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

Surprisingly Good!

I bought this figuring it would be decent but not great (it was half price), but I was pleasantly surprised! Real solid worldbuilding and character development. Narrator's accents were limited, sort of felt inaccurate at times, but there was a very diverse cast so I'll cut him some slack. Would definitely recommend this one.

Smart Science FIction

If you could sum up Pushing Ice in three words, what would they be?

Smart Science Fiction

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

I thought this story was unique in its approach to humanities expansion into the universe. If I were to make a parallel I would point to Arthur C Clark. It is a smart kind of science fiction.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Lee is a competent narrator and pleasant to listen to.

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

I found it made me consider some of the sciences involved how relativity works and some of the possibilities in the realm of longevity.

Any additional comments?

Being an astrophysicist comes through in Reynolds writing, hence the smart fiction.

Lost in Space

A Sci Fi adventure cruise through time and space. The story of a spaceship crew caught up in unexpected, alien technology and dragged to another star system. The book revolves around two female protagonists with different views for survival. Each believes she is correct and the other is not.

Enjoyed but it is long and detailed.

Engrossing and Epic... Needs to take a breath.

The timespan of this book was unexpected, yet engrossing if you can get beyond the fact that scene changes are impossible to detect due to how the narrator reads the book. Please, take a breath between scenes! Give us a chance to absorb what was just read and process the transition. I have seen this comment on a number of books that feature John Lee as the narrator. I don't know if it is him or the director, but I am actually avoiding books with this narrator and have this similar comment. Audible needs to go back and insert pauses in the appropriate spots. I lost track of how many times I had to rewind 30 seconds to catch the transition. Not something I should be doing in a car.

An Accelerating, Mind Expanding Adventure

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

An exciting stand-alone sci-fi story that starts in a very approachable near future, then stomps on the accelerator and rockets into adventure.

I will read more of this author's works, as the story is excellent. I cared what happened to several of the characters. The narrator did an excellent job, and his many different voices distinguish the characters nicely. The audiobook is hurt somewhat by poor audio editing: places where the author and the narrator left short pauses to indicate a new scene or passage of time have been removed. Presumably this was done to reduced download size. I'll gladly download a few extra seconds of silence to improve the flow of the narration.

What did you like best about this story?

Good realization of alien beings and intelligences. Not all the secrets are revealed, there is room for speculation and mystery. Unpredictable shifts and turns in human relations and politics.

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

I will search out more of John Lee's works (and hope for better audio editing).

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

I felt optimistic and energized after reading the book.

Any additional comments?

A very nice entry point for anyone interested in beginning to read Alastair Reynolds.

Great story and performance

I find the Alastair Reynolds, and John Lee duo hard to beat. I don’t really understand why some people take issue with John Lee’s narration. I listen to a lot of audio books, and John Lee is one of my favorite narrators.

I was a little disappointed with the direction the story went. It started off really interesting, but ended up not realizing it’s full potential. I still enjoyed it though.

Epic

Good epic SciFi, reaching far and wide into the realms of speculative possibility. Incorporating scientific concepts and technical details that add authenticity to the narrative. The characters are well written and depicted in a realistic manner, each with their own motivations and flaws, which enhances the depth of the story.

The pacing of the book is consistent, with the plot gradually unfolding and building tension as the crew faces unforeseen challenges. The author's prose is straightforward and accessible, allowing readers to easily comprehend the events and immerse themselves in the story.

The novel explores themes such as human nature, the journey into the unknown, superior intelligence and the molasses nature of light and time. "Pushing Ice" is a well-crafted work that will satisfy readers looking for an immersive science fiction experience.

Pushes the limit of imagination

Can't stop listening. Hard to get any work done or go to bed. Story gripes you from the beginning and never lets up.

An epic sci fi journey that is plodding at times.

Alastair Reynolds tells a tale that is much larger in scope than it first appears to be. It all starts innocently enough with the crew of the Rockhopper doing what they do best, mining comets in our solar system, also known as "pushing ice." Then something unexplainable happens. One of Saturn's moons, Janus, breaks out of orbit and assumes a trajectory toward Spica, a star 240 light years away. Not only that, it is accelerating as it heads out of the solar system.

This brings an abrupt end to the existing mission for the Rockhopper crew as they are the only ship capable of intercepting Janus for a few days before it leaves our solar system for good. They are a crew of miners, not explorers, but they are the only ones who can study Janus up close before it is gone so all of mankind turns its attention onto them.

Reynolds' characters are human to a fault and Janus becomes a polarizing event that pits the crew of the Rockhopper against each other. Captain Bella Lind finds herself trying to carefully balance her own desires with those of her crew and those of the company that owns the Rockhopper. When it is discovered that their employer might be lying to them about their chances of success Bella finds herself having to make monumental decisions with untrustworthy data which puts the entire mission is at risk before it even gets started.

The characters are consistently bickering throughout the book and they are not nearly as interesting as the plot itself. This is an epic story that does justice to the genre of science fiction although it does plod along at times. John Lee's narration is decent but it does little to spice up the predictable characters. If you are intrigued by what might be out there among the stars and want to bear witness as mankind uncovers some of the universe's secrets then this book offers up a unique take on that storyline. If you want interesting characters that you will remember forever then this is not the book you are looking for.

it's hard to pick a favourite book

This story makes me want to be a better person. The conceptual frame work in this story is awe inspiring. Huge scope and micro-level details. I felt sorry for the fish.