Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Tor (New York, 1999). 1st mass market edition, 1st printing. 384 pages. $6.99.
Description
In 1912, history was changed by the Miracle, when the old world of Europe was replaced by Darwinia, a strange land of nightmarish jungle and antedeluvian monsters. To some, the Miracle is an act of divine retribution; to others, it is an opportunity to carve out a new empire. Leaving American now ruled by religious fundamentalism, young Guilford Law travels to Darwinia on a mission of discovery that will take him further than he can possibly imagine...to a shattering revelation about mankind's destiny in the universe. "Darwinia" is a 1999 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
User reviews
LibraryThing member beserene
I posted on a SFF thread that, at the beginning, this novel feels exactly the way Peter Jackson's movie "King Kong" looked. The premise of the novel is that, in 1912, the entire European continent and some of its surround is, overnight, transformed into a steaming jungle which, of course, is
We expect the novel to develop as a speculative history, where the familiar events of our known early-20th-century are somehow distorted or transformed along with the continent; in many ways, the novel fulfills this expectation. But we also expect an adventure novel -- when our hero crosses the sea and then the channel and then the river, the shades of Edgar Rice Burroughs (alluded to several times), Daniel Defoe, and even Joseph Conrad rise up to greet us. We anticipate, if not quite buckled swashes, then at least machetes ripping through jungle, the clash of man and nature and, perhaps, primitive culture, the manly imprint of boots upon virgin earth. This is the great colonial vision given us by writers of the past.
But we live in a postcolonial and postmodern society. Expectations are rarely fulfilled in the way we think they ought to be anymore. What we think is a good scifi adventure yarn at the beginning could turn into anything by the end. This is the joy and the frustration of literature in the current age.
So when Wilson's novel, about halfway in, takes a turn toward astronomical tech-theology and abandons man vs. nature for god vs. demon, we shouldn't really be surprised.
We are, but we shouldn't be.
We are, and so the shift -- which really isn't a shift, we realize, but more of a reveal, since the 'new' themes have been there all along, disguised and biding their time -- is a bit of an adjustment. The reader must reevaluate the novel's priorities.
The whole text ends up being significantly more epic than it first appears. It takes up a much grander scale -- an astronomical scale, as a matter of fact -- and deals with speculations about the nature of existence, the existence of gods, and the god within man. Wilson handles the move from "new world" to "worlds within worlds" deftly, but not subtly. His interludes -- the space between sections of the book wherein the larger significance is revealed -- are at first irritating, and then confusing, and then, toward the end of the book, finally revealing. The reader, in fact, feels much like the main character as this progression unfolds -- this deliberate (one assumes) connection between reader and character is a gorgeous act of creative craftsmanship.
The book feels a little lopsided, once one has a chance to appreciate the whole; the first sections of the book (the adventure-y part) are significantly longer than the bits where the 'celestial war' is laid out. Even so, even with all its unexpected choices, this novel is a strange and wonderful beast. It's not an "easy" read, but it is a worthwhile one.
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populated by various types of giant, often lethal bugs. Yeah, that last detail should ring some bells (urgh -- the giant bugs in "King Kong" almost made me lose it). We are introduced to a young man who is fascinated with 'Darwinia', as the newly transformed continent is nicknamed, and when the novel moves forward to him joining an expedition into this untamed, transformed land, we, the readers, think we know what to expect.We expect the novel to develop as a speculative history, where the familiar events of our known early-20th-century are somehow distorted or transformed along with the continent; in many ways, the novel fulfills this expectation. But we also expect an adventure novel -- when our hero crosses the sea and then the channel and then the river, the shades of Edgar Rice Burroughs (alluded to several times), Daniel Defoe, and even Joseph Conrad rise up to greet us. We anticipate, if not quite buckled swashes, then at least machetes ripping through jungle, the clash of man and nature and, perhaps, primitive culture, the manly imprint of boots upon virgin earth. This is the great colonial vision given us by writers of the past.
But we live in a postcolonial and postmodern society. Expectations are rarely fulfilled in the way we think they ought to be anymore. What we think is a good scifi adventure yarn at the beginning could turn into anything by the end. This is the joy and the frustration of literature in the current age.
So when Wilson's novel, about halfway in, takes a turn toward astronomical tech-theology and abandons man vs. nature for god vs. demon, we shouldn't really be surprised.
We are, but we shouldn't be.
We are, and so the shift -- which really isn't a shift, we realize, but more of a reveal, since the 'new' themes have been there all along, disguised and biding their time -- is a bit of an adjustment. The reader must reevaluate the novel's priorities.
The whole text ends up being significantly more epic than it first appears. It takes up a much grander scale -- an astronomical scale, as a matter of fact -- and deals with speculations about the nature of existence, the existence of gods, and the god within man. Wilson handles the move from "new world" to "worlds within worlds" deftly, but not subtly. His interludes -- the space between sections of the book wherein the larger significance is revealed -- are at first irritating, and then confusing, and then, toward the end of the book, finally revealing. The reader, in fact, feels much like the main character as this progression unfolds -- this deliberate (one assumes) connection between reader and character is a gorgeous act of creative craftsmanship.
The book feels a little lopsided, once one has a chance to appreciate the whole; the first sections of the book (the adventure-y part) are significantly longer than the bits where the 'celestial war' is laid out. Even so, even with all its unexpected choices, this novel is a strange and wonderful beast. It's not an "easy" read, but it is a worthwhile one.
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LibraryThing member featherbear
In one of the chief storylines, Darwinia, a land from an alternate universe, has replaced or overlaid early 20th century Europe; North America and the other non-European areas are not affected. Some of the flora and fauna of Darwinia can be hostile to humans. An exploratory expedition, mostly
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American, encounters a “midden,” a circle of bones representing the boundary of a colony of carnivorous insects (chapter 14). Creatures that stray within the boundary are brought down and eaten alive to the bones by the colony drones. This functions as a metaphor for the backstory, a cosmological end of days scenario. It seems that the universe has actually come to an end eons ago and is only preserved as a virtual memory in islands of interconnected nodes of sentience in the memory of a cosmic computer. However, the memory is being damaged and destroyed by swarms of entropic algorithms that are programmed to devour sentience, much as the Darwinian insects devour the (virtually) living creatures they are able to capture. At another level, the mind and memory of the universe are in battle with the mindless, memory destroying, prionic, virus-like programs, a cosmic case of Alzheimers. In Wilson’s short story Utriusque Cosmi in the collection The New Space Opera 2 (see the review), the memory of worlds systematically being destroyed by dark matter is preserved in cosmic computer files. Darwinia carries the preserved memories into a future at the end of time. Unfortunately, the surface story itself, recalling H.G. Wells and John Wyndham, was rather dull; the climax to me resembles a pastiche of shopworn eschatologies, perhaps an acknowledgement of the limits of the Second Life of virtual memory. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
An online friend mentioned that one of her favourite SF writers was Canadian Robert Charles Wilson. I was chagrined that I had not read any of his works and, judging by this book, that is a major hole in my reading life. This book was nominated for the Hugo Award in 1999 and I don't think it is any
In the alternate history described in this book March of 1912 saw a catastrophic change to Europe. In one night everyone who lived there disappeared and the flora and fauna changed dramatically. The new Europe was christened Darwinia as an homage to Charles Darwin who probably would have wanted to examine the beasts and birds of the new continent. The transformation was hailed by many as a miracle from God and ushered in a new wave of religious fervour in the rest of the world. It also created upheaval in the world's finances. People were thrown out of work and stock markets crashed. Guilford Law was fourteen years old and living in Boston when the world changed. Eight years later, with a wife and young daughter, he joined a scientific expedition led by Preston Finch to explore the interior of the continent. Guilford was a photographer, not a scientist, but he was anxious to see what they could discover. His wife, Caroline, and his daughter, Lilly, were going to stay in London with relatives while the expedition ventured up the river that used to be the Rhine as far as a steamer could take them. After that they would go overland as far as the Alps. Tom Compton who had lived and explored in and around the Rhine for years would guide the expedition. They were well equipped but perhaps not really ready to face the dangers of the "New World" which included men who prayed on unsuspecting travellers. A few members of the team were lost before they even reached the Alps. In the mountains they discovered what appeared to be the ruins of a city but one that did not seem to be built by humans. Guilford and a few others explored it and while they were away from camp it was attacked. Only Guilford, Preston Finch and Tom Compton survived but winter arrived and they had to stay in the mountains. The expedition was given up for lost and Caroline believed Guilford was dead. Yet Guilford lived on, recovered from illnesses and injuries that most men would succumb to. He had disturbing dreams of being a soldier in a field of mud. Then the soldier appeared in his waking life and told him something incredible. Read the book to find out what that was and what happened to Guilford.
Wilson reveals the mechanics of the plot in tiny bits. That was probably wise; if he had started out with the full-fledged explanation at the beginning it would have seemed too improbable. This way the reader's understanding built up incrementally and going from one step to another did not seem improbable.
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discredit that it didn't win because the winner that year was Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog. (As an aside, Robert Sawyer also had a book on the shortlist that year, Factoring Humanity, so it was a good year for Canadian SF.) Wilson has won a Hugo Award for the book Spin and since that book is one the CBC list of 100 Novels that Make You Proud to be Canadian I think I will have to read it soon.In the alternate history described in this book March of 1912 saw a catastrophic change to Europe. In one night everyone who lived there disappeared and the flora and fauna changed dramatically. The new Europe was christened Darwinia as an homage to Charles Darwin who probably would have wanted to examine the beasts and birds of the new continent. The transformation was hailed by many as a miracle from God and ushered in a new wave of religious fervour in the rest of the world. It also created upheaval in the world's finances. People were thrown out of work and stock markets crashed. Guilford Law was fourteen years old and living in Boston when the world changed. Eight years later, with a wife and young daughter, he joined a scientific expedition led by Preston Finch to explore the interior of the continent. Guilford was a photographer, not a scientist, but he was anxious to see what they could discover. His wife, Caroline, and his daughter, Lilly, were going to stay in London with relatives while the expedition ventured up the river that used to be the Rhine as far as a steamer could take them. After that they would go overland as far as the Alps. Tom Compton who had lived and explored in and around the Rhine for years would guide the expedition. They were well equipped but perhaps not really ready to face the dangers of the "New World" which included men who prayed on unsuspecting travellers. A few members of the team were lost before they even reached the Alps. In the mountains they discovered what appeared to be the ruins of a city but one that did not seem to be built by humans. Guilford and a few others explored it and while they were away from camp it was attacked. Only Guilford, Preston Finch and Tom Compton survived but winter arrived and they had to stay in the mountains. The expedition was given up for lost and Caroline believed Guilford was dead. Yet Guilford lived on, recovered from illnesses and injuries that most men would succumb to. He had disturbing dreams of being a soldier in a field of mud. Then the soldier appeared in his waking life and told him something incredible. Read the book to find out what that was and what happened to Guilford.
Wilson reveals the mechanics of the plot in tiny bits. That was probably wise; if he had started out with the full-fledged explanation at the beginning it would have seemed too improbable. This way the reader's understanding built up incrementally and going from one step to another did not seem improbable.
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LibraryThing member David_David_Katzman
Hmmhh. I felt non-plused by Darwinia. Unmoved and untouched. It was an odd book but not I felt in a good way. It wasn't a bad book...it just didn't hold together enough for me to have much impact.
It's also hard to tell you much about it without spoilers. But I will say that it felt somewhat
Not much to love nor dislike. Just meh.
It's also hard to tell you much about it without spoilers. But I will say that it felt somewhat
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disjointed. The initial premise changes radically by the end as we learn why the premise exists. There were many unwieldy premises shoved into the basic story. Imagine Out of Africa with extreme sci-fi premises welded into it. I'd also describe this as feeling roughly like a poor man's Southern Reach (by Jeff VanderMeer) crossed with The Matrix. And beyond the mashup of styles, I also just didn't care about the characters. It's not that Wilson wrote poorly, it's just his characters were rather uninteresting and didn't affect us emotionally. The whole book felt rather cold and distant. Not much to love nor dislike. Just meh.
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LibraryThing member CarreonLib
I am a fan of Robert Charles Wilson, but it has been a while since I read any of his books. This one took me a while to get into, but I think that may have been as much my rusty reading habits as the slowness of the build-up. It was worth sticking with it -- Robert's writing style is fluid,
The story was poignant, and the ending really worked for me. His explorations of death and the afterlife made me wonder, and I kind of liked where he took things in this fantasy. As someone who has lost a dear family member, I appreciate being reminded of how precious a life is no matter how short. We need to remember things, preserve those memories...and I also wonder if immortality can exist through that preservation. This was a unique book, but classically Robert Charles Wilson in that the protagonist is a wanderer.
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illustrative but not flowery. There are moments when I just feel deeply those precious little moments, and I really love that gift he gives the reader.The story was poignant, and the ending really worked for me. His explorations of death and the afterlife made me wonder, and I kind of liked where he took things in this fantasy. As someone who has lost a dear family member, I appreciate being reminded of how precious a life is no matter how short. We need to remember things, preserve those memories...and I also wonder if immortality can exist through that preservation. This was a unique book, but classically Robert Charles Wilson in that the protagonist is a wanderer.
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LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm
Like many readers no doubt, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. It is in part an SF adventure novel of the alternate-history type, but it is other things apart from that, and some are not entirely to my taste.
The transformation of Europe into a primeval jungle in 1912 produces a
The cosmic explanation for the whole scenario, introduced halfway through the book, seemed unnecessarily grandiose in its scope, as though the author was embarassed to write a mere adventure story and had to support it with some "hard" science. This rarefied back-story (Olaf Stapledon meets "The Matrix") rather jarred with the horror-fantasy direction in which the author takes the main adventure (Clark Ashton Smith meets "John Carter of Mars").
Overall, a reasonably entertaining read, but I found it a rather curious conglomeration of genres. MB 23-vii-2008
The transformation of Europe into a primeval jungle in 1912 produces a
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crisis in the contemporary creation-evolution debate. Since the event appears miraculous, or at least scientifically inexplicable, the creationist view is strengthened. Scientists argue that the "new" world appears to have had a past of its own prior to its appearance in 1912, but this might also be true of our own world prior to 4004 BC, if the Creator is prepared to create feigned fossils (as some 19th century creationists seriously argued). Perhaps more telling, because more subtle, is the rape of the new European continent by the Americans, just as the Europeans had in their time raped America, with the claims of indigenous peoples being quashed by brute force.The cosmic explanation for the whole scenario, introduced halfway through the book, seemed unnecessarily grandiose in its scope, as though the author was embarassed to write a mere adventure story and had to support it with some "hard" science. This rarefied back-story (Olaf Stapledon meets "The Matrix") rather jarred with the horror-fantasy direction in which the author takes the main adventure (Clark Ashton Smith meets "John Carter of Mars").
Overall, a reasonably entertaining read, but I found it a rather curious conglomeration of genres. MB 23-vii-2008
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LibraryThing member thesmellofbooks
This is a good book. When I began reading it I remembered what a strong writer Wilson is. I was reminded of two authors: Eileen Kernaghan, for the beauty and clarity of the language, and JG Ballard (think Crystal World) for the invented and fantastic wild land.
A satisfying read.
A satisfying read.
LibraryThing member ArieJvdP
A favorite. Although last quarter isn't up to first three-quarters, I found it imaginative and compelling. Darwinia was my introduction to Robert Charles Wilson -- I've much enjoyed his oevre, but Darwinia remains what sticks in my mind.
LibraryThing member briefmissives
I enjoyed the first half of the book, but once all of the "galactic" stuff was introduced, I felt a little let down. Like Emidawg, I had trouble keeping track of what exactly was going on regarding the seed sentiences, copies of people, etc.
LibraryThing member RBeffa
Darwinia was an interesting and very good read. Most of the novel I enjoyed immensely. Good characters in here and a richly painted canvas of ideas.
Darwinia is an alternate history of 20th century earth, when an event occurs in 1912 that is radically different than our world. Our world still
Parts of it are a little tough to swallow and flew somewhere high overhead for me, but the heart of the story was excellent and I'm glad to have finally tackled this interesting novel. The first third or so of the novel was really my favorite, and the ending wasn't quite up to the level of what had preceded it.
Darwinia is an alternate history of 20th century earth, when an event occurs in 1912 that is radically different than our world. Our world still
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exists, but the earth of Darwinia isn't a parallel world. When I began reading this I guessed that a parallel earth had somehow intersected with ours with the result that Europe was completely overlaid with the new wild land of Darwinia. But this proved to not be the case, although in way not far removed from it. I guess the best way to describe it is to say it is a galactic memory of our world that is having history rewritten. In the background which we learn imperfectly as the novel progresses is a strange sort of galactic war wherein the archives of all the life through the universe that has preceded it is being infiltrated and corrupted by something akin to a computer virus. Although this is the background behind the story, the majority of the novel is much more like a modern well written science fictional adventure/mystery story in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose stories incidently are referenced several times within the book.Parts of it are a little tough to swallow and flew somewhere high overhead for me, but the heart of the story was excellent and I'm glad to have finally tackled this interesting novel. The first third or so of the novel was really my favorite, and the ending wasn't quite up to the level of what had preceded it.
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LibraryThing member TheDavisChanger
A quick read in one of my favorite settings, the story is fleshed out as the chapters rotate through three main characters, some of them more interesting than others. The mechanism that explains the Miracle feels a bit like a cheat, but it appeals to my science fiction sensibilities, so I could not
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help but be taken in by it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Veeralpadhiar
Regrettably, this book had so much potential but which was never fully exploited, for me at least. The alternative Europe setting promised much excitement and suspense. But that world was never fully realized. I really wanted to know more about "Darwinia" but in retrospect it seems that Robert
The characters were 2-dimensional and too many were killed-off nonchalantly to keep me interested in the plot.
Robert Charles Wilson could have written this book even without any major alternative historical settings which, happily, would have stopped me from getting lured into reading this mediocre "science-thriller".
A disappointing experience.
2.40 stars
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Charles Wilson never really considered that to be the driving point of his book.The characters were 2-dimensional and too many were killed-off nonchalantly to keep me interested in the plot.
Robert Charles Wilson could have written this book even without any major alternative historical settings which, happily, would have stopped me from getting lured into reading this mediocre "science-thriller".
A disappointing experience.
2.40 stars
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LibraryThing member lhlogan1
I liked the excitement and intrigue of the story, as well as the constant undertones of religion vs. science. But the alien plot was a little hard to follow, and the ending seemed a bit unreal to me.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
Well, along about 1892, the American Frontier, in the Classic sense was closed. There was no longer a place on the map where you head out for, in Twain's phrase. Robert Wilson's book has a really creepy answer to this problem , if you aren't an American. We'll drop a part of an Alien planet, with
No other people to contest the fate of the world as anything but an American plaything, until say the 1960's.
And even more frontier!
What ever other virtues this book has that was the overriding impression I got from this effort! Made me mad, I confess.
This is American Exceptionalism gone riot!
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its ecosystem intact, and wipe out Europe!No other people to contest the fate of the world as anything but an American plaything, until say the 1960's.
And even more frontier!
What ever other virtues this book has that was the overriding impression I got from this effort! Made me mad, I confess.
This is American Exceptionalism gone riot!
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LibraryThing member piersanti
The novel started fairly quickly, but then it dragged on and on for too many pages. It was a good idea for a story, but there was too much waiting around for the characters to actually do something other than ponder the meaning of their lives.
LibraryThing member stubbyfingers
I finished reading this book yesterday. When I first started reading it, it was pretty much as I had expected it to be: men from our world are exploring another world full of strange creatures that has somehow appeared on Earth--and wondered, where is the author going with this? I expected just
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another adventure story. It turns out to be not what I got at all. This book takes a much more science-fiction and disturbing turn than that. An interesting read. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
As fantasy it was a bit too realistic for me and I found the story boring. As *Ironmammoth* says, it just becomes some sort of muddled "claptrap."
LibraryThing member gayla.bassham
Stellar set-up, disappointing payoff. The first half of this book is intriguing, but the second half belongs to an entirely different book, one that is both dull and implausible.
Also, the only character with any real personality was Guilford (and even Guilford is fairly wooden). Caroline is a
But still it was a great premise, even though the denouement left me feeling a bit deflated.
Also, the only character with any real personality was Guilford (and even Guilford is fairly wooden). Caroline is a
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cliche and no one else is remotely memorable.But still it was a great premise, even though the denouement left me feeling a bit deflated.
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LibraryThing member rickklaw
Reminiscent of such diverse writers as Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. G. Wells, and Philip K. Dick, Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson is an amazing piece of literary alchemy. Imagine, if you will, a reality where in 1912 Europe transforms into a strange land of nightmarish jungles and alien creatures.
Young Guilford Law joins an expedition to explore this Darwinia. What they uncover shatters conception of reality and man's destiny in the universe. This book is at the essence of what makes SF wonderful!
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This so‑called Miracle is the centerpiece of this fascinating and truly different alternate history. Young Guilford Law joins an expedition to explore this Darwinia. What they uncover shatters conception of reality and man's destiny in the universe. This book is at the essence of what makes SF wonderful!
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LibraryThing member PhoenixTerran
I'm not really sure how much I can say about this book without ruining it for anyone who decides to read it. On a fine March evening in 1912, modern Europe as it was known disappears and is mysteriously replaced by an exotic, and dangerous, wilderness. But, what does it mean? What happened to all
Experiments in Reading
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of the people? And what happens next? Experiments in Reading
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LibraryThing member devilwrites
The premise: ganked from BN.com: In 1912, history was changed by the Miracle, when the old world of Europe was replaced by Darwinia, a strange land of nightmarish jungle and antedeluvian monsters. To some, the Miracle is an act of divine retribution; to others, it is an opportunity to carve out a
Leaving American now ruled by religious fundamentalism, young Guilford Law travels to Darwinia on a mission of discovery that will take him further than he can possibly imagine...to a shattering revelation about mankind's destiny in the universe.
Darwinia is a 1999 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.
My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations
Even though this was the first Robert Charles Wilson book to ever come in my possession, I'm really glad it's not the first one I ever read. Not to say that this one was bad, but I'm not sure it would've left enough of a strong impression on me back then to read more of the author's work, whereas Spin was one of my favorite novels that I read in 2011. Be that as it may, this book does have a dizzying amount of things to offer: alternate history/parallel worlds, philosophy, suspense and thrillers, evolution and aliens, intergalactic conflict. It's certainly fascinating, and almost something that deserves two readers so that readers can really sink their teeth into what's going on, why it's going on, and therefore really appreciate the story. It's not a book that you can read with the television on, or while under the influence of cold medicine. It's a book that requires your absolute attention, and that's not a bad thing. It's just a thing to be aware of. The opening is great, but the rest of the book had its ups and downs for me. Definitely worth reading, but be focused when you do.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Part of the reason is so I can try and work out my understanding of the novel. The full review, WITH SPOILERS, maybe found in my blog. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!
REVIEW: Robert Charles' Wilson's DARWINIA
Happy Reading!
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new empire.Leaving American now ruled by religious fundamentalism, young Guilford Law travels to Darwinia on a mission of discovery that will take him further than he can possibly imagine...to a shattering revelation about mankind's destiny in the universe.
Darwinia is a 1999 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.
My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations
Even though this was the first Robert Charles Wilson book to ever come in my possession, I'm really glad it's not the first one I ever read. Not to say that this one was bad, but I'm not sure it would've left enough of a strong impression on me back then to read more of the author's work, whereas Spin was one of my favorite novels that I read in 2011. Be that as it may, this book does have a dizzying amount of things to offer: alternate history/parallel worlds, philosophy, suspense and thrillers, evolution and aliens, intergalactic conflict. It's certainly fascinating, and almost something that deserves two readers so that readers can really sink their teeth into what's going on, why it's going on, and therefore really appreciate the story. It's not a book that you can read with the television on, or while under the influence of cold medicine. It's a book that requires your absolute attention, and that's not a bad thing. It's just a thing to be aware of. The opening is great, but the rest of the book had its ups and downs for me. Definitely worth reading, but be focused when you do.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Part of the reason is so I can try and work out my understanding of the novel. The full review, WITH SPOILERS, maybe found in my blog. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!
REVIEW: Robert Charles' Wilson's DARWINIA
Happy Reading!
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LibraryThing member James_Patrick_Joyce
That was... interesting.
This started out as I expected. Europe and some of the surrounding lands and waters are replaced one day, in 1912. One day it's the world we know, the next it's an alien world. Flora, fauna, the very ground, itself.
Miracle? Scientific oddity? Something else? No one knows,
I can't (and don't want to) tell you much of the story, beyond that, because it twists and turns in odd ways that I absolutely could not have foreseen. It's a science fiction story that reads almost like fantasy. And the mysterious background secrets unwind at a steady pace, throughout the entire novel.
Demons and gods who are not that, at all, but may as well be. Ghosts of people who never lived. Fossils of creatures that could never have lived (and their histories). Possession by demonic intelligences from outside of reality. Predestined battles that have already been fought and will be fought, in times to come...
Really, Mr. Wilson did not disappoint.
Lots of action, mystery, horror, adventure, romance, love and loss.
This started out as I expected. Europe and some of the surrounding lands and waters are replaced one day, in 1912. One day it's the world we know, the next it's an alien world. Flora, fauna, the very ground, itself.
Miracle? Scientific oddity? Something else? No one knows,
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but the Finch Expedition heads out to explore this new world. And that's only one of the stories that you'll follow, though the main protagonist is Guilford Law, the photographer on the expedition. I can't (and don't want to) tell you much of the story, beyond that, because it twists and turns in odd ways that I absolutely could not have foreseen. It's a science fiction story that reads almost like fantasy. And the mysterious background secrets unwind at a steady pace, throughout the entire novel.
Demons and gods who are not that, at all, but may as well be. Ghosts of people who never lived. Fossils of creatures that could never have lived (and their histories). Possession by demonic intelligences from outside of reality. Predestined battles that have already been fought and will be fought, in times to come...
Really, Mr. Wilson did not disappoint.
Lots of action, mystery, horror, adventure, romance, love and loss.
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LibraryThing member Andorion
Very deeply weird.
LibraryThing member wishanem
I liked a good deal of this book, but ultimately I feel ambivalent about it. This book has layers, starting with a really great Alternate History story and then transitioning to a really abstract far future Sci-Fi plotline. I get that the second part was probably a large part of the author's
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purpose in writing the book, but the secondary reveal and deeper plot didn't work for me at all. They broke my suspension of disbelief every time they came up, robbed the plot of its stakes, and were largely uninteresting. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
A LOT of people who read this did not like it, but I thought it was great. I would recommend it to people who enjoy a good science fiction story (not the really "hard" science fiction) and believe it or no, people who like the Cthulhu mythos stories might actually enjoy this one.
In 1912, a young
I must say, I read the first third or so of this book without stopping -- it was that good. The rest of the book, while not as brilliant as the first part, was okay and offered an entirely new view of history as we know it.
I love this author and cannot wait to read more of his work; try Darwinia if you want something completely different.
In 1912, a young
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Guilford Law watches as a strange light takes over the sky; the next day he and his family wake up to a new world. Europe, it seems, has totally disappeared, including the millions of people who lived there; in its place is an almost prehistoric landscape, which of course, the US wants to claim for its own but that's another story. This new area is called by some "Darwinia." Fast forward to years later; Law is now a member of the first expedition to explore this new land, but there are those who do not want this expedition to succeed. Guilford begins to have strange dreams, as do the other expedition members, and they all point to a reality that Guilford does not want to believe.I must say, I read the first third or so of this book without stopping -- it was that good. The rest of the book, while not as brilliant as the first part, was okay and offered an entirely new view of history as we know it.
I love this author and cannot wait to read more of his work; try Darwinia if you want something completely different.
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Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998-06
Physical description
384 p.; 4.22 inches
ISBN
0812566629 / 9780812566628
Other editions
Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson (Hardcover)
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