Some centuries from now, the exploration and exploitation of the Solar System is in full swing. On the cold edge of the system, Bella Lind, captain of the huge commercial spacecraft Rockhopper IV, helps fuel this new gold rush by attaching mass-driver motors to organic-rich water-ice comets to move them back to the inner worlds. Her crew are tough, blue-collar miners, engineers and demolition experts. Around Saturn, something inexplicable happens: one of the moons leaves its orbit and accelerates out of the Solar System. The icy mantle peels away to reveal that it was never a moon in the first place, just a parked spacecraft, millions of years old, that has now decided to move on. Rockhopper IV, trapped in the pull, is hurled across time and space into the deep, distant future, arriving in a vast, alien-constructed chamber. And the crew are not alone, for each chamber contains an alien culture dragged into this cosmic menagerie at the end of time. The crew of the Rockhopper IV know a lot about blowing up comets, but not much about first contact with ultra-advanced aliens. They have two things to worry about: can they (and their new alien allies) negotiate their way through each harrying contact? And can they assimilate the avalanche of knowledge about their own future - including all the glittering, dangerous technologies that are now theirs for the taking - without destroying themselves in the process?
Pushing Ice
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"Hard SF doesn't come much harder. Classic Reynolds." (Jon Courtenay Grimwood THE GUARDIAN )
"Welding hard SF scenarios to deft characterisation, to create a wholly convincing vision. Arthur C Clarke in his prime couldn't have done a better job." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"As usual in an Alastair Reynolds book there are big ideas here, played out but not belaboured. A strong tale." (Anthony Brown STARBURST )
"Pushing Ice is an excellent stage on which to investigate more rounded characters. Reynolds has a firm grasp of the wider opportunities of the genre." (EDGE ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Welding hard SF scenarios to deft characterisation, to create a wholly convincing vision. Arthur C Clarke in his prime couldn't have done a better job." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"As usual in an Alastair Reynolds book there are big ideas here, played out but not belaboured. A strong tale." (Anthony Brown STARBURST )
"Pushing Ice is an excellent stage on which to investigate more rounded characters. Reynolds has a firm grasp of the wider opportunities of the genre." (EDGE ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
First Contact with extraordinary aliens, glittering technologies that could destroy the universe in a nanosecond, huge sweeping space operas: Alastair Reynolds is back!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By Dave Box
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Pushing Ice isn't perfect, but it doesn't deserve some of the very negative reviews it has received (one talks about FTL travel which doesn't appear anywhere in the novel other than as speculation during conversation - so they haven't read it that carefully).
This is a novel of big ideas occurring over cosmic timescales. For me it successfully evoked the helplessness that would be experienced by humans when they are caught up in events they are unable to control and can only struggle to understand. The story manages to throw up plenty of revelations and plot twists - some expected, some not - whilst throwing up interesting questions on the ultimate futility of any human (or alien) endeavour. Yes, some of the characters are underdeveloped (Wang being a very significant one for me), but there is a driving energy behind the story that is maintained until the final page and that compensates for any shortcomings. Alastair Reynolds set the bar very high with his early works and whilst this is not quite the equal of them I feel that it is a stronger book than Century Rain and I'm already looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
Read it and enjoy it, but try not to worry too much about the ultimate futility of doing so.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reynolds succeeds in creating a storyline that pulls you along - you do want to know what happens next. True, there are gaping holes in the plot and the characters lack realism or depth but you always believe that there is something about to happen around the corner and in this he does not disappoint. I didn't think much of some of the aliens, though - or their silly spaceship. The plot ends in such a way there is plenty of room for a sequel.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
** Slight spoilers **
If you haven't read Reynolds before, start with one of his other novels. If you are a bit of a completist like me, then give it a go. The novel is very good, without reservation, up until the exiling. I fast-forwarded through the character problem bits after that, but I wouldn't recommend actually skipping chapters, as there are still a lot of good ideas to be found in it. I wouldn't be averse to a sequel, as the character problems are moot by the book's end, and the universe of the book is well worth further exploration.
If you haven't read Reynolds before, start with one of his other novels. If you are a bit of a completist like me, then give it a go. The novel is very good, without reservation, up until the exiling. I fast-forwarded through the character problem bits after that, but I wouldn't recommend actually skipping chapters, as there are still a lot of good ideas to be found in it. I wouldn't be averse to a sequel, as the character problems are moot by the book's end, and the universe of the book is well worth further exploration.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Craig
Format:Paperback
I think this is a book of two halves. The first promises to build and explore relationships between characters. The second spends a lot of time exploring a new and alien environment. Sadly this is perhaps why the book doesn't work as a whole, although it is still worth a read.
Where the character relationships in a new environment might have been explored in detail, the author zooms out to focus on the "historical record" and even misses how the crew as a whole cope with a whole new set of imperatives. So despite having a nice little mystery to solve and potential hostile races approaching I felt I never really connected with any of the main protagonists. I think perhaps the difficulty in getting the character interactions on the page is the extreme timescales that Renyolds has built into his narrative which limited the opportunity for some personal story telling.
Having said all that this is Grand space opera and really it is not the characters of the story that are important but how it makes you think about space, time, why we are here and why aliens are stopping by for tea every week.
So should you buy this book. I say, yes, you won't be wasting your money.
Where the character relationships in a new environment might have been explored in detail, the author zooms out to focus on the "historical record" and even misses how the crew as a whole cope with a whole new set of imperatives. So despite having a nice little mystery to solve and potential hostile races approaching I felt I never really connected with any of the main protagonists. I think perhaps the difficulty in getting the character interactions on the page is the extreme timescales that Renyolds has built into his narrative which limited the opportunity for some personal story telling.
Having said all that this is Grand space opera and really it is not the characters of the story that are important but how it makes you think about space, time, why we are here and why aliens are stopping by for tea every week.
So should you buy this book. I say, yes, you won't be wasting your money.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My problem with this book is that it leaves a /huge/ number of loose ends. About half to two-thirds of the way through, I was wondering how Reynolds was going to weave together all the different plot threads by the end, and the answer is he simply doesn't try.
I've given four stars because I did enjoy it, but it sort of screams out for another volume or two. I guess I'm rating it as part I of a trilogy; if it really is all that Reynolds intends to write about that universe, then I'd probably have to mark it down to only two.
I've given four stars because I did enjoy it, but it sort of screams out for another volume or two. I guess I'm rating it as part I of a trilogy; if it really is all that Reynolds intends to write about that universe, then I'd probably have to mark it down to only two.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. M. Poole
Format:Hardcover
Brilliant story of the near(ish) future and working ice miners at the outer edges of the solar system having to become first contact experts and survive truly alien environments. Works a treat - with breathless action, living breathing (and arguing) central characters and many surprises as the canvass he paints on just gets bigger and bigger, until the final revelation in space... I liked this so much I lugged the hardback to and from London for a week or two to finish it. My left arm is now 2 inches longer than the right from the weight, but that's a small price to pay for such an adventure. Perfect film material too - Hollywood - are you listening? So, to summarise, if you haven't read this BUY IT RIGHT NOW!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I first came across Reynolds Chasm City series, I felt it was some of the most compelling and original writing I had encountered in several years. Not only did he display an easy confidence with hard science, and more so could weave it intelligently into a complex and intriguing plot line, however his plot development maintained pace and engagement for the jaded scifi reader.
Therefore Pushing Ice was bought on reflex. Overall for those that have encountered Reynolds via Chasm, like myself, this is ultimately a disappointment. Though well written as you'd expect from Reynolds most characters lack depth; the concept though initially engaging lacks original development and the second part of the book pales next to comparable plot environments "drawn to alien ship and have to work out to escape", Ring World, Rama, Riverworld etc.
Overall I would almost suspect this being a much earlier concept of Reynolds pre-Chasm, that really shouldn't have seen the light of day.
Therefore Pushing Ice was bought on reflex. Overall for those that have encountered Reynolds via Chasm, like myself, this is ultimately a disappointment. Though well written as you'd expect from Reynolds most characters lack depth; the concept though initially engaging lacks original development and the second part of the book pales next to comparable plot environments "drawn to alien ship and have to work out to escape", Ring World, Rama, Riverworld etc.
Overall I would almost suspect this being a much earlier concept of Reynolds pre-Chasm, that really shouldn't have seen the light of day.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Great book. Fast shipping and a joy to read. I recommend it highly and hope you enjoy reading it as much as me
Published 2 months ago by A. Chatterjee
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pushing Ice
Reynolds writes good hard-core science fiction and this novel was no exception. The story line took off in an unexpected direction and kept delivering surprises right up until the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bruce Mackay
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT book but needs a sequel.
Had some common cold last week and few evenings to kill. This book really allowed me to be transferred out of (temporarily) miserable existence into really captivating story. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. Ireneusz Zielinski
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pushing, Pushing Ice.
I'm not going to add a long opinion about this book as i dont have much to say. It's amongst my favourite science fiction stories, it's epic, it's got interesting characters and a... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Andrew Swingler
4.0 out of 5 stars
An anomalous moon and sanctimonious women
Pushing Ice being my 9th Alastair Reynolds novel (excluding the already read Zima Blue and Galactic North story collections), you could say I'm kind of experienced when it comes to... Read more
Published 20 months ago by M-I-K-E 2theD
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not his best, but still a good read.
This is the fourth Alastair Reynolds book that I have read. I havent read many Sci Fi books but I am a avid reader. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2011 by Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a Revelation, but a fine story nonetheless.
Like `House of Suns', this book is not set in the immersive universe of the Revelation series. With the initial claustrophobic ship based chapters, Reynolds has recaptured some of... Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2010 by Willy Eckerslike
5.0 out of 5 stars
need my sequal fix
dear fellow readers, whilst there have been some moderately negative reviews put out over the years since this was first published I really did enjoy this book. Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2010 by uk bob
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Alastair Reynolds
Book is well written and interesting enough to keep you reading it. If you have read any other books from the same author and liked them, you will not be disappointed. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by Jalepe
4.0 out of 5 stars
Big concept, epic scale ... classic Reynolds
Pushing Ice covers two main themes: Firstly, the separation from home - from the familiar and being confronted with the utterly alien; secondly, friendship - between two strong... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2010 by A M Kyte
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