Helpful Score: 1
Note: "Marooned" is a sequel to "The Peace War" but I have not read the latter and didn't even a little lost. I will go back and read it now.
Vinge is a master of the genre - a genius of hard sci-fi. "Marooned" is a murder mystery set in a post-singularity Earth. The remnants of humanity skip forward through time years at a time, "bobbling" themselves in impenetrable force fields that stop time within their boundaries. Being left outside one of these force fields without medical care or any technology is a death sentence. And that's what happens to one of the characters. Our protagonist, a detective in a former life, is left to find the thief, who had decades to cover his or her tracks.
Vinge is a master of the genre - a genius of hard sci-fi. "Marooned" is a murder mystery set in a post-singularity Earth. The remnants of humanity skip forward through time years at a time, "bobbling" themselves in impenetrable force fields that stop time within their boundaries. Being left outside one of these force fields without medical care or any technology is a death sentence. And that's what happens to one of the characters. Our protagonist, a detective in a former life, is left to find the thief, who had decades to cover his or her tracks.
Early Vernor Vinge is better than 90% of any other author's science fiction. This is a compelling, character-driven story that raises serious questions about future technology. Highly recommended.
Icould not put the book down. The characters are so real. The story is realistic, scary, and sad. This is exactly how I would imagine people would react to these events and open up endless possibilities.
