Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York : Tor, 2012, c2011.
Pages
384
Description
In the desert Southwest, Kimble Monroe and others fight for their lives against the "bugs," self-replicating, solar-powered, metal-eating machines.
Awards
Locus Recommended Reading (2011)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011
Physical description
384 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
9780812561555
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User reviews
LibraryThing member RandyStafford
Take the American Southwest back to the Stone Age courtesy of the bugs – solar-powered, self-replicating robots whose metal-chomping ways not only endanger humans too close but also eliminate all electronic technology and all metal in the area. Add a land settled by hardy pioneers or those too
There’s the martial arts story, there’s the very Kiplingesque young-man-learning-lessons plot, there’s a post-apocalypse feel as we see the ruins of old towns and cities, and there’s the fascination of surviving in this frontier through a combination of imported technology like ceramic arrowheads and old ways like building adobes and weaving baskets. Of course, in a story where people move by animal power or their own legs, there’s also a very definite western feel to it. But Gould doesn’t scrimp on the science fiction weirdness either as our young spy Kimble (not the only name here that is playfully allusive) meets new forms of “bugs”, and Gould gives us a sort of answer to their mystery.
He also gives us some expected plot developments in the lives of the Captain, the sensei, and Kimble, but that part of the story is told unsentimentally, obliquely, and with wit. Gould is also quite effective at pacing a story covering five years in Kimble’s life.
The bugs may be rather novel, but Gould has given us some nice presents from the past in the elements of this story, one told in a concise manner too seldom seen these days.
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stubborn too leave. Throw in a Captain of the local constabulary who is interested in bringing in the scum bothering those pioneers – the highwaymen, the meth dealers, the murders and religious cults and secessionists. Then take a runaway thirteen year old boy found and trained by a homesteading akaido master, and lay it all out along the lines of another young boy employed as a spy in a dicey frontier zone, Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, and you have Gould’s quite satisfying novel.There’s the martial arts story, there’s the very Kiplingesque young-man-learning-lessons plot, there’s a post-apocalypse feel as we see the ruins of old towns and cities, and there’s the fascination of surviving in this frontier through a combination of imported technology like ceramic arrowheads and old ways like building adobes and weaving baskets. Of course, in a story where people move by animal power or their own legs, there’s also a very definite western feel to it. But Gould doesn’t scrimp on the science fiction weirdness either as our young spy Kimble (not the only name here that is playfully allusive) meets new forms of “bugs”, and Gould gives us a sort of answer to their mystery.
He also gives us some expected plot developments in the lives of the Captain, the sensei, and Kimble, but that part of the story is told unsentimentally, obliquely, and with wit. Gould is also quite effective at pacing a story covering five years in Kimble’s life.
The bugs may be rather novel, but Gould has given us some nice presents from the past in the elements of this story, one told in a concise manner too seldom seen these days.
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LibraryThing member lafon
Hum. What do I think. Aside from including this book in my reading spree, I'm starting to wonder how I manage to get so many books in one genre at the same time (last month was Irish folklore, now it's dystopia). This book had a very interesting summary, practically forcing me to read it... and The Not-Creatures also had me stumped Overall the rambling plot had me skipping parts of the story, or just not keeping my interest (half-way through I put the book down to go and get my computer's wine to work ;P). So to sum up: slow, if any character development, unnecessary plot deviations, useless characters or plot elements, and a boring setting. Oh, and computers do have wine.
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then it totally deviated from the stated plotline. I spent the entire novel trying to figure out what the bugs were doing in the novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member sylviawrigley
7th Sigma, the latest novel by Jumper author Steven Gould, is an exhilarating mash-up of Western and Sci-Fi. The story takes place in a near-future New Mexico and invokes the romance of the American Southwest. The region has been infested by tiny robotic insects who thrive on metal. They are not
The result is a futuristic frontier setting (nothing like Firefly) with a unique set of issues to be solved. The people remaining in the Southwest are forced to avoid all metal to survive. The settlers struggle to survive in a hostile environment with little understanding from the outside world. The resulting society is as harsh and tight-knit as one would expect in the Wild West.
Our hero, Kimble, was born in the territory and has never experienced life any other way. The story opens with this young runaway on his own trying to survive in the future frontier. The troubled young man is taken in by a dojo where he improves his aikido and tries to grasp the concepts of Zen. Kimble takes a hard look at what family means to him on a backdrop of fast-moving spy plot as he volunteers to help the Territorial Army.
7th Sigma includes a heart-racing combination of hero worship, future tech, old fashioned western setting, hand-to-hand combat and nano-tech.
Based on Rudyard Kipling's Kim, this is both an adventure and a coming-of-age story which can hold its own against the classics. I highly recommend this book as a fun and thoughtful adventure novel for all ages.
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specifically hostile to humans but will not hesitate to burrow straight through people in order to get to the other side. The result is a futuristic frontier setting (nothing like Firefly) with a unique set of issues to be solved. The people remaining in the Southwest are forced to avoid all metal to survive. The settlers struggle to survive in a hostile environment with little understanding from the outside world. The resulting society is as harsh and tight-knit as one would expect in the Wild West.
Our hero, Kimble, was born in the territory and has never experienced life any other way. The story opens with this young runaway on his own trying to survive in the future frontier. The troubled young man is taken in by a dojo where he improves his aikido and tries to grasp the concepts of Zen. Kimble takes a hard look at what family means to him on a backdrop of fast-moving spy plot as he volunteers to help the Territorial Army.
7th Sigma includes a heart-racing combination of hero worship, future tech, old fashioned western setting, hand-to-hand combat and nano-tech.
Based on Rudyard Kipling's Kim, this is both an adventure and a coming-of-age story which can hold its own against the classics. I highly recommend this book as a fun and thoughtful adventure novel for all ages.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SwampIrish
Robotic bugs are eating all metal in a large swath of the 4 corners area of the United States. Outside the territory it's business as usual, but inside the territory, it's back to the stone age. This is the world in which young Kimble has been raised. Kimble is sort of young Caine (Kung Fu) meets
Obviously the first book in a series but thoroughly entertaining nonetheless. I read this book cover to cover over the course of a day. Can't wait for more.
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young Wyatt Earp and the reader is the better for it. Kimble is the boy wonder of things that need to be known about the territory and his skills have attracted the Territorial Rangers' interest. The bugs sort of serve as a backdrop to Kimble's many adventures he undertakes for those who need his skills.Obviously the first book in a series but thoroughly entertaining nonetheless. I read this book cover to cover over the course of a day. Can't wait for more.
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LibraryThing member iBeth
I love books with smart protagonists. Kimble is just as fun to read about as Davy (from Jumper). Maybe more fun, because Kimble doesn't need a superpower to catch and hold our interest. Sure hope there are other Kimble books coming soon.
LibraryThing member omnia_mutantur
Metal-eating bugs in the American Southwest. A very engaging read.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
Its been a long time since I read a book in one sitting. The book kept me on my toes, with interesting characters and an interesting plot.
The reason I could read it all at once, is that while action packed, it is quite simple. I felt that the author wanted to do a western story, set in the modern
The story is mostly about Kimble, a boy who is a runaway from his abusive father and finds an Akido Teacher to take him in. Its fairly straight forward. There isn't very much complexity in any of the characters. I found Kimble to be too innocent. He should have more experience in how the world works. The world itself is pretty simple. The worst things that happen in it are a group of drug dealers selling meth, which Kimble is enlisted to help with because of his Martial Arts Skill and intelligence. Everybody in this world is either bad or good, with simple motives.
The book kept me interested, I enjoyed the characters, but I was mostly interested in the bugs. I suspect the next volume will have Kim in college in Los Angelos, or just graduated, with a degree that will help him figure out what the bugs are.
The reason I could read it all at once, is that while action packed, it is quite simple. I felt that the author wanted to do a western story, set in the modern
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times, but without electricity. So, he invented these "bugs" that took over the south western desert. They eat anything metal or emits a EM Frequency. They don't really have much to do with this story, outside of a few mentions of oddities.The story is mostly about Kimble, a boy who is a runaway from his abusive father and finds an Akido Teacher to take him in. Its fairly straight forward. There isn't very much complexity in any of the characters. I found Kimble to be too innocent. He should have more experience in how the world works. The world itself is pretty simple. The worst things that happen in it are a group of drug dealers selling meth, which Kimble is enlisted to help with because of his Martial Arts Skill and intelligence. Everybody in this world is either bad or good, with simple motives.
The book kept me interested, I enjoyed the characters, but I was mostly interested in the bugs. I suspect the next volume will have Kim in college in Los Angelos, or just graduated, with a degree that will help him figure out what the bugs are.
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LibraryThing member joyelett
I was lured in to read this book based on the sci-fi quality and the bugs. I mean who can resist metal eating bugs? Think about that for a moment.
Obviously, there will be a book two that might provide more about the bugs. Where did they come from? Who invented them and why? Why do they stay in one
The characters in the book were interesting and had many grand adventures. Which was fast paced and entertaining.
The one thing that I did not like- and this happens more and more and it drives me crazy- they threw in some religion and religious bad guys. Preaching and quoting the Bible. I really wanted to read science fiction and not be blindsided by religious crazy people who are trying to save the USA their way.
I am interested to see where book 2 will take us and learn more about the bugs and how they shape peoples lives.
Obviously, there will be a book two that might provide more about the bugs. Where did they come from? Who invented them and why? Why do they stay in one
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area and not spread to another? I need to know.The characters in the book were interesting and had many grand adventures. Which was fast paced and entertaining.
The one thing that I did not like- and this happens more and more and it drives me crazy- they threw in some religion and religious bad guys. Preaching and quoting the Bible. I really wanted to read science fiction and not be blindsided by religious crazy people who are trying to save the USA their way.
I am interested to see where book 2 will take us and learn more about the bugs and how they shape peoples lives.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
I had so much fun with 7th Sigma. I love crossover genres, books that combine a little bit of everything to get something new, and I think this might be one of the most ambitious I’ve ever seen – science-fictional post-apocalyptic Western spy-fi. Wait, that doesn’t get the aikido in there.
I love the bugs, the metal-eating monsters that will rip right through you if you disturb them, making most modern technology worse than useless in the territory and leaving former heavily built-up sites (like, oh, factories, or steel-reinforced concrete bridges) incredibly dangerous. They’re a wonderful apocalyptic mechanism, and Gould doesn’t fall into the trap of over-explaining. The bugs make as much sense as they need to – the rest of the time, you’re in with the characters.
And the characters are great. Kimble starts out as a street kid who gets pretty much adopted by Ruth, a divorced aikido master who’s heading out to start a new dojo in the territory. This is definitely Kimble’s story – by the end of the book he’ll be heading off to college – but I loved Ruth from the moment she walked into town. She’s determined to make for herself the kind of life she wants, and she isn’t going to let anything get in her way. I admire that.
The writing is generally pretty smooth, a kind of non-obtrusive prose, but I did find myself getting annoyed at the way Gould would shift perspective (and sometimes even backward and forward in time) in order to portray the shock of random assholes at being thrown down and pinned by someone half their size. Since the rest of the book is from a very limited third-person Kimble’s point of view, these bits were disorienting – which might have been the point, but I’m not sure it came off right.
That’s a small gripe, though. I think my favorite part was the serial nature of the story; aside from the last two adventures, each of the chapters is pretty much self-contained. (And yes, “Bugs in the Arroyo” is one of them.) It gave the book the feel of an old Western TV show. Heck, I’d love to see this universe as a TV show. SyFy, I’m looking at you.
In a sentence: 7th Sigma is a fun, original adventure story that has something in it to appeal to every genre fan.
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Crap.I love the bugs, the metal-eating monsters that will rip right through you if you disturb them, making most modern technology worse than useless in the territory and leaving former heavily built-up sites (like, oh, factories, or steel-reinforced concrete bridges) incredibly dangerous. They’re a wonderful apocalyptic mechanism, and Gould doesn’t fall into the trap of over-explaining. The bugs make as much sense as they need to – the rest of the time, you’re in with the characters.
And the characters are great. Kimble starts out as a street kid who gets pretty much adopted by Ruth, a divorced aikido master who’s heading out to start a new dojo in the territory. This is definitely Kimble’s story – by the end of the book he’ll be heading off to college – but I loved Ruth from the moment she walked into town. She’s determined to make for herself the kind of life she wants, and she isn’t going to let anything get in her way. I admire that.
The writing is generally pretty smooth, a kind of non-obtrusive prose, but I did find myself getting annoyed at the way Gould would shift perspective (and sometimes even backward and forward in time) in order to portray the shock of random assholes at being thrown down and pinned by someone half their size. Since the rest of the book is from a very limited third-person Kimble’s point of view, these bits were disorienting – which might have been the point, but I’m not sure it came off right.
That’s a small gripe, though. I think my favorite part was the serial nature of the story; aside from the last two adventures, each of the chapters is pretty much self-contained. (And yes, “Bugs in the Arroyo” is one of them.) It gave the book the feel of an old Western TV show. Heck, I’d love to see this universe as a TV show. SyFy, I’m looking at you.
In a sentence: 7th Sigma is a fun, original adventure story that has something in it to appeal to every genre fan.
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LibraryThing member ACEdmonds
There are not many books that I find disappointed when they draw to a close, but this definitely stands among those ranks.
LibraryThing member romsfuulynn
I had a lot of fun with this. I love Gould's voice. The homage to Kipling's Kim was fine with me. I'm surprised it isn't higher rated overall, but for some reason Gould's stuff works particularly well for me and it's been a while.
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
This is an interesting detour for Gould. He has refined the action packed thriller, where you can hardly remember to breath. 7th sigma has plenty of action that would play well on film, but the pacing is much less frantic. When Gould intends to pay homage to Kipling's Kim (which I remember with
Gould's characters are always extraordinary specimens. Kimble reminds me stongly of Ender Wiggen, with his highly developed sense of right and wrong, and his ability to act on it, but he lacks the complexity of conflicted self image. Now I want to go back and read Kim again.
Though the title is explained, I still don't see its pertinence to the story as told.
Enjoyable, but not as good as his latest Jumper novel, Impulse.
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great fondness), he doesn't just mess around. In order to provide a hardscrabble environment, he relies on an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it theme, and allows himself the possibility of sequels, since the main mystery isn't resolved.Gould's characters are always extraordinary specimens. Kimble reminds me stongly of Ender Wiggen, with his highly developed sense of right and wrong, and his ability to act on it, but he lacks the complexity of conflicted self image. Now I want to go back and read Kim again.
Though the title is explained, I still don't see its pertinence to the story as told.
Enjoyable, but not as good as his latest Jumper novel, Impulse.
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LibraryThing member ExpatTX
This is a fun read, though it reads more as a collection of interconnected short stories about the main character. I would like to see him explore the new world he has imagined in further stories.
LibraryThing member 1Randal
An interesting book. A sci-fi/western/detective novel with a large dose of the old TV series Kung Fu thrown in. Several loose ends left dangling, but I suppose the author is planning a sequel/series. Was better done by Kevin Anderson in "Ill Wind". But interesting nonetheless.
LibraryThing member sussura
I loved a short story by Steven Gould about the main character in 7th Sigma long before I read the novel. It was very cool to see how that character developed, as well as his origins. This is a good, fast read, with a lot of thought-provocation. The setting for the story is as much a character in
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the novel as its people are, and as well developed. Show Less