Again, a commonly seen sci-fi trope is described from a new, fascinating perspective of which no other author had the ingenuity to see the potential.
BAgain, a commonly seen sci-fi trope is described from a new, fascinating perspective of which no other author had the ingenuity to see the potential.
Back to the roots of the ingenious first novel, this completely character focused part again deals with social, sociological societal, and psychological topics by using the good old “putting people that will certainly have interesting debates and conflicts together in a small space they can´t escape from“ trope.
In contrast to older social sci-fi that sometimes had a lecturing and biased undertone that lead to less identification with the characters, Chambers uses permanent character povs to construct intensive, credible, and deep pictures of future worlds, adding much philosophy, social criticism, and depth in the best way possible. By integrating it into the main red plotline, character motivations, and fractions ideological goals, letting it explode in mostly nonviolent, still very thrilling ways that leave the reader with thoughts about many important issues, Chambers shows how social sci-fi can flex its muscles and own the genre with innovative, progressive ideas.
Adding the suspense, mysterious backstory element to the show makes it even more thrilling than Chambers´other works, following the tradition of luring crime and thriller fans into sci-fi lands, Asimov and Lem loved to use in their works. Again, without violence and action by fully focusing on internal thought processes, dialogues, inner monologues, using some of the most difficult to write styles like a boss.
Just as Octavia E Butler and Nnedi Okorafor, Chambers goes fully subtle against discrimination, prejudices, and racism, putting the bad human habits into future scenarios where only the tech is shiny and new, while the ideology of tribalistic Stoneage idiocy is still big in many species. It´s opening the fascinating question if the superficiality and xenophobia of the human, and other alien, species will someday really be the reason for not just hate crimes, but wars and xenocides as first acts of galactic or intergalactic first contact diplomacy. If every technological development and physical discovery has been successful and just the ape, squid, insect, or whatever instinct, to attack and kill everything new and foreign, is the reason for unnecessary suffering.
I wish I would remember more of what I´ve read, and of course have generally read more, sci-fi to get all the hidden easter eggs and innuendos, because I have a kind of intuitive, subjective feeling that Chambers is the kind of person that likes to put extra hidden inside jokes besides all the underlying social criticism. Or I´m just projecting too much into it because I´m fanboying and glorifying too much, who knows.
What I´ve noticed the most while reading groundbreaking, ingenious, social, female sci-fi is how much more accessible, and especially more entertaining it is, for all other readers who aren´t used to the genre and prefer to go with the protagonists or not too complex worldbuilding. Too detailed descriptions, technobabble, dozens of page long fights and terraforming projects, author ego driven hypercomplex philosophical, technological, and societal concepts, and especially hard sci-fi and too grimdark dystopias making it difficult for readers to enter the future worlds. And that´s where female sci-fi writers rock, taking great characters with everyday, relationship, and all kind of gender identity problems and letting them live in future worlds with some grains of tech and action, but mostly character development. It´s so good and so different from what I am used to read from mostly male, white WEIRD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol... STEM writers. They´re great, but have created a kind of monoculture where other cultures and especially the feminine perspective are completely underrepresented, just as in real life.
Go eco- social in space if you can handle it and the devastating real life implications
The xenosociological exploration of human development, especiGo eco- social in space if you can handle it and the devastating real life implications
The xenosociological exploration of human development, especially regarding the difference between isolationist habitats and the free, traveling spacers and the planet bound groups, are presented as entries into the research diary of an alien. It uses the conversations with a human scientist and the knowledge about human history to find many implications, connotations, and social criticism and that´s one of the many ingenious ways sci-fi owns society.
Gaiaism and sustainability aren´t just practiced for ideological reasons, it´s more a question of needing to have a socialist, zero waste, as sustainable circular economy with as much recycling and fairness as possible. The irony lies in the fact that the human mind seems to be so twisted and sick, weird, and mad that, on a potentially endlessly self sustaining planet, greed, politics, and economy tend to destroy everything, while on a small ark ship or space habitat, the humans are far much nicer to each other because of the simple need to survive. Of course, this is highly depending on the sci-if subgenre, tone, and author´s intent of what kind of philosophy she/he wants to promote, but it comes close to the wise insight that a vast majority of rich people are rich, because, well, nothing nice to add, so I´ll better be silent.
The ultimate recycling consequence of integrating not just the usual waste such as garbage, feces, etc., (view spoiler)[ but even the corpses (hide spoiler)] into the process of growth and rebirth, has something both romantic and somewhat irritating. It shows the strange, irrational, and often ideologically poisoned approach towards death, especially regarding instrumentalizing it for faith instead of making it part of the endless circle of life, celebrating and embracing it until it is defeated forever by technologically brought immortality. That would be much better than using it as a weapon of mass destruction in the form of genocides, resulting from close to any kind of indoctrinating, state approved, and taxless (cause almighty entities can´t handle money) or fully theocracy, cult.
Positive corruption of a not perfect system becoming anachronistic itself (view spoiler)[by becoming conservative in its progressive tendencies and developing intolerance towards potentially positive change because they feel kind of ashamed about their stagnation and don´t really want to deal with that because of positive bias (hide spoiler)] shows the shadows in the paradise.
Some more topics, and thereby main storylines are childhood, work, research, and youth in space, making this a completely different reading experience than Chambers´first two novels that were arranged circulating around 2 to 3 main characters and a real red line of one main plot. This work is more of a collection of short stories/novellas that play in the same universe, but aren´t close as interconnected, emotionally impacting, and thereby captivating than the first parts. And I love that.
It´s an author's evolution towards more space opera, high social sci-fi, those main features include many, more or less interwoven storylines, social criticism, and a general more plot and less character driven execution of the art. It may irritate readers of the first 2 parts, but let´s one look forward to Chambers´ fourth work https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (the setting sounds like a combination of great characterization with the backstories of the characters driving the plot dynamic and action compressed in one place like in a good crime novel) with the knowledge that she can do all, character, worldbuilding, and plot, making her one of the most astonishing voices of 21st century female social science fiction.
An amazing amalgation of AI, childhood, the rights of sentient beings, the pure evil of consumerism, and motherhood.
Chambers continues and expands socAn amazing amalgation of AI, childhood, the rights of sentient beings, the pure evil of consumerism, and motherhood.
Chambers continues and expands social sci-fi ideas like a boss, switching between the past of a protagonist and the existential crisis of an AI reduced to a slow, boring, and inefficient human body with ridiculous mental and general abilities. Poor thing.
Selected thoughts and impressions that popped up during reading, as usual, a bit weird and confused (Seemingly the reviewer has become so ridiculously procrastinating and lazy that he even doesn´t care about at least constructing a red thread and logical plot through the review. One should not promote such laziness by liking):
There are some elements that had similar uses in other sci-fi novels and got new and fresh interpretations and necromania: Scalzis´ Old Mans´war body function descriptions, Stephenson´s diamond age (view spoiler)[educational software for poor little girls (hide spoiler)], the complete reverse of Taylors´ Bobiverse concept, not putting the human mind in the machine/ body, put putting the AI in a human body cyborg kit.
Identity and used concepts of perception: An AI feels the loss of possibilities that come with controlling a whole ship, the reduction, and the castrating downgrade to a limited form of understanding and exploring the world. One could go so far as to interpret it as an option to switch into the perspective of people with different mental issues, especially gender identity disorders.
Identity and full civic rights, such as animal rights, for AIs are one of these topics to become reality. Just as the question of how a very intelligent, but still for most deluded humans even more delicious, animal such as a pig, should be treated.
An AI thinking about the nuances between different, biological forms of life such as insects, simple algorithms, and machines, and what self awareness and ego would mean for such creatures reduced to basic functions, especially how cruel it would be, comparable to treating sentient, higher mammals like humans do it. But, as said, tasty and/or cheap.
What a bam in the face of consumerism and capitalism Peppers´ backstory is, what an ingenious critique of the destructivity and madness of an endless exponential growth doctrine, what a visualization of the inhumanity of a system that doesn´t have problems of destroying everything and as many people, kids, and babies as necessary to fuel greed and shareholder value and spice it with the bigotry of business ethics, code of conducts, demonstrative PR tuned philanthropy, and do gooderism by instrumentalized political parties. Nobody alive today can say that she/he, or, in many disgusting cases, it, doesn´t know that all the crap and trash we buy, get bored and throw away, still fully functioning, for fun is made by using similar(view spoiler)[little slave girls blood, torture, and death as described in the novel, including that the ones living on the happy, free, exploiting half of the planet give a damn thing about killing for consumption on the other half. (hide spoiler)]
Or, directly named, neoliberalism, the degenerated, world eating monster child of neocolonialism, racism, neoconservatism, and turbocapitalism (far too many lunatic parents and many other incestuous gene pools), our super duper doctrine and driving force of all political, environmental, and social decisions. Easy, extremely stupid premise: Be an egoistic, megalomaniac, intolerant, bigoted, hate filled, etc. person or society, and everything turns out great for everyone. Completely logical.
This can be contrasted with Chambers´ third novel Record of a spaceborn few, where a fair, kind of, poor due to the lack of resources, post scarcity, eco social, sustainable society had to be built to survive. As if this wouldn´t also have been possible on a planet with potentially endless, renewable energy and the import of resources from the asteroid belt precessed with heavy space industry, and Helium 3 mining. Same as on earth, exploitation and destruction of everything are far cheaper than investing in infrastructure and a fair, free society.
Motherhood. Does it really matter if it´s (view spoiler)[a real, human, flesh mum or just an AI? (hide spoiler)] Where is the dividing line between a biologically defined, wet wired affection and love towards a kid or humankind (for whatever reason) in general and the simulation of love by a sentient AI? If the AI is so highly sophisticated and developed that it has the bonus of an own identity and understanding of it and would be, let's say, put in a cyborg body, is there still any difference between its/her love and the ape version?
The novel shows the immense potential of new ideas in sci fi, that can, in contrast to pure horror or fantasy, include anything and take a very well known idea, just put it in some new context and ta da, mind blown again. Other genres have to have their stereotypical settings and characters, they can´t function without them and readers expect certain elements to be integrated or left out for their satisfaction, but the best genre of them all is open for everything imaginable and it even works without much worldbuilding or many characters. Just the birth of a new constellation of protagonists´ motivations, out of future living conditions and outer circumstance,s is enough.
I didn´t ever think about all these protagonist driven, fascinating, worldbuilding tech emotion fusing options of sci-fi, it´s a bit of an absurd overthinking, too rational, maybe stereotypical male problem. Embarrassing too, because I´ve read tons of sci-fi, but never found the creative impetus to think of a setting with all these elements already offered. It´s Chambers´ second novel, but already instant cult status, because she had the vision to create a new subgenre that still has to be named, maybe optimistic social norm and gender relativizing and questioning critical satire sci-fi. Bit too long.
The future of social Sci-Fi, the evolution of emotion in space, a completely different, fresh, and astonishing approach towards the common Sci-Fi tropThe future of social Sci-Fi, the evolution of emotion in space, a completely different, fresh, and astonishing approach towards the common Sci-Fi tropes, an immediate, instant modern masterpiece, possibly even a kind of new subgenre changing the landscape of Sci-Fi like Octavia E Butler.
We simply don´t know what kind of new relationship models and general consensus about what is appropriate in mixed human, human hybrid, robot, alien, etc. relationships and what not may come. There lie as many possibilities as dangers too and (view spoiler)[loving and AI and ignoring laws to get her a body (hide spoiler)] is just one of the many aspects of it. But what about personality, adaptability, the AI knowing that one has certain preferences and just simulating something that´s exactly what one deems perfect, individual perfect partner simulations. At this moment , where is the difference to someone who is truly in fleshy love, what is deception, what still true? If one subjectively loves, who cares and what´s the difference? At which moment is it cruel to mistreat, isolate, kill, or just ignore the feelings, of a human made entity? Is it just a machine, an algorithm, or are his fears and happiness similar or equal to human emotions, because it has digital consciousness, identity, and an understanding of what´s happening? Is it better to have a perfect AI cohabitant for an endless, perfect, love, or a long one if immortality is still not available, or is it sick and disturbing, because one prefers metal before flesh? Not even mentioning that it could be transferred in any, beautiful, changeable if the sexual preferences may switch and vary, body.
Already now, it´s predictable that many will choose a digital avatar with splendid deep, self learning algorithms, instead of nothing or bad bleedable alternatives, even without the body. A faithful, motivating, loving, and unreal partner instead of harsh relationship reality or d**** and b******. That all is of course just relevant for women who think about others and emotions, men's´ decisions are quite predestined. I mean, ahem, of course, we would choose real partners instead of immediately changeable, never aging, perfect cyborgs, clones, and VR simulations. Sorry, nature made us that way, it´s not our fault, it´s even important for human survival. What a cheap excuse.
I´ve read tons of Sci-Fi and how female writers think about the subjects is much more emotionally complex than anything males have produced so far, because their main focus is on worldbuilding, philosophy, complex multi plotted high space opera sagas, and generally avoiding going too deep into character, especially female ones, because that´s tricky as hell. That´s also part of genre conventions, because readers expect action filled, mindblowing, quick narrative styles without much insights into character's evolution and depts and because it´s, as said, extremely hard to write believable characters in a complex, multi plotted, event driven rollercoaster of a series. It would mean to combine, coordinate, and finetune both outside events and inner perspectives to a credible, satisfying read, choosing the right lengths for both passages, and even avoiding stereotypes.
Here, the rare female Sci-Fi writers blow perspectives by not showing the 284th reincarnation of stereotypical evil alien overlord this and AI rebellion that, but letting interesting characters collide without any violence, epic space battles, etc., but by generating extreme suspense out of the Sci-Fi tropes put inside the characters motivations, characters, feelings, and goals, making it deep, thoughtful, and touching reads. That´s more compelling, because unused and mindbogglingly inspirational ideas to think about real human interaction parameters come to mind too, and leaves one with the realization that the author reached the überlevel of telling a slow, relatively settingless, but extremely addictive story, doing what many authors fear because of its complexity, making the characters and not agendas, technology, thought experiments, ideology, sciences, etc. the prime directive.
Instead of jumping from space battle to alien invasion to badass antagonist dialogue explaining his genocidal plans etc, Chambers shows peaceful clashes and culminations of alien species and ideologies, creating new, amazing, indirect insights into the dysfunctionalities and illogicality of human culture, tradition, and faith.
The way the book deals with the inner worlds of the characters in this way to generate suspense is amazing. In general Sci-Fi, there are relative mundane motivations as saving or destroying worlds, taking revenge, general social criticism, etc. In this case, the unique physical and psychological properties of the characters open endless opportunities for the reader to guess what may happen. In contrast to standard Sci-Fi, where it is pretty clear where it will go with business as usual, the reader has hardly any hints where the story might go in this case.
There are so many combinations of fresh ideas that come to mind while reminiscing about the brilliance of this novel and how many uses there may be found in future social Sci-Fi novels. I haven´t read much social Sci-Fi for the simple reason that´s it´s even more underrated than conventional Sci-Fi and that there aren´t enough meta rating scores to make sure that it are good reads and not average or strange and even bad ones. Sorry, I am not altruistic enough to risk reading something bad to find pearls, shall others risk their lifetime.
I wouldn´t call this space opera anymore, because this implies and relates to the cheap soap opera name giver, it´s more of a high social sci-fi series, something screaming for an own genre name, cyberlove, futurefu... eel, alien affairs, etc.
Chambers shows, by transporting the endless variety of emotional, personal topics into a character is story setting, that there is an unexplored land of imagining social and emotional life into the future, especially regarding completely different cultural conditioning, norms, rules, epigenetic traits, letting aliens species with completely different attitudes collide, quarrel, love, interbreed, to construct a resource of an amount of stories as potentially endless as space.
Mario the lone bookwolf
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Books:
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