Book Review - Evolution: A Novel

[BeardedBill86]

Baxter is one of my favourite SF writers, as someone else mentioned his Xeelee Sequence works really get you thinking and are very deep and entertaining reads.

I've recently started on Evolution, after your review and it is still following typical Baxter style which keeps it readable but still interesting.. A couple of minor problems so far, his liberal style (such as naming creatures) does detract somewhat from the immersion when you know these beasties wouldn't have names-

[BeardedBill86]

@BeardedBill86 -(cont) but I recognise this might be neccesary (after all, calling your protaganists "that shrew" might also detract shortly).

But as I said, just a minor detraction, I can't imagine who else I'd like to have walking me through the evolution story without me losing interest and it really is an amazing story.

[WormulonDCP]

The Xeelee Sequence by Stephen Baxter is so mind blowing, and I've only just finished the Raft, I look forward to getting his Manifold series!

[Yuri92001]

You can get it online for .01 cents now! .....I am definitely buying it! Any other Baxters you reccommend? I have read all his ones he wrote with Clarke as well as Time Ships (one of my favorite books of all time). Any other series or stand alone novels you would recommend? And is this a stand alone?

[tich1978]

good review

I ve read this book before seeing this video but i m sure that i would have wanted read it after. désolé mon anglais est mauvais :) je sais pas si tu parles français mais ta video est trop classe

I work for tv as a cameraman but i read instead of watch tv, i got pay for my job but i don t want to watch it ; )

Go on and good luck

[oscarandsam]

ghostwriter -- I read this book but I might not have if I had seen your review first. Some believe that humans are a sort of blight on the Earth and that a "natural" Earth is one without human technology. Yet we are also products of this Earth and anything we do is as natural as any other animal.

You mention the "crash of civilization -- which we all know is coming" as if it's fact. Do you want us to finally lose our technology and our sentient nature as in the book?

[FrankSlade1983]

Just a minor thing about your review. You said that the book spans a period beginning from 65 million years ago (into the distant future), but if you recall there is a chapter - The Hunters of Pangaea - that is set 145 million years in the past...no big deal, but just thought I'd mention it, lol.

and btw You're not stupid man, it's a great book. I read it when it first came out and have re-read it at least twice over the years...I love Baxter's work...good on you for reviewing it.

[nodollarsign]

This is the best book I ever read.

[adroc01]

Interesting review man. I think this book, and his latest book (flood) are the only ones by him that I haven't read yet. actually I haven't read the mammoth books either. I think i'll go see if i can find a cheap copy of this online and pick it up.

[nodollarsign]

I am trying to read Coaelesence right now, and man. I can't even spell it, as you can see.  But it's awesome. I love Baxter's way with time. Manifold Time and Space are also fun reads

[Oedipus58921]

what do you read? I mean you don't understand why people rather watch t.v than read it's so simple, watching t.v is easier than reading, you don't have to think contrary on reading you must somehow examine and think more.

[Claybird121]

Sounds like a pitch for reading to me.

[Oedipus58921]

???

[Claybird121]

I'm saying that for exactly the reasons you laid out i would rather read.

[Oedipus58921]

Hmm I was asking "ghostwriter511" What does he reads, because he doesn't know the answer to his question "why people doesn't read?" I'm sorry if I did the question wrong (I can't speak English perfectly) I do read instead of watching t.v in conclusion I was just explaining the sociological reason why people rather watch t.v instead of reading.

[Claybird121]

Ah, i see. Well, i wasn't upset or being belligerent(i think), it was just a passing comment. Take 'er easy.

[Oedipus58921]

okay have a happy new year....

[AdamHintz]

I'm doing something similar with "Man's Rise To Civilization" in the Beyond Our Borders series. Looking forward to this.

[themajikat]

Man i never realized how long the hair actually was.

I've been looking for a book that would really do that for me with evolution. I read 50 pages of the Selfish Gene but I just couldn't do the Ebook idea. I might try again. Douglas Adams mentioned one in one of his writings in "The Salmon of Doubt" but I couldn't find that writing again when I looked.

Be careful about using the word progress lol. Progress in an evolutionary sense would be diversity and therefore stability I think.

[ghostwriter511]

Good point. Webster give two definitions of "Progress" as

1) a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal); advance

2) gradual betterment; example: the progressive development of humankind

Definitely not what I meant, and the second one is pretty biased.

I meant it as the continuing of a process.