it and maybe use it to take control of society. Against them is Natch and his tiny fiefcorp, Natch is not totally defenseless, he ruthlessly uses both friend and foes, not stopping at worldwide insurrection to archive his goals. He also have Margaret Surinas, the inventor of Multireal, legacy on his side.
There are other players behind the scene and by it’s side. The world is about to change and Luddite groups are on the march, increasing their attacks. Then there is old enemies. Natch have gone through life making enemy after enemy and never looking back. Now when he is playing for higher stakes than ever, those enemies will come back to haunt him.
There are no space battles in this book but there is a firefight of epic proportions. And the twists and turns the story takes are as interesting and thrilling as any space opera.
One of David’s strong point is the world building, he creates a believable and complex future world. With well thought out institutions, government and technology as are further explained in the appendixes to the book.
Multireal is the middle book in a truly epic trilogy and if you are seriously into science fiction you should read it and it’s prequel Infoquake because it is a game changer.
July 23, 2014
Excellent follow up to Infoquake. Picks up where Infoquake ends and focuses on the multi-sided battle for control of the new and potentially world changing MultiReal technology - for better or worse depending on who controls it and whose point of view you take.
Natch is still up to his old tricks and is one step ahead of most of his enemies, but can he stay one step ahead of his presumed allies?
Jara struggles to keep the Natch/Surina fiefcorp together and do "the right thing" - but what exactly is the right thing?
The leaders of the world are in-fighting as well as trying to keep upstarts at bay, while in the shadows obscure participants move.
I really loved MultiReal though it took me a little to get into it since it's been two years since Infoquake and the wonderful and very well drawn world of Natch, Jara and bio-logic programming is quite complex. There are lots of appendixes about it though so you can refresh your memory without opening your copy of Infoquake. The table is set for an exciting finish to the trilogy in the third volume.
Highly, highly recommended
Natch is still up to his old tricks and is one step ahead of most of his enemies, but can he stay one step ahead of his presumed allies?
Jara struggles to keep the Natch/Surina fiefcorp together and do "the right thing" - but what exactly is the right thing?
The leaders of the world are in-fighting as well as trying to keep upstarts at bay, while in the shadows obscure participants move.
I really loved MultiReal though it took me a little to get into it since it's been two years since Infoquake and the wonderful and very well drawn world of Natch, Jara and bio-logic programming is quite complex. There are lots of appendixes about it though so you can refresh your memory without opening your copy of Infoquake. The table is set for an exciting finish to the trilogy in the third volume.
Highly, highly recommended
December 19, 2021
An enjoyable and thought-provoking romp through a universe only slightly temporally beyond where we find ourselves. A complementary read for tose enjoying Apple's For All Mankind. Similarly, the USSR managed to send manned space discovery well beyond the moon and the edges of our known solar system. However, mystery surrounds the eventual outcome of the mission. In the not too distant future, the US sends a deep space team to investigate, and the tale plays out on many levels in a well-told mystery novel that explores life, meaning, and humanity as we know it.
Chiles presents a thoroughly believable, rich, and engaging imagining of what might be found, how humans might react, and the emotional limitations of our conception of reality.
Frozen Orbit is not a fast-paced thriller but more of an intellectual provocation that tells a measured story, gradually revealing and patiently explaining the basis of what is transpiring. It keeps you gripped, makes you think - entertaining and enlightening.
Chiles presents a thoroughly believable, rich, and engaging imagining of what might be found, how humans might react, and the emotional limitations of our conception of reality.
Frozen Orbit is not a fast-paced thriller but more of an intellectual provocation that tells a measured story, gradually revealing and patiently explaining the basis of what is transpiring. It keeps you gripped, makes you think - entertaining and enlightening.
September 14, 2021
I really wanted to like this book. It's a novel from a new obscure sci-fi author; I love trying this kind of stuff out. Sadly, it didn't work too well this time. The best comparison I can think of is a so-bad-it's-almost-good Netflix show called Another Life.
The characters in this book are all over the place. They're not traditional sci-fi cardboard cutouts; that would be better. These characters are confused and confusing and don't make sense. Kind of like the logical progression of ideas within this book. A lot of the ideas are cool, and I'd love to see them expanded, but they're thrown together in a hodge-podge. Artificial intelligence, alien life, sexuality, half a dozen forms of philosophy, financial collapse, etc. There's just so much thrown against the wall that not much sticks. But like I alluded to in the first paragraph... it's kind of a fun mess to watch. For the most part I'm not offended and a couple parts really did make me think.
But overall, it's a bit of mess. Maybe I'm just being too harsh here. Either way, I'm giving it two stars for 'not horrible.'
The characters in this book are all over the place. They're not traditional sci-fi cardboard cutouts; that would be better. These characters are confused and confusing and don't make sense. Kind of like the logical progression of ideas within this book. A lot of the ideas are cool, and I'd love to see them expanded, but they're thrown together in a hodge-podge. Artificial intelligence, alien life, sexuality, half a dozen forms of philosophy, financial collapse, etc. There's just so much thrown against the wall that not much sticks. But like I alluded to in the first paragraph... it's kind of a fun mess to watch. For the most part I'm not offended and a couple parts really did make me think.
But overall, it's a bit of mess. Maybe I'm just being too harsh here. Either way, I'm giving it two stars for 'not horrible.'
June 5, 2017
Easily a 4.5 but the roundup seemed necessary.
Where can Natch be? That is the question you'll be making to yourself as you read the second book in the series. Natch keeps running from everyone as he needs to keep the Defense and Wellness Council at bay.
The second volume in the series and David Louis Edelman keeps tying us in knots at the fate of the Natch/Surina fief corp. The Defense and Wellness Council has now sent its top hunter Lieutenant Executive Megan Kei Lee. Lee has no brakes and plays by no earthly rules. Immediately suspending all the Fiefcorp members licenses and making life a living nightmare for Natch. Nothing is what you expect and at every turn new dangers.
But its not just Natch's enemies that make things tougher. Natch gets into the act and figures a couple of things on his own. The Surina's are also at it and MultiReal is in deep danger.
I really want to read the next book right now.
Where can Natch be? That is the question you'll be making to yourself as you read the second book in the series. Natch keeps running from everyone as he needs to keep the Defense and Wellness Council at bay.
The second volume in the series and David Louis Edelman keeps tying us in knots at the fate of the Natch/Surina fief corp. The Defense and Wellness Council has now sent its top hunter Lieutenant Executive Megan Kei Lee. Lee has no brakes and plays by no earthly rules. Immediately suspending all the Fiefcorp members licenses and making life a living nightmare for Natch. Nothing is what you expect and at every turn new dangers.
But its not just Natch's enemies that make things tougher. Natch gets into the act and figures a couple of things on his own. The Surina's are also at it and MultiReal is in deep danger.
I really want to read the next book right now.
April 29, 2021
This tale is about a near future (2030’s?) voyage to Pluto, told with hard science sensibility but with a mainstream accessible style. It evokes Weir’s “The Martian” and Clarke’s “2010”, but it is definitely it’s own animal and not trying to be either of those. Still - if you like both those books, chances are very good you’ll dig this one. I’ve had a tough time lately finding a novel I could sink my teeth into, with a lot of aborted starts. So this literary trip was a refreshing change as it engaged me early and often.
I don't want to say much more as the book has a few layers or surprise to it. Suffice to say if you enjoy well-done stories of near future solar system exploration, this book deserves your attention. Nifty Eggleton cover, to boot.
I don't want to say much more as the book has a few layers or surprise to it. Suffice to say if you enjoy well-done stories of near future solar system exploration, this book deserves your attention. Nifty Eggleton cover, to boot.
January 27, 2020
Good characterization with a very nice build up in the plot right up until the end. The American monetary systems crashes and it is a throw away line to justify leaving the ship and what it found where they are. An unmentioned (till the book's finale) character takes over NASA to justify all this. An astronaut is injured at the end of the book giving the characters a reason to take the big ship and its discovery back but that's not what happens!?! The main character is going to take the big discovery out into deep space why?!? No real resolution to where the big discovery came from or why it is out there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2023
Frozen orbit 32p/h 325p 3.7h 64%
p208
Stalled here. May not finish. Lots of russian diary entries and philosophical discussions on ship. Very different from Perigee/Farside/Frontier. What did Stephen King say about theme overwhelming story?
...Ok, I forced my way to the end. I was more interested in the threat to one of the characters than the overall plot itself. It's a different kind of book. If you're more interested in politics and science, it could be for you. I'm surprised this came from Baen, and with this cover. You would think it would be more of a vintage scifi entertainment.
p208
Stalled here. May not finish. Lots of russian diary entries and philosophical discussions on ship. Very different from Perigee/Farside/Frontier. What did Stephen King say about theme overwhelming story?
...Ok, I forced my way to the end. I was more interested in the threat to one of the characters than the overall plot itself. It's a different kind of book. If you're more interested in politics and science, it could be for you. I'm surprised this came from Baen, and with this cover. You would think it would be more of a vintage scifi entertainment.
February 1, 2021
best written space book i have read in along time
February 2, 2021
Best Read
It captivated my interests from the beginning.
I enjoyed the thread which went throughout the book.
I can see why Mr. Child's is such a great author.
It captivated my interests from the beginning.
I enjoyed the thread which went throughout the book.
I can see why Mr. Child's is such a great author.
July 23, 2025
The description of this book on goodreads differs greatly from the book I’ve just given up on. To be clear, it’s a book about an expedition to Pluto following up on a Soviet mission that had been covered up from 30 years prior. The book is similar to The Martian in a lot of ways, but I personally found it less amusing, less engaging, and the female characters less well-written. Though I suppose it’s better that they were much more present. To clarify, I didn’t hate this book. A lot of it was small annoyances and just some boredom that eventually built up and convinced me to give up around halfway through.
November 19, 2025
I enjoyed this take on two superpowers having to work together to reach the outer planets of our solar system to find and retrieve a top-secret space project, launched decades before. The science portions were good, not over-the-top difficult, to understand. The characters were interesting, but I would have liked more readable interaction. I was surprised by some of the philosophical conversations and the ending- not what I expected. I was hoping for a different outcome.
May 26, 2021
I'm even less sure what the heck is going on here. The logic of this series is falling apart.
Also, why is this trilogy called Jump 225? I think it was mentioned once in book one in a sentence, but it never explained what it was.
I'll give it four stars because it held my interest, but it's closer to 3.5 due to plot holes.
Also, why is this trilogy called Jump 225? I think it was mentioned once in book one in a sentence, but it never explained what it was.
I'll give it four stars because it held my interest, but it's closer to 3.5 due to plot holes.
October 1, 2024
While I enjoyed the first in the series and was looking forward to this book, this one was a bit of a let down. The Brone character becomes even more of a caricature, the idea that Natch just rides the train a lot gets more unlikely, and that the nature of Multireal is de facto AI based is avoided. Also too many references to contemporary present, as if these characters would know anything about it. A lot of false notes, and a lot of empty dialogue and incomplete scene setting. Still going to finish the series though.
January 21, 2019
Read this sequel many years after the first and that made for a poor read. It was 350 pages of inbetweenisode without substantial plot. Then 100 pages of real story. Characters were not very likable across the board. Great nuggets of visionary sci-fi but few and far between.
September 18, 2025
Really 3 1/2 stars. A good hard SF adventure novel set in the solar system with a rather unique plot in my experience. Unfortunately the author is quite patriarchal in his man and woman interactions which I'm not surprised given who published it. Nevertheless I still plan to read the sequel.
October 29, 2022
pacing problems make it feel longer, otherwise 4 stars.
October 8, 2025
Sure wish there was a higher star rating, because I would give this one a 12 !!
June 27, 2025
I am constantly looking for interesting new science fiction books. And one of my sources for inspiration is going back through (relatively recent) monthly lists of new releases - and it was on one of those lists that I found Frozen Orbit, the first book in the Eccentric Orbits series by Patrick Chiles.
With the first book released in 2020, this isn’t a brand new release anymore, which had the advantage of being able to read parts one and two in one go - now the wait is on for a very likely third volume to the series. And while part 2 was much weaker (and far more more predictable) than part 1, both books were strong enough to make it worth waiting for book 3.
The first book in the series, Frozen Orbit, builds on a fascinating premise: Apparently, in the Perestroika era, the Soviet Union launched a manned space craft on a deep space mission to Pluto without anybody else noticing. It is only in today’s world, that American researchers discover a trace of the old Soviet craft on pictures captured by the (unmanned) New Horizon mission and subsequently launch a crewed mission of their own with the goal of discovering the secrets of the Russian mission as well as finally exploring Pluto. What follows is a (long) trip through space in a proper hard science-fiction format (including a play-by-play review of a refueling fly-by of Europa) coupled with a hint of a cold war spy thriller as astronaut Jack Templeton reads through the diary of the commander of the long dead Soviet ship. And as the mission finally reaches Pluto, additional discoveries await setting the scene for book two.
Escape Orbit, book two of the series, is set a few years after the events in book one. For a long time now, Jack appears to have been lost in space on a solo mission to find the mysterious Planet X while his fellow crew members from book one are back on earth. As Jack suddenly re-connects with Earth, his former crew members struggle to get a rescue mission up and running again an increasingly hostile NASA bureaucracy. Ultimately, only his former crew member, Traci Keene, launches on a privately funded solo mission to reconnect with Jack and to continue their exploration of the outer parts of the solar system and the universe beyond.
The Eccentric Orbits series is a bit of a mixed bag: A curious premise (a long lost Soviet space ship deep in space), a fascinating journey through space and unexpected discoveries await the reader. All of this is packaged for the reader in (so far) two solid hard science fiction novels. As is typical for this sub-genre, the characters lack real depth: Patrick Chiles tries hard to create tension into the affairs of the crew and to add a background story on earth to add to the overall storyline. But those elements fall flat. His characters are wooden, his depiction of Earth’s politics reads like the collection of stereotypes (as seen through the eyes of an adventurous explorer), and his description of the aftermath of a severe worldwide economic crisis is superfluous at best (and actually quite annoying). The underlying storyline, however, is good. While the books don’t bring any new ideas to the genre, they make for very solid entertainment. Nothing more, but nothing less either. Here’s to waiting for book three.
For more sci-fi reviews (and to get them before they make their way here), check out my Futureboy Substack where you will find the original version of this review.
With the first book released in 2020, this isn’t a brand new release anymore, which had the advantage of being able to read parts one and two in one go - now the wait is on for a very likely third volume to the series. And while part 2 was much weaker (and far more more predictable) than part 1, both books were strong enough to make it worth waiting for book 3.
The first book in the series, Frozen Orbit, builds on a fascinating premise: Apparently, in the Perestroika era, the Soviet Union launched a manned space craft on a deep space mission to Pluto without anybody else noticing. It is only in today’s world, that American researchers discover a trace of the old Soviet craft on pictures captured by the (unmanned) New Horizon mission and subsequently launch a crewed mission of their own with the goal of discovering the secrets of the Russian mission as well as finally exploring Pluto. What follows is a (long) trip through space in a proper hard science-fiction format (including a play-by-play review of a refueling fly-by of Europa) coupled with a hint of a cold war spy thriller as astronaut Jack Templeton reads through the diary of the commander of the long dead Soviet ship. And as the mission finally reaches Pluto, additional discoveries await setting the scene for book two.
Escape Orbit, book two of the series, is set a few years after the events in book one. For a long time now, Jack appears to have been lost in space on a solo mission to find the mysterious Planet X while his fellow crew members from book one are back on earth. As Jack suddenly re-connects with Earth, his former crew members struggle to get a rescue mission up and running again an increasingly hostile NASA bureaucracy. Ultimately, only his former crew member, Traci Keene, launches on a privately funded solo mission to reconnect with Jack and to continue their exploration of the outer parts of the solar system and the universe beyond.
The Eccentric Orbits series is a bit of a mixed bag: A curious premise (a long lost Soviet space ship deep in space), a fascinating journey through space and unexpected discoveries await the reader. All of this is packaged for the reader in (so far) two solid hard science fiction novels. As is typical for this sub-genre, the characters lack real depth: Patrick Chiles tries hard to create tension into the affairs of the crew and to add a background story on earth to add to the overall storyline. But those elements fall flat. His characters are wooden, his depiction of Earth’s politics reads like the collection of stereotypes (as seen through the eyes of an adventurous explorer), and his description of the aftermath of a severe worldwide economic crisis is superfluous at best (and actually quite annoying). The underlying storyline, however, is good. While the books don’t bring any new ideas to the genre, they make for very solid entertainment. Nothing more, but nothing less either. Here’s to waiting for book three.
For more sci-fi reviews (and to get them before they make their way here), check out my Futureboy Substack where you will find the original version of this review.
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