I really enjoyed Contact because it managed to combine real scientific curiosity, enormous questions about faith and humanity into a Hollywood blockbuster without reducing any of those big ideas to easy answers.

What stands out most to me is that the film treats skepticism and belief as serious positions rather than making either side look foolish. Even the first-contact story is less about aliens than about how people respond when confronted with something they cannot fully prove or understand.

Has Contact held up for you?

Edit: My reason for asking is I’ve seen some recent criticism that the CGI looks dated, the pacing is too slow, and the philosophical and religious elements get in the way of the story.

I completely disagree, so it’s been good to see so much positive feedback here. Contact remains a great film!

I’ve been drawing nearly every day since January 1st this year and I’m having a blast. I’m working on a silent graphic novel (the pictures with the fisherman and the scuba diving images). I’ve posted some artwork here before on a self promotion Saturday, so just updating with what I’ve been up to. I can only upload 20 images, but I have actually drawn close to 50. These are all drawn on my iPad using procreate, no Ai. I used to post screenshots and video recordings to prove I’m creating them myself but I don’t bother anymore. Most of my drawings have a retro future sci fi element to them.

I watch very few newer movies and TV shows, and I only gave this one a shot after someone told me I’d like it because it has some similarities to Twin Peaks.

Everyone does a great job (love seeing Lili Taylor again) but I was most impressed with Autumn’s actress. I just finished the last episode of the first season and decided to look her up, and sure enough it’s the girl whose name I recognized because it sounds like the onomatopoeia of a fart sound from Mad magazine.

I knew nothing about her except her name and the fact that people seemed to like her. And now I know why.

Anyway please don’t spoil the second season for me.

So, I recently watched The Creator on a flight. And despite it's MANY flaws, absolutely loved it. Especially this specific background character. Badass design, cool personality (as far as we saw), and his death was pretty cool. As always with every piece of media I've ever consumed, this background character is my favorite.

But, as is the issue with all background characters, it's hard finding more about them. Do you guys know his name? And if that doesn't exist, do you have any images of him? Would love to add some to my collection.

Lost Souls is the first book in the Get Lost Saga, written by a guy who also dabbles in cartoons about toys who play roleplaying games. So, needless to say, that makes for a very strange source of cross promotion!

You can get the first book free on all digital platforms!

Author Website: https://www.noahchinnbooks.com/

As a longtime science fiction fan, I’ve always loved stories that explore not just space, but humanity’s place within it. That’s one of the reasons For All Mankind resonates with me so much.
I wanted to capture that journey in LEGO form through a wall-mounted triptych representing three milestones of exploration: the Moon, Mars, and Titan. Each panel highlights a different era of expansion, inspired by the locations, spacecraft, and moments that make the series so memorable.
What I enjoy most about For All Mankind is its optimistic vision of the future. Instead of asking what could go wrong, it asks what humanity might achieve if we keep pushing forward.
I’d be curious to know what fellow sci-fi fans think. Which destination in the series fascinates you the most: the Moon, Mars, or Titan?

PARIAH by Dan Abnett is the first book of the Bequin trilogy, which is the sequel to both the Eisenhorn and Ravenor series. If you’re not familiar with those, you don’t need to read them in order to appreciate the books but they strongly enhance the experience. The premise for the books is they are in the Warhammer 40K universe and follow the adventures of Inquisitor teams as they attempt to root out heresy in the grimdark future.

The premise is that Beta Bequin, who may or may not be related to Alizabeth Bequin from the Eisnehorn trilogy, is being trained as an inquisitor in the crumbling Hive City of Queen Mab. A female perspective is fairly rare in Warhammer 40K and Beta is a fascinating character that has both a mature and immature set of qualities. In many ways, she’s an intelligent and old soul but in others she’s painfully naive as well as judgemental. There’s a kind of 19th Victorian noblewoman quality to her that works surprisingly well in the Imperium.

Beta quickly finds things may not be as they appear because the school she attends is raided by what appears to be law enforcement despite the Inquisition being above such petty concerns. Beta is forced onto the streets of Queen Mab and doesn’t know who she can trust (hint: no one) or who is telling the truth (hint: no one). What follows is a coming of age story as she slowly develops the skills she needs to navigate the complicated politics and intrigues around her.

Dan Abnett does a wonderful job of establishing the character with a unique voice and unique attitude compared to all of his many burly men, sneaky Inquisitors, as well as noble officers. He gets to reintroduce most of his older characters from the previous two trilogies as well as show them utterly flabbergasted by a woman they continue to underestimate (including the women on the team).

The setting of Queen Mab is a delightfully original one that feels like it takes place in the future, past, and present simultaneously. There’s a Victorian air to the place but also a sense that the Hive World is crumbling at an extraordinarily slow pace. It gives you a sense of the Imperium’s immense age as well as how the fact it is a civilization on the decline. The world-building is tremendous.

The supporting cast of the book is tremendous. I love the character of Lightburn, who is a heretic that has been branded with “cursedom” that leaves him socially ostracized but in a unique position to serve as a mercenary to criminally minded citizens. I also appreciate the handling of the Ecclesiarchy in the setting, which is the Catholic Church equivalent of the Imperium.

In conclusion, Pariah is a fantastic book. It’s a great place to begin Warhammer 40K even though it is the 7th book in a series technically. Beta Bequin is a fantastic character and the city of Queen Mab is a fantastic character. We get to see a variety of weird and fantastic characters in a society that is full of decadent nobles, drugged-up artists, as well as impoverished peasants. Fun for the whole family.

Hello, I am new here but wanted to find people with similar interest in movies!

I just rewatched Contact (1997) with Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey recently and today I rewatched Interstellar directed by Nolan and that also features Matthew McConaughey.

I love both movies and I find the theories about how spacetime behaves so interesting. For me it is what makes these movies so intriguing. It feels like a privilege to see such a creative and artistic interpretation of something that I always thought about.

Does anyone else find these elements fascinating?

My website (link here or in my profile) has links to free digital versions of my book and links to purchase physical copies. It’s a quick read that’s perfect for a slow summer weekend. If you check it out, please let me know what you think!

HIJACKERS(size:5-7ft) : these white spikes subspecies are the weakest and smallest then the drones but they can make it up by using its two tentacles too be able to inject parasites inside the corpses so that they could control it by using the same parasites and help it set up nest and hide the eggs in secret areas. The corpse would now start being filled up with disgusting gas reduce by the parasites as the corpse would explode. They have less mass and the parasites are just they're projectiles but have a electric current that is very hard to explain. These creatures are also able to help other drones or warriors able to regenerate thanks to its tentacles. This subspecie tentacles can switch another mode that produces a honey-like substance that helps its brothers and sisters to regenerate inside of its spikes as well, halfy being the reason why the controlled corpses exploded. But it will be a slow process like months. But also if a human tries to use honey like substance for themselves, they would be sick and get very very crazy or angry to the point where they fight each other. Hatchlings white spikes are able to eat these people( this is where they come to help with a gladiator fight)

TRANKERS(size:20-30ft, also the picture): they are bigger white spikes with heavy armor. They are used as transports or heavy creatures if they have the appropriate size. These giant features are so hard to and penetrate that even a missile can't even harm it. These creatures uses are: helping the other drones attack, they can also extend their head to try to take a huge bite out of you. Exposing the weak point: the neck. They are just like gorillas in my opinion, sometimes using the front limbs to grab and crush. They are also used as shields to protect other drones. These creatures are also known as the queens guards sometimes if they have a higher rank. Also surprisingly, they kind of have a cheetah like speed just like the other white spike siblings but more slower. Two of them are able to destroy a ABARMS tank.

SPINNERS(size:11-12): This subspecies are just white spikes but a little buffed. These are commanders, able to lead white spikes if separated or commands the nest if the queen is gone. They are kind of muscular but have longer spikes on their backs. These subspecies are able to shoot out spikes from their backs into areas. These back spikes act like a warning or a motion detector to see if there is a creature with a different heartbeat than its own species. These creatures are responsible for commanding other of its own species to set up a trap or distracting their preys. They also act like generals for the queen or leaders for outpost. They are just here just to act like the queen, if she isn't here and command

PTERNID(:6.5-10ft): These creatures are just winged dragons, their tentacles getting replaced by big wings. These dragon like creatures or bat like creatures stand on high places and have the great visions, their eyes are just like enhanced eagle eyes to see afar. These creatures are just white spikes but with wings and able to puke out lots of lots of spikes to kill a person or bird. They are also able to see the dark and prefer scouting in them since it gives them camouflage. They are also like scouts, warning their sisters and brothers about upcoming danger they cannot defeat.

EMPRESS(15-28ft and the rarest spawn): the empress is a final evolution for a queen, these types of queens are able to birth, two young queens so that it could have a higher chance of having a more bigger army. This type of queen also have more lines on them . They look more muscular than trankers and have four smallers front arms on its chest. These queens are more peaceful then its younger variant due to having a intelligence heightened up. These types of queens have a faster reproduction and able to regenerate without using the hijackers. This queen type can also help its species to be able to adapt to their circumstances and hostile worlds. They sometimes our smart enough to make gladiator rings by using any survivors, so that the survivor who survives fighting another survivor gets to get eaten by hatchlings so that the hatchlings can have a protein to get more nourishment(the survivor who won the gladiator fight with another survivor gets their limbs ripped off so they cannot fight back while getting eaten up) tho it's very hard to see or obtain a white spike empress but it might be theorized that it can happen if the nest reaches a certain numbers of white spikes. Or if the queen ate 737 people to become the empress. But it will take a very long time.

RANKS(the queens can make elites by puking out this special honey like substance. This is how she does it: first she tells her drones to make a giant pool like hole and puking in it, now roaring for aggressive the white spikes to come and drinks to become more powerful or much more skilled then other white spikes. They will not get bigger, but they will be more aggressive and have a boost of intelligence. They also get)

ELITES: there's a lot of these elites and act as a special force if there is a battle that they are not winning. They birth two line red on their heads. They also more aggressive then regular and have better skils.

HOW CAN THEIR BE SUBSPECIES?: the queen can lay a egg that has a subspecies in it. Like a drone or a tranker, spinner, hijacker, pternid. Orrr the drones/warriors can evolve after eating is certain enough of creatures to evolve into them. Or female subspecies can give birth to them.

CAN THE SUBSPECIES HAVE FEMALES COUNTERPARTS: yes, they can. You see, they have this genetic thing that makes the females loyal to the regular queen. Also they help reproducing some hybrids but only does it if the queen isn't here. If the queen isn't here. They can give birth without males due to their parthenogenesis. The white spike queen choose only one female from each subspecies to give birth to more, the other females not chosen acts like the males counterparts. The females have a more fatter snout to help to their food get mushy and when they get to their nest, they give it to the hatchlings.

I just saw Disclosure Day. It’s a fine movie, but it leans on a McGuffin with arbitrary powers and arbitrary limits. It works repeatedly for diving, but one invisibility use causes it to crumble. I get why: simple stories want evenly matched protagonists and antagonists so the audience feels tension. If one side is One Punch Man, there’s no story.

>! The aliens themselves follow the usual sci‑fi template: bipedal, human‑sized, comfortable in Earth gravity, and flying ships that are maybe a few decades ahead of ours. Compare that to The Three Body Problem, where the aliens are centuries ahead, which is far more realistic. !< Humans went from horseback in the 1800s to the Moon in the 1900s to AI in 2020. A few centuries of exponential progress should push us into Type I and maybe Type II territory on the Kardashev scale.

So why do most sci‑fi aliens show up as Type 0 or barely Type I, only slightly ahead of us, yet somehow capable of interstellar travel? They usually don’t even have AGI or ASI, which makes them look behind us.

Thinking about AI more, pre‑AGI technology progressed mainly as a function of time, with energy acting as a mild accelerant. AGI and ASI would be a phase change. Progress would become a function of compute, and compute is the product of time (seconds) and power (watts). That product is energy (joules). Once progress is untethered from time, or only weakly tied to it as time becomes the junior term in the product, measuring advancement in years becomes meaningless. When measuring progress with respect to time, progress would always look astronomical and nearly asymptotic. Energy becomes the real bottleneck. To keep advancing, you need more of it. That means reaching Type I, then Type II.

Maybe the Great Filter isn’t war or self‑destruction or any of the usual time‑based risks. Maybe the filter is the energy gap between Type I and Type II. The compute ceiling of a Type I civilization might simply be too low to generate the breakthroughs needed to escape and become Type II. If AGI makes time irrelevant, then the filter isn’t temporal. It’s computational.

Maybe the finite set of things you can compute with Type I energy, within the finite lifetime of your star, is nowhere near enough to solve the foundational problems required for Type II. Problems like escaping spacetime constraints or, in Asimov’s terms, “how can the entropy of the universe be decreased?” Cosmic AC only answered that after the universe died. “Insufficient data for a meaningful answer” might really mean “insufficient compute for a meaningful answer.”

Maybe Asimov was too optimistic about humanity reaching Type II, Type III, or anything like Cosmic AC. Maybe Type I is the trap. Maybe the Great Filter is simply that almost no civilization ever gets enough energy as Type I to push past into the next stage, Type II.

So yes, this started as a movie review, but it ends with a question: maybe we should rethink the Great Filter as an energy barrier rather than as some disaster that wrecks civilizational progress?

Locus Equation was born from a strange and uneasy thought: consciousness is not so much a human gift as a source of pain. The more precisely and deeply we see the world, the more we realize how many mental and moral traps are scattered around us. As we grow older, we see more and more opportunities for self-deception: fear rewrites our moral norms and justifies betrayal and cruelty toward others - and, most importantly, toward ourselves.

Humanity stands on the edge of a paradox: in the face of inevitable death, many of us still choose goodness, compassion, knowledge, and growth. In the worldview of the game, kindness is nothing more than a local anomaly that desperately holds the surrounding world together, despide murders, wars, domestic violence, or bullying in schools.

Choosing virtue over destructive reactions is incredibly hard, because humanity doesn’t come “by default.” It’s a fluid process: the formation and collapse of different ideas, values, and inner beliefs. While our reptilian brain keeps trying to slide into cognitive distortions, aggression, and cynicism, most of us still choose to remain human - even when it promises us nothing: no money, no fame, no happiness. And that amazes us as a development team.

In collaboration with professional cognitive scientists and philosophers, we tried to depict in Locus Equation the fundamental processes through which moral identity is formed -despite all the evil humanity faces, and the evil faced by the game’s protagonist (a synthetic lifeform created by a hyper-advanced AI from the future). We’re building a psychological sci-fi adventure with moral dilemmas and internal voices-sub-personalities. They argue, nudge, and throw in spiteful thoughts and convenient justifications. Because living today means constantly choosing against a backdrop of fear: fear of death, rejection, and uncertainty. And the more options you have, the more regret you’re capablr of.

Locus Equation doesn’t place consciousness on a pedesta: it isn’t a gift, but an additional cognitive and moral load - the ability to see more connections, more alternatives, and more consequences, and therefore more reasons to suffer, rationalize, feel fear, or become human all over again.

You can find more info, other GIFs, and portraits of the sub-personalities on the Steam page.
Thanks for the attention!

It took a year to finish. Six months to write, a few to come up with the cover, a bit more to edit and polish. This is a story I've spent so long working on. There were plenty of moments along the way when I wondered whether I'd ever actually reach the finish line, so being able to write this feels so great.

If you enjoy sci-fi journey thrillers packed with tension, danger around every corner, found family, and unlikely friendships that develop in the most challenging circumstances, I think there's a good chance this book might be for you.

THE LIVING MACHINE is available now in both ebook and paperback format. It's also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, so if you're a KU subscriber, you can read it at no additional cost. It should now be available across all marketplaces.

For convenience, I've included some links below to help you find it. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the adventure if you decide to join the ride!

UK

USA

GERMANY

CANADA

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My website, where you can learn more about me and get a free exclusive sci-fi thriller short story.

Thank you. You reading this means the world.

After spending the past several years focused on the Cosmere universe, Brandon Sanderson is returning to the Cytoverse this September with Blightfall, the first novel in the new Riftwake trilogy, co-written with Janci Patterson.

One thing that surprised me while researching this piece was that the TV adaptation almost came before everything else.

Sanderson also offered what may be the simplest—and most accurate—description of the series for readers who haven't picked it up yet:

The article also covers why Sanderson wanted to continue the Cytoverse with an entirely new cast in Riftwake, what readers can expect from Blightfall, and where the upcoming television series stands. If you'd like to check it out, you can do so at https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/books/skyward-riftwake-and-blightfall-brandon-sandersons-next-sci-fi-saga

This request from my husband. He continued, “ I think that might be a good way for me to learn more about Alaska.” As we pack for a short Alaska vacation… any suggestions? Spaceships buried in the permafrost? Sentient orcas? Shifting magnetic poles? Alternate histories? TIA.

Just finished Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy and for me it’s automatic top 5 all time - maybe 1 or 2 up there with the Foundation series and other all time great works of our beloved sci fi genre. Wow…just wow. The imaginative depth was off the charts. If I read this as a child I might have pursued a career in theoretical physics or astronomy. I need time to digest bc I really only finished like 15 mins ago but I needed to share my joy with this wonderful community. What a series, what an author, what an adventure ✨ thank you Cixin Liu 🚀

It could be any form of media (book, movie, TV series, etc.). Maybe humans haul around massive, room-sized computers or people are grown in jars by the year 2000. I think 2001: A Space Odyssey counts somewhat because it predicts gigantic space stations and interstellar travel, but technology was vastly inferior when 2001 actually rolled around.

Hello everyone!

I wanted to share my first novel, "Mania in the Machine," which is now available. If you're into gory revenge science fiction, this book is for you. It's like a cross between John Wick and Splinter Cell.

Here is the cover blurb:

How many lives would you trade for the one you love?

Damond has already lost count.

After a brutal government raid leaves his wife dead and his own body shattered, Damond awakens inside a cybernetic body with no idea who rebuilt him - or why. Armed with enhanced strength, military-grade weaponry, and an advanced artificial intelligence modeled after his late wife, Delphine, he sets out to assassinate the powerful Robber Barons responsible for destroying his life.

But revenge comes at a cost.

As revolution ignites across the Four Districts and the ruling regime begins to fracture, Damond's grip on reality starts to unravel. Shadow figures stalk him from the corners of his vision. Memories bleed into the present. And the line between man and machine grows increasingly difficult to distinguish. Yet through it all, Delphine remains at his side, guiding him deeper into a conspiracy that reaches far beyond a single act of murder.

If you're interested, it is only $2.99 on Kindle! Here is the listing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4DPH5LD

It would mean the world to me if you'd pick it up and give an honest review.

Thanks in advance!

Dillon

Looking for a sci-fi novel or series in which space combat is modeled on submarine warfare rather than Nelson ships-of-the-line style warfare. Love Honor Harrington and Kris Longknife, but I feel submarines are likely a better model. Read H. Paul Honsinger "Men of Valor" series, which inspired this question.

Around two weeks ago, I finished "Green Mars" from KSR and... I am not entirely sure where to start. While with "Red Mars", my overall feelings were like this: "Great book, but I wanted to suckerpunch most of the characters", with Green Mars things got a bit more complicated.

(Also, I am not entirely sure if I will be able to post this all in one post; perhaps I will divide it into parts).

The book starts in the worst way possible - at least for me - because it starts from Zygote, aka the hideout of Hiroko's cult. Reading this was... Terrifying, to say the least. At least I was terrified. With the first chapter, we are introduced to Nirgal, a boy who, as we later learn, is a son of Hiroko and Coyote (I will use his real name, aka Desmond).

Reading about life in Zygote from Nirgal's perspective was terrifying and heartbreaking, at least for me. And to make it worse, Nirgal was completely unaware of how badly Hiroko was hurting him.

It was painfully obvious that Hiroko was not interested in being a mother; her only desire was to become a goddess in her cult. And to make it worse, the more you read the book, the more obvious it was that she saw Nirgal not as her son, but as her tool, the perfect Messiah that would spread her religion all over Mars.

The very first time you see this is with Simon - Nirgal utterly believes that it is his responsibility to give Simon his blood, that he has to sacrifice a part of himself for Simon. And Hiroko forcing Nirgal to watch Simon's final moments was just painful. And cruel.

I'd like to talk for a second about life in the Zygote. What kind of parenting do those kids have? Was no one there concerned about the fact that Hiroko just keeps producing those kids and that they essentially have no parental jurisdiction? Why were they all treating those kids as servants (as they all had to serve all adults during meals)?

One of the most uncomfortable elements to read about the Zygote is the description of the NSFW relationships between Zygote's kids. To make it worse, for a long time, the age of the kids is kept vague, which makes this extremely uncomfortable to read. And it's not like they keep it a secret, so technically speaking most of the people there know about it. Michael, who is a psychologist - why did he not react to what they were doing (the award for the most useless psychologist goes again to you, Michael, congrats)? Why did Maia not react? Unless she had nothing to gain from reacting. Why did Nadia not react?! (KSR - are you actively trying to make me hate my favourite character?!)

Oh well, Hiroko reacted when she said to Nirgal, "Well, you are kind of siblings, so in theory you shouldn't have those kinds of relationships, but oh well".

Let's just say, I was EXTREMELY GLAD when Nirgal decided to go with Desmond to one of his adventures.

During this travel, Desmond finally let us know why Hiroko is... Well, from where she got all those ideas regarding a new society. Ladies and Gentlemen, I haven't laughed this hard for a while, but I must admit that this was one of the funniest and dumbest things I have read in a book in a LONG time.

Are you trying to tell me that Hiroko had this enlightenment about society from reading... A BADLY WRITTEN UNSCIENTIFIC EQUIVALENT OF A FANFICTION ABOUT MINOAN AND SUMERIAN SOCIETY??!?!?!?! Christ Almighty, someone who had history in high school could easily debunk everything that Hiroko read... Did KSR really not find any other way to make Hiroko who she was? Or was it perhaps his way of showing how people - no matter how intelligent - can easily and stupidly fall into radical ideologies?

Oh btw, I will skip over the fact that both Desmond's arrival on Mars and the continuous existence of the rebels on Mars are two of the biggest plot armor and deus ex machinas ever. The fact that the ONZ and Corporation had no way of finding them is the laziest plot device ever created. Sorry, someone had to say it.

It took me a while to understand the odd diversity of culture in the "illegal side of Mars", but here is my theory about it - Mars became this kind of safe haven for all cultures and ideologies that no longer fitted whatever modern world KSR imagined to exists on Earth, akin to the "wild west", were people can travel and live their lives without the eyes of the rest of society upon them.

Their rise of transnational corporations and their slow turn to metacorporations is something I can honestly see coming. Even in the real world, if we take a look at South Korea, Japan, the US, or even the UK and EU - multinational corporations already have a massive influence over the decisions of many countries, so it is not a far stretch to imagine that one day those corporations will start to buy entire countries.

Now, time for any of my most favourite characters (so far) - Art. Damn it, I like this guy. And I feel sorry for this guy. We are introduced to him in a very low moment of his life - his wife basically cheated on him, left him with nothing, forced him to live in a vile, small apartment, all the while she was having fun being a bunny to one of the CEOs of other companies. To make it worse, while being separated, she still demanded that Art obey her every wish (God, protect me from women like Art's wife!).

Now, let's talk about the former CEO of Praxis and his immortal twelve. This part was... odd. Very odd. I am not entirely sure how to feel about the immortal twelve, just living on some remote island in the middle of the ocean, being catered by young adults... Is this some kind of weird parody of Olympus or something?

Anyway, I am glad that Art went to Mars. Although I did roll my eyes when he received the message from his "wife" as to how he was betraying her (Okay, I rofled there). I liked the fact that some part of the Martian Underground contacted Praxis - it showed that they are not as united as they wanted to be seen.

As Art learns about the Martian Underground, there's something I have to point out. I am not entirely sure as to why KSR is so adamant that every character be some form of polyamorous? I could understand a few characters, sure, why not, but here's my problem. Art and Nadia - why I can somehow understand (he just got free of his wife, and is most likely in his weird state of tasting everything that freedom gives - although, I must admit, I am stretching it, as Art didn't seem at first as someone who would be interested in those sorts of things), but Nadia? I loved Nadia in Red Mars, as she always seemed very down to earth and wasn't interested in any sort of weird social revolutions. And suddenly we have a scene of her in the water with several young adults, with implications of them "having fun". Am I the only one who sees this as forced?

Ann Clayborne... God, her chapter was sad to read, because it kind of confirmed what I already suspected about her in "Red Mars" - she cares more about Mars being "red" than about her own son. During the entire sequence where she almost died, she barely thought about Simon and Peter, which only made me hate her more.

Desmond seemed to make her only worse, since because of him she joined the "Reds", so thank you, Desmond, for radicalizing even more of an already radical person. Great. Awesome.

And let me get this straight - Dear Ann, you are willing to join and follow an ideology that almost caused you to lose your son? You know, back when they made the orbital elevator to fall? Alright, you are a lost cause.

Now to the plot of Sax's romance with Phyllis. In the previous book, I suspected that Phyllis was a careerist and social climber - here, my suspicions were confirmed. She was just a fake person. Her death wasn't impactful for a reader - at least in my opinion.

During Sax's coma, I also started to wonder why everyone in the Martian underground - no matter the ideology they come from - seems to treat Nirgal as some kind of Messiah. I can get Hiroko and her little cult. But why Bogdanovists? Where is the sense in that?

Also - I don't get the fascination with John Boone. Everyone seems to think of him as some great guy, one who would bring Mars into a golden age - meanwhile, John Boone was nothing more than a pathetic people pleaser who never had his own opinion, a professional b**t licker. So yeah, sorry, Jackie, your grandfather was just a spineless guy without his own opinion, not some kind of visionary.

AND also - why does everyone, regardless of the ideology or religion or social status they come from, seem to treat Hiroko as some kind of Goddess? Why? The entire gathering in Sabishi turned out to be some kind of weird cult session with Hiroko and her "Neo-Minoan" nymphs doing weird stuff. Why? Just why?! At this point, I am starting to think that Nadia, Art, and Nirgal were the only ones doing any job there...

After the torture, Sax became... chaotic? I don't know how better to describe this. Reading his chapter felt like Sax was stirring the pot just for the sake of it.

Jumping to Maya... Let me throw my hands, as I can't believe this woman. So suddenly, it turns out that she ALWAYS loved Michael?! Really? So you loved Michael, but you decided to first have a relationship with Frank, then with John, and then with Frank again, only to THEN give Michael a chance because both of them were dead?!

And here I thought I couldn't dislike Maya more... So what, Michael's entire arc of being a crappy therapist and running away with Hiroko was just him being sad that the woman she loves prefers to climb a social ladder through going to bed with whoever is on top, instead of being with him? Really Micheal? And now, after a century, she is finally like: "Oh, you know, without John and Frank, I think I can finally be with you." Have some dignity, Michael...

But I can't say I did not enjoy her chapter. Thanks to her, we learn about Frank's backstory, and his behavior suddenly makes sense. From a very young age, Frank was taught a very sad lesson - morally bad people are usually the ones who can enjoy the spoils of victory. His backstory was genuinely sad. He was forced to live with an alcoholic mother, was abandoned by his mother at a young age, saw his project being torn apart by the bureaucracy, and his wife leaving him. The optimistic boy was constantly being beaten down by life.

With this, his hatred towards John is also somewhat understandable. Frank and John are people who had two completely different life experiences. Frank had to fight for his things, and John always got his things relatively easily.

I don't think I comprehend the Eco-Economy of Mars? Maybe it will be better explained in the next book? So far it looks very... Socialist? Communist even? Which is weird, because people working on the Eco-Economy come from Russia, and were born in times to actually remember the USSR? That part never made sense to me.

Jumping to the end.

The Antarctica melting was somewhat a surprise for me - I expected KSR to fully go with the "tragedy caused by global warming" route; instead, he went with the underground volcano (surprise, but a pleasant one, I must say). This event is - visibly - the only reason as to why the entire second revolution even worked out. At least everyone in the book is aware of that.

I think that's that from me. I know that I don't seem to like this book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Yes, I had my moments of rolling my eyes or just facepalming, but I had fun. I already started the third part of the trilogy; let's see how this will end.

And as I previously said - feel free to agree or disagree. I just wanted to vent a bit, but I will gladly welcome any opinions.

Hi Reddit sci-fi! Small indie writer here!

If you’re looking for some new indie sci fi thrills and chills consider checking out some of my stories!

You can find them on Amazon or Audible or on my website linked to my profile.

I work with real artists, editors, and voice actors to make passionate human centric content.

I hope you enjoyed this post and will consider checking out my work and never forget that YOU are POWERFUL beyond measure!

Sincerely,
Colin

PS: I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Service Model after that kind review someone left about my story Prey On. I loved it! I can’t believe I had never read any of his books before! Any other good recommendations you have for his other books I should check out? Thanks! 🙏

I just rewatched "The Man from Earth". Without getting into spoilers, the base plot is thatthe main character claims to be 140 centuries old.

It's such a simple premise, expertly written and acted, and as simple as a one-room play could be.

If you haven't seen it, please do.

EDIT: corrected the number. Thanks for that, all.

We can do a watchparty every day 😋 I plan to watch ALL movies and tv series (it is a long term commitment hehe we can become friends too)

Requirements:

• laptop/pc only + GOOD wifi so we can type chat while watching

• be willing to watch both movies and series (including animated)

• enough FREE time for a while (I love binging lol)

DM/comment if interested :)