#probability sun

[straycatreadsthat]

Probability Sun: Three-sentence review.

Probability Sun is (as I learned partway through the novel) the sequel to Nancy Kress’s acclaimed Probability Moon, and without having read the first, I still found myself able to enjoy and understand the second.

I loved the diligence with which Kress portrays both human and alien societies; in comparison to Into the Black, which I also finished recently, Probability Sun has more fascinating, well-developed characters and a well-rounded backdrop for the story itself.

This is definitely a book that I would re-read, and I will have to seek out the first one, Probability Moon, and also check back to see if there is a third installment.

[straycatreadsthat]

Serious thinkers pointed out that humankind was scarcely ready to colonize the stars, having solved none of its problems at home. Nobody listened. The rich flourished on the new investments; the poor remained poor; Earth went on lurching from one ecological tragedy to another. Everything was the same, and nothing was.

from Probability Sun by Nancy Kress

[soursavior]

Probability Sun by Nancy Kress

Probability Sun is a sequel to the book Probability Moon, which I read back before I used tumblr. In it, a new crew revisits the planet "World" (with a few of the old team's members) to deal with the second device. They have interpersonal conflicts, discussions about theoretical physics, and not much else. Fortunately, the characters are well made and they are able to do the heavy lifting asked of them. The science is plausible sounding to me as a non-scientist, enough not to mess with willing suspension of disbelief. 

I would recommend it to: new sci-fi readers. The book is short, at about 6 hours of dedicated reading. More importantly, the focus on characters and goals means that someone who might not be as interested in the "wacky tech" aspect of sci-fi won't automatically be alienated.

Book rating: C+