The final Eden. Medusa’s Gauntlet is the much-anticipated conclusion to the New Eden series. The adventures of physicist Dr. Joshua Andrews, reporter Rachael Miller, information theorist Vinod Bhakti, and their alien friend Seth continue in a mind-boggling space odyssey that traverses the solar system. The fate of life in the cosmos is at stake as the group embarks on a mission on a biological spaceship to confront Medusa at Planet Nine.
Great book and a great trilogy altogether. It shows the directions where modern science can grow to.
The essence of life is pure energy and information. Based on that, there are no limits to the growth of complexity and prosperity of life and the development of sentience.
So, it's a brilliant mix of Biology, Philosophy, IT, Physics, Science in general, and even some religion.
The only extremely questionable was an episode that thirteen people could make a super-important existential decision for the entire humanity whether to stop aging and live for eons or leave human lifespans "as is."
There is no simple answer to that question. Both "Yes" and "No" have their pros and cons. I strongly believe that such a question should be brought to the global referendum in case humanity ever got such a chance. And even if the majority voted "No," those who answered "Yes" should be given a chance, maybe on the condition to leave Earth (or New Eden) and start colonization of space.
I loved this trilogy, you must read all the books. The finale is beautifully scripted. The author has an insightful view of our universe and a story of its purpose I believe connects is all to the tapestry of life. The characters are lovable, unique and show humanity in all three characteristics.
Really fun sci-fi with all the classic elements! Solid science & believable characters who developed nicely throughout the trilogy. Pushed you to think without being preachy or trying to hard to “lead” you in one final direction. Very easy read… just took me longer than usual due to spending less time reading & more time living this summer! I highly recommend this trilogy.
I love the concept of this whole series. The plot is fantastic, but the writing could be better for me. I’m not a heavy SF person so I sometimes got bogged down in technical descriptions, and at other times loved the quantum physics explanations. The melding of science and religion was refreshing for me. The story is so good that I can overlook some of the writing and still give it 5 stars. I think it appeals to a wider audience then many SF books. The author has a beautiful imagination and I look forward to reading more from him. I think this would be a great concept for a movie. Go full Spielberg on it! If you haven’t read this series yet you should give it a try.
I really liked the trilogy. I think Mr. Tipirneni has a smooth writing style with good pace and a thoughtful and well developed plot that was interesting and engaging.
This last book had some significant errors in my opinion. Such as the dialog between Richard and Bhumi where she states "There was no way to see myself." The passage left out the obvious way our ancestors knew about their own appearance; water.
There were other passages that were out of context with the asserted technological sophistication level demonstrated in the surrounding or past narratives. A mismatch of implied technological capabilities.
The Life Printer, described in Chapter 12, didn't seem to match the Tumbleweeds destruction in chapter 29. It does assume "The Life Printer" is the same thing as the "Atomic Printer." Further, it seems logical, given the technology level, the machine would have a failsafe to prevent operation if the "print" side of the chamber was already occupied. Though I certainly enjoyed the outcome.
Was that too picky? Well that just shows how engaged I was in this book and the trilogy. I very much enjoyed how the trilogy ended. I look forward to other books by Mr. Tipirneni.
Well written, highly imaginative, and with a thought provoking finish.
I was rather surprised by the first chapter, which does not pick up where we left off in book two, but introduces an entirely new element and new character to the story. It doesn’t have quite the page-turning intensity as book two of the trilogy, but the world building and development of characters is first rate. The ending about the destiny of humanity (now on New Eden) reminded me a bit of Clarke’s Childhood’s End, but this is much more positive and purposeful.
I also liked the paragraphs set in italics (about the deer) which provide a similar function to the chorus in the ancient Greek dramas, when a group detached from the stage setting spoke in unison about hidden meanings, allegories, or moral quandaries, which gave the audience something deeper to chew on than just the surface drama. I’ve seen the technique used a few times and it was a nice touch from Tipirneni.
This is a keeper for the collection, and I look forward to future novels from Tipirneni!
I chose the first book in the series because I love good science fiction and this looked promising. I chose the next 2 books because I was hooked and couldn't stop. I don't often read philosophical works, and while some sci fi does bring with it philosophical elements, they are generally less significant than the scientific matter.
This series took me to a whole different realm. The philosophical seemed to weigh nearly as much as the scientific -- and what a thrill that is! The scope and breadth of the concepts embodied in Seth and the petrin collective are mind-boggling. The creativity and vision of this author have won me over to a different kind of reading (and thinking) experience. I can't wait to see what else he has in store for me!
Almost abandoned this reading many times. Most often when two pages put me to sleep. There were many repeated discussions on the meaning of life. What is life's purpose? Who or what is God? Is there a meaning to life? What's our purpose in the cosmos? When we're reproduced, are we the same? The story itself tries to mix in various love interests that seem flat and forced. There's a relationship developed between humans and an alien race, but because of the withholding of facts, one is always waiting for the other shoe to fall proving that aliens are untrustworthy. Even the last mission, which was potentially a suicide mission, is embarked upon with various untold secrets that result in an unexpected plot twist at the very end. Just not recommended.
I’ve enjoyed reading all 3 of this series. The storyline is optimistic and creative. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is the descriptions of the characters would often be too simplistic and superficial, as if it was written for children. If there was more subtle, implied descriptions of what they were feeling and about their personalities, leaving a little to the reader’s imaginations, I would have given it 5 stars. Overall though, an enjoyable read.
I loved this series, in my opinion each book got better and better. These are very technical science fiction books that explain the how and why behind things. I admit at times it was a little heavy but overall I enjoyed learning through the explanations and it makes what happened in the books the seem plausible and realistic! I'm sad these books are over, I wish there was a short story follow up I could see the continuing lives of the characters briefly (I miss them!) but I enjoyed the story!
This book is the third of a series I would recommend the reader to read it in series. I was hooked right from the first book about contact with an alien species and the second book was fast paced with a war between humans n the patrons vs a rogue alien. This third book was a wonderful amalgamation of action, scifi ideas and also questions on what exactly can we construe as God ?
Science fiction from a scientist. But this is much more than just a technical ride because it poses possibilities for the origins and purpose of life and leaves you with some friends you wish you would have known. Read, enjoy and ponder.
Strange, but somehow it holds together. There is a big jump between books 1 & 2 to book 3, but eventually they all fold together. All n' all, I liked the series even with its problems.
Fantastic, wild ride, hard science filled adventure story, with delightful characters that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish! Keep them coming, Kishore!