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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
An enjoyable book. Another used book sale find. This book's style has a mid-century SF feel to it. Interesting take in an earth in which Nazi Germany wins WWII. I would have like that side of the story expanded a bit; but alas, the main thrust of the book is dealing with parallel universes. Nice commentary on the US of A evolving into a fascist theocracy. Again, just a tantalizing glimpse. Both the Reich dominated post WWII world and the USA as a fascist theocracy would make interesting stories in themselves. Good treatment of the parallel universe thing. If flipping around thru the various world's created by parallel universe's becomes the norm, this will be the benchmark book... Don't answer the phone...
Lyle Peripart is an average astronomer, an American ex-pat living in New Zealand and making a pretty good go of it, in a world where the Nazis won WW2 and Twelve Reichs divide the globe. He's got a steady relationship, a nice house, and a talking suborbital rocketship. When he accepts a new job with a mysterious industrial tycoon his life gets seriously weird. He starts running into a Gestapo agent, his fiance is a gun-slinging international assassin rather than a history professor, and there are gaps in what Lyle can say and think: worlds and phrases that trigger headaches and amnesia. The biggest problem: no two people agree on what history looks like, and no one has every actually communicated with America. An entire country has been missing for decades, memory is a lie, and something is very fishy.
What follows is a thrilling quest into the empty heart of America, the weirdness of Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics, and what it means to really Pursue Happiness above all else. Finity is a strange strange book, a breezy picaresque tied to quantum speculation and a brutal death march, but it's quite cool and an under appreciated gem.
What follows is a thrilling quest into the empty heart of America, the weirdness of Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics, and what it means to really Pursue Happiness above all else. Finity is a strange strange book, a breezy picaresque tied to quantum speculation and a brutal death march, but it's quite cool and an under appreciated gem.
A good alternate history that I read twenty years ago. I thought this copy was a different book than the one I read that starts out with Nazis being the bad guys in a many world scenario of science fiction. However, the blurb would have you believe that this book is about a Soviet takeover in the 1970s which is one of the many worlds in the book. After reading the book I remember that these books are the same with alternate covers and blurbs. Really misjudged a book by its cover this time.
Like ∙ flag
following reviews
READING PROGRESS
November 27, 2020 – Started Reading
November 27, 2020 – Shelved
November 27, 2020 – page 0
0.0% "Ok, I read a book with the same author name and the same title in the early aughts. It however was an alternate history novel where Nazis took over in the 1940s not the Soviets in the 1970s. Let me be clear I always view Nazis as a greater political threat than Stalinists though I dislike both."
November 27, 2020 – page 157
51.64%
November 27, 2020 – page 0
0.0%
November 29, 2020 – page 11
3.62% "Okay my belief that this was an entirely different book has wildly exaggerated the copy I have so looks like it merely has a different cover And the story of Soviets taken over in the 1970s might be unfounded it looks like the original book so far I read in the 1990s or early 2000s."
November 30, 2020 – page 182
59.87%
November 30, 2020 –
99.0%
November 30, 2020 – Shelved as: late-twentieth-century
November 30, 2020 – Shelved as: fiction
November 30, 2020 – Finished Reading
Like ∙ flag
following reviews
READING PROGRESS
November 27, 2020 – Started Reading
November 27, 2020 – Shelved
November 27, 2020 – page 0
0.0% "Ok, I read a book with the same author name and the same title in the early aughts. It however was an alternate history novel where Nazis took over in the 1940s not the Soviets in the 1970s. Let me be clear I always view Nazis as a greater political threat than Stalinists though I dislike both."
November 27, 2020 – page 157
51.64%
November 27, 2020 – page 0
0.0%
November 29, 2020 – page 11
3.62% "Okay my belief that this was an entirely different book has wildly exaggerated the copy I have so looks like it merely has a different cover And the story of Soviets taken over in the 1970s might be unfounded it looks like the original book so far I read in the 1990s or early 2000s."
November 30, 2020 – page 182
59.87%
November 30, 2020 –
99.0%
November 30, 2020 – Shelved as: late-twentieth-century
November 30, 2020 – Shelved as: fiction
November 30, 2020 – Finished Reading
Entertaining high concept Gonzo romp, that falls off a cliff towards the end. Alternate title could be Deadline, after the looming publisher threat that must have pushed Barnes to rap everything up in three pages of exposition and wish fulfillment. Added to the hilarity for me, but I could see this concussion disguised as a conclusion pushing readers to throw this book at the wall.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book started off interesting enough but went downhill fast. Hugely over-complicated discussions on abductive reasoning having absolutely nothing to do with the story, made me want to rip my eyes out.
Barnes probably knows his science, but certainly needs help with the fiction part. There is no logical flow to the story, so it was hard to consolidate what just happened to what is happening now. The ending was one of the worst examples of Deus ex Machina I've ever read. With no logical way to end the story, things just magically work out for the better, all within a handful of pages.
I don't recommend anyone read this unless they've already read all other books in existence...
Barnes probably knows his science, but certainly needs help with the fiction part. There is no logical flow to the story, so it was hard to consolidate what just happened to what is happening now. The ending was one of the worst examples of Deus ex Machina I've ever read. With no logical way to end the story, things just magically work out for the better, all within a handful of pages.
I don't recommend anyone read this unless they've already read all other books in existence...
What a crazy book! I think I spent about half of the time confused about what was going on in the story and how it was happening. I enjoyed this science-fiction story, but there are still some things that I am confused about. The technical explanations between characters didn't always answer my own questions. I did, however, enjoy the story.
I like the first three quarters of this book a lot. Then it is as if Barnes turned it over to a nephew who watched too many Mel Gibson movies.
Lyle Peripart is an average astronomer, an American ex-pat living in New Zealand and making a pretty good go of it, in a world where the Nazis won WW2 and Twelve Reichs divide the globe. He's got a steady relationship, a nice house, and a talking suborbital rocketship. When he accepts a new job with a mysterious industrial tycoon his life gets seriously weird. He starts running into a Gestapo agent, his fiance is a gun-slinging international assassin rather than a history professor, and there are gaps in what Lyle can say and think: worlds and phrases that trigger headaches and amnesia. The biggest problem: no two people agree on what history looks like, and no one has every actually communicated with America. An entire country has been missing for decades, memory is a lie, and something is very fishy.
What follows is a thrilling quest into the empty heart of America, the weirdness of Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics, and what it means to really Pursue Happiness above all else. Finity is a strange strange book, a breezy picaresque tied to quantum speculation and a brutal death march, but it's quite cool and an under appreciated gem.
What follows is a thrilling quest into the empty heart of America, the weirdness of Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics, and what it means to really Pursue Happiness above all else. Finity is a strange strange book, a breezy picaresque tied to quantum speculation and a brutal death march, but it's quite cool and an under appreciated gem.