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Review
"Never has Baxter presented a more thrilling and moving glimpse of a possible future: Ark could well be his masterpiece." (Eric Brown THE GUARDIAN )
"A seam of realism runs through the novel, making it more compelling than most shiny, happy dreams of space travel. Even when the equations and technology work, there is no escaping the human factor that fouls up the best-laid plans. This is a grim but exciting tale of the ultimate in pioneering adventure, in the most unforgiving environment of all." (Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES )
"An excellently executed novel that dealt in everything from the mundane daily tasks of the crew as they seek out another world brought together with almost impeccable execution. Add to the mix emotional conflict, political infighting and it's a novel that could well be his best work to date." (FALCATTA TIMES )
"[He] writes brilliantly about what it might be like to experience space travel. This capacity for mixing awe-inspiring vistas with gnarly day-to-day details hasn't diminished." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"... all too convincing as he imagines the terrible dangers and tensions of such a journey. He shows us that, while it may be easy to preserve Mother Earth as a benign home, it's a simple task compared to colonising new worlds." (Jonathan Wright BBC FOCUS )
"Baxter is the natural heir to the hard sci-fi crown of Arthur C Clarke and he shares Clarke's generous imagination and ability to extrapolate a plausible future technology from the cutting-edge theories of today. Imaginative appeal is what counts with Baxter and in that he delivers reliably." (Peter Ingham THE DAILY TELEGRAPH )
"Beyond the science and technicalities - which are wonderful, informative, and completely believable - Ark is a story about characters. I loved the writing, the blend of physics, hard science fiction, and compelling plot lines. I loved the emotional turmoil, the self-destructive nature of humanity, and the messiness of survival. Simply put: I loved this book." (THE BOOK SMUGGLERS )
"A page turning disaster sequel that shows us a fascinating, terrifying and ultimately hopeful view of humanity's chances in the face of terrific adversity." (SCI FI NOW )
"Science fiction told very realistically, through the characters and the science. Perhaps Ark lacks the sheer sense of wonder of some of Baxter's previous galaxy-spanning fiction, but this is recession fantasy, with no impoverishment of the imagination. " (TOTAL SCIFI ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"A seam of realism runs through the novel, making it more compelling than most shiny, happy dreams of space travel. Even when the equations and technology work, there is no escaping the human factor that fouls up the best-laid plans. This is a grim but exciting tale of the ultimate in pioneering adventure, in the most unforgiving environment of all." (Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES )
"An excellently executed novel that dealt in everything from the mundane daily tasks of the crew as they seek out another world brought together with almost impeccable execution. Add to the mix emotional conflict, political infighting and it's a novel that could well be his best work to date." (FALCATTA TIMES )
"[He] writes brilliantly about what it might be like to experience space travel. This capacity for mixing awe-inspiring vistas with gnarly day-to-day details hasn't diminished." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"... all too convincing as he imagines the terrible dangers and tensions of such a journey. He shows us that, while it may be easy to preserve Mother Earth as a benign home, it's a simple task compared to colonising new worlds." (Jonathan Wright BBC FOCUS )
"Baxter is the natural heir to the hard sci-fi crown of Arthur C Clarke and he shares Clarke's generous imagination and ability to extrapolate a plausible future technology from the cutting-edge theories of today. Imaginative appeal is what counts with Baxter and in that he delivers reliably." (Peter Ingham THE DAILY TELEGRAPH )
"Beyond the science and technicalities - which are wonderful, informative, and completely believable - Ark is a story about characters. I loved the writing, the blend of physics, hard science fiction, and compelling plot lines. I loved the emotional turmoil, the self-destructive nature of humanity, and the messiness of survival. Simply put: I loved this book." (THE BOOK SMUGGLERS )
"A page turning disaster sequel that shows us a fascinating, terrifying and ultimately hopeful view of humanity's chances in the face of terrific adversity." (SCI FI NOW )
"Science fiction told very realistically, through the characters and the science. Perhaps Ark lacks the sheer sense of wonder of some of Baxter's previous galaxy-spanning fiction, but this is recession fantasy, with no impoverishment of the imagination. " (TOTAL SCIFI ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
In FLOOD Baxter drowned the world, in ARK he shows that mankind's future is no less perilous.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The follow up to Flood, which though it focused mainly on the ruling class and their friends struggling to survive in a drowning world you couldn't help empathising with those characters and the melancholy was just delicious anyway.
I was all geared up for an immediate blast off into space for the chosen few but was slightly disappointed to discover there was 200 pages of flashbacks to negotiate first. This part is very well written and flies along nicely but the story of the flooding was dealt with so well in the first book that I was a little reluctant to return. However despite the candidates for the Ark being spoilt children of billionaires there is little time to dislike them as the story zips along and the moments leading up to the actual launch are certainly worth the wait, very exciting and very dark indeed.
You then get the part of the story I was hoping would have come sooner, the social interaction of a human crew trying to maintain a spaceship on a long journey. This is at times blissfully good but I was a little disappointed with the politics, three times somebody decides a brutal dictatorship is the only way to run onboard society and often nice, sane and intelligent characters do nothing to intervene to stop terrible situations developing. In the end you get the impression the author is saying that it is just human nature that strong people will rise to the top and the rest of us will only work to help society function if a brutal fascist forces us to for the greater good. Kim Stanley Robinson Red Mars (Mars trilogy) or Adam Roberts Salt (Gollancz S.F.) know this is rubbish and do political science much better for example. Like these aspects or not again the story whizzes away and the pages keep turning.
In the final few chapters there are amazingly bitter sweet developments, with enough beauty and tragedy to bring tears to your eyes. The ending is satisfying but at the same time leaving enough plot tangents for more books yet in this series. I very much look forward to reading those; just don't want to read about the rising water level on Earth again please. There is no denying that Ark is a very good read regardless of any weaknesses.
I was all geared up for an immediate blast off into space for the chosen few but was slightly disappointed to discover there was 200 pages of flashbacks to negotiate first. This part is very well written and flies along nicely but the story of the flooding was dealt with so well in the first book that I was a little reluctant to return. However despite the candidates for the Ark being spoilt children of billionaires there is little time to dislike them as the story zips along and the moments leading up to the actual launch are certainly worth the wait, very exciting and very dark indeed.
You then get the part of the story I was hoping would have come sooner, the social interaction of a human crew trying to maintain a spaceship on a long journey. This is at times blissfully good but I was a little disappointed with the politics, three times somebody decides a brutal dictatorship is the only way to run onboard society and often nice, sane and intelligent characters do nothing to intervene to stop terrible situations developing. In the end you get the impression the author is saying that it is just human nature that strong people will rise to the top and the rest of us will only work to help society function if a brutal fascist forces us to for the greater good. Kim Stanley Robinson Red Mars (Mars trilogy) or Adam Roberts Salt (Gollancz S.F.) know this is rubbish and do political science much better for example. Like these aspects or not again the story whizzes away and the pages keep turning.
In the final few chapters there are amazingly bitter sweet developments, with enough beauty and tragedy to bring tears to your eyes. The ending is satisfying but at the same time leaving enough plot tangents for more books yet in this series. I very much look forward to reading those; just don't want to read about the rising water level on Earth again please. There is no denying that Ark is a very good read regardless of any weaknesses.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was eagerly looking forward to the sequel to Flood which in itself is a well written vision of a terrifying future. Ark on the whole doesn't disappoint and the way it interconnects with Flood makes you want to read both books back to back again. Explores the dynamics of closed confinement for man really well and I quite like the way (albeit brutally) Stephen Baxter writes about how the ship try and maintain law and order (how to you encarcerate somebody when effectively there whole life is being lived out in confinement. My only regret is that it doesnt seem that any further books are planned in the series - there are lots of subplots which coul dbe explored - no less that of Ark 2
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was at first disappointed to face a long flashback at the beginning of this novel but Baxter soon drew me in with his account of Holle's childhood and her experiences as a `Candidate' for a dangerous mission, and a final(?) chance to save humanity. The competition to remain a candidate is fierce, and the consequences of failure almost unthinkable, as Baxter describes what life is like for the millions of refugees scrabbling to drag out an existence on the quickly shrinking remnants of dry land.
As in `Flood' Baxter manages to sustain the reader's interest in a large cast of characters over an extended time frame. His account of the crew's long voyage to a possible new earth is full of tension, as characters compete for power and resources. It is also inventive - he offers a convincing glimpse of how a shipborn generation might be different from their earth born parents - and thought-provoking - he forces his characters, and his readers, to confront agonising ethical dilemmas sparked by the conflicts between individual freedom and the good of the wider group.
I always enjoy reflexivity and so one minor plot strand particularly appealed - some of the crew started developing a `Capricorn One' style conspiracy theory and imagine that they are all part of some elaborate earth based simulation. On one level their urge to find coincidences and oddnesses in their adventures is paranoid and fanciful - on another level they are of course quite right to suspect that their world is a simulation! There's a sense of things being wrapped up in a bit of a hurry as we reach the final pages but I certainly finished the novel hoping that Baxter will provide a further instalment.
As in `Flood' Baxter manages to sustain the reader's interest in a large cast of characters over an extended time frame. His account of the crew's long voyage to a possible new earth is full of tension, as characters compete for power and resources. It is also inventive - he offers a convincing glimpse of how a shipborn generation might be different from their earth born parents - and thought-provoking - he forces his characters, and his readers, to confront agonising ethical dilemmas sparked by the conflicts between individual freedom and the good of the wider group.
I always enjoy reflexivity and so one minor plot strand particularly appealed - some of the crew started developing a `Capricorn One' style conspiracy theory and imagine that they are all part of some elaborate earth based simulation. On one level their urge to find coincidences and oddnesses in their adventures is paranoid and fanciful - on another level they are of course quite right to suspect that their world is a simulation! There's a sense of things being wrapped up in a bit of a hurry as we reach the final pages but I certainly finished the novel hoping that Baxter will provide a further instalment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Sequel to Flood - what does the future hold for humanity?
This is the sequel to the author's earlier novel Flood. That novel told of the growing flooding on Earth and the impact it had on the population. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Keen Reader
Excellent follow on to Flood
I'm no longer a particularly avid reader of Science Fiction but this book really is a compelling read. I'm afraid it left me sitting up late at night trying to finish it. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Paul S. Ell
Fantastic
After reading Flood, the ending left me wanting more so i eagerly brought Ark as I wanted to know what happened. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bluff
Just OK, Read for your of Baxter and Flood
I don't mind a pointless journey or even a depressing one. But Ark did not interest me. It was so distant and had none of the appeal of 'Flood'. Of course how could it? Read more
Published 10 months ago by Brace, Brace, Brace
You won't catch me up in one of those things!
After the excellent 'Flood', this was quite frankly a disappointment.
I got the feeling that Stephen wrote it under pressure. Read more
I got the feeling that Stephen wrote it under pressure. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Adrian Horsman
Unengaging
After the Baxter's Flood, which managed to balance excitement, science and character development, Ark's structure is definitely a departure from that style. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. G. Battle
Leaving God behind
There's a moment in this powerful novel about a drowned earth and the launch and mission of the desperate attempt of a the titular `ark' spacecraft to find a new home world where... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Adam Brooks
Great science fiction, weak as a novel...
Carrying on from where 'Flood' leaves off, this is a modern attempt at a classic global disaster novel, which gets darker and darker. Read more
Published 18 months ago by A. J. Poulter
Dull stuff
British SF continues to mistake miserabilism for creativity. The apocalyptic dictator-led dystopia is so well-worn as a cliche that a book like this should have a... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Elmore Scruggs
A good sequel to Flood
Read Flood and bought this book to immediately follow on, so was able to seamlessly jump from one to the next. Read more
Published on 6 May 2010 by Chris Gillies
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