Pushing Ice
Alastair Renyolds
Orion
Trade Paperback, R139.95
Reviewed by Ian Jamieson, on 18 January 2006
I have often noticed that book reviews published in SF magazines seem a
good bit longer than those, for instance, in our local (South African)
newspapers. Do magazine reviewers get paid for the reviews they do? And if so
do they get paid by the word?
In general all I want in a review, is a very short synopsis, whether the
book is well written, was it enjoyable for the reviewer, and what type of
reader would probably enjoy that particular story? Too often I have found
that a particular book has good write-ups, but I have not enjoyed it. Locus
and I seem to disagree at least ninety percent of the time on books.
Pushing Ice is an extravagant space opera with
two huge themes; how do humans react in times of extreme hardship, and first
contact.
The spaceship, Rockhopper, is a huge mining ship, its job to deflect
comets and asteroids towards Earth - this is called pushing ice.
Janus, one of Saturn's moons suddenly breaks orbit and heads out of the
Solar System. Rockhopper follows, and becomes trapped as Janus starts to
accelerate.
Reynolds is a good writer, but here at times he turns space opera into
soap opera. It is all very well delving deeply into peoples characters, but
here it is taken to a level which detracts from the actual story.
However if you have enjoyed any of his previous books, you will probably
enjoy this one.
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