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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Monuments proclaiming victories by a future despot start appearing around the world. These monuments appear indestructible and wreck destruction where they land. Suddenly the world faces the inevitability of bleak future ruled by an unknown an evil presence that calls itself “Kuin.”...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Interesting imagery, similar themes from other Wilson books -- bizarre global/astral/temporal event in the form of massive Chronoliths show up with writing indicating their placement comes from the future under the auspices of some future world conqueror. Meanwhile, the world goes in hysterics.
Jack K wrote this review Wednesday, May 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Just wasn't as good as some of the other Wilson books, but it may be that there is a bit of a regurgitation of past themes. Perhaps as a first time Wilson read, one might love it. I feel it attempts to copy his other book Darwinia but does not rise to its level.”
“I didn't enjoy this as much as Robert Charles Wilson's "Spin," but it still had many of the same interesting philosophy and sociology themes to it. The characters, however, just weren't as deep or as interesting. A good read, but I wasn't eagerly flipping to find the next plot twist.”
Jenny S wrote this review Tuesday, September 30 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is, quite simply, one of the best SF books I have ever read. This book made Wilson my favorite SF author.
Daniel Roy wrote this review Saturday, July 26 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It starts with an intriguing SF concept: what if a giant pillar appeared in Bangkok, marking the victory of a future warlord? What would be its impact on society? How could such an event come about and why must people in the future send mementos to the past?
On this premise, "The Chronoliths" fully deliver in intrigue, surprise twists and clever, thoughtful SF. But what makes this novel a masterpiece in my eye is how every bit of clever SF is actually wrapped in very human events.
The protagonist of "The Chronoliths" is a normal guy living in a fantastic time. He suffers marital difficulties, insecure, lacks confidence. That is not to say he wallows in self-pity, far from it; but his choices, whenever they are made, are rooted in believeable, poignant humanity.
Robert Charles Wilson is such a great author, in my opinion, because even though he writes about grand concepts, he never loses sight of his characters. Too often SF authors are so lost in their grand SF plots that they end up propping cardboard cutout characters against their fantastic stories. Wilson not only outdoes them in the scale of his ideas, but his concepts resonate so much more that we see them happening through very human eyes.
I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like it, know that Wilson's style is consistent, and that other novels of his (I recommend "Blind Lake" and "Darwinia") are filled with the same sense of wonder and deep humanity. ”
“A good solid read, but a little too much family drama for my liking. I enjoyed 'Darwinia' and 'Spin' much more. ”
Gashlycrumb wrote this review Friday, October 19 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Monuments proclaiming victories by a future despot start appearing around the world. These monuments appear indestructible and wreck destruction where they land. Suddenly the world faces the inevitability of bleak future ruled by an unknown an evil presence that calls itself “Kuin.”
Katamaster wrote this review Tuesday, September 18 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Turmoil erupts, and cults calling themselves Kuinists start springing up. In the meantime a small group of government scientists start studying the monuments (chronoliths), to discover if they can be prevented from appearing or at least destroyed. They know they have less than 20 years to solve the riddle or the future will be as the chronoliths proclaim.
This is the backdrop behind the book, which principally deals with a man (Scotty), who by chance gets drawn into working with the scientists, mainly because he was present when the first chronolith appeared. Scotty must deal with abandoning his baby daughter when she was most in need and his own poor marriage collapsing. He carries a great deal of guilt with him for many years. Then when his daughter is whisked away by a Kuinist cult, Scotty goes to a support group where he meets Ashley, a woman whose son was also sucked into the Kuinist cult. With Ashley, Scotty reinvents his life. Ashley is a woman in great need. Unlike with Scotty’s first wife, Scotty is there for Ashley to help her get through difficult times.
This book has limited science fiction in it and is more political in nature. Being a big science fiction buff, I was a little bit let down by that. There is also a big climatic scene toward the end of the book where I felt the author’s descriptions were lacking, which made it difficult for me to picture accurately what was occurring.
Not wanting to give anything away about the ending, I will only say that the book is in great need of a sequel.
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“Not bad - a little time travel and the various paradoxes with a clever twist at the end. This is the author of Spin also and I am going to order the rest of his books now, after being satisfied with these two already. Good solid reading, although Spin was a bit better than this one.”
tsteele93 wrote this review Sunday, October 15 2006. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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