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reading_rainbow_with_chris's review
4.0
“A Miracle of Rare Design” by Mike Resnick
This was a short little sci-fi book suggested to me by my boyfriend. With only about 190 pages and relatively large font on this edition, this was a quick read, but it was facilitated by an intriguing story that moved along at a brisk pace. I really enjoyed reading this and it definitely sparks questions about human consciousness and the nature of identity. Where I struggled a little bit was in the presentation of ethnography. It was hard to turn my qualitative research brain off reading this because of the methodological or ethical flaws. Were they flaws of the protagonist or flaws of Resnick’s? How should I feel about this world which assumes humans as the apex creature in the known universe and all else is positioned as primitive? What are the implications of deception in the name of diplomacy and knowledge? Ultimately I think this was where I could not give the book a 5-star rating. The “natives” gave in too easily to the protagonist charms when deception was revealed, which made the pursuit of knowledge feel unrealistic to this qualitative scholar.
With that said, the book was still enjoyable and I would consider it well worth a read. However, my specific experience was that I found myself asking too many questions that I don’t think were intended from the book.
Have you read “A Miracle of Rare Design”? What did you think?
This was a short little sci-fi book suggested to me by my boyfriend. With only about 190 pages and relatively large font on this edition, this was a quick read, but it was facilitated by an intriguing story that moved along at a brisk pace. I really enjoyed reading this and it definitely sparks questions about human consciousness and the nature of identity. Where I struggled a little bit was in the presentation of ethnography. It was hard to turn my qualitative research brain off reading this because of the methodological or ethical flaws. Were they flaws of the protagonist or flaws of Resnick’s? How should I feel about this world which assumes humans as the apex creature in the known universe and all else is positioned as primitive? What are the implications of deception in the name of diplomacy and knowledge? Ultimately I think this was where I could not give the book a 5-star rating. The “natives” gave in too easily to the protagonist charms when deception was revealed, which made the pursuit of knowledge feel unrealistic to this qualitative scholar.
With that said, the book was still enjoyable and I would consider it well worth a read. However, my specific experience was that I found myself asking too many questions that I don’t think were intended from the book.
Have you read “A Miracle of Rare Design”? What did you think?
riduidel's review
4.0
Dans ce livre, on suit un homme qui va avoir la possibilité, grâce à la république humaine, de devenir un être d’une autre espèce afin d’essayer d’éviter un génocide. Comme je l’ai déja dit, [author:Resnick] a fait du bon, du moyen, et du mauvais. Ce livre est à la limite entre le bon et le moyen. Le héros qu’on découvre ici est comme la plupart des personnages de [author:Resnick] très contrasté. C’est un auteur de livres de voyages à succès, franchement égocentrique et un peu frappé sur les bords. Mais ce n’est pas ça le plus intéressant, encore une fois comme d’habitude chez [author:Resnick]. Ce qui est tout à fait fascinant, c’est que pour une fois, on tombe sur un auteur qui trouve un stratagème très habile pour nous faire voir, d’un oeil humain, des cultures extra-terrestres. Et cette ruse fonctionne à merveille : on suit les aventures de Lennox, qui découvre à chaque fois de nouvelles capacités, mais également de nouvelles limitations, propres à sa race, que ce soit les lucioles, les globules ou les espèces de chauve-souris, on ne peut qu’être séduit par ses tranbsformations, mais également par un aspect beaucoup plus intéressant de l’écriture de [author:Resnick] : chacune des transformations de Lennox l’éloigne un peu plus de son humanité passée. Certes cet éloignement est très visible dans les formes adoptées, car les lucioles ressemblent beaucoup plus aux humains que les globules, mais il est aussi visible dans la psychologie de Lennox, qui est quasiment incapable de revenir à une forme humaine après ces différentes transformations, fasciné qu’il est par la capacité, sans cesse renouvelée, de devenir un autre inimaginable, et surtout, par le besoin de s’approprier ses nouveaux processus biologiques. Mais il y a une autre transformation, beaucoup plus intéressante, révélée par le chapitre de conclusion. C’est un peu la conclusion philosophique de cet ouvrage qui révèle, et c’est tout sa beauté, avec juste le bon nombre de mots, que derrière le frisson de la recherche de l’étrange, peut-être Lennox cache-t-il des visées plus profondes. Mais peut-être seulement. Bref, c’est un assez bon bouquin, à lire si la recherche de l’autre vous attire.
melfka's review
First time I've read this book 15 years ago and it became one of my favourite at that time. I was anxious to read it again, as an adult, and maybe it's my but "A Miracle of Rare Design" is every bit the book I remember it to be: well-written, engaging and asking important questions about being a human and finding one's place in the world.
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