Spin (novel)

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Spin is the title of a novel by Canadian science fiction author Robert Charles Wilson . The novel has won several awards, including the Hugo Award and the Kurd-Laßwitz Prize . Wilson wrote the plot of the book in two sequels, Axis and Vortex , which, however, did not share the success of the first volume.

action

In Spin, Wilson describes an earth that is enclosed by an unknown cosmic power in a kind of stasis field, the spin. Due to the diverse effects that are caused by this inclusion, society on earth is changing in some cases fundamentally. Various political strategies for researching or solving the problem are presented, but the main focus is on the personal developments of several people who are engaged in research on spin, partly for economic reasons, partly for personal interest. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that within the screen, time passes more slowly, while for the rest of the universe it passes normally. This makes it possible for Mars to be terraformed and colonized, while only a few years pass on Earth. However, Mars will also be affected by the spin phenomenon as soon as a stable colony has established itself there. In the meantime, biotechnology imported from Mars has led to further conflicts on earth: a remedy that brings about longevity and fights many diseases transforms the treated people into so-called "fourth", long-lived and very pacifist individuals. The distrust of them divides society and causes the establishment of a supervisory authority.

reception

Dietmar Dath describes the novel in the FAZ as a generational novel and social criticism and calls it "big, but antibombastic". Jürgen Doppler from the Austrian Der Standard calls Spin a novel "that fascinated SF critics and readers alike". Peter Kümmel describes the idea of ​​the isolated earth as "not absolutely new, but relatively unspent" and admits the author "a veritable cornucopia of ideas" that can still astonish SF connoisseurs.

Awards

proof

  1. https://www.perlentaucher.de/buch/robert-charles-wilson/spin.html
  2. Rundschau: Humanity at the Crossroads. In: derStandard.at. July 21, 2012, accessed December 13, 2017 .
  3. ^ Criticism at Phantastikcouch.de