Helpful Score: 6
Robert Charles Wilson has surpassed Arthur C. Clarke as my favorite science fiction writer. His writing is rich with wonder and discovery. I absorbed this book like a sponge and it lingered on in my memory long afterward. If you like this one, I also recommend Blind Lake.
Helpful Score: 4
A great read. Almost alternative history but with a sci-fi twist that sears itself into your memory like a brand on a cow. Really really original without being whacky.
Helpful Score: 3
Darwinia is full of wonder and imagination. This is one one the best works of science fiction I have ever read. AND I'VE READ PLENTY. Robert Charles Wilson paints pictures with his words that are almost cinematic in their effect. If you like this you should also check out BLIND LAKE. Both books linger in your mind even after you're done.
Helpful Score: 3
Darwinia wasn't a bad read; I just couldn't get into the story. After the first 70 pages, I realized I was too bored to read much further so I skimmed to the end. If you read the back of the book, you already know there is a mystery as to why Europe disappears and is replaced by a wild, alien landscape. About halfway through the book, you learn the answer and the tone of the book turns from adventure to deep scifi.
I'm not a big fan of alternate histories so I may not be a fair judge. But the main problem was that I didn't find the characters that interesting. To me, they lacked emotion -- they just seemed objective observers of what was going on. Other reviewers seem to find something I didn't in Darwinia, so maybe this was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
I'm not a big fan of alternate histories so I may not be a fair judge. But the main problem was that I didn't find the characters that interesting. To me, they lacked emotion -- they just seemed objective observers of what was going on. Other reviewers seem to find something I didn't in Darwinia, so maybe this was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
Helpful Score: 3
I LOVED the idea behind this book, but just couldn't get into it once I picked it up.
