Change in the Far Future
Peter F. Hamilton's Salvation Lost and Saints of Salvation, plus short fiction
Review: Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton
This trilogy is very much, from what I can tell, one book that got way too long and had to be split so we could carry it around ;).
There’s nothing wrong with that. However, through it is a growing feeling of “F Yeah Humanity.” According to the Neana, nobody has defeated the Olyix. Nobody can.
Except by the end, humanity is resorting to the same tactics the Neana used…vanishing into the void between the stars. The people they were counting on to build a true Sanctuary appear to be dead. Most of the human colonies have been destroyed.
The story continues to show flashbacks of what’s going on on Earth…which the Olyix are destroying as a habitable planet in order to get to humanity.
Religious fanaticism is the true enemy here, but do the Olyix themselves have any free will left? It’s questionable.
If I was writing this story the ultimate goal would be to save first humanity then the Olyix themselves from their programmed search for God.
But I’m not, and I suspect Hamilton will go in a very different directions.
(Also, there’s something snide at guys who get penile implants for vanity tucked in there).
Review: Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
Seems the trilogy went the classic route of having the second book be, well. A downer. But we’re right back to F Yeah Humanity in the third.
The multiple timelines and threads tie together beautifully…that’s one of the things Hamilton is good at. The prosaic way space battles on the scale of throwing stars at each other is described makes it all the more ridiculous and wonderful. This is space opera that follows Clarke’s Law and thus feels a bit like epic fantasy.
And he’s managed to drop the gender essentialism too.
Humanity will win, just as has been obvious all along. But what price will be paid? And who, or what, is the God at the End of Time?
(I actually left this book really feeling quite sorry for the Olyix. They’re just so messed up and whatever they originally were has been lost. A cautionary tale about fanaticism, yes. But also a warning about change…and human speciation).
Which I believe Hamilton comes down on the positive side of, in the end. An interesting trilogy. Recommended to fans of large scale, almost ridiculous space opera.
Star billiard balls, people. Star billiard balls.
Review: Analog Science Fiction & Fact July/August 2023
One novella, three novelettes, 13 short stories, two flash pieces, one article and the typical two poems. The theme here appears to be “life.”
As in, all the different ways life can show up. Jay Werkheiser explores the concept of life not recognizing other life in “Fermi’s Silence.” Stephen L. Burns throws a barista into a tough situation involving aliens in “Recruit.” The novella is an Adam-Troy Castro, and is very typical of this author…far future space opera that needs every bit of its canvas and is in the same universe as much of his other work.
I think my favorite stories were “Everybody Needs a Conditions Box” by David Ebenback and the adorable “Gin and Rummy” by Eneasz Brodski, both of which are about AI and human relations…but explore very different aspects of them.
A solid issue. I won’t be reviewing September/October because I have a piece in there and it’s my policy not to review any anthologies or issues I’m in. Conflict of interest! But I’m looking forward to reading the all but a few pages of it that aren’t, shall we say, intimately familiar.
Short Fiction
“Gentler Things” by Thomas Ha (PodCastle)
I almost regretted listening to this story. Why? It’s about a girl who just lost her dad. But it’s also about stories and what we say (and think) after somebody is gone. Turns out I needed it. It’s also very short. It’s paired with another story, a reprint that I’d read before. Link: https://podcastle.org/2023/10/03/podcastle-807-double-feature-gentler-things-and-the-sigilists-notes-on-the-fell-lords-staff/
“Marta’s Smile by Maria Haskins (The Sudden Fictions Podcast)
How does Maria do slow burn horror in eight minutes? Content warning for spiders. Other than that I can’t say much because it’s so short I’d spoil it. Recommended to horror fans. https://rbwood.com/dir/sf-podcast/episode-5-martas-smile-by-maria-haskins/
“Beverly’s Sonata” by Jennifer Hudak (PodCastle)
The author claims this is a pandemic story, but it’s about an old musician in a care home. This spoke to me personally and I suddenly have clear memories of my mother’s grand piano, that took up most of the parlor. It had a black case, and I didn’t get to play it very often…I got to play the upright upstairs. Or rather, had to. Being the daughter of a musician can be trying! But it also reminded me of my father’s last year in a care home, although he never hid in his room. It’s really about dealing with unwanted change for the negative. Yeah, this one kinda got to me personally.