Spin

This is the best of science fiction because the world-building i

This is the best of science fiction because the world-building is amazing, but the character-building is even better. I love how the author really takes the time to explore reactions to such an event (learning we are not alone)...I personally enjoyed the spirtual aspects of the book....it asks the big questions...this is the whole package!

Intriguing concept...

...but too slick and superficial for my taste.

A Realistic Tale of Science Fiction

I really enjoyed this book. Science fiction themes are explored in a very believable way. The story unfolds in a realistic manner and is held together by characters that filter the science and theory aspects of the novel through the emotions and lives of contemporary human beings.
This tale makes you think about time, cause and effect, and the definition of life.
I am reading the sequel now, and look forward to purchasing the third in the series. Any fan of the genre will appreciate this book.
Michael Travis Jasper, author of the novel, "To Be Chosen"

BREATHTAKING!

For $3, this book really surprised me. This book is a real page- turner, from start to finish. Actually, the author does sort of leaves you hanging at the end...wonder if he plans a sequel? While not quite as technical as what I usually read, the story is quite believable (I actually found this refreshing).

Positively Brilliant!

If you like 'sci-fi' but not quite a Star Wars or a Star Trek fan - this book will thrill you!

No laser or warp drives here! Just GREAT reading!!

Great!

I really enjoyed this book- it kept my interest from the very first page. Great plot, great writing. This sci-fi is a must read!

Interesting

Better than average sci-fi that deals with a mysterious cocoon that envelopes the earth and affects time inside of the earth vs outside(space). I believe the strength of this book is two fold, a strong story that connects the characters and a mystery of who and why an entity would have an interest in doing something to the earth. Raises questions on the enviroment,society, religion, politics,and science. Felt the ending was a little weak but a real page turner that does not get too heavy handed.

Not for a rainy day...

You've read the blurbs and other reviews; I'm a generally upbeat person and what I haven't seen mentioned is that the overarching tone of this book is one of near constant depression, caused by mankind's inability to do anything about the barrier and imminent doom. Wilson explores the effects of this impending doom, creating a pre-apocalyptic society with an interesting but depressing result. Characters are solid, storyline and plot consistent although pacing is at times slow. Some themes could be supported more, but the core line is good. It does make you think as you go along and after, a trait of good writing. Despite the ending, it left me with a sense of loss; reading the sequel after helps, but be aware that this book will leave an optimistic reader depressed.

A fantasy in slow rotation.

Twelve year old Tyler Dupree is enjoying a crisp autumn night stargazing with his close friends Jason and Diane Lawton when without warning, all the stars and the moon vanish from the sky. Someone out there, for reasons unknown, has placed the Earth and all of humanity inside a big, black, general relativistic bag. How the people of the world and especially the Duprees and Lawtons deal with this state of affairs as their lives go on inside the SPIN is the subject of the book. Some see it as the end of the world, some as a new beginning and some take the easy way out. R.C. Wilson presents a good understanding of relativity and sets forth some fascinating illustrations of the vast time spans of the universe contrasted against the tiny blip of human lives. It is also great to see someone writing about the implications of variable time, which, in my opinion, have been neglected far too long. He also does a good job laying out space program politics. On the other hand, the author reveals a jaundiced and outsider view of the aerospace industry, both public and private sector, and displays an ignorance of the true trappings of power and wealth. (The children of billionaire business founders and government program heads in their own right, who might also be targeted by foreign agents, simply do no jump in their friends Honda for an unscheduled cross country drive.) There is some great science fiction technology and philosophy toward the end of the book but it ultimately crosses the line into science fantasy. I wasn¿t really drawn into this novel and one of the reasons was the hero, Tyler Dupree. He comes off as a passionless slug of below average intelligence who remains in the center of attention for no apparent reason. He rarely takes any action that directs the course of the story. Also the premise that human civilization is so special that some great universal entity will descend and prevent us from destroying ourselves is a bit hard to swallow. We are only self important. If we become extinct, like it or not, the universe at large will take little notice of the event. It was made that way. With the title SPIN, (and a Hugo award) I expected a high paced plot line but this novel is more literary than commercial fiction and the plot is flat frankly, parts of it are tedious. At first it seems that there are two converging storylines but in reality, sections of the ending have been pulled forward to keep the readers interest a dodgy proposition at best and a cheap trick in the least. There is a good science fiction novel in there but nearly half of the book could be (and should have been) pared away without any loss to the reader. As I read this Hugo winner for best novel, I wondered at times if winners are chosen the same way we choose presidential candidates. I hope not, but if this is the best the industry has to offer, it bodes well for some fresh faces to rise up in the Sci Fi market. I was not drawn back to this novel when I had to put it down as I am with a true five star book. If you want to be able to talk intelligently about the recent Hugo best novel, I recommend reading this book, it is passing. If you¿re looking for great science fiction entertainment and a fun read, pick up an old Asimov or Lois Bujold novel instead. Reviewed by Hugh Mannfield at stormbold.com

Raises familiar, important issues

When a strange, inexplicable membrane suddenly appears one day, encasing the Earth and blocking the moon and stars (but providing an artificial, filtered sun) society drifts into two camps: those who believe the mysterious membrane is the work of aliens for some unknown, perhaps sinister reason, or the beginning of the End of Days. With the realization that the passage of time itself has changed, with a minute on Earth equaling a hundred years or more outside the membrane, it soon becomes apparent that the sun will go nova in most of their lifetimes, resulting in the destruction of Earth. This knowledge gives the religious cults ammunition for their apocalyptic beliefs, while the scientists of the world devise experiments to take advantage of the unique properties of the Spin, since rockets can penetrate the membrane and extremely long-range experiments can be performed in nearly an instant. (The phenomenon is called Spin because of the rapid movement of the distant galaxies beyond the membrane.) There are other surprises in store for mankind thanks to the time effect and the resulting vast cosmic changes, some of them as unexpected as the membrane itself. The main characters are well drawn, but they take a close second place to the premise of Spin, which questions the very nature of the universe and our place in it. Finally, while not exactly anti-religion, the novel more than hints at the folly of man to fear the unknown and fall into superstition and supernatural beliefs in a futile attempt to explain those things that frighten us. Another recommendation is An Audience for Einstein by Mark Wakely, an intriguing novel about a secret experiment that questions the medically engineered future of mankind.

RCW's best yet

With each novel, Robert Charles Wilson just seems to get better, topping his previous novel. And as much as I enjoyed his other books, SPIN is, almost unbelievably, even better. It's not just that the underlying ideas in the book are brand spankin' new, but they're still cut from the fabric of that great 'sense of wonder' SF that Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov delivered. And he creates strong, interesting characters, too. In fact, that may be the greatest strength in SPIN the characters grow and change in unexpected ways as the narrative develops.

A New 'Spin' in SF

There aren't that many new topics for science fiction writers anymore. Events have overtaken them. But Wilson has come up with something which I believe is totally new in an old genre. One night a protective shell or barrier forms around the Earth., blotting out the stars. A hologrpahic image subsitutes for the sun. It distorts time so that eons pass outside the shell, while time on Earth slows, and the charcters try to figure out who or what is behind this strange shielding. The book offers lively sci-fi in a story powered by the lives of three main characters, Jason and Diane Lawton and their friend Tyler Dupree. While Jason struggles against his domineering father to find out who made this planetary barricade, Tyler pursues an almost hopeless love affair with Diane--who has gone off and married a cultist.The author digs into what would happen to humanity socially as well as scientifically if such a thing came to pass. He even throws in some old ideas--nanotechnology, greater longevity and human 'Martians' to spice it up. Meanwhile, outside the barier, the sun has begun to age, and it grows wider and redder and reaches out across space to swallow the Earth...

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