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The Collapsium (Gollancz S.F.)
 
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The Collapsium (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

by Wil Mccarthy (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (13 Sep 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857983262
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857983265
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,063,713 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #6 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > M > McCarthy, Wil

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Product Description

Product Description
A far future hard SF epic, The Collapsium takes quantum physics forward into a gloriously realised future where a new imperium based on Earth is built on the dream of collapsium - a building material made from black holes. It is a dream that may soon be about to end as the collapsium ring that circles the sun is in danger of collapsing into it sparking an apocalyptic chain reaction. What follows is a remarkable fusion of hard science, extravagant imagination and baroque court politics. The Collapsim marks out Wil McCarthy as one of the brightest of the new generation of SF talents.

About the Author
SALES POINTS * A brilliantly written novel * Wil McCarthy is one of the brightest new stars on the American SF scene. * Bloom won widespread review acclaim. * 'Swiftly paced, consistently inventive and tightly written. This is a novel that knows its business' - Gregory Feeley, The Washington Post

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great hard science fiction, 24 Feb 2007
By M. Wilkinson (Portsmouth, Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Collapsium (Mass Market Paperback)
'Hard' in this context meaning the science - its very plausible and as the author is a rocket scientist he knows a lot about physics and has explore where all this technology is going to be in a few hundred years. In fact, he holds a patent for some of the technology described in the book so I guess that shows how serious he is about it.

The book is a little disconnected, there are basically 3 stories which end up being connected as the hero Bruno de Towaji the greatest scientist in the 'Queendom' is called upon to help out with industrial accidents involving a kind of matter created with black holes. The characterisation is nothing special and the way the main character worries about social interactions seems strange when you'd think he'd be smart enough to realise such trivialities were beneath him, however the science itself and the ideas are what makes it truly amazing and anyone would enjoy it for that. It doesn't have any alien species because humankind haven't travelled beyond the solar system but in other ways its more far out than star trek ever was and yet it retains a strange kind of realism.

Wonderful science fiction - the best in the series in fact because in the other books the technology seems to be decreasing as the society collapses. In this we still see the Queendom in its prime.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A hard science-fiction fable about immortality, 17 April 2003
By Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Collapsium (Paperback)
First, this is hard science fiction, but if like me you're no scientist, there is a way to read it and get the gist of the science without getting hopelessly confused.

Secondly, while the second half of the book is more serious with bad things happening, there's a playful perspective to the entire book that can be compared to fairy tales, or to "Tom Swift" solutions, or to glorious "pulp" science-fiction of the '30's and '40's. This might put off some readers and charm others.

However you react to the hard science and/or the allusions to
more faniful genres, don't overlook what is being said about immortality.

The novel's protagonist and antagonist are both among the first to embark into immortal life and are reacting to such a life's implications. As if immortality isn't enough to deal with, there's also the faxing of people creating copies of individuals who have the memories and personalities of the originals but go into divergent paths.

The principal character, after a long period of being the Queen's "Philander", has become a hermit buried in endless scientific research which will hopefully enable him to see the end of time. His opposite number, also for a time the Queen's "Philander", has a similar goal, but due to his immortality has become what could be thought of as a souless entity, with little regard for humanity. We're also given glimpses at other characters, each of whom attempt to deal with the prospect of immortality and the challenge to make unending life meaningful.

The question of God, of religion, or of lack of either is also looked at. In fact, it seems to me that contemporary science-fiction as a whole is giving religion and its impact on society much more consideration than it once did. Either that, or I'm noticing it more.

At any rate, if you bear in mind that this book does have a serious philosophical theme along with the "technobabble" and is framed in a pulpish, Tom Swiftian, fairy-tale like mold, you should find it well worth your time.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Golden-Age Sci-Fi revival, 7 Feb 2009
This review is from: Collapsium (Mass Market Paperback)
I enjoyed the book, but would disagree with other reviewers who tout it as modern hard science-fiction. It reads like one of the better examples of Golden-Age science-fiction, quite reminiscient of E.E.Doc.Smith's seminal Skylark novels with ever-increasing doses of super-science pulled out of thin air by a modest super-intelligent protagonist as the situation demands. Ideas such as multiple-embodiment (i.e. cloning both mind and body) are used as an amusing plot device without any attempt to explore the deeper ramifications. It's a fun first-time read, but lacks the depth to be worth adding to ones permanent collection.



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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Stylish Widescreen baroque
Wil McCarthy's stylish and baroque tale of laconic scientist Bruno de Towaji is both original and refreshing, set in a Solar System where Tamra, immortal Queen of Tonga has been... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Rod Williams

4.0 out of 5 stars Wil is the new Larry Niven
Beautifully written, this. Particularly in the first half; there are passages so well crafted they leave the reader grinning broadly: Mr McCarthy has the stylistic flair and... Read more
Published on 5 April 2002 by G. ADAIR

4.0 out of 5 stars A different direction from Bloom, but you can't put it down.
A good book with some facinating concepts, not too heavy on the 'hard' science and hard to put down.
Published on 26 April 2001

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