Proxima

I have read an enormous amount of science fiction over the years. It has become increasingly rare to stumble upon originality in the genre, because let’s face it, there are only so many alien constructs that can be convincingly presented. Only so many “hard” science fiction methods of faster than light travel that can be posited. That is not to say that good science fiction cannot be written within somewhat hackneyed constructs, only that doing so must rely on something other than the science fiction. Character development becomes increasingly important.I found Proxima to be an enjoyable and thought provoking work. It had an abundance of hard science fiction, coupled with sometimes intriguing characters and enough originality to score points in that regard. Through the discovery of “kernels” on the planet Mercury, near light speed travel becomes possible. The solar system is divided between two superpowers, the Chinese Confederation and the United Nations. Discovery of the kernels and then a second artifact, tip the balance of power in favor of the UN, setting the stage for interstellar conflict. Colonization of the nearest habitable planet, Per Adua, ups the ante.This is the first of two books in a series, the second being Ultima. I was very pleased with Proxima, right up until the very last few pages, at which point I knew that I would have a major plausibility problem with the second book in the series; and I was right.

A good but not great roller-coaster ride through many of the themes of classic space opera. Well done, but may include just too many SF themes in one book. And the second book, "Ultima", carries this way too far IMHO.

nother good book.

Good read until last quarter of the book and then it becomes totally unbelievable even for sci-fi. Was considering purchase of the sequel, but the last part of the book and ending just turned me off.

Quick service, product as advertised. A+

This is the 1st hard Sci-fi book I have ever read. I was afraid it would not hold my attention- or go way over my head. But boy was I mistaken! I am hooked! I finished this book in 2.5 days!Overall, this was an excellent book. I loved the exploration of the alien world of Per Ardua! If the novel had just covered the colonists' trek around the planet to the hub- I would have been satisfied- knowing that Mardina's suspicion's were justified all along. But, it gets so so so much better after that point. The book starts to get very interesting at page 165- my second picture. Then it gets RED HOT at page 330- my final picture. Baxter has been criticized for his poor character building. I can see why people say that- especially in the first chunk of the book- but I will say that I cared deeply for all of the main characters by the end of the book- especially the ColU. So, he cannot be that bad at it.I already purchased Ultima, the sequel to Proxima, and I am looking at more of Baxter's books for future reads! Any true science fiction fans will love this book. Thank you, Stephen Baxter!

A good story, though it descends into implausible fantasy towards the end, and the book has no ending per se, a followup book continues the plot, which I won't read since story became less consistent and realistic about 3/4 along the way.And even from the beginning, it made little sense that the colonists were unwilling participants, forced to move to the new stellar system, many with very dubious backgrounds, and were dropped there intentionally with very much less support than what they could have received (that becomes clear later in the book) and told to fend for themselves. It is stated that the organizers really cared about colony succeeding, but then why couldn't they find people who actually wanted to go, and did not help them as much as it was possible?

I often wondered after reading The Fatal Shore about Australia's founding, what would happen if you applied the same process to interstellar colonization? Proxima is that book, featuring on a group of people who are forced against their will to settle a habitable world in the Alpha Centauri system. After the disappointment of Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, it was a nice change of pace to read a somewhat optimistic space opera about interstellar colonization. That said the book packs a few surprises and drifts away from the core concept a bit - but enters a more interesting realm. Baxter is a fantastic writer and he really described the alien world of Per Ardua very well - it's rich and I had no problem visualizing the place. Though it's hard to wrap your head around a world where it's permanent daylight. I do have a few annoyances with the book - it feels a bit unfocused - it's not quite clear who the main character is after you make it past a certain point. This being the first book in a new series, I felt a bit lost about things that had happened in the back story that weren't explained (like the 'Heroic generation' - they discuss it but not in detail). I also find using that the Chinese as the future 'big bad' was a little too easy and I found some of the events that transpired slightly unbelievable. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, I wasn't aware there was a sequel when I bought this. I'm very pleased that there is because I enjoy the world Baxter has built.

Interesting story line. Evenings diversion.

Clever concept and talented writing. Looking forward for more of this.

Francamente non ho ancora avuto il tempo di leggerlo ma direi che l'ho comprato a "scatola chiusa" perchè conosco l'autore e sa entusiasmarmi da tempo. La sua Hard sf mi coinvolge molto e lo consiglio a chiunque ami la fantascienza scritta e la sua versione più "tecnica".