Firstborn (Time Odyssey)
by Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Baxter
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Book Summary Information
Author: Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen BaxterEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-28
ISBN: 0345491580
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Firstborn (Time Odyssey)
Book Review: Worthy End to a Respectable Series
Summary: 4 Stars
Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter's Time's Eye, the first book in the series that Firstborn concludes, is one of the greatest recent science fiction novels. However, its sequel, Sunstorm, was extremely disappointing. Fans thus did not know what to expect from Firstborn, but the news is thankfully positive; though significantly below Time's, it is far above Sunstorm - a small latter-day triumph for Clarke, who turned ninety the month it was published. Anyone who liked Time's will certainly like it, and those scared by Sunstorm need not fear. One should certainly read Clarke's classic works before coming to the series, but Firstborn reassuringly ends it on a relatively high note and is fairly strong in itself.
Everything that made Sunstorm weak is essentially corrected. Though not as mesmerizingly inventive as Time's, much less classic Clarke, the plot is very intriguing. In great contrast to Sunstorm, the central danger is fascinating; its inner workings and dangers are compellingly described, and solutions are worked out plausibly and excitingly. Clarke works are rich in potentially Apocalyptic disasters, but this is one of the most mind-bendingly inventive. Again in contrast to Sunstorm, the path to stopping it is absorbingly unpredictable - well thought out and effectively executed.
Other plot elements are also engaging. We finally see the resolution of threads left dangling in Time's, and Sunstorm's meager developments are finalized. The authors weave in historical elements interestingly and successfully, and the future extrapolations intrigue. As usual with Clarke, particularly in late years, there is a wealth of references to his ideas and past works: space elevators, solar racing, the Space Odyssey series, etc. This will of course be of great interest to the many Clarke buffs, especially as it is far more natural and seamless than in Sunstorm.
Characterization is also greatly improved over Sunstorm, though again not as strong as in Time's. I still find Myra annoying, but most major characters are sympathetic or at least palatable, and the interpersonal drama is far more moving and engrossing. The Firstborn themselves are of course ever fascinating, mesmerizing and beguiling readers since their first appearance in 2001: A Space Odyssey nearly forty years before this book. We learn a little more about them here, though the authors are of course careful not to remove all the mystery.
This brings up an important point - this would not be a Clarke book if everything were tightly wrapped up. He long ago learned that an essential condition of SF greatness is alluring wide-openness. Our minds often fill in blanks more vividly and forcefully than minute description could do, luring us in and provoking thought. This makes works stay with us long after reading whereas we may well have pushed them out of mind if they ended with a conventional ribbon and bow. Firstborn is another entry in this grand tradition, conveying classic Clarke themes like the universe's vast reach, its limitless possibilities, and its endless capacity for surprise - not least in regard to life. Humanity's place in the cosmos is again put in perspective, and a variety of philosophical and other issues of importance are memorably dramatized. The writing also has an occasionally dazzling poetic turn, though certainly not on Clarke's highest level, and is notably tight and concise.
Also, as so often with Clarke, the end is a cliffhanger. This will dismay some, as Firstborn is the close of a series, but such open-endedness is a Clarke trademark for better or worse. 2001, which was supposed to be a standalone work, after all ended thus. Even those who can usually roll with such things may think this simply goes too far, and it is definitely frustrating to a certain extent. However, the authors surely thought it necessary to leave the great question unresolved; they after all know humanity's future no better than anyone and likely did not feel safe in assuming. Human arrogance coupled with inevitable ignorance is after all one of the series' themes - and one of Clarke's generally -, and the book arguably could hardly have ended otherwise. Clarke's diehard optimism and faith in human progress, coupled with his many other books' endings, strongly suggest humanity will triumph, but this remains to be seen. Firstborn was advertised as the concluding volume, but the door was certainly left open for at least one more book. However, Clarke's death surely put an end to the possibility, so we must take the ending on its own terms. The series probably could have ended better, and Clarke certainly has superior endings, but I prefer this to something overly pat like 3001.
All told, though far from Clarke's best, Firstborn is a worthy latter-day novel and a fairly effective end to a respectable series - a worthwhile coda to an unmatched career.
Summary of Firstborn (Time Odyssey)
The Firstborn?the mysterious race of aliens who first became known to science fiction fans as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey?have inhabited legendary master of science fiction Sir Arthur C. Clarke?s writing for decades. With Time?s Eye and Sunstorm, the first two books in their acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and his brilliant co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic.Their first act was the Discontinuity, in which Earth was carved into sections from different eras of history, restitched into a patchwork world, and renamed Mir. Mir?s inhabitants included such notables as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and United Nations peacekeeper Bisesa Dutt. For reasons unknown to her, Bisesa entered into communication with an alien artifact of inscrutable purpose and godlike power?a power that eventually returned her to Earth. There, she played an instrumental role in humanity?s race against time to stop a doomsday event: a massive solar storm triggered by the alien Firstborn designed to eradicate all life from the planet. That fate was averted at an inconceivable price. Now, twenty-seven years later, the Firstborn are back.
This time, they are pulling no punches: They have sent a ?quantum bomb.? Speeding toward Earth, it is a device that human scientists can barely comprehend, that cannot be stopped or destroyed?and one that will obliterate Earth.
Bisesa?s desperate quest for answers sends her first to Mars and then to Mir, which is itself threatened with extinction. The end seems inevitable. But as shocking new insights emerge into the nature of the Firstborn and their chilling plans for mankind, an unexpected ally appears from light-years away.
From the Hardcover edition.
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