Sean O'Brien (3)

Sean O'Brien's Vale of Stars is an interesting study of using fiction to examine philosophy. The story unfolds in four parts, taking us across four different generations of women and their interaction with the mission to colonize, and come to understand an alien world.

Taken on the surface, this is an intriguing sci-fi tale told across a broad spectrum of time and situations. The classic tale of interstellar colonization is told from a variety of stages beginning on the colony ship itself show more and moving forward to a time when the new society is well established and is puzzling out their new home's mysteries. The tale is well written, with four distinct voices guiding through their individual parts of the story and weaving a believable and riveting tapestry of interplanetary life and exploration.

However, underlying all of this is an examination of various levels of the human experience. O'Brien manages to touch on subjects as diverse as bigotry, political ideology, religion, and many other aspects of human civilization through the lens of science fiction. His tale may be told at the far reaches of known space and in the distant future, but its themes are focused squarely on human behavior and interaction throughout the whole of history.

The true wonder of Vale of Stars is that the neither the tale being told nor the philosophical investigation underlying it suffers. Both sides bear equal fruit, and the book leaves one feeling fulfilled intellectually as well as thoroughly entertained. O'Brien manages to question our views on the various aspects of humanity, our very beliefs, without ever seeming to belittle or claim a superior viewpoint. He simply holds up the mirror to us, like all good fiction should, and asks us not only what we see, but whether we like what we see.

Read as nothing but a novel, Vale of Stars would be a wonderful read in the tradition of Clarke and Asimov. But, experienced as inquiry into the philosophy of what it means to be human, the book truly shines as a unique work that is worthwhile on many levels. show less

I'm coming in on the middle book of at least a trilogy here, but found it largely self-contained and nicely paced. Our primary character, Collier, is a bit of an ass who spends way too much time butting heads with "The System" on general principle, but that stubborn pride is what drives the story and O'Brien gets me to care enough to keep turning page after page. Even if Col -is- thick as a brick at times.

I read an advanced reader's ePub copy given to me by EDGE-Lite in hopes of a fair show more review. If you enjoy thoughtful, well paced SF, you may well enjoy this book as much as I did. As a middle book however, the story isn't neatly wrapped up yet so if you dislike loose ends wait on the finished series. show less

(Caution: This review is mildly spoileriffic.)

_Beltrunner_ is an unassuming book, a fairly straightforward sci-fi story set among the asteroids of our own solar system. It has an unmistakably retro feel to it — in a good way, in my opinion — as if it were a product of a bygone age of futurism. As an adventure story, it's fine.

What's more interesting is what the story eventually has to say about individualism. Captain Collier, our hero, is himself a throwback to an earlier age, show more stubbornly eking out a living as an independent miner in a world that, like ours, is becoming increasingly consolidated into large, and largely uncaring, corporations. He finds his independence and individualism threatened on two fronts. On the one hand, the corporate miners find him a thorn in their side and would love to remove him from the picture; on the other hand, he encounters the Ganymede society where individuality is suppressed — by force, if necessary — in service to an extreme form of collectivism. Even retaining one's sex is frowned upon. Collier's reaction to both these forces, in thought and action, is worth considering.

Sadly, the intriguing device that Collier discovers early on proves to be a mere McGuffin. I had expected it to play a more pivotal role in the direction of the story, and indeed had hoped to learn more about it, but it was not to be.

This is a fun, simple adventure story that will appeal to fans of Asimov, Clarke, and other authors of the "Golden Age". show less

I often keep a journal of the books I read, and my first entry after completing Vale of Stars by Sean O'Brien is this, "I can't say whether the story is brilliant, or simply frustrating." Many of my written thoughts aren't worth additional reflection, but I mention this one because the truth is I've been thinking about this book every day since I finished it.

On the surface, Vale is about humans colonizing the alien world Epsilon Eridani by way of a 100-year journey from Earth. Transporting show more these pioneers is a multi-generational endeavor that requires an enormous breadth of long-term foresight, but is equally susceptible to things not going as planned. The book is epic, or at least wants to be, though you can almost feel it starting to break apart at the seams.

But Vale isn't really a story about large-scale colonization. It's more about the individuals, over a span of generations, who are vying to find their place within the new society, which for many was never a choice in the first place.

I recommend you read this book just to see for yourself what I'm talking about. show less