Blind Lake

By: Robert Charles Wilson

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Robert Charles Wilson, says The New York Times, "writes superior science fiction thrillers." His Darwinia won Canada's Aurora Award; his most recent novel, The Chronoliths, won the prestigious John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

Now he tells a gripping tale of alien contact and human love in a mysterious but hopeful universe.

At Blind Lake, a large federal research installation in northern Minnesota, scientists are using a technology they barely understand to watch everyday life in a city of lobster-like aliens on a distant planet. They can't contact the aliens in any way or understand their language. All they can do is watch.

Then, without warning, a military cordon is imposed on the Blind Lake site. All communication with the outside world is cut off. Food and other vital supplies are delivered by remote control. No one knows why.The scientists, nevertheless, go on with their research. Among them are Nerissa Iverson and the man she recently divorced, Raymond Scutter. They continue to work together despite the difficult conditions and the bitterness between them. Ray believes their efforts are doomed; that culture is arbitrary, and the aliens will forever be an enigma. Nerissa believes there is a commonality of sentient thought, and that our failure to understand is our own ignorance, not a fact of nature. The behavior of the alien she has been tracking seems to be developing an elusive narrative logic - and she comes to feel that the alien is somehow, impossibly, aware of the project's observers.But her time is running out. Ray is turning hostile, stalking her. The military cordon is tightening. Understanding had better come soon....

©2004 Robert Charles Wilson (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Thoughtful and deliberately paced, this book will appeal to readers who prefer science fiction with substance." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Wilson builds suspense superlatively well, to a resolution that packs all the emotional wallop anyone could wish." ( Booklist)

Decent Tale; you could do worse

Wilson is a good writer, much better than a lot of the SciFi tripe out there. It's an interesting premise. And, the account of the debate on human narrative vs. dreaming that takes place somewhwere around Chapter 23 is insprired! It's not a bad story. (Snyder sounds like a good narrator, although his voice for the child really starts to grate after awhile.) I do have one pet peeve: what is up lately with authors layering up perfectly good stories with interminable and tiresome narratives about mothers and / or fathers endlessly obsessing about their oh-so-adorable and innocent young daughters? (For example, Matthew Reiley's "Contest") After a couple hours of this sappy filler, you just want to scream "Get on with the bloody story, why don't you!!" It's like they all want to see how many pages they can wring out of this ... and show just how parentally sensitive they are as authors.

Mediocre - not as good as Spin

I read Spin and Axis, and then A Bridge of Years.

Blind Lake isn't terrible, but it follows a similar formula - a big unknown happens which isn't understood by a population, people react, things slowly escalate, then a (in my opinion) somewhat under-satisfying conclusion is reached.

If you haven't read Spin yet, try it instead. I thought it was quite brilliant and I'm eagerly awaiting Vortex, the 3rd book of that series.

See the truth at Blind Lake

If you could sum up Blind Lake in three words, what would they be?

Big
Occasionally overdone
Entertaining

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blind Lake?

The set pieces in the middle where the author gives voice to Roy and Margaritte and allows them full throttle to frame thoughtful ( albeit somewhat obtuse ) thoughts on alien cultures, and the like.

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

Yes, and this one is excellent. Jay does a wonderful, understated job at bringing this book to life. I recommend his work always, esp. in this one.

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

Definitely. Couldn't stop listening.

Any additional comments?

I feel this is Wilson's best standalone work. A fascinating concept, that requires the reader to pay attention and think ( which is , admittedly, not what everyone wants to do with a BOT).

It's easy to relate to the characters, and the story leaves just enough to reader to add their own colour and body to make the story their own. I really enjoyed this work, and I honestly feel you will as well.

Highly recommended.

Mixed

I'm not a big science fiction reader and this one got onto my list through some sale or other. That being said, I loved it at first, but it seemed to fade more near the end. The conclusion was adequate, but something was missing at times. There was very good character development, but things didn't always click together.

Alien contact without the contact

Robert Charles Wilson's Blind Lake is a tale of alien encounter, but without physical contact. The title derives from the name of the town where a special installation relying on an AI-like computer system reconstructs astronomical data to provide television like quality images of another planet with apparent intelligent life. In the midst of this scientific enterprise, the facility goes into lockdown mode with no contact with the outside world and no explanation. Within the facility, there is a messy divorce between senior scientific staff, a disgraced reporter, and girl with mental issues that has some sort of connection with the AI.

Much of the tale is focused on the notion of truly being unable to interpret the actions and behaviors of another intelligent species without any context to the underlying cultural drivers for the actions. At the same time, there is the suggestion of AI powered computers displaying similar inscrutability. Lastly, the actions of most of the main characters, although seemingly arbitrary, reflect the confusing, convoluted history each person possesses.

The narration is reasonable with a decent range of voices and good pacing.