Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America in Beyond Reality

Dec 27, 2009 Stephen rated it it was ok

Shelves: world-in-the-shitter, award-nominee-hugo, science-fiction, 2006-2010, easton-press, audiobook, signed-first-or-limited-edition

First the Postives: The book was well-written had a nice “new book” smell. Okay, on to the ~~negatives~~ MEHgatives , beginning with the advisory label I would require if I was Emperor of Literature for the world:

There is not a whole lot more that I can add to that so, like the book, I will just sort of d.....r.....a.....w.....t......h......i.....n......g......s....... o....u....t. Or maybe I could just emulate the book and say the same thing several different ways. You know like you say som ...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Sandi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009, sci-fi, library-books-read, post-apocalyptic-dystopian, hugo-nominees-2010

I really don't know what to say about this terrific book. It's the fourth book I've read by Robert Charles Wilson and the best by far. (I really didn't think he could top Spin.)

Let's be clear that this book is not about Julian Comstock. It is about the narrator, a young man named Adam Hazzard. Along with his best friend, Julian, we are taken on a tour of what must be every aspect of post-apocalyptic America. In this case, the apocalypse is brought about by the collapse of oil, pollution, plague ...more

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May 19, 2009 Stefan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook, science-fiction

Robert Charles Wilson's new novel "Julian Comstock" is set in a vastly changed 22nd century USA - after the end of the age of oil and atheism has ended in disaster. Technology is mostly back to pre-20th century levels, and the population has been vastly reduced due to social upheaval and disease. Society has become fully class-based, divided in a Eupatridian aristocracy, middle-class lease-men, and indentured servants. The country - which now stretches across most of the North American continent Robert Charles Wilson's new novel "Julian Comstock" is set in a vastly changed 22nd century USA - after the end of the age of oil and atheism has ended in disaster. Technology is mostly back to pre-20th century levels, and the population has been vastly reduced due to social upheaval and disease. Society has become fully class-based, divided in a Eupatridian aristocracy, middle-class lease-men, and indentured servants. The country - which now stretches across most of the North American continent - is involved in a lengthy and brutal war with the Dutch over control of the recently opened Northwest passage.

In this setting we meet the novel's extraordinary hero, Julian Comstock, the nephew of the dictatorial president Deklan Comstock. Julian is a free-thinker with a deep interest in the apostate Charles Darwin (whose heretical theories are anathema to the Dominion of Jesus Christ, one of the three branches of the government with the president and the senate). Julian is forced to flee his country hide-out with his friend Adam (the amazing narrator of the novel) and Sam Godwin, who is Julian's mentor since his father died in battle - his father being Bryce Comstock, army commander and brother of the president, who was sent into a hopeless conflict by Deklan, fearing his brother's growing popularity would endanger his own tyrannical rule.

While all of this may sound grim, the tone of this story is often actually very light thanks to Adam, the narrator, who combines a certain naivete with a generally positive outlook on life and a willingness to see the good in everything. Adam often doesn't fully understand what is happening, and sometimes his general decency forces him to brush over certain things. At other times, his strong conscience puts many things other characters do in a very stark perspective. Part of the beauty and the fun of "Julian Comstock" is seeing it through the prism of Adam's growing understanding.

This novel pulls off something extraordinary: it is written in the style of a 19th century novel, but set in the 22nd century, AND somehow manages to deal with issues that are relevant today. The skill with which Wilson pulls this amazing trick off is simply dizzying. While some of the content might be controversial, I find that Wilson does a great job of extrapolating from current events to an all too plausible future without explicitly taking a definite position.

It's been a while since I've a read a novel that so deftly combines so many different elements. The characters have amazing depth, even if you don't always initially realize this due to the narrator's style. The story moves at a brisk pace that makes it impossible to put down. There are moments of high comedy and moments that are so immeasurably poignant and moving that I simply can't stop thinking about them. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough, both to SF fans and to anyone who loves a good book.

One note: I found it odd that the author included some quotes in Dutch and French but didn't include a translation, especially since the book has many footnotes. This was probably done because the narrator doesn't understand either language and the author didn't want to break the consistency of the narrative, but as someone fortunate enough to understand both languages, I can tell you that some of those sections are very funny and, in several cases, very relevant to the story. I think a brief appendix with the translations would be a great idea for future editions. ...more

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Mar 01, 2010 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction

This is the funniest and most charming dystopic novel I've ever read. The setting in some ways seemed to be extrapolated from the events of Kunstler's World Made By Hand, though this book took itself far less seriously. It still raises some great questions about religion and war and the possible future toward which we are heading, but it does so in subtler ways.
Wilson's genius was in choosing Adam Hazzard as the narrator of Julian Comstock's story. Adam's innocence (bordering on obtuseness) with ...more

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Feb 26, 2010 H. R. rated it really liked it

Shelves: distopia, fiction, science-fiction, authors_robert_charles_wilson

Luddite sf, mixing sandburg's america, focus-on-the-family, hemingway's Men At War, DeTocqville's America, horatio alger, and global warming.

The novel's reach exceeds its grasp, slightly. Balances all these disparate themes successfully, but not with the level of finesse done, for example, with Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale.

It made me yearn for a world selectively devoid of the digital maze we have locked ourselves in to.
...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Frank Taranto rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

A very well-written book with interesting characters. While Julian Comstock is the hero of his world, at least for a while, the real hero of the book is the narrator, Adam Hazzard.
Adam is carried along through some of the great events of his time due to his friendship with Julian. Through boggled and lucky military campaigns and Julian's rise and fall from power, we see what happens thru the eyes of a somewhat naive country boy.
Well done.
...more

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Sep 29, 2010 Marty rated it liked it

I read Darwinia and did not like it. This is much better. It isn't really surprising or new and imaginative but it is well done. The story is of a sad future, and a sad story within it told by a naive but slowly growing in sophistication narator. ...more

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Jul 01, 2010 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Near future (now + 165 yrs.) dystopia that I could see happening - a little scary. Good read of current political, social, military and religious trends and how they interact[ed:] to create a rather unpleasant reality less than two hundred years from now... also a lot of focus on the environment (and this was definitely published pre-oil spill...).

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Sep 10, 2009 bsc rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, read-2009

I had originally rated this book only four stars, but it has been a few weeks now and this book is staying fresh in my memory. Looking back through the books I've read this year, I'd have to say this is my favorite SF book of 2009 (though depending on your definition, you may not label this science fiction at all). ...more

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Dec 26, 2009 Christine rated it liked it

A good story but I wouldn't call it SF; perhaps fantasy or alternative history but not SF (by my definition), I enjoyed the story, but it oculd have easily been sited in any place in the world in the 1800s ; not much unique about the story taking place post the loss of oil. ...more

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