Light of Other Days

Rating:
Summary: I think this is one of Clarke's best
Review: An entrepreneur in the spirit of the old guy in Jurassic Park proudly unleashes an invention that will have worldwide consequences. His "worm cam" allows the user to open a portal anywhere in the universe, at any time in the past. The invention and its effects on humanity are explored as they eventually unravel the secrets of the past, and alter the evolution of humans. Interspersed with this background is a human story involving a beautiful journalist, and the family of the entrepreneur including divorced wife, two sons, and their half-sister.
The Good and the Bad:
Clarke hits a home run with the science fiction end of it, and this is purely where the good rating comes from. The futuristic world seems believable, and the technology is put to use to answer a whole host of questions that we have fun asking-what really happened to Jesus? What is the track of human evolution? What would the response be to a sudden and total lack of privacy?
The human stories, however, are cartoonish and leave much to be desired. The entrepreneur is like the guy from Jurassic Park, and none of the characters achieve more depth than the characters of that movie. An attempt is made, but it is ultimately poorly done, as is a plot involving a kidnapping and a physical struggle in the climax.
What I learned:
The book is thought-provoking, and raises interesting hypothetical questions. What would it be like to strip away the lies we tell ourselves of our own past? Where in history and outer space would I travel? How much shame would I endure for my own past?


Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I had read the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke, and liked the sequels which had been co-authored with Gentry Lee than the original which Clarke wrote himself, as well as Manifold: Time, by Stephen Baxter, which I hated, so I wasn't sure I would like this book. But it was highly recommended by a co-worker and the subject sounded interesting enough that I gave it a try.

The concept was everything that I had hoped for with the invention of the WormCam and the fall-out from their use. The implications regarding privacy, honesty, history and religion were all very intersting to consider and were presented well in the book. Where I thought the story was lacking was in the more focused plot involving the inventor of the WormCam and his family. That story wasn't terribly interesting, and the characters were all fairly shallow and I didn't care too much about what happened to them. I was also a little annoyed that the authors didn't seem to know when the Colosseum was built, as it appears in the story around 40 years before it existed. There were also some othe minor things that annoyed me, such as how quickly the breakthroughs were made in the WormCam development, and also some of the more practical aspects of using the WormCam that weren't explained well. Like, for example, if someone is walking around "in the past" using his WormCam, how does he avoid walking into walls in the present? Overall, however, I thought the concept of the WormCam was interesting enough to overshadow the other problems, and it's capped off with a very well done ending that ties everything up pretty well.

I would recommend this book even if you don't necessarily like the authors because of the interesting subject, and if you are a fan of Clarke or Baxter, then you will probably enjoy it that much more.

Rating:
Summary: good idea, but thats about it
Review: I have enjoyed Clarke at times. 'City and the Stars,' or Rendezvous with Rama.' This idea here is a great one, looking back in time with the use of a worm hole. I also like his further exploration of ideas explored in 'Childhoods End.' What you have here is one of the two most important aspects of Science Fiction portrayed in all of its magnificence. A good idea to wrap the story around. But the characters or the means these two authors use to get the idea across feels academic. Because of the stiffness and secondary nature of the story, it is almost unreadable.
If you want a good story, skip this book. If you are looking for a great science fiction idea, this is a five star read.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting ideas
Review: I picked this book up because of Arthur C. Clarke, and it is my first time reading Stephen Baxter. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The exploration of how society reacts when all privacy is absolutely stripped away, and when all of Earth's history - back to the first life form - is available for everyone to see with 100% accuracy, could have been explored at greater length. "True biographies" of famous people such as Jesus and Abraham Lincoln are obtained with the WormCam technology, and found to be significantly different from what is widely believed. I found the book somewhat predictable, but the ideas were engaging.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Science Fiction
Review: This book is what science fiction is all about melding the science of tomorrow with an exciting fictional story.

This one of those rare science fiction book that makes you think even long after you finish reading it. The more we learn about quantum physics the less that seems undoable or unimaginable. This book looks at the issue of time travel in a whole new light.

It also deals with the social impacts of technology. Today you see teens dealing with life much differently than the generations before them. This book does a great job of showing the potential social impacts of a technology that lets people see all.

I'm a bit biased Clarke fan, having enjoyed all his works I've read thusfar. This book continues the run. I strongly recommend you give this book a read.

Though I haven't read it yet (it wasn't quite out when I wrote this review) you may want to also look at the next book these two fine authors have written Time's Eye.

Rating:
Summary: If you like to think, this book is for you.
Review: This book was excellent. I am a long time fan of Arthur C. Clarke and a fan of Stephen Baxter. I was surprised that some reviewers thought it was such a grim perspective on the future of Humanity. I thought it was very positive and thought provoking

Rating:
Summary: Another amazing story by two giants of science fiction
Review: This is one of those rare science fiction books that combine hard science fiction with philosophy in a well-paced and entertaining plot. But then, what would you expect when two masters of the field combine their considerable talents?

The Light of Other Days revolves around the development of microscopic worm holes, and the resulting ability to ingest light from their surroundings. The enterprising developers soon create "WormCams," and society shutters under a complete loss of privacy. Then, just as people start to come to grips with their new "public" life, another shock is unleashed. The WormCam's developers discover a way to see back in time, hence the book's title.

The Light of Other days is a wonderful read, and the surprise ending is very gratifying.

--David Hitchcock, author, VIRTUAL LIFE and PATENT SEARCHING MADE EASY

Rating:
Summary: Chicken Soup For The Brain
Review: This was a well executed concept. Clarke and Baxter do an excellent job exploring the social, cultural, and political consequences of life-changing techology.

The reason for four instead of five stars: the characters, as with many works of sci-fi, are extremely flat and static. I didn't really care about them. Also, for anyone with a modest background in Quantum Mechanics, the science behind the invention will seem rather transparent, i.e. too farfetched to be plausible.

BUT, the end of the novel is very satisfying. The concepts and propositions explored are absolutely fascinating. If you're a deep thinker--one of those people who loves to ponder the Big Questions--you will undoubtedly enjoy this.