We Read Science Fiction

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson is number 9 on my all-time top 10. A strange addition, as I’m sure you’ll agree, since it was only written in 2005. However, as I was reviewing my list, the stories all seemed to be a least 10 years old, and therefore didn’t take much of the new science into account. I thought long and hard about which of the books that won a Hugo or Nebula since 2000 could be “classics” in 20 years and Spin was the only one that seemed to hold up under scrutiny.

Summary: Spin is an excellent story, has solid characters and more than a few big ideas. It might not be 100% original, but it’s close. In addition, it is extremely well written, entertaining and it made me think hard on more than one occasion.

I chose Wilson to represent the newer writers in the genre because he has consistently produced amazing books and is widely regarded as one of the best new writers in the industry. You might remember him from his previous novels such as Darwinia, The Chronoliths, and Blind Lake. All of which have been nominated for Hugos since 2000. If you’re curious, The Chronoliths is a 4/5 (excellent), and Blind Lake is a 3/5 (enjoyable and fun). I haven’t read Darwinia yet, but it’s on my wish list at Amazon.

The story of Spin, set in the immediate future, follows three childhood friends through their lives beginning with the night the stars “went out”. As they soon learn, a mysterious “spin membrane” has encapsulated the planet Earth for unknown reasons and is blanking out the stars and planets but not the sun. The trio all experience different reactions to the crisis and the story outlines the lives they lead as a result. All three manage to stay in contact throughout the course of the book, and their dialog investigates some of reactions the human race might have to such a crisis. Through the characters we see ourselves and our species.

Being the third book by Wilson that I’ve read, I can safely say that his novels feature a conflicted protagonist who walks away from the experiences in the book utterly changed. In addition, his endings are solid even if they are a bit abrupt. Spin is no exception.

Without giving too much more of the story away, all I can say is that the cause of the membrane, it’s implications and it’s purpose are revealed by the end of the book, and that Wilson thinks up some very neat consequences of the spin along the way. The post-spin civilization reacts in a very human, modern and plausible way which nicely serves his near-future setting.

If you want some spoilers, you can have them in the comments, though I promise not to give the ending away. See you there.

ASIDE: The book initially reminded me of a 1992 book by Greg Egan called Quarantine (also a 4/5 in my view) but very quickly diverged except on the vague theme of Earth being cut off from the solar system/stars by something mysterious. If you want another fantastic read in the hard SF realm, check out Quarantine too, you won’t regret it.