From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

Saturn Run

John Sandford

Start date: November 21, 2018

Finish date: December 12, 2018

Discussion: Book Discussions

Why we're reading this: Group Contemporary Novel discussion November 2018
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What Members Thought

Feb 24, 2017 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1audio, 2fiction, scifi

I read one or two of his Lucas Davenport (Prey) series, but never managed to find them all in order so didn't read the series. Still, it was interesting & when I saw he'd written an SF book I was intrigued. Then one of my GR friends raved about it & my library had it so I took a flyer. I wasn't expecting much, but have been very pleasantly surprised.

The writing is very good; great characters, believable plot, & good SF elements. Even better, he's scattered some fun references throughout. One th I read one or two of his Lucas Davenport (Prey) series, but never managed to find them all in order so didn't read the series. Still, it was interesting & when I saw he'd written an SF book I was intrigued. Then one of my GR friends raved about it & my library had it so I took a flyer. I wasn't expecting much, but have been very pleasantly surprised.

The writing is very good; great characters, believable plot, & good SF elements. Even better, he's scattered some fun references throughout. One that made me chuckle today was Sandy reading a book by the Go master Nicholai Hel, the main character in Shibumi. There were quite a few other easter eggs like that, but some would be real spoilers. Fun!

The plot was somewhat typical, but that's not a negative. An alien craft is sighted & the world responds some 60 years into the future. China & the US are the big dogs in space, so politics flies to the forefront. Definitely realistic & not boring at all as they scramble. This plays out throughout the book in some predictable & unpredictable ways. Very well done.

Best of all was the tech. I'm no expert, but I've had a love of space all my life & read quite a few popular articles. This is 60 years in the future - enough time to allow for steady, believable progression in tech. Nothing crazy or magical. This, as much as the politics, keeps the situation tense. Very realistic to me. There was an afterword that was well worth listening to. I found out that the tech was so realistic & good because they spent hundreds of hours making sure it was.

Aliens... Can't say without a terrible spoiler, save that it was fantastically well done. Not what I expected, but it made such perfect sense that I had no trouble believing it.

I'm tempted to give this 5 stars. It's the single best first contact novel I've read in ages & it was so unexpected from a guy who cranks out a mystery thriller series even though he only co-wrote it. I really can't recommend this highly enough to all SF fans. It has humor, drama, excellent characters, a good plot, & solid tech. What more could anyone ask? ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 Bee rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, audiobook

This was a fun romp. Good science. Interesting story. Nothing to write home about, but I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

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Feb 18, 2017 Tom rated it really liked it

Fun speculative fiction about a near-future space-race to the rings of Saturn, when an alien spaceship appears and then leaves from that location. Deep dive on the technology and logistics that would be required for such a run, if you're into that (I could take it or leave it). What everyone finds at the end of the run (or mid-point, I guess, as they have to get home), is a bit of a fizzle. And the Chinese as-impulsive-politically-motivated-bad-guys left a sour taste in my mouth. The story prese ...more

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Nov 18, 2022 Kay rated it really liked it

Shelves: scifi, my-reviews

really good space opera! I just finished reading this last week. it is a great space opera read! set in 2068 about first contact and the space race(still!). there is an author's note at the end of the novel which explains the science behind the space travel. I attempted to read it but it made my brain hurt. ...more

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