Rating: 
Summary: Intelligent, enthralling, captivating - but not always clear
Review: This is the second book in Williams/Dix' presumably three-part EARTH series, and you are well advised to read "Echoes of Earth" first if you want to understand, let alone enjoy, the story. Williams/Dix' delicious obsession with artificial intelligence and the evolution of the human species was a sort of trademark of EVERGENCE. In their OF EARTH series they don't shy away from continuing to chart the most extreme - and often distinctly uncomfortable - but frighteningly realistic options humanity may face, but they are able to spin a golden-age yarn of intrigue and interstellar warfare around it that makes their work so spellbinding. The result is a tour de force combination of a Kurzweil/Penrose scientific analysis, embedded in a sweeping Poul Anderson/Asimov/Star Wars space opera.What makes "Orphans of Earth" so fascinating, however, also makes it somewhat flawed. The scientific foundations are stronger here than in EVERGENCE, and while it helps establish a very strong sense of reality, it also weighs down the novel a bit. Thankfully, in "Orphans..." the Planck system is pushed in the back to allow more room for character development and a plot that never stops growing in complexity. Still, at times the narrative gets bogged down in insignificant details; at other places the authors seem to end up with completely nonsensical sentences, so over-complicated and obfuscating that one can only hope they were written as such intentionally; and regrettably, the grammar and spell-checking leaves some to be desired as well, especially in the second half. Overall, "Orphans of Earth" is still a thoroughly satisfying read that you will find nearly impossible to put down - but it is also exhausting, and demands strong concentration. Finally, I thought the pair has always been a bit weak on endings (and the conclusion of EVERGENCE provided clear evidence for that) which makes me fear how they wrap up this trilogy. Still, I can hardly wait for the last book to be published...
Rating: 
Summary: This is more like it
Review: Williams and Dix are back on form in "Orphans of Earth" after the slow start of "Echoes of Earth". It's an action-packed book, full of secret plots and counter-plots, double crosses, mighty battles, and astonishing revelations. What makes it significantly better than the previous books is the developing depth to the characters (and they have become more likeable as well), plus a greater depth of context to the setting they operate in. There are also a number of hints of something big brewing and revelations to come.
To recap, the engram (computer program) explorers/colonists from Earth are spread around space, struggling to hide and survive as the miraculous technological Gifts of the Spinners are followed by the awesome destructive power of the Starfish. Caryl and Peter are trying to organise the colonists and build something for the future, in alternating conflict and concert with Frank, another engram who left Earth before it all went downhill, and a very alien fleet of aliens. Meanwhile, Rob is starting to find evidence that the Gifts might not be all they're supposed to be, while Lucia is making discoveries of her own all alone in space.
Yes, the writing/editing is a bit sloppy at times, and you can only hope that the series as a whole will be worth it in the end. But if "Orphans of Earth" is any guide, this series is definitely worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: This is more like it
Review: Williams and Dix are back on form in "Orphans of Earth" after the slow start of "Echoes of Earth". It's an action-packed book, full of secret plots and counter-plots, double crosses, mighty battles, and astonishing revelations. What makes it significantly better than the previous books is the developing depth to the characters (and they have become more likeable as well), plus a greater depth of context to the setting they operate in. There are also a number of hints of something big brewing and revelations to come.
To recap, the engram (computer program) explorers/colonists from Earth are spread around space, struggling to hide and survive as the miraculous technological Gifts of the Spinners are followed by the awesome destructive power of the Starfish. Caryl and Peter are trying to organise the colonists and build something for the future, in alternating conflict and concert with Frank, another engram who left Earth before it all went downhill, and a very alien fleet of aliens. Meanwhile, Rob is starting to find evidence that the Gifts might not be all they're supposed to be, while Lucia is making discoveries of her own all alone in space.
Yes, the writing/editing is a bit sloppy at times, and you can only hope that the series as a whole will be worth it in the end. But if "Orphans of Earth" is any guide, this series is definitely worth your time.
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