There are aliens in this book. They are almost beside the point. In order to communicate with long-lived alien correspondants, a very wealthy man offers a couple cutting edge, extremely expensive treatments to return them from age 87 to age 25. It works for one - for the other, it doesn’t. The meat of this book is about that relationship. How will it affect us when some can become young again? What stresses does this put on a 60 year marriage? I loved the conversations between this couple. They speculated on the forms of alien life, and shared old jokes and memories. This is science fiction showing one of its greatest strengths - preparing us to face the changes of the future.
I Am Not Superwoman by Michele Woodward
This is a collection of Michele’s blog posts over the last two years. Holding them in my hands, I’m impressed with the consistent quality, wit, and usefulness of her writing. Michele is proof that writing frequently beats trying to write perfectly. These reach a very decent level of quality. Her essay “What’s Not Working” contains a precise method to evaluate your job. ”Your Hidden Treasure” is a potent fable about letting others define us. There are valuable nuggets in every one of the forty collected essays, and Michele’s voice is a great model for thinking in a way that will make you happier. Pick up a copy, and read it bit by bit or all at once. Either way, you’ll likely want to read it again when you finish.
Eleanor Arroway is a dedicated listener. When she finds the first signal originating from an extra-terrestrial intelligence, it takes all her skill to communicate with two worlds. What does the signal mean? Can she get our world to listen to her - and to the extra-terrestrials? How can we speak across large differences in understanding? The details of radio astronomy and human politics are well-observed, and the speculations about the others are intriguing.
Oddly, although great gifts seem like they are a likely theme for fiction, I’m tapped out. I couldn’t think of a great book to recommend to fit today’s newsletter. Do you know of one? I’d consider it a gift if you told me about it. Send your book suggestions to anna@annaparadox.com.
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
This is my first book from Alastair Reynolds, and I am pleased with it. Revelation Space features vast objects and highly advanced science. Three point of view characters — an obsessed archeologist, a public contract assassin, and the weapons officer of a huge, near lightspeed starship — converge around the mystery of a disappeared alien race. The characters are interesting to watch, if not entirely sympathetic, and the tight plotting and well-considered setting make this a page-turner.
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
I read everything Lois McMaster Bujold writes. Following an author like that is another sort of long conversation. Her most popular books are in the Miles Vorkosigan series. Paladin of Souls, the second book in her Chalion series, gives her a chance to talk about what a mother’s life can be like when her daughter has become the heroine of her own story. Ista’s daughter rules the land. Ista has just come out of a long illness. In many stories, there’d be nothing more to say about her. Yet, she has been touched by the gods, and can still think and act. I liked hearing what Bujold had to say about this time of life.
Three Days to Never by Tim Powers
Time travel is the ultimate do-over. Imagine going back in time. What would you change? What would you do better, this time? In Three Days to Never, a father, a scientist, an Israeli agent, and a blind woman are among the people who need to decide what price they would pay to change the past.