Troika

This was exactly what I was looking for -- an engrossing science fiction story with enough smarts in it to make you think a little bit. It's a diversion with a kick to it.

The story is told in two interwoven narratives, one of a mission to a mysterious and very large object, the "Matryoshka", that appears in Earth's solar system without warning and without communication. That story is told as a recollection by the main character, Dimitri Ivanov, who also tells his own story, in present tense, now that he has returned to Earth from that mission.

As in other of his writings, the author, Alastair Reynolds, brings a darker, pessimistic feel to the story. The Matryoshka isn't just an unannounced visitor -- it has a message for us, and that show more message is unsettling to the powers that be. I'm not giving away anything here -- that much is apparent from the beginning. But Reynolds has some surprises in the plot twists that make the story more than just another dystopian science fiction story.

All in all, I was swept along. This is a short book -- in fact, it is labeled a "novella", although published on its own and at the cost of a "novel". I have no complaints. If the story is good, that's what I paid for. And that's what I got. show less

...The more cynical reader will probably consider this novella a bit of propaganda for space programs in general, and manned space flights in particular. It's warning us that turning our backs to space, despite the economics of its exploration, is a serious mistake. As the Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky once put it: "The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever." Whatever your opinion of the matter, it won't settle the question whether or not space exploration is worth the billions invested in it, especially since there is plenty of work still to be done on Earth.

Troika certainly provides food for thought along those lines and it does so in style. This novella is carefully crafted and show more works to an interesting twist in the plot at the end of the story. It's well-written and most certainly well-timed piece of writing. It's a novella that celebrates sense of wonder science fiction but also wonders if that drive to explore, through science as well as fiction, has perhaps passed. For me, Troika worked very well, both as a warning and a piece of literature. It faces some stiff competition for the Hugo but I think it would make a fine winner.

Full Random Comments review show less

This novella is departure from the far-future grand scale stories Reynolds has become known for, instead focusing on a single life-changing encounter recounted by it’s main character, Cosmonaut Dimitri Ivanov. While I found the ending to be rewarding with its revelation into the nature of the alien artifact McGuffin, the road leading to it seemed as long and cold as the one Ivanov hitchhikes into Zvezdniy Gorodok in the opening pages. There is some interesting tension created by the looming threat from the Neo-Stalinist government in pursuit of Ivanov, but surprisingly little offered in the narrative portions set in space. There are also some very satisfying questions of identity reminiscent of Reynold’s novel “Chasm City”.

A solid and enjoyable short read from one of my favorite sci-fi authors. While I read this in bite-size chunks over about a week, it would be easy enough to read this one in a single sitting and, in point of fact, I suspect it would be better that way.

This is a short Science Fiction novel (or novella or whatever it may be called) that starts with a man escaping from a mental asylum in a future Soviet Union and nearly freezing to death in the cold Russian (Soviet) winter. The man was part of a mission to investigate an alien artifact that had appeared in the solar system and now he's kept locked in.

This story just didn't hit any chords for me. I wonder if I'm immune to Alastair Reynolds?

Surprisingly weak for Reynolds. Too much tell (from the "show don't tell" law) and a clumsy rhythm. Too slow in some parts, too fast when it really mattered. The idea wasn't that impressive either (but not bad either). Perhaps this is an early work for him?

Originally published in Godlike Machines, and also available in the collection, Beyond the Aquila Rift.

The story starts with an escapee from a mental hospital in Siberia desperately trying to reach the local town.

The escapee was one of three cosmonauts sent to investigate an alien vessel that had appeared in the solar system years before.

The story bounces back and forth between the escapee trying to reach someone in town and when he was a cosmonaut at the alien vessel.

Quite a good twist in the tail of this one as well.

Another good novella from Alastair, a master of short fiction as well as the super long stuff too.

Next up on Alastair's timeline will be Sleepover.