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leftylauren's review against another edition
3.0
An unidentified object has been sighted in the solar system
felecia's review
4.0
I wasn't sure where this one was going, but I enjoyed it. The sense of connection was striking.
kaylen's review
2.0
This ebook can be summed up by these quotes:
"'We’ve had fourteen billion years of particles colliding, stars exploding, nebulae compressing, planets forming, all of it cycling over and over again, and then just the right amino acids converged, life forms, and a couple of billion years of evolution later—we get Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron dancing by a fountain to Gershwin and it’s beautiful. For no particular evolution-driven reason, it’s beautiful. I think: what are the odds? That they’re dancing, that it’s on film, and that I’m here watching and thinking it’s gorgeous. If the whole universe exists just to make this one moment happen, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.'"
....
"because all of this, Gershwin’s music, the great curry I had for dinner last night, the way we hang pictures on our walls of things we love, are miracles that never should have happened."
That to be said, this isn't my favorite kind of narrative to read. It's too direct. It was good to think about science and cause and effect in a very clean way, much like how they teach you in college. Or at least my college. Just facts and relative thoughts. My favorite thing from all of it ended up being the quotes above. And also, one of my new favorite vocab words: grandstanding.
"'We’ve had fourteen billion years of particles colliding, stars exploding, nebulae compressing, planets forming, all of it cycling over and over again, and then just the right amino acids converged, life forms, and a couple of billion years of evolution later—we get Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron dancing by a fountain to Gershwin and it’s beautiful. For no particular evolution-driven reason, it’s beautiful. I think: what are the odds? That they’re dancing, that it’s on film, and that I’m here watching and thinking it’s gorgeous. If the whole universe exists just to make this one moment happen, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.'"
....
"because all of this, Gershwin’s music, the great curry I had for dinner last night, the way we hang pictures on our walls of things we love, are miracles that never should have happened."
That to be said, this isn't my favorite kind of narrative to read. It's too direct. It was good to think about science and cause and effect in a very clean way, much like how they teach you in college. Or at least my college. Just facts and relative thoughts. My favorite thing from all of it ended up being the quotes above. And also, one of my new favorite vocab words: grandstanding.
mrcasals's review
4.0
You can read it for free on Tor.com, search for the story title.
Beautiful short story about the day after extraterrestrial life is discovered. Work goes on, and there are still a few things to decide. How to get to it. How to study it. What to do with it.
Beautiful short story about the day after extraterrestrial life is discovered. Work goes on, and there are still a few things to decide. How to get to it. How to study it. What to do with it.
trish204's review
3.0
This is a short story about humans finding evidence of alien life. Intelligent life. However, it's not little green men we find but some form of probe. A metal device that we find orbiting Jupiter. However, unlike in most Hollywood movies, this does not result in a mad scramble, a unision of all people on planet Earth. Rather, bureaucracy and the usual squabbling ensure that nothing gets done. While the objects just hangs there.
Nobody knows how long it's been there, if it'll leave. We're relatively certain it's unmanned.
The scientist who took the photograph and thus made the discovery is soon shut down and very frustrated over the fact that humanity isn't sending better equipment nearer the object to study it. In fact, she'd love to have it brought closer. Part of me understood that but another, bigger part of me was annoyed by her arrogant possessiveness.
I think the central question is this: are we ready for such a discovery in the first place?
Find out for yourself. Here: https://www.tor.com/2013/07/17/the-best-we-can/
Nobody knows how long it's been there, if it'll leave. We're relatively certain it's unmanned.
The scientist who took the photograph and thus made the discovery is soon shut down and very frustrated over the fact that humanity isn't sending better equipment nearer the object to study it. In fact, she'd love to have it brought closer. Part of me understood that but another, bigger part of me was annoyed by her arrogant possessiveness.
I think the central question is this: are we ready for such a discovery in the first place?
Find out for yourself. Here: https://www.tor.com/2013/07/17/the-best-we-can/
cathepsut's review
4.0
What if aliens show up and nobody cares enough to go and have a look?
Wow, very frustrating and depressing. Don’t get me wrong, the story is great.
If that is the best we can do, then we suck! I hope we will be more curious than this, if we ever make a similar discovery. But I can see it happening just like that. I‘d rather believe in [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564._SY75_.jpg|21825181] and that we can be better than this, pull together, pool our resources and do the right thing. Or Elon Musk to the rescue.
My glass is half full. And hopefully space as well! I know, I know, I am overly optimistic. Anything else would be too depressing (again).
Well done, Carrie Vaughn!
Can be read for free here: https://www.tor.com/2013/07/17/the-best-we-can/
Wow, very frustrating and depressing. Don’t get me wrong, the story is great.
If that is the best we can do, then we suck! I hope we will be more curious than this, if we ever make a similar discovery. But I can see it happening just like that. I‘d rather believe in [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564._SY75_.jpg|21825181] and that we can be better than this, pull together, pool our resources and do the right thing. Or Elon Musk to the rescue.
My glass is half full. And hopefully space as well! I know, I know, I am overly optimistic. Anything else would be too depressing (again).
Well done, Carrie Vaughn!
Can be read for free here: https://www.tor.com/2013/07/17/the-best-we-can/
voidboi's review
5.0
Levar Burton Reads
This really spoke to me. I loved the emotion tied to science, the introspection, the worldview.
This really spoke to me. I loved the emotion tied to science, the introspection, the worldview.
peterseanesq's review
4.0
My Amazon review -
http://www.amazon.com/review/R25I7SDU1FIVQP/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://www.amazon.com/review/R25I7SDU1FIVQP/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
carol26388's review
3.0
https://www.tor.com/2013/07/17/the-best-we-can/
A short story about a scientist who discovers a genuine unidentified object in space, and the problems that follow with actually working out the details of studying it. It's certainly well done, believable, with an obsessive first-person narrator that's a little uncomfortable to spend so much time with. I'll note that Vaughn has definitely improved from 'Kitty the Werewolf' story days.
On a personal enjoyment level: 3
Technical level: 4.5
A short story about a scientist who discovers a genuine unidentified object in space, and the problems that follow with actually working out the details of studying it. It's certainly well done, believable, with an obsessive first-person narrator that's a little uncomfortable to spend so much time with. I'll note that Vaughn has definitely improved from 'Kitty the Werewolf' story days.
On a personal enjoyment level: 3
Technical level: 4.5
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