The Island

The dysfunctional crew in charge of a generation spaceship extending a star-gate network come across a lifeform so unusual that it must be unique...but there is a problem. Another characteristically dark, edgy and imaginative story from this author.

A wonderful short addition to the tale told in "The Freeze-Frame Revolution", which should definitely be read first to put the characters in perspective. As of April 2019, available for free download at https://rifters.com/real/shorts/PeterWatts_TheIsland.pdf

I both listened to the audio version and read the story afterwards as part of the 2010 Best Science Fiction anthology. I thought the concept of the enormous alien organism was interesting enough to merit two stars all by itself, but I did not resonate with either of the main characters in this story. And the revelation at the end at what was going on felt to me like it came out of nowhere - I could not see how this was reasoned or intuited out.

This first contact story is about many things: what does it mean to be alive? what does death mean? what does being human mean? It doesn't answer them all, but there's a lot of hope that humans will keep looking for the answers.

Now THAT was a story. It'd be five stars, except I don't think I'd ever want to read it again.

https://rifters.com/real/shorts/PeterWatts_TheIsland.pdf

Eh. I enjoyed this less than Hotshot and the Freeze-Frame Revolution, but it was nice to see where the story went, I guess?

A stargate construction crew finds unique alien life in the path of their work. Very entertaining and dark.