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On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 11:47 PM, Lelia <leliastruve@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:leliastruve@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Well it's that time again, time to join us for our next science-fiction meeting tomorrow. Check out the information below. Even if you didn't read the book come on in and discuss science fiction.
Lelia
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On May 15, 2015, at 8:07 PM, Evan Reese <mentat1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:mentat1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Hello Folks,
Another good turnout for our latest meeting; but the reviews for our book, The Quiet Invasion by Sarah Zettel, were decidedly mixed. Our next book is a large tale of mystery and conflict on a vast scale on a planet where the environment itself is alive and intelligent. We are reading Ventus by Karl Schroeder.
The next meeting of the Science Fiction club is on Thursday, June 11, 2015.
Place: Book Nook at:
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e <http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e>
Time: 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific, and 01:00 UTC.
Our book, Ventus, is available both from BARD and in Excellent quality from Bookshare.
The link to the BARD version is at:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.57168 <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.57168>
And the Bookshare version is at:
https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/940356 <https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/940356>
The NLS annotation reads:
Lady Calandria May arrives on Ventus to destroy an entity known as Armiger. She needs the help of young Jordan Mason, who has visions linked to the god-like "Winds" that rule the planet.
Here is the Bookshare Long Synopsis:
Young Jordan Mason, on the terraformed planet Ventus, has visions. Kidnapped by Calandria May--a human from offworld sent to investigate the AIs (the Winds) of Ventus--Jordan is desperate to find the meaning of his visions, desperate enough to risk calling down the Winds that destroy technology to protect the created environment, who descend and wreak havoc. As a result Jordan escapes from Calandria and sets out to discover his destiny on his own. Calandria and others, both human and AI, search for Jordan, who holds the key to catastrophe or salvation. Ventus is an epic journey across a fascinating planet with a big mystery--why have the Winds fallen silent?
Here are two very positive reviews taken from Amazon’s page for this book. First, from Publishers Weekly:
Although Aurora Award-winner Schroeder is probably best known for his fantasy fiction,
this novel, his first large-scale SF work, should greatly expand his reputation.
A thousand years ago, highly advanced artificial intelligences (AIs) called Winds
terraformed the planet Ventus into a comfortable world for human settlementDbut something
went wrong, and the Winds never relinquished control. Now they rule as gods, using
their "mecha" creatures to squelch anything--or anyone--who creates imbalance in their
perfectly groomed environment. Enter young Jordan Mason, whose visions show him dreamlike
images of far-distant events that are somehow linked to the Winds. But Jordan only
begins to realize the truth after he meets two off-worlders, the assassin Calandria
and her partner, Axel. Jordan's visions link him to Armiger, a spy created by a megalomaniac
AI called 3340. Though Calandria "destroyed" 3340, she fears Armiger carries the
seeds to resurrect the entity. Jordan's link offers the only hope of finding Armiger,
but there are other forces at work as well. Civil war fomented by the Winds threatens
to overthrow mad Queen Galas, the most egalitarian ruler in Ventus's history. And
in a distant system called the Archipelago, Calandria's boss, a rival AI, is sending
warships to decimate Ventus and insure 3340's demise--permanently. Canadian Schroeder
handles his large cast of characters with impressive dexterity. Fans of the high-tech
foundation and grand world-building of Iain M. Banks and Ken MacLeod will feel right
at home here, as will anyone else who appreciates a challenging, original story.
Finally, from Booklist:
Jordan Mason of the planet Ventus comes from a long line of stoneworkers, and he
has a clear understanding of his place in his world. He is subservient to the aristocracy,
who in turn bow to the Winds, who control the weather, plant and animal life, and
human undertakings. Lately, Jordan has had troubling visions, in which his immediate
surroundings are blotted out by a different sky and a different forest, and he sees
through another man's eyes. One night, searching in the forest for his sister, Jordan
meets captivating Calandria May, who says she can explain his visions if he will
help track Armiger, through whose eyes he has gazed. Armiger is a rogue artificial
intelligence (AI), sent to Ventus to co-opt the Winds, which are also AIs, into enslaving
humans and creating a powerful, ruthless world-mind. Through Armiger's eyes, Jordan
sees how his interactions with an independent, tender peasant woman and a fierce,
lonely queen are changing the AI's cold objectives. As Jordan and Calandria close
in on Armiger, they see that the Winds are divided into pro-human and antihuman camps.
Wondering whether he is on the right side, Jordan uses his visionary power to speak
directly to the Winds. A final battle for Ventus brings human generals, intelligent
moons, and a roving off-planet archaeologist onstage. Although strictly hard sf,
full of technology, Schroeder's novel is so rich in character and emotion that it
feels like classic fantasy.
Come join us next month to talk about this extremely imaginative and thought provoking book, which is not short on action, or anything else SF literature related that you’re interested in.
Evan
