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This Weightless World
A literary debut subverting classic sci-fi tropes set in gentrified Chicago, Silicon Valley, and across the vastness of the cosmos.
From the streets of gentrified Chicago, to the tech boom corridors of Silicon Valley, This Weightless World follows a revolving cast of characters after alien contact upends their lives.
We are introduced to Sevi, a burned-out music teacher desperate for connection; Ramona, his on-again, off-again computer programmer girlfriend; and Sevi's cello protégé Eason, struggling with the closure of his high school; after a mysterious signal arrives from outer space. When the signal--at first seen as a sign of hope--stops as abruptly as it started, they are all forced to reckon with its aftermath. In San Francisco, Sevi fights to find meaning in rekindled love; and Ramona-determined to build an AI to prevent mankind's self-destruction-begins to feel the weight of past mistakes. And in Chicago, Eason measures his commitment to an estranged childhood friend against the chance of escaping neighborhood troubles.
A dazzling deconstruction of science fiction tropes, This Weightless World looks to the past for a vision of the future.
From the streets of gentrified Chicago, to the tech boom corridors of Silicon Valley, This Weightless World follows a revolving cast of characters after alien contact upends their lives.
We are introduced to Sevi, a burned-out music teacher desperate for connection; Ramona, his on-again, off-again computer programmer girlfriend; and Sevi's cello protégé Eason, struggling with the closure of his high school; after a mysterious signal arrives from outer space. When the signal--at first seen as a sign of hope--stops as abruptly as it started, they are all forced to reckon with its aftermath. In San Francisco, Sevi fights to find meaning in rekindled love; and Ramona-determined to build an AI to prevent mankind's self-destruction-begins to feel the weight of past mistakes. And in Chicago, Eason measures his commitment to an estranged childhood friend against the chance of escaping neighborhood troubles.
A dazzling deconstruction of science fiction tropes, This Weightless World looks to the past for a vision of the future.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 9, 2021
83 people are currently reading
3051 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 4, 2022
I feel like I’m just being a hater now. Especially since this book only has a total of 70 reviews, I hope the author never reads this, even though chances are high. If so, hey Mr. Soto! Writing a book is a phenomenal accomplishment, and you should be proud of that! Now please kindly log off the Goodreads website and make yourself a nice green tea and do a facemask or something. I’m about to say rude things, some unwarranted and some completely warranted.
After watching the movie Don’t Look Up, I was really looking forward to trying out some other media that would be able to delve in to the more science-y aspects of a comet crashing into Earth and ending all life as we know it. That was strike #1 for me. I saw this book in Barnes & Noble and bought it because the cover looked like a traveling comet that was bound to destroy our lovely home. I admit that it was my fault for not actually reading the summary on the inside flap, so to enlighten you all, this was actually about humans making alien contact with a planet named Omni that was going to cross paths with Earth. No destruction necessary. As I started reading the novel and realized my mistake, I thought to myself that it was fine. As long as I get those good good science elements. Strike #2. This book was like 10% sci, and 90% fi – percentages are estimates. God, was I disappointed.
And in strike #3 I will list every single other grievance that I had with this book. Just to clarify, strike #3 is not my fault as the reader, it is the author’s. I am incredibly upset with Mr. Soto for providing me with such lovable characters and doing absolutely nothing with them for the span of 292 pages. In those passages that would so accurately describe feelings of love or loneliness, I felt like I was falling in love with these printed words on paper. Yet, it would end just like that. These relationships that were established between the characters would receive no further depth, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps. I also saw a similar thing happen with the plot. We would jump from point to point without elaboration. Although this may be effective in some instances, I think we missed out on a lot of great character development because Soto refused to tackle some of the more difficult conversations. And every political take was weak. Or centrist. Take an actual stand on something (or make a character take an actual stand on something) if you’re gonna make it political!
I think the point of this book is another “aw humanity <3. The world is such a great place to be. Live laugh love while you’re alive! The birds and worms are all special too. Appreciate them!” But it was somehow difficult for me to get to this conclusion with certainty. Real quick: another thing I want to bring up that I feel was just thrown in as a cute little Easter egg were the passages from secondary characters in between the main storyline. I personally found little motive in including that. While they were fun to read, I don’t feel like they pushed the novel forward at all. I didn’t like this. Writing was good sometimes, but as a whole, it was lackluster. This was bad. I’m sorry.
After watching the movie Don’t Look Up, I was really looking forward to trying out some other media that would be able to delve in to the more science-y aspects of a comet crashing into Earth and ending all life as we know it. That was strike #1 for me. I saw this book in Barnes & Noble and bought it because the cover looked like a traveling comet that was bound to destroy our lovely home. I admit that it was my fault for not actually reading the summary on the inside flap, so to enlighten you all, this was actually about humans making alien contact with a planet named Omni that was going to cross paths with Earth. No destruction necessary. As I started reading the novel and realized my mistake, I thought to myself that it was fine. As long as I get those good good science elements. Strike #2. This book was like 10% sci, and 90% fi – percentages are estimates. God, was I disappointed.
And in strike #3 I will list every single other grievance that I had with this book. Just to clarify, strike #3 is not my fault as the reader, it is the author’s. I am incredibly upset with Mr. Soto for providing me with such lovable characters and doing absolutely nothing with them for the span of 292 pages. In those passages that would so accurately describe feelings of love or loneliness, I felt like I was falling in love with these printed words on paper. Yet, it would end just like that. These relationships that were established between the characters would receive no further depth, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps. I also saw a similar thing happen with the plot. We would jump from point to point without elaboration. Although this may be effective in some instances, I think we missed out on a lot of great character development because Soto refused to tackle some of the more difficult conversations. And every political take was weak. Or centrist. Take an actual stand on something (or make a character take an actual stand on something) if you’re gonna make it political!
I think the point of this book is another “aw humanity <3. The world is such a great place to be. Live laugh love while you’re alive! The birds and worms are all special too. Appreciate them!” But it was somehow difficult for me to get to this conclusion with certainty. Real quick: another thing I want to bring up that I feel was just thrown in as a cute little Easter egg were the passages from secondary characters in between the main storyline. I personally found little motive in including that. While they were fun to read, I don’t feel like they pushed the novel forward at all. I didn’t like this. Writing was good sometimes, but as a whole, it was lackluster. This was bad. I’m sorry.
July 8, 2021
Big ups to NetGalley for the ARC.
This is the book you write when you've spent too much time in writing programs, academia, and fellowships. Every sentence is pristine, every paragraph features a tortured simile, every political discussion can't help but veer into myopic, academic verbiage. In fact, every political position left of "moderate" is deconstructed, examined, criticized, undercut, and complicated. There are some insightful points being made about the current political discourse, but Soto's insistence on using every character as a political mouthpiece for his Twitter commentary gets very tiring.
It's a shame, too, because Soto has composed some fascinating characters worth following. He grants them all complex, contradictory beliefs and desires; tenderness is extended to everyone who shows up in this novel. However, they are rarely in motion, and if they are in motion, it happens off-screen, except for an excruciatingly predictable scene involving a police officer. A conversation counts as major excitement for these characters. Typically, Soto tells us what character is thinking and feeling in summary, and for every insight provided, he insists upon a convoluted proclamation about their being, seemingly to impress his MFA peers.
Check it out if you like long, political Twitter threads, maybe skip it if you're a plot-based creature.
This is the book you write when you've spent too much time in writing programs, academia, and fellowships. Every sentence is pristine, every paragraph features a tortured simile, every political discussion can't help but veer into myopic, academic verbiage. In fact, every political position left of "moderate" is deconstructed, examined, criticized, undercut, and complicated. There are some insightful points being made about the current political discourse, but Soto's insistence on using every character as a political mouthpiece for his Twitter commentary gets very tiring.
It's a shame, too, because Soto has composed some fascinating characters worth following. He grants them all complex, contradictory beliefs and desires; tenderness is extended to everyone who shows up in this novel. However, they are rarely in motion, and if they are in motion, it happens off-screen, except for an excruciatingly predictable scene involving a police officer. A conversation counts as major excitement for these characters. Typically, Soto tells us what character is thinking and feeling in summary, and for every insight provided, he insists upon a convoluted proclamation about their being, seemingly to impress his MFA peers.
Check it out if you like long, political Twitter threads, maybe skip it if you're a plot-based creature.
July 22, 2021
This was an interesting and strangely enjoyable read for me. I’m not entirely sure I understood everything the author was going for but I liked the multiple characters viewpoints and also how this had a quite personal level that could be broadened to just being human. The story basically begins when a signal is heard from a distant planet called Omni. It’s a planet wide game changer apparently. The main earth based characters revolve around Sevi, a cellist and teacher in Chicago. His ex girlfriend Ramona works for Google on AI and has moved to San Francisco. Eason is Sevi’s student, and gifted musician. Another main thread of the story and probably the bit I liked the most was the astronaut, He Zhen, on the way to Omni. In conversation with the AI on board, stories are told, history, nature and humanity are all explored. I enjoyed the writing and the story comes together well. It’s both sad and hopeful in the end.
June 9, 2024
2.0 Stars
I had high hopes for this one. I have previously loved books with similar setups surrounding Silicon Valley life. The sci fi part made me hope this one would give me vibes of XX by Rian Hughes.
Ultimately, it let me down. It read like a piece of contemporary fiction and a very average one, at that. The characters and plot were just quite flat and did not live up to the potential at all.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I had high hopes for this one. I have previously loved books with similar setups surrounding Silicon Valley life. The sci fi part made me hope this one would give me vibes of XX by Rian Hughes.
Ultimately, it let me down. It read like a piece of contemporary fiction and a very average one, at that. The characters and plot were just quite flat and did not live up to the potential at all.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
August 15, 2021
4.5 stars, with the strong potential for a rating increase the longer I sit and think with this book.
On January 1, 2012, we learned that we were not alone in the universe. Signals from a planet called Omni, 75 light years away, have reached Earth. This Weightless World follows main characters music teacher Sevi Del Toro, his Google-employed programmer girlfriend Romona, and his cello protege Eason, through life in the aftermath of this great awakening. Prior to the discovery of Omni, Ramona had relocated from Chicago to California for her work for Google, and her relationship with Sevi had fizzled. But Omni rekindles a euphoric and carefree love, and Sevi quits his teaching job (as the public schools are closing down around him in favor of Charters anyway) and moves to California as well, leaving Eason, a young Black teenager, without his music-loving role model. Insets from different timelines punctuate the novel, transporting our perspective. At times dark and introspective and at times elated and almost delirious, This Weightless World is a book that will make you pause and think about existence: human, alien, and AI. Packed with tidbits of knowledge strung together by character development it’s about the impact on relationships, philosophy when one truth changes everything - a signal from another planet knowing we are not alone in the universe.
This Weightless World can best be described as literary science fiction, with deeply beautiful and thoughtful writing. At times it reminded me of Arthur C Clarke, Ursula K Le Guin, and occasionally Philip K Dick in tone. Slow in pace, I found myself circling back to highlight passages and pausing often to think between sections. This novel isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy slow, character based, introspective classic science fiction like I do, this is the book for you.
On January 1, 2012, we learned that we were not alone in the universe. Signals from a planet called Omni, 75 light years away, have reached Earth. This Weightless World follows main characters music teacher Sevi Del Toro, his Google-employed programmer girlfriend Romona, and his cello protege Eason, through life in the aftermath of this great awakening. Prior to the discovery of Omni, Ramona had relocated from Chicago to California for her work for Google, and her relationship with Sevi had fizzled. But Omni rekindles a euphoric and carefree love, and Sevi quits his teaching job (as the public schools are closing down around him in favor of Charters anyway) and moves to California as well, leaving Eason, a young Black teenager, without his music-loving role model. Insets from different timelines punctuate the novel, transporting our perspective. At times dark and introspective and at times elated and almost delirious, This Weightless World is a book that will make you pause and think about existence: human, alien, and AI. Packed with tidbits of knowledge strung together by character development it’s about the impact on relationships, philosophy when one truth changes everything - a signal from another planet knowing we are not alone in the universe.
This Weightless World can best be described as literary science fiction, with deeply beautiful and thoughtful writing. At times it reminded me of Arthur C Clarke, Ursula K Le Guin, and occasionally Philip K Dick in tone. Slow in pace, I found myself circling back to highlight passages and pausing often to think between sections. This novel isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy slow, character based, introspective classic science fiction like I do, this is the book for you.
April 13, 2021
I love a story that dances around a major event (Leave the World Behind with the apocalypse, anyone?) and this did not disappoint. There are a lot of works out there about First Contact, but This Weightless World knocks it out of the park when it comes to viewing the events impact on the every day person. Sure, Ramona carries more 'main character' energy that kind of throws off that vibe, but it works and ties it together without being thrown in your face.
The only drawback to this story is the fact that it feels paced a little slow - but that's not a HUGE drawback considering what I did like about this. I really would love to read more books like This Weightless World.
Thank you to NetGalley, Astra House, and Adam Soto for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I also really like the cover even though I didn't at first? idk
The only drawback to this story is the fact that it feels paced a little slow - but that's not a HUGE drawback considering what I did like about this. I really would love to read more books like This Weightless World.
Thank you to NetGalley, Astra House, and Adam Soto for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 15, 2021
Received this as a free Giveaway book. I have no idea what is going on in this book. Supposed to be Science Fiction but all I got out of it was a scrambled brain. Makes no sense to me at all. Good Lord it was terrible.
October 6, 2021
I almost marked this as historical fiction but then I was like, "what are you doing, 2011 wasn't THAT long ago, right!?" So no, I suppose this isn't truly historical fiction, though it takes place in the (recent) past. And that's all I will say about this book right now, as I have a mixed response to it and I'm not sure how I feel. I wouldn't classify this as science fiction, though, and not because it's literary, but because there really isn't that much science fiction in it, except for one section involving an astronaut that I wish had been in the book more.
March 30, 2024
2.5 stars
Just really didn’t know what was going on and how it was all connected (if it is??). I kept trying to connect the dots and it was not explained very well and names changed so it was hard to keep track.
Ramona and Sevi both suck. Both characters were bad and their relationship was worse. Wish they talked about Eason more and where his future lead.
Not sure what the lady is space was about
Not sure what ends up with Ramona and Sevi.
Just don’t get the point of any of the story
Just really didn’t know what was going on and how it was all connected (if it is??). I kept trying to connect the dots and it was not explained very well and names changed so it was hard to keep track.
Ramona and Sevi both suck. Both characters were bad and their relationship was worse. Wish they talked about Eason more and where his future lead.
Not sure what the lady is space was about
Not sure what ends up with Ramona and Sevi.
Just don’t get the point of any of the story
December 31, 2021
So much of sci-fi is focused around what happens when the world changes, so it's an interesting question of what happens if we get the signal that there's life outside of Earth and nothing changes? I loved how the characters play off one another to highlight their own tragic flaws, the contours of the different urban landscapes, the fullness of each character's storyline.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
January 12, 2022
Some here have called this "literary fiction." It sure doesn't read like very many of the almost 2000 sci-fi books I have read. But yes, there were some, and they were called "literary" too. I didn't finish them either.
Do not take this to mean that this is a bad book. I make no judgement. It just didn't engage me.
Do not take this to mean that this is a bad book. I make no judgement. It just didn't engage me.
May 16, 2021
The Good: Empathetic characters trying to help after alien contact; an AI that "saves" humanity
The Bad: Light on plot and scifi
The Literary: Multiple POVs, alternating timelines; Italo Calvino, The Grapes of Wrath, Les Miserables, and many more that comment on the human situation
SETI begins to receive a message from Omni-7xc, a planet 75 light years away, confirming extraterrestrial life. As the news unfolds, Sevi, a high school music teacher, answers the phone when his on-again, off-again computer-programmer girlfriend Ramona calls, and they pick up their relationship where they left off. The school where Sevi teaches closes, and his favorite music student struggles to find his place in the world.
This Weightless World sounds like scifi, but it's more interested in exploring the struggles of humanity. Once I accepted this story as more literary than scifi and settled into the sad intellectual monologues about how we humans are mostly terrible, I enjoyed this one a lot more. So since you know the themes are much bigger than the plot, I'll spoil a little. The signal from space is constant, and as scientists begin to decode it humanity's infighting stops as we begin to turn our perspectives outward. Things seem optimistic. Then, the signal abruptly stops, and we fall back into our old patterns.
Nearly all the characters revolve around Sevi, each with their own cares and motivations, all of whom really come to life. Sevi, the burned-out music teacher who regrets many of his life decisions, is primarily looking for a small slice of happiness and connection by trying to make it work with Ramona. Ramona works long hours coding on a special AI program at Google, one that's designed to steer users to make decisions based on what the AI deems necessary for human survival. The only student with whom Sevi remains in contact after the high school closes is Eason, a young man who wrestles with the choice of selling drugs to help a friend or trying to leave his neighborhood and pursue classical music. Then there's Sevi's brother, Samson, who neglects all his relationships to follow the next humanitarian crusade, this time to Syria. There are two more POV characters, one in the past, and one in the future, who provide wonderful bookends, but I'll let you experience those for yourself.
Everybody in this story is trying their best to make the world a better place in their own way, often disagreeing on the best path forward. But what they all have in common with each other and the reader is that they all hit an empathy wall. The world is too big and they can only do so much, and I'd argue, are forgiven by the reader.
As the world moves around him, Sevi notes and comments on gentrification, cops shooting black people, the coral reefs dying, separating art from the artist, aging parents, music as powerful as medicine or language, being the only brown person in your friend group, and consciousness as self, to name a few. But most importantly, this book reinforces the idea that we love to think that something will come along at the perfect time to solve all of the problems we ourselves created.
Highly recommended for idealistic and compassionate readers who enjoy scifi and fantasy that reflects on the nature of human empathy surrounding a world-changing event. See Cloud Atlas, 1Q84, Contact, and Station Eleven.
The Bad: Light on plot and scifi
The Literary: Multiple POVs, alternating timelines; Italo Calvino, The Grapes of Wrath, Les Miserables, and many more that comment on the human situation
SETI begins to receive a message from Omni-7xc, a planet 75 light years away, confirming extraterrestrial life. As the news unfolds, Sevi, a high school music teacher, answers the phone when his on-again, off-again computer-programmer girlfriend Ramona calls, and they pick up their relationship where they left off. The school where Sevi teaches closes, and his favorite music student struggles to find his place in the world.
This Weightless World sounds like scifi, but it's more interested in exploring the struggles of humanity. Once I accepted this story as more literary than scifi and settled into the sad intellectual monologues about how we humans are mostly terrible, I enjoyed this one a lot more. So since you know the themes are much bigger than the plot, I'll spoil a little. The signal from space is constant, and as scientists begin to decode it humanity's infighting stops as we begin to turn our perspectives outward. Things seem optimistic. Then, the signal abruptly stops, and we fall back into our old patterns.
Nearly all the characters revolve around Sevi, each with their own cares and motivations, all of whom really come to life. Sevi, the burned-out music teacher who regrets many of his life decisions, is primarily looking for a small slice of happiness and connection by trying to make it work with Ramona. Ramona works long hours coding on a special AI program at Google, one that's designed to steer users to make decisions based on what the AI deems necessary for human survival. The only student with whom Sevi remains in contact after the high school closes is Eason, a young man who wrestles with the choice of selling drugs to help a friend or trying to leave his neighborhood and pursue classical music. Then there's Sevi's brother, Samson, who neglects all his relationships to follow the next humanitarian crusade, this time to Syria. There are two more POV characters, one in the past, and one in the future, who provide wonderful bookends, but I'll let you experience those for yourself.
Everybody in this story is trying their best to make the world a better place in their own way, often disagreeing on the best path forward. But what they all have in common with each other and the reader is that they all hit an empathy wall. The world is too big and they can only do so much, and I'd argue, are forgiven by the reader.
As the world moves around him, Sevi notes and comments on gentrification, cops shooting black people, the coral reefs dying, separating art from the artist, aging parents, music as powerful as medicine or language, being the only brown person in your friend group, and consciousness as self, to name a few. But most importantly, this book reinforces the idea that we love to think that something will come along at the perfect time to solve all of the problems we ourselves created.
Highly recommended for idealistic and compassionate readers who enjoy scifi and fantasy that reflects on the nature of human empathy surrounding a world-changing event. See Cloud Atlas, 1Q84, Contact, and Station Eleven.
November 28, 2021
This absolutely stellar debut is probably best classified as speculative literary fiction, but in truth it defies genre categories and asks more questions than it answers, leaving readers to speculate instead. Through a broad cast of characters grappling with the aftermath of an untranslatable extraterrestrial radio signal, This Weightless World invites us to consider how we might respond to the most disappointing version of the most world-changing event: alien first contact. (Don't go into this expecting little green men with antennae.) For some of us, it might cause us to reconsider jobs, relationships, families, dreams, political causes. For others, it might make barely any impact at all -- if we even believe it to be real. The book is set very deliberately and thoughtfully in 2012, in a time when "alternative facts" and "fake news" weren't the buzzwords they are today, and yet the polarizing political climate informed by social media algorithm echo chambers and wealth inequality was already deeply entrenched.
In many ways, this is a book about memory. How will we be remembered, as individuals, as a human race, by our loved ones, by the inhabitants of a planet 75 lightyears away? What legacy do we wish to leave behind, and can we or should we change it? At one point, referring to mundane and painful shows of love, a character observes, "This is what made the world so heavy, all the things good and awful, everything, what we'd choose to haul with us into the next world and the world after next." The next world might be an afterlife or it might be a distant planet sending radio signals into the vast darkness of space hoping someone is listening. This novel is weighty and thought-provoking and introspective in all the right ways, and I'm already looking forward to rereading it.
In many ways, this is a book about memory. How will we be remembered, as individuals, as a human race, by our loved ones, by the inhabitants of a planet 75 lightyears away? What legacy do we wish to leave behind, and can we or should we change it? At one point, referring to mundane and painful shows of love, a character observes, "This is what made the world so heavy, all the things good and awful, everything, what we'd choose to haul with us into the next world and the world after next." The next world might be an afterlife or it might be a distant planet sending radio signals into the vast darkness of space hoping someone is listening. This novel is weighty and thought-provoking and introspective in all the right ways, and I'm already looking forward to rereading it.
July 3, 2021
I loved the description and the concept of this book, but the delivery just wasn't my style. It is solidly more contemporary fiction than science fiction, although the science fiction aspect is quite well done. The dialogue seemed stilted and unrealistic to me, which caused me to feel detached from the characters and lose the thread of the story rather often. Readers who like their stories a little more esoteric and contemporary will most likely find plenty to love!
May 25, 2021
This is a very good book, it was good when I read it. This is one of the goodest and least bad stories I’ve ever read in my entire life. I liked the story. It was both good for you and good to read.
November 19, 2021
So, so glad this was the first all-text book I’ve read in a minute. Heartfelt, challenging, and impossible to put down.
February 3, 2022
Ou comment tromper son public en déclarant être un livre sur le contact extraterrestre, quand il sert en fiat d’excuse pour faire un long (et ce, seulement sur 254 pages, un exploit !) commentaire social, politique et économique, le tout avec trois personnages qui ne ressemblent pas à de vraies personnes, et deux intrigues parallèles non liées (ou presque) à l’histoire.
Désolée, je n’ai vraiment pas accroché. La literary fiction (fiction littéraire, je ne sais pas si ça a vraiment un nom en français) est un genre qui m’est parfois difficile à avaler, encore plus quand la moindre phrase, la moindre ligne de dialogue est si parfaite, si littéraire, qu’elle sonne comme un livre. Elle sonne faux. On me demande de m’engager dans une relation avec des personnages qui vivent leur culpabilité de vivre dans un monde triste et dur, mais on ne me laisse pas les apprécier comme des êtres humains.
Désolée, c’est un non pour moi.
Désolée, je n’ai vraiment pas accroché. La literary fiction (fiction littéraire, je ne sais pas si ça a vraiment un nom en français) est un genre qui m’est parfois difficile à avaler, encore plus quand la moindre phrase, la moindre ligne de dialogue est si parfaite, si littéraire, qu’elle sonne comme un livre. Elle sonne faux. On me demande de m’engager dans une relation avec des personnages qui vivent leur culpabilité de vivre dans un monde triste et dur, mais on ne me laisse pas les apprécier comme des êtres humains.
Désolée, c’est un non pour moi.
April 16, 2022
This Weightless World by Adam Soto-- I picked this book from the library shelf and was looking forward to reading because the jacket cover blurb sounded amazing. I love science fiction. But unfortunately I had to make myself finish this book. I wanted very much to like it- but I guess I did not understand the story as the author intended.
June 2, 2021
Hmmm... this one is going to be difficult for me to review. It certainly has merit as a literary social commentary piece. But it is so deeply depressing I almost couldn't finish it. If you, as I do, prefer vibrant science fiction, alive with a future full of robust possibility, it's not for you. If you, instead, often contemplate the fall of mankind and find interest in exploring the various ways we could possibly reach that destination--with or without fanfare--I'd recommend This Weightless World to you.
Throughout a narrative that is at times interjected with letters from the past ("Dear Babichev...") and visions from the future ("Tell me, Taka..."), the book mainly centers around three main characters: Sevi, Eason, and Ramona. Sevi is an middle-aged cellist whose dreams of a professional career gave him only a teaching job. Eason is his protégé, whom, in spite of all his raw talent and passion for music, faces a dismal future as a drug dealer. Ramona is Sevi’s on-again-off-again love interest, working for Google to create an app she hopes will save humanity from itself. The first-contact event is set mostly as a backdrop to these characters and their individual endeavors.
This book reminded me somewhat of George Orwell's 1984; examining a potential future of mankind, though set in the past (2012 to be exact). It borrows elements from classic science fiction, such as aliens, first-contact, and the development of new technologies (and explores the consequences thereof), but it examines it all through heavy social commentary. It is, in a word, depressing. But it makes you think.
It’s at the halfway point that I tend to make up my mind about a book. I prefer my science fiction coloured with excitement, hope, and possibility—and there really isn't any of that in this story—but I can respect the views it expresses. What if we made first contact, and it didn’t matter or change anything? That’s the idea This Weightless World explores (and probably how it would go in real life). Soto is a true poet. He has the uncanny ability to somehow find beauty in the mundane and express it through a lens of sadness. Take the main character, Sevi, for an example. He's getting older and his childhood dreams are passing him by unfulfilled. Real life is bleak. Yet there is still beauty and meaning still in the bleakness, if one will appreciate it. Making a cup of coffee or making love to one dear to you, adoring all their perfect imperfections and normalness, has meaning even when everything else feels empty.
For me, other than the romance between Ramona and Sevi, this book drags on with heartbreaking what's-the-point-of-it-all. It was a struggle for me to finish, once I realized it wasn't really about first contact. If you liked 1984, though, you will definitely enjoy this modern take on mankind's quest to destroy itself. Or save itself. That's the question, isn't it?
Throughout a narrative that is at times interjected with letters from the past ("Dear Babichev...") and visions from the future ("Tell me, Taka..."), the book mainly centers around three main characters: Sevi, Eason, and Ramona. Sevi is an middle-aged cellist whose dreams of a professional career gave him only a teaching job. Eason is his protégé, whom, in spite of all his raw talent and passion for music, faces a dismal future as a drug dealer. Ramona is Sevi’s on-again-off-again love interest, working for Google to create an app she hopes will save humanity from itself. The first-contact event is set mostly as a backdrop to these characters and their individual endeavors.
This book reminded me somewhat of George Orwell's 1984; examining a potential future of mankind, though set in the past (2012 to be exact). It borrows elements from classic science fiction, such as aliens, first-contact, and the development of new technologies (and explores the consequences thereof), but it examines it all through heavy social commentary. It is, in a word, depressing. But it makes you think.
It’s at the halfway point that I tend to make up my mind about a book. I prefer my science fiction coloured with excitement, hope, and possibility—and there really isn't any of that in this story—but I can respect the views it expresses. What if we made first contact, and it didn’t matter or change anything? That’s the idea This Weightless World explores (and probably how it would go in real life). Soto is a true poet. He has the uncanny ability to somehow find beauty in the mundane and express it through a lens of sadness. Take the main character, Sevi, for an example. He's getting older and his childhood dreams are passing him by unfulfilled. Real life is bleak. Yet there is still beauty and meaning still in the bleakness, if one will appreciate it. Making a cup of coffee or making love to one dear to you, adoring all their perfect imperfections and normalness, has meaning even when everything else feels empty.
For me, other than the romance between Ramona and Sevi, this book drags on with heartbreaking what's-the-point-of-it-all. It was a struggle for me to finish, once I realized it wasn't really about first contact. If you liked 1984, though, you will definitely enjoy this modern take on mankind's quest to destroy itself. Or save itself. That's the question, isn't it?
July 13, 2021
(Content warnings: Sexual content, drug use, police brutality, racism)
Despite the impression you might get from the blurb, this is honestly hardly a first contact book at all - it starts off with the detection of a mysterious alien signal from a planet called Omni, sure, but the Omni signal is just a backdrop for the story, kind of a trigger event for all the philosophical discussions and introspections. The book alternates between the points of view of Sevi, a music teacher, Ramona, his girlfriend working at Google, and Eason, his teenage cello student - 3 ordinary people, for whom the whole Omni thing is more of a background noise, trying to go about their not particularly eventful lives. I can imagine this tangential nature of the sci-fi element of the story won't work for everyone. I thought it was interesting, captured the vibe of how major historical events can sometimes feel like more of a footnote in the lives of regular people. (Though those chapters could get a liiittle boring sometimes.)
And then, interspersed between those 3 perspectives, is the occasional and seemingly completely unrelated glimpse into the life of He Zhen, a future astronaut on a lonely, one-way space mission, with only an AI for company. And I'm not gonna lie, those were the parts I enjoyed the most - they were just as profound and contemplative as the other 3 POVs while also including more of the speculative aspect of sci-fi I like so much.
It's kinda hard to talk about what happens in the book because, 1., it's not a lot, tbh, and, 2., it's not about what happens, it's about the Themes™ 👌. At heart, I think, this is a novel about grappling with guilt - the guilt of living your life when there's so much shitty things happening all over the world right now this very moment, all the shitty things humanity has done and is doing and will do to each other and to the planet that you're not doing anything about. And yes, it's just as depressing as it sounds. Sure made me feel miserable more than a couple of times. But then again, there's something compelling about it, and I found the ending to be, for one reason or another, quite cathartic. I loved the way that He Zhen's story ended up pulling together the threads of the other 3 POVs into a moving ending, despite appearing to be completely separate from them for most of the novel. Was it sad? Was it hopeful? Was it depressing? Yes. No. Idk. But it DID have me crying my eyes out in the middle of the night, so there's that <3
I also enjoyed the writing itself - it may have crossed over to a little too preachy or ~quirky~ every now and then, but most of the time I found it quite poetic and thoughtful; there's at least a couple passages going straight to my "favourite quotes of all time" notebook, which is not an honour bestowed on most books I read, haha.
(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!)
Despite the impression you might get from the blurb, this is honestly hardly a first contact book at all - it starts off with the detection of a mysterious alien signal from a planet called Omni, sure, but the Omni signal is just a backdrop for the story, kind of a trigger event for all the philosophical discussions and introspections. The book alternates between the points of view of Sevi, a music teacher, Ramona, his girlfriend working at Google, and Eason, his teenage cello student - 3 ordinary people, for whom the whole Omni thing is more of a background noise, trying to go about their not particularly eventful lives. I can imagine this tangential nature of the sci-fi element of the story won't work for everyone. I thought it was interesting, captured the vibe of how major historical events can sometimes feel like more of a footnote in the lives of regular people. (Though those chapters could get a liiittle boring sometimes.)
And then, interspersed between those 3 perspectives, is the occasional and seemingly completely unrelated glimpse into the life of He Zhen, a future astronaut on a lonely, one-way space mission, with only an AI for company. And I'm not gonna lie, those were the parts I enjoyed the most - they were just as profound and contemplative as the other 3 POVs while also including more of the speculative aspect of sci-fi I like so much.
It's kinda hard to talk about what happens in the book because, 1., it's not a lot, tbh, and, 2., it's not about what happens, it's about the Themes™ 👌. At heart, I think, this is a novel about grappling with guilt - the guilt of living your life when there's so much shitty things happening all over the world right now this very moment, all the shitty things humanity has done and is doing and will do to each other and to the planet that you're not doing anything about. And yes, it's just as depressing as it sounds. Sure made me feel miserable more than a couple of times. But then again, there's something compelling about it, and I found the ending to be, for one reason or another, quite cathartic. I loved the way that He Zhen's story ended up pulling together the threads of the other 3 POVs into a moving ending, despite appearing to be completely separate from them for most of the novel. Was it sad? Was it hopeful? Was it depressing? Yes. No. Idk. But it DID have me crying my eyes out in the middle of the night, so there's that <3
I also enjoyed the writing itself - it may have crossed over to a little too preachy or ~quirky~ every now and then, but most of the time I found it quite poetic and thoughtful; there's at least a couple passages going straight to my "favourite quotes of all time" notebook, which is not an honour bestowed on most books I read, haha.
(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!)
April 25, 2021
How long ago does something have to be set before it counts as a period piece? This Weightless World is set in 2012, a point in time that feels recent to me but was, in fact, nearly a decade ago. (Ew!) Adam Soto definitely captures the kinds of things I was reading (Joe Meno, Wikipedia, Contact) and feeling (like the world was ending, Maya Apocalypse notwithstanding) at that time, though of course your mileage may vary on that one.
As for the actual content of the book, I thought it was just okay. Split perspectives rarely work well, and three fourths of them here felt similar to the point of being redundant — the whole "sad intellectual monologues intellectually at other sad intellectuals" thing, while very 2012, gets old after, like, a few dozen pages, and I wish Soto picked one of these storylines (cough cough Eason's) to really invest in.
Then we have the fourth perspective, focusing on sad astronaut He Zhen, which is inexplicably told in the first-person and is also inexplicably much better than the other three. Aside from the musical descriptions in the Eason sections, this was the only part of the book that I consistently enjoyed, at least in part because I felt like it was actually going somewhere.
In all four perspectives, the whole "discovery of presumably intelligent alien life" thing is backgrounded, hard, and I've been going back and forth on whether or not I think it's successful. On the one hand, there were points where I wondered whether the Omni plot needed to be included at all. But there were other points were I found it genuinely moving—there's one moment early in the story where Eason laments that the murder of his friend will be forgotten in the face of more cosmically significant events, another where Sevi visits his parents for the first time in months and notices their age. There's a general sense that life goes on, for better or worse; that the problems we had yesterday are the problems we're likely to have tomorrow, regardless of the supposedly life-changing things that may happen today.
Hey, who says genre fiction is only about escapism!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, who provided a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As for the actual content of the book, I thought it was just okay. Split perspectives rarely work well, and three fourths of them here felt similar to the point of being redundant — the whole "sad intellectual monologues intellectually at other sad intellectuals" thing, while very 2012, gets old after, like, a few dozen pages, and I wish Soto picked one of these storylines (cough cough Eason's) to really invest in.
Then we have the fourth perspective, focusing on sad astronaut He Zhen, which is inexplicably told in the first-person and is also inexplicably much better than the other three. Aside from the musical descriptions in the Eason sections, this was the only part of the book that I consistently enjoyed, at least in part because I felt like it was actually going somewhere.
In all four perspectives, the whole "discovery of presumably intelligent alien life" thing is backgrounded, hard, and I've been going back and forth on whether or not I think it's successful. On the one hand, there were points where I wondered whether the Omni plot needed to be included at all. But there were other points were I found it genuinely moving—there's one moment early in the story where Eason laments that the murder of his friend will be forgotten in the face of more cosmically significant events, another where Sevi visits his parents for the first time in months and notices their age. There's a general sense that life goes on, for better or worse; that the problems we had yesterday are the problems we're likely to have tomorrow, regardless of the supposedly life-changing things that may happen today.
Hey, who says genre fiction is only about escapism!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, who provided a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2021
What will change in your world when we receive communication from another galaxy? I’m thinking absolutely nothing. I loved how in This Weightless World by Adam Soto receiving communication from space is only a big deal for those who want to make it some doomsday event. Sevi is a music teacher based in Chicago. He’s upset with the closing/consolidation of public schools as well as the gentrification of Chicago. I loved the scenery depicted at the specific locations in Chicago. His life gets disrupted not just by the school issue but also by his ex, Ramona. She dumped him and left for Silicon Valley for her job as a programmer. But when extraterrestrial communication is announced, she phones Sevi. The communication is from Omni, a planet that is 75 light-years away. We then meet Sevi’s cello protégé Eason, who is also dealing with school closures and doesn’t want to be bused across the city. Sevi ditches Eason even though the mentor/mentee relationship is needed by Eason. Luckily their story isn’t over. My favorite character is the astronaut He Zhen. She is scientifically brilliant but also a philosophically genius. Her comparisons to the Bennet sisters in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice are priceless. The other interesting part was the description of what it is to be human. (Page 265 of the advanced copy). The way the book has different historical events described by the characters is so interesting. I loved the literary references from Legends of Zelda to William Faulkner. For those wanting an action-packed sci-fi this book will probably disappoint them. It is a slow and steady study of what it does mean to be human and how so many different individuals have so many different answers to that question. #ThisWeightlessWorld #AdamSoto #AstraHouse #NetGalley #BookReview #ScieceFiction #scifi #scifireader #literaryfiction #bookstagram
November 21, 2021
very highly recommend
August 3, 2022
This Weightless World by Adam Soto is a subdued, reflective first contact novel that straddles the space between sci-fi and fiction-y fiction. Set mostly in 2012, the book winds together interconnected stories of several people after the discovery of a mystifying transmission from a nearby planet, which startles the world and then goes silent just as abruptly. I think I read enough Goodreads reviews describing this book as "not what I expected" that it was impossible for me to have that reaction, but it's definitely the kind of book that meanders in unexpected directions from the initial premise. I enjoyed reading this book, and the sort of melancholy mood it produced in me. With its compilation of multiple styles and narratives, some of which span a great swath of time, I was reminded of one of my favorites, The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez, although this book feels more constrained in scope. All told, a very interesting and thoughtful novel about our place in the universe and how we steward our planet, I'd recommend this book to readers of speculative as well as quiet contemporary fiction.
January 21, 2022
(I received an advance copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.)
Overall, I am glad I read this. In contrast to some other reviews, I wasn't bothered by the limited presence of the "sci" in the story - it seemed pretty clear to me that this was a backdrop to the literary/speculative tone taken in the novel and that this was never meant to be an action-packed contact story. Some character trajectories grabbed me more than others, though, and I wish Eason's story had continued on in some detail beyond what was provided in the very last concluding reference . In contrast, passages regarding Samson tended to drag a bit after about halfway through. I really don't mind character-driven fiction - in fact, I tend to lean toward it - but this was probably my largest sticking point while reading.
Thanks to the publishers for the free copy! I may very well pick up future work by Mr. Soto.
Overall, I am glad I read this. In contrast to some other reviews, I wasn't bothered by the limited presence of the "sci" in the story - it seemed pretty clear to me that this was a backdrop to the literary/speculative tone taken in the novel and that this was never meant to be an action-packed contact story. Some character trajectories grabbed me more than others, though, and I wish Eason's story had continued on in some detail beyond what was provided in the very last concluding reference . In contrast, passages regarding Samson tended to drag a bit after about halfway through. I really don't mind character-driven fiction - in fact, I tend to lean toward it - but this was probably my largest sticking point while reading.
Thanks to the publishers for the free copy! I may very well pick up future work by Mr. Soto.
July 29, 2022
This has got to be the worst book I ever read.
It's over 200 pages of nothing but rambling. Page after page internal monologe on a bunch of crap. And man is this book depressing! About a quarter of the way through I started skipping whole pages without losing any of the plot because the damn author couldn't shut up.
The only good thing about this novel is Easons story. I wish the book was just about him. I absolutely hate Sevi and Ramona, and I skipped the Bavachev and whatever the fuck that Taka shit was. The author doesnt explain a thing, which is kinda ironic considering how much droaning on this book does. Guess it was more important to contemplate social inequality for 5 fucking pages than have any exposition in your book.
Complete waste of money and time. I plan on throwing this book in the garbage. I usually donate books I don't like, but this book shouldn't be in the hands on anyone else
Don't waste your time or money. Skip this one. .
It's over 200 pages of nothing but rambling. Page after page internal monologe on a bunch of crap. And man is this book depressing! About a quarter of the way through I started skipping whole pages without losing any of the plot because the damn author couldn't shut up.
The only good thing about this novel is Easons story. I wish the book was just about him. I absolutely hate Sevi and Ramona, and I skipped the Bavachev and whatever the fuck that Taka shit was. The author doesnt explain a thing, which is kinda ironic considering how much droaning on this book does. Guess it was more important to contemplate social inequality for 5 fucking pages than have any exposition in your book.
Complete waste of money and time. I plan on throwing this book in the garbage. I usually donate books I don't like, but this book shouldn't be in the hands on anyone else
Don't waste your time or money. Skip this one. .
May 21, 2021
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What happens after aliens make contact? This novel, which is much heavier on the literary fiction side than the sci-fi side, answers the question of how the world would respond to a first contact event. Told through multiple perspectives, the novel takes place in 2012. I would say that it accurately captured the feelings and perspectives of that year. The plot meandered a bit, and I felt that I wanted a bit more - however, this was probably on me for expecting a bit more sci-fi. If you go into this expecting more of a literary fiction novel, I think you will enjoy it more.
What happens after aliens make contact? This novel, which is much heavier on the literary fiction side than the sci-fi side, answers the question of how the world would respond to a first contact event. Told through multiple perspectives, the novel takes place in 2012. I would say that it accurately captured the feelings and perspectives of that year. The plot meandered a bit, and I felt that I wanted a bit more - however, this was probably on me for expecting a bit more sci-fi. If you go into this expecting more of a literary fiction novel, I think you will enjoy it more.
March 4, 2022
Very boring, I never understood what was going on. Not funny at all
December 16, 2021
This book fell into the category of I’m going to finish what I started and hope it gets better. For me it didn’t. It’s too political. It’s too hard to understand , enjoy and digest. It paints the world as hopeless. Not a joy ride. More of a crash and burn. Sorry Adam, I just don’t get it and didn’t enjoy it.
February 10, 2022
**Thank you to NetGalley and Astra House Publishing for the eARC of this book**
This was one of those books that I should have liked ~in theory.~
First contact - check
Characters with depth - check
Spaceships - check
Unfortunately, the plot fell flat for me and never really got going, making this book an effort to read. I typically enjoy books that switch between multiple characters that all end up being connected somehow, but this one felt choppy and confusing instead of cohesive.
While I liked the overall concepts and ideas behind this book, everything was beaten to death with political conversations. At the beginning of the book, Earth receives a signal from space. Earthlings begin behaving better, making elaborate promises - anything to make humans look “better” to the aliens.
Very early on in the book I got Childhood’s End vibes from Arthur C Clarke. That then turned into a couple hundred pages of lukewarm political standpoints.
As someone who reads to get AWAY from the real world, I just found this novel to be overall not an enjoyable read.
3 stars for characters that I cared about and an overall interesting concept.
This was one of those books that I should have liked ~in theory.~
First contact - check
Characters with depth - check
Spaceships - check
Unfortunately, the plot fell flat for me and never really got going, making this book an effort to read. I typically enjoy books that switch between multiple characters that all end up being connected somehow, but this one felt choppy and confusing instead of cohesive.
While I liked the overall concepts and ideas behind this book, everything was beaten to death with political conversations. At the beginning of the book, Earth receives a signal from space. Earthlings begin behaving better, making elaborate promises - anything to make humans look “better” to the aliens.
Very early on in the book I got Childhood’s End vibes from Arthur C Clarke. That then turned into a couple hundred pages of lukewarm political standpoints.
As someone who reads to get AWAY from the real world, I just found this novel to be overall not an enjoyable read.
3 stars for characters that I cared about and an overall interesting concept.
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