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Existence [Paperback]

David Brin (Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 Nov 2012

OUR CONTINUED EXISTENCE WAS NEVER A GIVEN.

Year after year, humanity has survived the main pitfalls awaiting us - natural disasters, nuclear war, rising seas. But when an alien artefact is found floating in Earth's orbit, it pushes our troubled world to the brink of chaos.

Is this a message in a bottle bringing peace and enlightenment from the stars? Or a warning, threatening to destroy what little stability mankind has achieved? The world is divided - holding its breath. Soon we will know the secret of existence.

Brilliant and gripping, David Brin's novel of the near future is the work of a modern master of science fiction.

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OUR CONTINUED EXISTENCE WAS NEVER A GIVEN.

Brilliant and gripping, David Brin's novel of the near future is the work of a modern master of science fiction.

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Product details

Paperback: 688 pages
Publisher: Orbit (1 Nov 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0356501736
ISBN-13: 978-0356501734
Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 4.2 x 19.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 13,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

A masterpiece of rock-hard SF (SUN)

Cleverly argued and uncomfortably plausible (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)

Brin tackles a plethora of cutting-edge concepts... with the skill of a visionary futurologist ... [conveying] the depth and breadth of his startling future. Existence is Brin's first novel in 10 years, and it's been well worth the wait (GUARDIAN)

Existence is bursting with ideas, including near-future tech, first contact with aliens, and the exploration of what it means to be human (io9.com)

EXISTENCE may be Brin's masterwork (LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS)

An impressive introduction to one of SF's major talents (Publishers Weekly)

The seriously clever Brin has spent a lot of time thinking about big questions - and has devised a highly original yet plausible version of alien contact (BBC Sky at Night)

In Existence, David Brin takes on one of the fundamental themes in science fiction - and what is also one of the fundamental questions humanity faces in this century. Since Brin is both a great storyteller and one of the most imaginative writers around, Existence is not to be missed (Vernor Vinge)

Take a world soaked in near-future strangeness and complexity . . . Add a beautiful alien artifact that turns out to be the spearpoint of a very dangerous, very ancient invasion . . . Hotwire with wisdom and wonder . . . Existence is as urgent and as relevant as anything by Stross or Doctorow, but with the cosmic vision of Bear or Benford. Brin is back (Stephen Baxter)

Book Description

A groundbreaking, mind-blowingly ambitious new science fiction novel from the multiple award-winning classic author David Brin

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt

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3.5 out of 5 stars

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A big book with bigger ideas - a compelling read 4 July 2012

By Kate TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

David Brin's Existence proved irresistible. It examines some of the biggest, most compelling themes. Is humanity alone in the universe, a mere freak of creation? If, on the other hand, there is intelligent life out there, why has it chosen to remain silent?

Brin's focus is on several characters in the near future, a time when space exploration has stalled but leaps in technology are fast and ambitious. Gerald is one of the few humans in space, gathering debris from the orbit of earth and flicking it into the planet's atmosphere for annihilation - he finds an Artefact, a non-human entity that communicates through him; Peng Xiang Bin lives on the margins of survival in Shanghai, a watery existence in the flooded ruins of devastated seaside mansions - he finds another artefact, which appears to be aware of the other found by Gerald. It doesn't like it; Hacker is a rich man who seeks thrills. He finds them in space, in self-funded rockets that peek into space before falling back to earth; Hamish is a famous film maker and writer, a celebrity, who works for a confederation that seeks to turn from the stars and heal the earth through the abolishment of democracy and the emergence of a more basic society run by a rich elite; Tor is a journalist who speaks for the flashmob. Seeking to report the truth about the Artefact, Tor finds herself in the unique position of seeing humanity from the other side.

This cast, as well as many others who come and go through the pages, slowly begin to circle around the space artefact, its opposing earth artefact, and show us the world that earth has become.... Hacker's rocket, for instance, crashes into the sea and the only way he can survive is through the help of intelligence-developed dolphins, while his mother and others debate the merit of technology outstripping the ability of humans. It's not long, though, before the alien voices of the artefact are added to the noise of unease and, above all, fear. The aliens bring a message and how to deal with that message is a theme of this novel. Humans, such as Hacker's mother Lacey, may have spent millions trying to detect the existence of aliens but, once they're noticed, what they have to say may not be what is expected.

Existence shows us how people behave when they learn that they, us, are not alone. Interspersed with the narrative are brief passages which examine, for example, potential methods of extinction - the other side of the coin to existence. We also hear hints of other beings, the reborn Neanderthal child, as well as pleas from one of the characters imploring alien life forms to reveal themselves.

These passages don't particularly disturb the flow of the novel because that is already fragmented by the chopping and changing between characters. This is an issue with Existence. The stories are each so vividly told that the interruption as we move from one to another is felt keenly. The fact that this matters is testament to the quality of the story telling.

Thrown into this are some fascinating ideas - we hear about Awfulday, without being given details, but it is clear that this was some unspecified nuclear cataclysmic event. There has also been a plague that has resulted in Auties - vast numbers of autistic survivors. Artificially intelligent life forms are evolving. The oceans have risen, resulting in slums on the edges of the sea. There are hints throughout of great disasters. We also have glimpses of animal life. Amongst the extinctions, there is the monkey who works with Gerald to destroy space debris as well, of course, as those most marvellous dolphins, and the emptying waters fished by Peng. Then there are the artefacts themselves...

Existence is hard science fiction. There is a great deal of contemplation by characters and the narrator about the world and universe around them. Their self awareness increases and we are a part of the discovery. This is especially true of Tor who is transformed through the novel in almost every way. She is a fascinating character.

Existence is about 550 pages. However, don't let that mislead you. The size of the font means that you may as well double the size. It's not a fast read but it is an absorbing one. I found it extremely compelling and I didn't want to be away from it too long. This was because of the characters - particularly Tor, Hamish and Gerald - but also because of some of the other themes we come across, some human and some alien. I didn't miss a word, I didn't skim a page.

There were issues for me - especially, as mentioned, the leaping between characters and, as the novel goes on, the leaping between years. The latter led to characters disappearing and loose ends loosened further. I think the novel could have been made tighter. Nevertheless, I was mesmerised by the read. This is Brin's first novel for ten years. After Existence I can only hope that we have to wait a mere fraction of this for the next. Read more ›

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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful look at the Great Silence and Fermi's paradox 16 July 2012

By D. J. Ketchin

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

In 1982 David Brin published a paper on the Great Silence, the Drake Equation and Fermi's Paradox - the reason no signs of extraterrestrial civilisations have been found. Thirty years later he is revisiting this in a serious piece of SF. This weighty tome might claim to be his magnum opus. It is a serious piece of fiction somewhat less frothy than his Uplift series bearing more resemblance as it does to 'Earth' in style.

Are we alone? Where are the others? What is the mechanism for the 'Great Filter' preventing civilisations from filling the Galaxy. In existence Brin does not attempt to exploit these for cheap drama, the book is a liesurely tour through the various theories for the Great Silence. Along the way several solutions and pitfalls are examined.

Set in the near future , an Earth under pressure is exposed to an Alien probe bearing a mesage. The message is a promise, a trap and a solution. Can or will Humanity follow the path of prior civilisations or can we navigate our own way around the 'Great Filter'.

The book is a piece of thinking fiction proposing potential real physics solutions to the questions raisied in physics. Its not the most elegant piece of SF Ive read as its constrained by real universe physics and economics. It is a fantastic sleeper novel, though it requires some patience its worth the read.

This is a book for people interested in a hard look at our real universe. Its not a light and frothy , its thought provoking and very current. Not his most enjoyable piece , but a very worthwhile read.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard work in places 18 Nov 2012

By fjonny

Format:Paperback

This could have been an interesting thoughtful book about the future and first contact with aliens, trouble was it's narrative was buried in a hotch potch of essays on related subjects that contributed very little to the story and made the book both irritating to read and in parts boring. Some of the material seemed to have been dumped into the book, having been written for other projects, and would have been better left out. Written in a more spare style this would have been a much better book. In spite of this I finished it and enjoyed reading some of it.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "...the humans are up to something." (490-22) 12 July 2012

By M-I-K-E 2theD

Format:Paperback

My exposure to David Brin has been limited to five novels: the three Uplift series novels from Sundiver (1980) and the standalone novels of The Postman (1985) and Earth (1990). So Earth is the most recent novel of Brin's which I've read and given its twenty-two year age, Brin's style still resonates with me--a style which is cleanly composed and indulgently intelligent. The 244,000 word novel is hefty in page count and even loftier in the implementation of the imagination; each page blossoming with careful thought, each idea stewed in applicable thought... the combination invigorates the mind of the reader. With the keen eye of a science fiction aficionado, there's even more thought behind the tome of Existence than the plot and ideas, but there's also a slew of backslapping towards the greats of science fiction (some subtle, some blatant).

Inside flap synopsis:
"Telepresence. Global security. Everyone is watching everyone, all the time. Anything interesting draws a flash crowd of ten million eyes. One man in Afghanistan live-tweets a special forces attack, and the world tunes in. Revolutions coordinate online. And that's today! Tomorrow, you'll wear the Web, immersed in augmented overlays. Your aiware glasses will ID, name-tag, and tattle on each person you walk by, in a global village of ten billions souls.

"But instant access to all of human knowledge only widens the gulf between those eager for tomorrow... and those fearing an end to human existence.

"Gerald Livingston is an orbital garbage collector, clearing a hundred-year mess, when we spots something unexpected--a glinting crystal, unmapped and strange. An hour after he captures it, rumors fill Earth's infomesh about an 'alien artifact.... Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Something to keep you going for quite a while

At 650 pages, this is a BIG read. The plot device seemed to be a variation on "2001, A Space Odyssey" when I saw the blurb, but this book does go in a completely different... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mr. P. H. Turner

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable, couple of reservations

I thought that this was an excellent book, I enjoyed it very much, I would (and will) read it again and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys good, hard, consequential SF. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Byron Geoffrey Farrow

1.0 out of 5 stars Very fragmented unbearable

it could have been soo good. but it is painful to read. skips about and is fragmented and has many story lines.
Not one of his best.

Published 1 month ago by A structural engineer

3.0 out of 5 stars Existence

I've never read any of David Brin's books before, but have seen his name come up often on Amazon searches, so thought this was a good place to start. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Keen Reader

1.0 out of 5 stars Unfathomable rubbish

Eh???? I don't consider myself stupid and I've read a lot of challenging sci-fi. But this left me confused and lost - and that was after reading just a hundred or so pages, which I... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Metaltoe

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a paradox?

Was this too ambitious? I've enjoyed some of David Brin's Uplift novels, and the Postman (not to mention War and Peace!), but am not so sure about this. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Dr. Robert J. Barker

1.0 out of 5 stars Great story spoiled by waffle and tedious story threads

While there is a great story in this book, it is spoiled by an incredible amount of extraneous material that adds no value whatsoever. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mr. K. J. Santi

2.0 out of 5 stars Bloated novel containing a classic short story

Existence is a doorstopper of a book but big is not always best. The tragedy is that if this work had been slimmed down drastically and published as short fiction it would attain... Read more

Published 2 months ago by A. J. Poulter

1.0 out of 5 stars So Disappointed...

I'm a great David Brin fan but this was really poor - I had to keep checking to make sure it really was by Brin. Read more

Published 2 months ago by tony carr

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic (but)

I've just been laid up in bed after a (routine) operation for about 5 days and read 6 science fiction books. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Rivertothesea

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