Rainbows End

A Novel With One Foot In The Future

Hardcover, 368 pages

English language

Published May 2, 2006 by Tor Books.

ISBN:
978-0-312-85684-7
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OCLC Number:
67711627

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(5 reviews)

6 editions

Rainbows End

This is a quasi-DNF, because I've got the last fifth of the novel to go but it's starting to drag, and the protagonist is worthless. It has the feeling of something quickly edited and put to market (perhaps the author needed to fufil a contractual requirement?). Who knows, it's ancient history now.

It's main point of interest is Vinge's take on the proliferation of augmented reality and mesh network technology, and sadly I find his observations pretty plausible - namely that the infrastructure becomes a theatre of war for state actors, which leads to network balkanization and the subordination of all private ownership of technology to the demands of state (the novel has a tinkerer character who has managed to assemble a PC whose CPU isn't 'in thrall' to the Department of Homeland Security). It's sobering to compare the world in the novel to our current-day situation of nation-states hoarding …

A Futuristic Rollercoaster of Mixed Emotions

I picked up Vernor Vinge's Rainbow's End with a sense of excitement, expecting a hard-hitting, technological thrill ride with the kind of Gibson-esque flair that I absolutely adore. And while the novel certainly had its moments of brilliance, it left me with mixed emotions.

From the moment I read about the young-again poet, Robert Gu, I was intrigued by the concept. It seemed like an interesting twist on the usual sci-fi tropes, and I couldn't wait to immerse myself in Gu's journey. However, as I dove further into the novel, it became clear to me that Vinge was combining elements of a coming-of-age story into his futuristic narrative, which didn't quite suit my preferences. I felt a little out of step with these elements, as I'd been hoping for a more hard sci-fi experience.

As I continued reading Rainbow's End, I was initially captivated by the undercurrent of a global …

Imaginative and fascinating, but complicated

This book has tons of imagination. Set in a world where the line between reality and the digital is blurred, the ideas are extremely well thought out, creative and realistic. It's overall pretty engaging and fun to read. But good luck telling anyone what this book is about in less than a minute - it throws a lot at you, and the plot can be tough to follow at times. It's possible that if I had put in the time and effort to really understand it, and figure out its mysteries, I would think it's a masterpiece. This book is best suited for people who love grappling with tough plots and mysterious characters, but even if you just like science fiction it's probably worth a read.

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Subjects

  • Science Fiction - General
  • Fiction / Science Fiction / General
  • Fiction
  • Fiction - Science Fiction
  • Alzheimer
  • Memory
  • Science Fiction

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