Rating: 2 of 5
Short Synopsis: A terraforming station is built on the moon to recreate human life in the
Longer version, with SPOILERS:
This book is ambitious. It takes place over millions of years, reusing the same characters through cloning and indoctrination.
Perhaps this was imagined, but it read like poetry. I got a sense of scansion, of verse. I'm not certain why -- its not like the paragraphs or lines or sentences had a consistent number of syllables.
The moon base is run by robots, recreating 5 (sometimes 6) people whenever they are needed to check out earth, or to go repopulate the earth. We see at least three distinct civilizations derived from these few people. Each time, one member of the crew didn't make it -- and the emergent society is missing that piece.
For example, one of the crew is a historian. She holds the culture of old earth. Without her, an emerged society lacks an appreciation for the arts. Seeing how those societies emerge was delightful.
There are aliens, some of whom colonize the earth while the robots on the moon are not paying attention.
The main characters aren't fantastic, but the permutations as they change are kind of fun. To see them identify with their prior selves is played well in the beginning, though towards they end they stop really being different people.
The ending is ... I didn't care for it. There were a few ways this could have ended: destruction of the earth, heat death of the universe, ascension to a higher plane of existence. (Spoilers) This goes the last route. There wasn't enough conceptual work done early in the novel to justify this, instead it is the result of a deux machina.
That being said: remarkably ambitious. Pulls a few punches I would have enjoyed to see land. Characters are stereotypes, but the repetition is intentional and well played.
Edit: Downrating from 3 to 2.
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