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Chaos Chronicles #2
Strange Attractors
For John Bandicut, Earth is but a memory. Stranded at the edge of the galaxy in a structure populated with beings from a thousand worlds, Bandicut finds unexpected friends--only to be caught up in a cascade of forces that threaten the Shipworld itself. Confronting an entity known as the boojum, Bandicut discovers greater peril than ever in his journey into the unknown. Volume 2 of The Chaos Chronicles, from the Nebula-nominated author of Eternity's End.
Ebook exclusive: All-new Afterword by the author, with reflections on the writing of The Chaos Chronicles.
"Carver is at his rousing best in this wild ride into the heart of an enigmatic world beyond the Milky Way. This is science fiction out at the frontier. Maybe beyond the frontier." --Jack McDevitt
Ebook exclusive: All-new Afterword by the author, with reflections on the writing of The Chaos Chronicles.
"Carver is at his rousing best in this wild ride into the heart of an enigmatic world beyond the Milky Way. This is science fiction out at the frontier. Maybe beyond the frontier." --Jack McDevitt
572 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 11, 2024
Abandon all common sense, ye who enter here.
Boojum.
/// ??? ///
I actually read Sunborn before reading this, and I haven’t read Neptune Crossing yet. Not ideal, since each entry in the series follows directly where its predecessor stopped (the whole thing makes up one big story, which would have been one helluva thick novel if the author didn’t follow this approach), but entirely in keeping with the nature of these books. Or, to be specific, the Chaos Chronicles.
Charlie, what is this place?
The author casually pulls out all stops and tells a story incorporating some ridiculously immense ideas and concepts as if these were mere commonplace. It’s an interesting experience, trying to wrap your mind around everything presented here as if it were all in a day’s work. Taking it all in stride is part of the fun, though.
This is the kind of SF I used to enjoy reading as a youth, taking out random books at the town library. Some Space Opera, some Hard Science Fiction, but it reads like neither specifically. It reads like an adventure novel in a really weird setting.
Look under “fairy tales,” Charlie. The Boojum was the deadliest kind of snark. This can’t be real.
There are a number of characters, and at least one of them is a Quark living inside the protagonist’s head. It’s that kind of book.
Not a lot of explanation goes into the nature of the aliens; they are just there.
But, to be honest, any book that features a space ship with rooms the size of worlds is going to be right up my alley.
He got just enough of a look to make his head swim.
The book does eventually take on a dreamy, surreal quality, what with the data-stream analogues and abstractions that the author occasionally employs.
Readers with a lack of imagination or no appreciation for good old sense of wonder need not apply.
/// It’s a star-spanner, all right, ///
“A remarkable structure. It is only partially finished, I believe.”
“Star-spanner. What does it do?”
“It spans the stars, I believe.”
Boojum.
/// ??? ///
I actually read Sunborn before reading this, and I haven’t read Neptune Crossing yet. Not ideal, since each entry in the series follows directly where its predecessor stopped (the whole thing makes up one big story, which would have been one helluva thick novel if the author didn’t follow this approach), but entirely in keeping with the nature of these books. Or, to be specific, the Chaos Chronicles.
Charlie, what is this place?
The author casually pulls out all stops and tells a story incorporating some ridiculously immense ideas and concepts as if these were mere commonplace. It’s an interesting experience, trying to wrap your mind around everything presented here as if it were all in a day’s work. Taking it all in stride is part of the fun, though.
This is the kind of SF I used to enjoy reading as a youth, taking out random books at the town library. Some Space Opera, some Hard Science Fiction, but it reads like neither specifically. It reads like an adventure novel in a really weird setting.
Look under “fairy tales,” Charlie. The Boojum was the deadliest kind of snark. This can’t be real.
There are a number of characters, and at least one of them is a Quark living inside the protagonist’s head. It’s that kind of book.
Not a lot of explanation goes into the nature of the aliens; they are just there.
But, to be honest, any book that features a space ship with rooms the size of worlds is going to be right up my alley.
He got just enough of a look to make his head swim.
The book does eventually take on a dreamy, surreal quality, what with the data-stream analogues and abstractions that the author occasionally employs.
Readers with a lack of imagination or no appreciation for good old sense of wonder need not apply.
/// It’s a star-spanner, all right, ///
“A remarkable structure. It is only partially finished, I believe.”
“Star-spanner. What does it do?”
“It spans the stars, I believe.”
March 1, 2017
The first of this series did a cool thing by having alien contact take place in a nearly familiar setting of Triton. In this one, the setting is out of the Milky Way and aliens abound. Not only is the intergalactic hard to conceive, the interconnected synthetic system invented for the current episode (or in the story, created by whom?) is also hard to picture, except in its individual pieces. I felt the story took a while to get past frantic, and I didn't think it ever got to 'aha' - yes there was a conclusion leading to the next installment, but so many threads remained loose and without hope of resolve in this story or the next (although there may be now I think about it). But the feeling of a grand mystery being solved was lost in the scene racing. I hope that the strangeness come together more in the next book - I like the characters and story enough to keep reading but this one was not as enjoyable as the first.
July 8, 2015
These books are a little obnoxious in the sense that their author's started goal was to write a shorter, less complex novel, but instead wrote four (maybe more?) shorter novels in serial fashion. As best I can tell, this is really a 1,000 page novel in disguise.
To call them hard sci-fi is a stretch. "Space opera" is more appropriate. They read more like a Star Wars novelization than, say, an Arthur C. Clarke novel, and for all of their exploration of alien worlds, they're not dissimilar from fantasy novels. They lack the technical description and sense of realism that I expect from "hard" sci-fi, but Wikipedia tells me that's a term with a broader meaning than what I assign it myself.
They are fast, engaging novels, though. The concepts are often difficult to envision, or at least too abstract. I'm still not sure how to imagine a "magellan-fish," for example.
To call them hard sci-fi is a stretch. "Space opera" is more appropriate. They read more like a Star Wars novelization than, say, an Arthur C. Clarke novel, and for all of their exploration of alien worlds, they're not dissimilar from fantasy novels. They lack the technical description and sense of realism that I expect from "hard" sci-fi, but Wikipedia tells me that's a term with a broader meaning than what I assign it myself.
They are fast, engaging novels, though. The concepts are often difficult to envision, or at least too abstract. I'm still not sure how to imagine a "magellan-fish," for example.
August 15, 2019
4.51* :)
If you enjoyed the first in the series, I'm confident you will also enjoy this one. And if you read the first one, you know you needed to at least start this 2nd book to get some kind of closure on the first.
It is a very good 2nd book in a series. New characters, new setting, new challenges. I continue to enjoy the interactions with Charlie. The new main characters are described as alien, but are essentially human in their thoughts and actions. Other alien species are in no way similar to humans, and I thoroughly enjoy such in SF. They do, however, introduce "and a miracle happens here" sort of opportunities. But, perhaps that is a small price to pay for speeding from one event/place to another in order to keep the story moving along.
If you enjoyed the first in the series, I'm confident you will also enjoy this one. And if you read the first one, you know you needed to at least start this 2nd book to get some kind of closure on the first.
It is a very good 2nd book in a series. New characters, new setting, new challenges. I continue to enjoy the interactions with Charlie. The new main characters are described as alien, but are essentially human in their thoughts and actions. Other alien species are in no way similar to humans, and I thoroughly enjoy such in SF. They do, however, introduce "and a miracle happens here" sort of opportunities. But, perhaps that is a small price to pay for speeding from one event/place to another in order to keep the story moving along.
February 16, 2015
I persevered on this set of novels that move from novel ideas to childish trivia. The personality of the hero also moves from frokin moke to other inane statements to self sacrifice. A band of now 4 save a continent on a starship from evil. I'll finish the series, just.
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April 30, 2017Clever, not wise. Supposed to be fun, but since I'm not a big fan of adventure, I want more to be able to enjoy the read fully. More actual character development, more cohesion, more plausibility, something. Two of the series is enough.
January 6, 2018
This is one of my favorite sci-fi reads of the year. A new author for me! Alien machine intelligence; a likeable main character, John Bandicut who is the man enlisted to save earth, and a friendly alien named Quarx, a being that inhabits his thoughts. They travel across the many miles, from Neptune to Earth, powered by marble type energy balls given to John, back on the space station where they hijack a space ship, that wasn't meant for that kind of travel! Humor, adventure, and not a lot of garbage talk. I didn't mind that it wasn't action packed, and glad it wasn't filled with violence, which a lot of modern Sci-fi is leaning towards. Thanks Jeffrey for an enjoyabe tale!
September 13, 2025
I liked the first book in this series better than this one. This story was more fantasy than hard science fiction. After saving the earth from a rogue comet in the last book, John Bandicut finds himself, and his two robot companions in a strange "Shipworld" where the landscape literally tries to kill him. He teams up with Ik and Le Jared, two other refugees from different worlds that found themselves on Shipworld, too. Together, they go off on a quest to find the evil boojum, an AI cloud that is trying to destroy the Tree of Ice which controls all of Shipworld.. The group is occasionally aided by "shadow people" who exist only partially in our dimension.
The whole episode seems very "Wizard of Oz-ish". How Bandicut and friends actually battle the boojum is a bit vague and seems to occur mostly in his mind. Also, in his mind is Charlie, an alien quarx that talks to him and periodically helps him do various tasks that he couldn't do by himself. The author is very good at describing all the turmoil going on in Bandicut's head which seems like some kind of nightmare. So far, I have enjoyed the characters more than the action. They are interesting, particularly Bandicut and Charlie. I'm not really sure how, or if, they destroyed the boojum but I'm willing to go for one more ride on this adventure in "The Infinite Sea" (The Chaos Chronicles, book #3).
The whole episode seems very "Wizard of Oz-ish". How Bandicut and friends actually battle the boojum is a bit vague and seems to occur mostly in his mind. Also, in his mind is Charlie, an alien quarx that talks to him and periodically helps him do various tasks that he couldn't do by himself. The author is very good at describing all the turmoil going on in Bandicut's head which seems like some kind of nightmare. So far, I have enjoyed the characters more than the action. They are interesting, particularly Bandicut and Charlie. I'm not really sure how, or if, they destroyed the boojum but I'm willing to go for one more ride on this adventure in "The Infinite Sea" (The Chaos Chronicles, book #3).
January 14, 2021
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this after a slightly weird start. The main character from the first (very different) book in the series finds himself on huge structure that is part of a vast network of such structures spanning the galaxy, constructed by unknown aliens in the, presumably, distant past. In this it has some similarities with Greg Bear's Eon with many different environments inhabited by many different alien species all or most of whom appear to have been transported to this structure in much the same manner as the MC, in other words without their consent. The futuristic science is too far off the charts to be considered hard SF but sufficiently plausible to be convincing. An enjoyable read and I will be continuing the next in the series.
March 14, 2020
Good story but...
There's an interesting & entertaining storyline in this book/the series to date, with fleshed-out characters & enough action to keep most readers of this genre satisfied. The negatives to me are twofold: first, the book is very wordy &, consequently, longer than it needs to be. More judicious editing would have made for a more enjoyable read. Second, the written interactions between Bandicut & the quarx - italics, multi-line spacing & central alignment - make for tiresome reading
There's an interesting & entertaining storyline in this book/the series to date, with fleshed-out characters & enough action to keep most readers of this genre satisfied. The negatives to me are twofold: first, the book is very wordy &, consequently, longer than it needs to be. More judicious editing would have made for a more enjoyable read. Second, the written interactions between Bandicut & the quarx - italics, multi-line spacing & central alignment - make for tiresome reading
July 13, 2020
John Bandicut survives saving the earth and ends up thrown across the universe, far away from everything he knows and is familiar with. . With 2 robots in tow, he navigates an alien space, meeting and teaming up with some aliens, surviving and solving problems along the way. I did not enjoy this book as much as Neptune's Crossing only because, this book seems to "video- gamey" to me. I'm not a gamer, and reading a book plotted like a video game doesn't float my boat. The author suggests that he envisioned this book as a transition to get to the third book in the series.
December 6, 2023
This is the second book in the series that I have listed to. Even though the setting is very different, the book reads much the same way. I enjoyed variety of things that happen in the book, and the audio performance of the audio book. I will not continue the saga though, as even after of 20 hours with the story, I can not find something substantial, something that will stay with me after I am done with the books. None of the possible questions posed by the story resonated with me.
February 14, 2020
I enjoyed this book very much. Read it as I walked on the treadmill and kept my attention and made the time go by quickly. It takes a while to get used to the alien creatures but it should if they are really alien to humans. Looking forward to book 3.
February 26, 2020
I really enjoyed the first book in this series (Neptune Crossing) but I found this book boring with a rather weak story line, more like a chapter in a book than a stand-alone book.
I won't be bothering with the rest of the series.....
I won't be bothering with the rest of the series.....
August 15, 2019
Really enjoyed it. Went on to read the others.
March 24, 2020
A fun read with mind-bending concepts
August 21, 2020
I feel like Jeffrey A. Carver is highly underrated. I love the universes he builds and the characters he fills them with.
September 3, 2020
I read this as part of the Chaos Chronicles. I enjoy how Carver writes. This story went in a direction I didn’t expect. Well done.
November 9, 2022
Very intriguing. I must continue the series!
September 18, 2023
A fun sequel, but some parts had me scratching my head. Excited for the next book!
January 26, 2025
Took a while to figure out what was happening and why. This is more space opera than hard sci fi. it's fun
July 19, 2025
Another good read.
A good follow up to Neptune Crossing with more alien characters added. Looking forward to the next instalment of the series
A good follow up to Neptune Crossing with more alien characters added. Looking forward to the next instalment of the series
March 11, 2017
Good/Interesting Story. Starts a little , but gets better and better--- about 3.5 stars
May 3, 2015
John Bandicut is on a grand adventure. After being pressed into service to save the Earth by the mysterious Translator in Neptune Crossing, he's been hurdled out of the galaxy to an immense ship-world where he faces a threat as great as a killer asteroid but with an intelligence behind it. Along with the alien consciousness that lives in his head, Bandicut and his company of new friends risk it all to save the strange world where they've been stranded.
Carver has a knack for writing extended action scenes that make me feel like I'm on a runaway roller coaster ride. This book was no exception in that area. I thoroughly enjoyed Strange Attractors and I'm already reading book three, The Infinite Sea.
On a side note, I see a possible solution to the issue I had with the ending of Neptune Crossing. As I read the final pages of Strange Attractors, I had to pump my fist in the air and shout, "Yes!"
Carver has a knack for writing extended action scenes that make me feel like I'm on a runaway roller coaster ride. This book was no exception in that area. I thoroughly enjoyed Strange Attractors and I'm already reading book three, The Infinite Sea.
On a side note, I see a possible solution to the issue I had with the ending of Neptune Crossing. As I read the final pages of Strange Attractors, I had to pump my fist in the air and shout, "Yes!"
September 8, 2016
Awful storyline, atrocious writing, boring characters, OK action scenes ruined by items sufficiently advanced.
Slightly reminds me of Philip Farmer's Dungeon series - same endless repetition of boring and useless facts, same action that doesn't really lead anywhere, same sense of the editor being either asleep at the wheel or nonexistent.
It's just tedious to read, gave up about halfway through.
Slightly reminds me of Philip Farmer's Dungeon series - same endless repetition of boring and useless facts, same action that doesn't really lead anywhere, same sense of the editor being either asleep at the wheel or nonexistent.
It's just tedious to read, gave up about halfway through.
August 24, 2010
Good continuation of Neptune Crossing. It introduces a new "world" that leaves alot of options for plots for more sequels. It's a good book but nothing spectacular. It was interesting enough to keep me entertained while traveling...
January 28, 2016
Another great book. A space adventure without all the usual war and politics. fast paced and hilarious. Recommended for anyone who liked 'Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy' by Douglas Adams or 'The four lords of the diamond series' by Jack l. Chalker.
May 18, 2009
Couldn't finish it ...
May 24, 2009
Great book, even better than the previous one (Neptune Crossing).
It reminds me of "Rendez-vous with Rama" by A.C. Clarke, in a modern and more breath-taking way...
A must read for sci-fi lovers.
It reminds me of "Rendez-vous with Rama" by A.C. Clarke, in a modern and more breath-taking way...
A must read for sci-fi lovers.
May 24, 2009
Enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews