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Shipstar (2014)

by Gregory Benford(Favorite Author)

3.44 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0765328704 (ISBN13: 9780765328700)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Tor Books

series

Bowl of Heaven

review 1: My primary and perhaps slightly masochistic pleasure when reading these types of science fiction novels is the immense sense of awe inspired by the alien artifacts/technologies; so much the better if they remain enigma and incomprehensible to the very end, despite the best efforts of the main characters and humanity in general. Typically, the rest is of secondary concern to me, although I will try to enjoy reading the fruits of their craft (developing characters, building worlds, showing off their knowledge in "soft" science as well). Unfortunately, I didn't quite enjoy this series (Books 1 and 2) on both fronts; the artifact wasn't awesome enough, and the rest of the stuff was just too slow, uninteresting and seemed rather formulaic (e.g. aliens as "noble savages"... more).
review 2: In the afterword to “Shipstar” (Tor, $27.99, 415 pages), co-author Gregory Benford (with Larry Niven) refers to the massive Bowl that is the main topic of this book and its predecessor, “Bowl of Heaven,” as a Big Smart Object. And in so doing, Benford pretty much reviewed both of these books – which by the way, should be read back-to-back, as if they were one volume. The authors don’t fill in any blanks, and in fact I had completely forgotten two major characters were married until it was brought up during the final pages of book two.Regardless, though, these two volumes are in fact one Big Smart Object, with a lot of what passes for the plot being discussions of how the Bowl (an incredibly massive object that cruises the galaxy) works, and how a jet from its accompanying star is generated and controlled. The characters fade into the background as the technical ideas flow, and then Benford and Niven add more and more aliens to the mix to further muddy the waters, and distance the reader from the supposed protagonists.Then again, folks don't buy Benford/Niven books for nuanced characters and subtle shades of emotion -- those who have bought Benford/Niven books in the past, though, know what to expect. less

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