11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A 25,000 year voyage, 22 Oct 2004
This review is from: Mayflower II (Paperback)
Stephen Baxter's latest novella tells the story of the Mayflower II, a spaceship fleeing the Solar System - indeed the entire galaxy - as a result of the hostilities of Baxter's Xeelee series (don't worry if you haven't read any of the Xeelee books however, this standalone story merely uses these elements as a starting point). Due to the ship travelling at sub-light speeds generations of crew rise and fall over the epic journey, watched over by the near-immortal Rusel. Needles to say, by journeys end neither Rusel or the crew are unchanged by the passing of time...
This is a simple yet haunting story, with the viewpoint of Rusel being crucial to the effectiveness of the book - the longer Rusel lives the more quickly time seems to pass, with the lives of the crew seeming so ephemeral his awareness broadens in scope until evolutionary change becomes apparent. Mayflower II takes an area of science fiction that is often glossed over by use of faster than light travel or cryogenics as a simple device of getting from point A to B, and spins a thoughtful and affecting tale around it.
My only complaint with this book is Adam Roberts introduction - while incisive it reveals so much of the plot (i.e. all of it) that it really should have been an afterword - if you don't want to know everything that's going to happen make sure you leave this to last.
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