(Far-Future SF) On the vast surface of a Dyson Sphere, the last man meets the last woman, and she proposes one last big adventure. (4,460 words; Time: 14m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Wakening Ouroboros," by Jack Campbell [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Cosmic Powers (RSR review), published on April 18, 2017 by Saga Press.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: It’s fun the way the scope of the story gradually increases. No, it’s not classical Mars. No, not a near-future Mars replica. Not even a planet. It’s a least hundreds of thousands of years in the future. No, it’s billions of years in the future!
The name “Aiko Lys” is probably a reference to the “Lys” in Arthur C. Clarke’s “Against the Fall of Night.”
In addition to Genesis 1:3, the “And there was light” line is probably a reference to “The Last Question,” by Isaac Asimov.
Con: Both of the characters are very superficial; we feel nothing for them, even as they go to their deaths.
It’s hard to see how something as tiny as a Dyson Sphere would help or hinder the universe's expansion and (possible) contraction.
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Jack Campbell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The name “Aiko Lys” is probably a reference to the “Lys” in Arthur C. Clarke’s “Against the Fall of Night.”
In addition to Genesis 1:3, the “And there was light” line is probably a reference to “The Last Question,” by Isaac Asimov.
Con: Both of the characters are very superficial; we feel nothing for them, even as they go to their deaths.
It’s hard to see how something as tiny as a Dyson Sphere would help or hinder the universe's expansion and (possible) contraction.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Jack Campbell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
This was a bit so-so. The protag is remarkably passive and accepting of what he's told. Some stronger characterisation would have made that play better.
ReplyDeleteBut how to characterize a person who's over a billion years old?
ReplyDelete