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billymac1962's review
4.0
Mind expansion time, kiddies. Man discovers a big sphere. How big? Well, pretty big. Like big enough to contain an entire solar system. It's the size of five billion Earths.
I got dizzy a couple of times reading it.
I got dizzy a couple of times reading it.
j0keman98's review
2.0
The orbitsville was in my list of classic sci-fi to read but after finishing the first book I am disappointed. The orbitsville is a sci-fi novel about a dyson sphere built by advanced alien civilization, its past is unknown and its current state serves as a space motel, there are many things wrong with the story. First of all the characters are really unattended, most of them are just a name while the rest are so monotone that you can hardly understand them even the main protagonist. Secondly the world is so giant that not only the author doesn't gets to write about it but also whatever he writes about fades in the story since the world is not the focus of the story (shocking!). And lastly the ending seems super rushed while the author gets to waste time on some previous chapters, the final chapter is so compressed and feels too forced.
On the bright side i liked the book initial run it was thrilling and energetic and sometimes the book got serious on math and science and I liked those. Overall 2 starts for good science content and ambitious notions but it doesn't offer anything other than that.
P. S: I thought the trilogy was a continuous series but it is not and I was extra disappointed about that.
On the bright side i liked the book initial run it was thrilling and energetic and sometimes the book got serious on math and science and I liked those. Overall 2 starts for good science content and ambitious notions but it doesn't offer anything other than that.
P. S: I thought the trilogy was a continuous series but it is not and I was extra disappointed about that.
diz_tn's review
3.0
This was a reread for me, but the last time I read it was a long time ago, so I didn't remember anything about it.
This would have gotten a higher rating except for the abrupt and really disappointing ending.
This would have gotten a higher rating except for the abrupt and really disappointing ending.
opalfruit's review
4.0
A beautifully cynical take on the future of space travel. Privatased and exploitative, with a gritty desperate adventure.
shane_tiernan's review
4.0
I'm reading this because I miss my friend Seth. His username on the first site I met him on was "Orbitsville" because it's one of his all time favorite books. I actually went to visit him in Toronto about 10 years ago and we used to send books to each other all the time. He was on a bunch of sites but it looks like he dropped off the earth. Seth if you're reading this message me. It would be really good to know you're still kicking around memorizing every Dr. Who book ever written.
It worked.
And now about the book. I'm not sure why but I couldn't seem to put this one down. 240 pages in 12 days is a lot for me (and I read a graphic novel during that time too). It started off fast and ended the same way but the middle 80% wasn't action packed - just interesting. The book is subtle. Mr. Shaw doesn't go gonzo with the aliens and first contact stuff - it's all about (at least on the outside) a man with a mission. At a philosophical level it's more about the Dyson sphere thingy - which worked for me this time (I didn't understand it in Ringworld). It's about proportions that are almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend and how those proportions change the human (and alien) condition.
This is very "classic" sci-fi. Not as dated as some of the older stuff I've read but reading it reminded me of first reading the Foundation trilogy. The cigarette ads in my copy also added to the ambiance.
Thanks Seth.
It worked.
And now about the book. I'm not sure why but I couldn't seem to put this one down. 240 pages in 12 days is a lot for me (and I read a graphic novel during that time too). It started off fast and ended the same way but the middle 80% wasn't action packed - just interesting. The book is subtle. Mr. Shaw doesn't go gonzo with the aliens and first contact stuff - it's all about (at least on the outside) a man with a mission. At a philosophical level it's more about the Dyson sphere thingy - which worked for me this time (I didn't understand it in Ringworld). It's about proportions that are almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend and how those proportions change the human (and alien) condition.
This is very "classic" sci-fi. Not as dated as some of the older stuff I've read but reading it reminded me of first reading the Foundation trilogy. The cigarette ads in my copy also added to the ambiance.
Thanks Seth.
jonmhansen's review
4.0
The story of a Dyson sphere, the man who discovered it, and the woman who wants to kill him for killing her son. Characterization's a bit thin, but the story's interesting.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review
5.0
As usual with reading a Bob Shaw book for the first time, I was hit regularly by a scaling up of awe and wonder. There is never any point going in to one of these with expectations, they all get subverted anyway. The story has an interesting blend of a personal feud between the main character and the president of Starfleet and the adventure and intrigue with discovering Orbitsville and everything in entails. There's the mystery of who made it, why it was made and what happened to those who lived there before. It also looks to towards humanity's future. There are two more books of the series, but this book feels complete on its own.
It could be argued that the domestic lifestyle is a little dated now, but in all other aspects it still feels fresh and relevant and does what all good sci-fi does and ask some big questions and does its best to answer them following one logical conclusion.
I finished this feeling a great sense of satisfaction and had enjoyed this right from the get-go.
It could be argued that the domestic lifestyle is a little dated now, but in all other aspects it still feels fresh and relevant and does what all good sci-fi does and ask some big questions and does its best to answer them following one logical conclusion.
I finished this feeling a great sense of satisfaction and had enjoyed this right from the get-go.
metaphorosis's review
4.0
reviews.metaphorosis.com
4 stars
Spaceship commander Vance Garamond, fleeing from the imperious president of Starflight, follows an old map and discovers a vast empty Dyson sphere with only one entrance.
I was on NetFlix the other day, and noticed a movie about two worlds floating one above the other. It sounded a lot like Bob Shaw's Ragged Astronauts, so I checked it out. Unfortunately, the first five minutes were so awful that I gave up. But perhaps that's why, when my wife asked for a recommendation, I offered Orbitsville (The Ragged Astronauts being a little too out there for her). She didn't like it, so naturally I re-read it - in the course of putting it back on the shelf.
I first found Bob Shaw through a paperback collection called Cosmic Kaleidoscope. I was struck by his ability to write SF stories about people, and not just gadgets - at the time, a relatively uncommon skill. I'd heard of Orbitsville, but my suspicion of 'popular' books meant I put off reading it for a while. My mistake.
Orbitsville is one of those rare books deserving the praise it receives. It's a small book, and relatively simple, but it works so well that it just sticks with you. There's no one point where you say "wow, that was cool"; I think that it's just the realism - of a story about a world the size of 5 billion Earths - that works so well. That plus the fact that despite cool technology, the story is about people. Garamond is one of the few characters fleshed out, but he's credible - at no point did I think "Well, I wouldn't do that." In fact, Garamond acts as I think/hope I might, despite moments of doubt, self-doubt, and fear.
Shaw is a known author, and this book was a pretty big hit. I've never understood, though, why he didn't make it big. Not all of his books are great, but some of his work is on a par with Arthur C. Clarke, and somewhat similar in style. Definitely under-rated, and I encourage you to check him out. Start with Orbtisville or Cosmic Kaleidoscope, if you can find it.
A very good book that I recommend to anyone who likes a good SF story about people.
frakalot's review
5.0
This is my kind of spopera! I loved the reason for departure, the discovery, the journey and I was even ok with the ending. My first Bob Shaw read and I loved it. Orbitsville is a Dyson sphere and our hero (Garamond) goes through many ordeals before and after its discovery. When we're not exploring there's action aplenty and Garamond makes a lot of tough calls, I thought the race that leads to the ending was very dramatic.
Shaw gives us a fantastically dreamed up world in Orbitsville and on Earth with plenty of detailed thought applied. There's a heap of bunk science referred to (theories of spiders being aliens was silly) but it's all quite wonderful and there's a healthy measure of real science explored in the story too. I was particularly impressed with the attention to scale and unfathomable distances.
The next one titled, Departure from Orbitsville, gives me the impression that we won't get to explore much more of the inner surface of the Dyson sphere which would be a shame. We have had some fascinating discoveries and left a few tiny pockets of humanity sprinkled about the place but there's an enormous amount thus far unseen. There's also a few open ends from book one that I'd like to see followed.
Shaw gives us a fantastically dreamed up world in Orbitsville and on Earth with plenty of detailed thought applied. There's a heap of bunk science referred to (theories of spiders being aliens was silly) but it's all quite wonderful and there's a healthy measure of real science explored in the story too. I was particularly impressed with the attention to scale and unfathomable distances.
The next one titled, Departure from Orbitsville, gives me the impression that we won't get to explore much more of the inner surface of the Dyson sphere which would be a shame. We have had some fascinating discoveries and left a few tiny pockets of humanity sprinkled about the place but there's an enormous amount thus far unseen. There's also a few open ends from book one that I'd like to see followed.