Singularity Sky

By: Charles Stross

Narrated by: George Guidall

Critically acclaimed author Charles Stross has mastered numerous genres, including Lovecraftian horror, fantasy, and alternate history, claiming such prizes as the Locus and Sidewise Awards. His breathtaking science fiction has earned him a Hugo Award and several additional Hugo nominations, including one for Singularity Sky.

In the 21st century, the perfection of faster-than-light travel and the rise of a prodigious artificial intelligence known as the Eschaton altered the course of humankind. New civilizations were founded across the vastness of space. Now, the technology-eschewing world known as the New Republic is besieged by an alien information plague. Earth quickly sends a battle fleet - but is it coming to the rescue, or is a sinister plot in motion?

©2009 Charles Stross (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

pointless story

you knew the outcome of the story...when you have an unbelievable entity, it makes all the actions of the characters pointless.

Humorous look at the futility of fighting progress

There seems to be an uncomfortable amount of bashing the Russian Revolution in the themes found here. A brittle authoritarian monarchy with a deep distrust of post-industrial technology is confronted by an external visitor that turns everything in their society on its head with a deluge of free information. When undercover agents from a freer, more liberal and technologically advanced society insert themselves into the military response, it’s hard not to think of cold war cat-and-mouse thrillers. To make the parallels completely undeniable, Stross has loaded the Soviet-style civilization (ironically named the New Republic) with Eastern European surnames. There’s not a lot of surprises in the plot, however, as the adversaries are so overwhelmingly mismatched. The rigid commanders of the New Republic refuse to realize this, so the reader is treated to a very rapid illustration of a society entering into a technological singularity. Here, I was reminded a bit of Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels where the practically omnipotent Culture society often comes into well-meaning conflict with it’s mortal neighbors. There were also some intriguing possibilities brought up regarding FTL travel and its implications on Causality, as well as some practical economic effects resulting from cheap nano fabricators. Separately, a lot of these ideas are explored in other Space Opera books, but they came together nicely here and serve as a reminder of what foundations must be in place before certain technologies safely come into a society’s grasp.

Hard sci-fi that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

My esteem for Charles Stross just grew with this one. It had been a while since I’d read one of his books (Accelerondo the last) and it wasn’t until this that I realized how much I missed his humor and humanity.

Great ideas densely packed

While there are a lot of fun ideas about post scarcity economics and civic evolution, the story itself feels like a wire frame to hold all the ideas together.

I’m also not entirely sure that being able to move outside your light cone is the same as going back in your own time line, it’s definitely fun to think about though

1st in Eschaton series Fast & Fun 6/2020.

The Eschaton is an uber-powerful AI. FTL exists, which makes possible causal violations including going back and eliminating the Eschaton, so it ruthlessly punishes that behavior.

On a conservative planet, an entity called the Festival drops millions of phones that day "can you entertain is?" If so, they offer to make any wish come true.

Martin meets Rachel and good violent fin ensues!

Interesting ideas but very shallow characters

It started ok, a bit confusing but with interesting ideas. However when the “hero”s were quite standard and everyone else were almost like caricatures.

A unique blend

Stross blends sci-fi, political history, a little philosophy and lots of tongue in cheek wit to make a total hoot of a book. I was alternately lost in the details of the story or the science of the science fiction only to be surprised by the tongue in cheek laugh out loud side references. This was fun.

Good but confusing

The plot is a bit weak, but there is so much hard scifi that you can overlook the pauses in the plot. Of course the narrator makes the story move along faster than it perhaps was written. The transitions between story lines are the most confusing, but the chapters aren't too long so you can get back into the more exciting story lines quickly. It refreshing to hear a story that takes place in other than the USA.

Great story. Great reading

George is one of my favorite readers. I usually associate him with Longmire, but after a couple minutes he convinced me he could do a great job with SF as well.
Stross is s favorite of mine as well, although I have never listened to his Space stories before. I am rushing off to find another. It was a gripping read.

Gonzo giggleworthy geekitude

Warning: if you like your books to have dramatic tension or deep characters, this book is not for you. If you like your sci-fi to consist of carefully-thought-out plausible futures, this book is not for you. For those who enjoy crazy gonzo roller coaster rides through fantastic forests of sketchily described hot-off-the-internet tech jargon, this book IS for you. I imagine Charles Stross sitting at home in his boxers writing this book, giggling madly to himself as he types, spilling Dorito crumbs into his chest hair and listening to punk rock on full blast. It is a nonstop face-blast of Far Out.