Dancing with Eternity

This book is much better than I expected it to be based on what I read on the back cover so I think this is definitely one occasion where you cannot judge a book by its cover or its blurb - What would happen if Odysseus met Captain Ahab in the 40th Century?.

In the 40th Century mankind has moved into space and has the technology to extend life so that nearly nobody dies. What Lowrie has done is write a book based on the sociology, psychology and ethics of this premise and wrapped it up in an adventurous trip through space with an interesting cast of characters. Maybe for some people it might be a bit preachy or "talky" as the history of the universe that these characters inhabit is fleshed out but I enjoy that sort of things and I like show more the way that these things are integrated into the story.

This is my kind of SF, thought provoking and well written, and I really hope to read more from this author. show less

If you read this book as a strictly futuristic adventure novel, you will probably be slightly disappointed. There are elements of the plot that are built up throughout the story, only to be anticlimactically abandoned. The characters in the story, rather than being idealized exemplars of perfection, are very human -- but in a way that readers may find difficulty connecting with, since they are humans living in a vastly different culture brought on by certain very important aspects of technology.

If, however, you read it as a study of the mores and ethics of the society that would be formed from advanced, periodic, and above all EXPENSIVE geriatric treatment that provides virtual immortality, you will, like me, probably be amazed. The show more true theme, and the true strength, of this book, is expressed right in the title. It isn't about the quest, or the danger, or the adventure -- it is about how humanity would change given the ability to reverse aging, overcome death, and travel to the stars with ease. show less

I'll just get right to it. My biggest complaint with Dancing with Eternity was the disconnect between the sexual politics and the Sci-Fi aspect of the book. Not that the two can't go together, I just could not decide which side the author was on: men are overly aggressive and to be blamed for all the wars that have been fought versus women are just as aggressive and every bit as much to blame for the state of the Universe in this 40th Century. Take a stand, make your case and let the reader figure out if your right, don't prevaricate. It is better to fail to convince your readers than to waffle all over the place.

Because the author could not seem to take a stand, some of the debates between the lead characters were too long winded and show more did not really serve to advance the plot. Less annoying, the relationship between two of the female leads was obvious, right from the start. I hate spoiled surprises, but it fit the plot nicely, so it was not as detracting.

One of the more intriguing things was the overall flavor of the narrator's choice of words and metaphors. Despite this being a Sci-Fi offering, at time I almost felt I was in a high tech Crime Noir story. Maybe it had to do with the beautiful sexy female lead, Steel, finding the main male lead, Mo, in a bar. Steel puts all the classic moves on Mo and Mo responds with all the classic lines.

Overall, I can buy into this future, I just don't know if I want to live there. The science is plausible, but highly improbable, as are the history lessons we get along the way. While it is worth more than the effort involved in reading this book, I don;t think it will go on to become a classic of the Sci-Fi genre. I'll go a little above average for this one at three and a half stars. show less

I was never really a fan of Science Fiction and this book didn't really change my opinion, but one thing I must say: there are some really interesting things in it. The characters are... okay, I guess. They can handle the story, but honestly, there are characters that you don't really notice until the end of the book. Some of them go through the story unnoticed even after the end of the book (sorry, Tamika. I tried to like you. I really did. But you were as significant as a fork in a drawer). While the author did a pretty good job with the two main characters, the others seemed to have their presences shadowed.
The good thing about this book are the ideas and the concepts rather than the story itself. I dare say that the story is show more actually poor given the vast universe where it occurs and there are several details that are really hard for me to accept (like... how come a living being can reboot, but they still haven't come up with a solution for energy limit after so much time and technological advance?), but there are a couple of points that really give you something to think about in the story, like "do we really want to reach an equality between the genders?" or "is it really an advantage to live forever?" or even "how would it feel like if we could always reboot, but knowing that there are people that for some reason can't do that?".
I believe that if the author had focused on the characters relations (because Mohandas' interaction with the other crew members was starting to get pretty cool, but he barely talked with Tamika, for an instance) and turned the book into an epic adventure rather than a trip to two or three planets and LOTS and LOTS of research, this book would have been a lot more enjoyable. The world as he described looked pretty nice and the story of Draco and The Pleiads was so awesome, but at a certain point of the story I got lost with so many names that ended up showing up only once or twice.
If you like SciFi, go ahead, this book is worth your time. Otherwise, you might as well look for something else to read. show less

Epic. Mesmerizing. Poignant. Suspenseful. Thought-provoking.
Mo is stranded in a backwater planet, basically just drinking his way through his 18th lifetime, when he is approached by Steel, a gorgeous woman who offers him the opportunity to join her mysterious mission, and get off this planet. With full medical! Mo agrees, but details about the mission are not immediately forthcoming. They dribble out over the book with such rightness and evenhandedness; Mo learns necessary information when it becomes necessary for both him and the reader. This serves to keep the reader intrigued and guessing Steel's motivations, and what they hope to accomplish. Did I mention this takes place in the 40th century? They have virtual immortality thanks to show more a procedure called "re-booting", and Faster Than Light travel, which really opens up the possibilities for this narrative, and the author definitely took advantage of them. The journey spans the galaxy and probably about a century, and manages to be both fascinating and fast paced.
I loved it. I kind of want to read it again, now that I know how it ends. show less

John Patrick Lowrie, probably best known for his voice acting roles in various modern video games, is, as it turns out, also an author. Lowrie, in his debut novel, Dancing With Eternity, proves that not only can he act, but he also has the literary skills to write, the knowledge of scientific principles to make it seem realistic, and the understanding of the genre to make it work.

The story takes place in a distant future, where people “re-boot” when they get too old, getting a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth, or …) chance at youth. The narrator, Mohandas, meets with a mysterious ship’s captain named Steel, who offers him a crew position on her ship. Down on his luck Mohandas, one of the oldest people in the known universe, show more is happy to accept, but soon realizes that Steel has more secrets than she lets on, and is forced to tag along on her quest that threatens the lives of the otherwise immortal humans at her side.

I must admit that Lowrie writes readable fiction that is well plotted and evenly paced. The story flows from the words, and the words take you on an intergalactic journey through the cosmos. Not once does it feel rushed, nor does it feel like he couldn’t figure out what to do next. The story naturally unfolds from the beginning, and ties up nicely at the end.

My only issue with the story was that it seemed somewhat influenced, on some level, by Heinlein, whose writings I don’t particularly like. Other than that, it’s a solid story bound to be enjoyed by the fans of many types of science fiction. show less

Dancing with Eternity is a first novel by John Patrick Lowrie. It's the far distant future and people mostly no longer die. Their memories and personality are constantly uploaded to a central storage area, and if one's body should fail, the personality is simply re-downloaded into a new one. As a side effect, there are no children, no permanent marriages or monogamy, and people are effectively immortal. As a result, most people have done many things, held many roles, lived on many planets. Our hero Mohandas ("Mo") is one of the oldest of the immortals, although he does not disclose that to those he knows.

The novel starts with a bit of a cliche'd sci-fi noir opening - our down and out hero Mo is in a bar when a stunning woman comes in - show more albeit one with cat's eyes and head-to-toe fur, who makes straight for our hero, and proceeds to involve him in mysterious goings-on. Steel is the Captain of the starship LightDancer. Mo become powerfully attracted to Steel and quickly joins her crew and is outbound for another planet.

Dancing with Eternity strong echoes Richard Morgan's amazing Altered Carbon, which explores the concept of downloading people into new bodies. Altered Carbon explores it in greater variety (e.g. gender reversal) and has a much more sharply defined central mystery. It's much darker than Dancing with Eternity, and the sex in Dancing with Eternity is mostly implied, in contrast to Morgan's explicitness. Dancing also echoes a lot of Heinlein, so lovers of "adventure science fiction" will enjoy it. The internal world building is good, and the future history as presented in the novel is entirely plausible. In particular the effect of being immortal on one's personality is explored at length. I found Lowrie's evocation of that not nearly as compelling as, for example, the depth of character of Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love. I also found the back half of the book to be too much "they went there they did this" recitation - the plot tension and pacing was lost somewhat and the central mystery of the novel elongated unnecessarily.

All in all it's a very good first novel - not as strong as Altered Carbon, or, say, Neuromancer, which set the bar for first-time science fiction authors, but still a fine outing and an enjoyable read.

[I received a copy of Dancing with Eternity as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.] show less