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Pushing Ice

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About this listen

2057. Humanity has raised exploiting the solar system to an art form. Bella Lind and the crew of her nuclear-powered ship, the Rockhopper, push ice. They mine comets. And they're good at it.

The Rockhopper is nearing the end of its current mission cycle, and everyone is desperate for some much-needed R & R, when startling news arrives from Saturn: Janus, one of Saturn's ice moons, has inexplicably left its natural orbit and is now heading out of the solar system at high speed. As layers of camouflage fall away, it becomes clear that Janus was never a moon in the first place. It's some kind of machine - and it is now headed toward a fuzzily glimpsed artifact 260 light-years away. The Rockhopper is the only ship anywhere near Janus, and Bella Lind is ordered to shadow it for the few vital days before it falls forever out of reach. In accepting this mission, she sets her ship and her crew on a collision course with destiny - for Janus has more surprises in store, and not all of them are welcome.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2010 Tantor Anthologies & Short Stories Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Solar System Short Story

Critic reviews

"[Reynolds is] a genius for big-concept SF and fans of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama and Larry Niven's Ringworld will love this novel." ( Publishers Weekly
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I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book which gripped me throughout. The book's strengths were the womderful imagination displayed in creating an intricate, convincing, and constantly evolving alien world into which our human heros are tossed. The book's weakness was the somewhat unconvincing description of the human society established in this alien world, and the strange moral choices that our heros sometimes make. I have listened to better readers than John Lee, but he was clear throughout.

A gripping and enjoyable listen

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This book was ok but I wouldn't be recommending it many people.
I was hoping for something a bit more "rendezvous with rama" and a bit less "flash gordon radio drama".

And the narrator really has some odd pronunciations going on.
Sounds like Matt Berry in "Toast of London".
But I got used to it.

Just ok

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Lost interest after a few hours. Rather tedious and predictable story. Just felt like a lot of padding.

Tedious

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I wasn't a fan of the pre-janus stuff, but as soon as they land it's great sci-fi all the way.

my only complaint would be the characters act like high school students at times.

worth powering through the beginning

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A great story with a good performance.
I found some of the leaps in the timeline a bit jarring but they're necessary due to the vast time scales involved in the narrative.
Well worth the time to listen.

A great story.

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