Book Review: "Gradisil"

 

Gradisil: Books: Adam RobertsISBN: 1591025389 ISBN-13: 9781591025382

This book, “Gradisil”, really caught my attention in the beginning. The first part was written in “memoir” format; it was beautifully written, interesting, challenging the imagination, and introduced new concepts for the sci-fi reader, and hard to put down. Unfortunately, none of this carried through to the following sections of the book.

Beginning in the second part, “Gradisil” became difficult to read. What I think must have been an attempt to show how a culture and language changes over the years and generations, in fact became an annoyance; such a great annoyance that I gave up and did not finish reading the book. For example, it seemed that every word “spoken” by the characters in the story that should have had the letter “C” in it was changed, removing the “C”. For example, “Jack” became “Jak”, “quickly” became “quikly”, etc. This was just too jarring to me as a reader; too great a distraction, overcoming any enjoyment from reading the story.

The story itself is a good one, and Adam Roberts does a good job of outlining part of a future that may well be a reality in my own life time; certainly in the life-times of my children and their children: namely, the living in Earth orbit of private citizens, and the sense of identity and community built around the challenges, freedoms - and restrictions, of living in this new frontier.

Adam Roberts does a very good job with keeping the science “real”, and keeping the real, known, medical consequences of living in a micro-gravity environment an every-day part of the challenges of homesteading in Earth’s orbit. The only technology that might be a bit far-fetched is the technology used to get into orbit; a new technology that allows converted jets to “sail” along the lines of the Earth’s magnetosphere, the Earth’s magnetic field, eliminating the need for the use of large, expensive rockets to reach escape velocity and into orbit.

Another intriguing concept that was new to me was the invention of what became known as “periscopes”, but were essentially snorkels; miles-long tubing trailed out of each orbital “house” or habitat, extended down into the atmosphere and allowing fresh air to be pumped in.

An amusing part of the story was the need of the military and government mind for order and regimentation, extending even to the psychological need of maintaining a sense of “up” and “down”, of their being a “ceiling” and a “floor” even in the absence of gravity, and the techniques used to simulate gravity. In one habitat, gravity was simulated by the use of large fans in the “ceiling” creating enough of a breeze to push everything, and everyone, “down” to the “floor”, and allowing people to walk, after a fashion. It is a ridiculous waste of energy and resources, which is the whole point. Again, the author does not fail to include some of the environmental consequences, including the constantly high level of noise, the drying out and chapping of the skin and lips, etc.

If the entire book had been written as well as the first part, I think I’d have given it five stars; conversely, if the first part had had the same problems as the rest of the book, I’d have given it two stars, perhaps even one. Splitting the difference, I’ll rate the book at three out of five stars.

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~ by Thor on February 9, 2008.