Pushing Ice

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 19 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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

Disappointing ending

Rarely do I feel let down by a books ending. Something about this one did. It just felt like Reynolds didn't have a good idea for how to end it, so he forced something that was easy. And then it felt unsatisfactory.

well thought

great writing, it came together well. Good concepts and gave me something to contemplate.

Great Science Fiction

I can't believe this book hasn't been made into a movie. It is a wonderful story, well told, and beautifully read. It is really science fiction--having a story written by an astrophysicist, makes for great science along with the fiction. The characters were believable and story huge in scope and time. It was fantastic listening all the way.

Great Story... horrible characters

As an engineer, i really enjoyed the elements of technology and physics as portrayed in this story. the author does a superior job of describing space flight as it might actually exist 100 yrs from now (oh wait, we don't have a space program any more so never mind). The events, twists, and turns in the story made sense to me, without the usual eye rolls and what ever's I normally reserve for SciFi. Finally, that an author was able to weave a cogent story in with the harsh realities of general relativity and make it all work was really very cool. While the ending is sort of a bummer, it was still reasonable.


On the flip side, OMG the characters in this story are awful! The main character spends the entire story being so vile and revolting that I was practically begging for something heavy to fall on her (sadly, nothing ever does). Further, the other characters in the story simply accept this deceitful scum of a person, make her their leader no less, and turn a blind eye to her exploits. I guess people in the future are either evil or sheep... Ugh.


In the end... I'm not feeling cheated for having invested my time and money on this story. However, I'll never listen to it again either, nor would I bother with a sequel... unless something heavy squishes the main character in the first chapter.


Shout out to the narrator... great job Mr. Reynolds! Some of the accents hurt my head at times, but you made it all work. Thanks!

Epic in scope, space, and time

Where does Pushing Ice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top of the sci-fi stack. I listened to the first Revelation Space book, and it just didn't grab me - so I avoided Alistair Reynolds for quite a while. This book, however, thrilled me from start to finish.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pushing Ice?

About 6 or 7 hours in I realized that the book wasn't even halfway over yet. This was significant because more had happened in less than half a book, than happens in so many other books. Densely packed, and wonderful for it!

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to a ton of John Lee; he may not do nuanced differences in character voices - but he does imbue them with a lot of personality. If John Lee reads a book, I'm 80% sold... he's that good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Only hoping that Alistair Reynolds has more like this up his sleeve. This was epic in scope, and exactly what I crave in good sci-fi. Coupled with John Lee - you get a perfect audio book.

Good story bad language

What did you like best about Pushing Ice? What did you like least?

The story was integrating and interesting but it had a lot of language. The F bomb was dropped constantly and in some places in the book a sentience couldn't go without obscene language. So I guess my search for a good clean sifi author continues.

AWESOME As Usual!

What made the experience of listening to Pushing Ice the most enjoyable?

The Story! and the narration, Thanks John Lee!

What did you like best about this story?

Everything, the setting, the characters, the drama, and the suspense! I loved it all, although the constant quibbles between Bella and Svetlana became a bit "Childish." I did not like the way Bella gave in so often, especially during times of duress.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

Bella

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, a bit long for one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Alastair Reynolds, You are the best! Please please please write a sequal to this book! Thanks

Envisioning Intelligent Life in Space

I must admit that I am tempted to order any audiobook in which John Lee is the narrator. I find his dramatic readings to be among the best of the audiobook performances. And, I was searching for a science fiction novel that was not a multi-book series. Pushing Ice met my criteria and I was intrigued by the vision of the ways in which intelligent life would search out other intelligent life (and the problems of having intelligent life occupy the same time frames as each other). The major conflict in the story was a bit over-played or drawn out for my tastes, but it served as a vehicle for exploring the challenges of human life dealing with radically different environments. I appreciated the seeming scientific accuracy and working within the possibilities of time and space and potential new technology. I became quite involved in the book and appreciated the effort to keep the book in one book (rather than continuing on into a series).

satisfying epic

This story manages to span the ages while containing a satisfying story of one friendship.

Pushing Sci Fi to the Limit

Where does Pushing Ice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Upper middle of the pack.

What other book might you compare Pushing Ice to and why?

This one stands alone.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I got frustrated at times as they skipped through so much time. I makes sense in the end, but it drives you nuts when they do it.

Any additional comments?

Wow! What an imagination! The premise is just out there but it will keep you captivated the whole time. You just want to see if these people can make it and what challenges lie ahead for them.