Infinite
Ratings37
Average rating4
This is exactly the genre of science fiction that I like to read: using the future to explore themes of identity, consciousness, artificial intelligence, and the nature of reality. It wasn't as “deep” as some works in this vein (like those of Greg Egan), and sometimes the characters rushed too readily to conclusions which I thought warranted more investigation. But it was a page-turner, keeping me engaged all the way through with cliffhanger chapter-endings that repeatedly rushed from crazy scenario to new revelations.
I'd only caution that the opening chapters, in particular, are fairly gross, with unnecessarily-gory or fetid descriptions of the protagonist's unpleasant situation and the ways he has to cope with it. If you can get past those, you'll likely enjoy the rest.
I love it when the story manages to trick me, and then pulls the run from under my feet with a twist. If you like science fiction about world simulations and AI, this is your book.
This was a great book that unfortunately was slightly less affecting than it should have been thanks to an extremely sign posted plot twist.
This is basically 3 novellas combined in a book with an overarching plot. Did I see the ending coming from light years away? yep. Was I entertained anyways? Yeah-ish.
I like his writing, it's fun, witty, easy to understand, but do I wanna experience it 13 books long? probably not. It's not as clever as it wants to be.
Infinite is easily Robinson's most mind-bending work yet. With his masterful as always story telling, he introduces concepts that lead you to question everything about... well, everything. Admittedly written during times when he was going through some pretty intense drama in his real life, Robinson turns his own questions into one of his all around best works yet. While other Robinson works have had better focus on action and adventure, and there is still plenty of that here (including an opening scene of our protagonist being repeatedly killed), this book uses the action to set the space (literally) for the questions to be explored. And this, to my mind, is what contributes to it being all the stronger for it. There is still the great deal of escapism that we have come to expect from Robinson, yet there is also the much deeper questioning, should we decide to go there in our own heads.
And the ending... well, that might be the single most mind bending part of the entire story.