Ahira's Hangar

Duchess, or any1 out there, do u kno anything at all about Phases of Gravity? I was in my cool usedbookstore 2day and came across a beautiful foot tall paperbound copy that was hardly touched. It's only 5.95!! The story looks cool..but is it worth buying. It is a novel, not a story collection... And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i></i>

Sorry, but I haven't read that one. I'd prolly go for it at that price ,though! <i>Edited by: Duchess of Malfi  at: 7/29/03 11:01 pm
</i>

PHASES OF GRAVITY by Dan Simmons
Bantam 1989
Highly Recommended

Haunting and affirming story of a man, Richard Baedecker, and his soul searching odyssey of self discovery, as he attempts to cope with a vaguely dissatisfying life despite being one of the few to have walked on the moon.

Author Simmons brings us a marvellously told story, simple, yet elegant, focusing on relationships and how they shape a life. The characterizations are solid (typical for Simmons), the flow of dialogue and story continuity is fluid and the over all feel is natural and non-contrived. Certainly not intricate like his Hyperion Cantos (a certified masterpiece!!!!), yet moving all the same in its depiction of the trials and tribulations of a man's life.

If you're looking for "action packed SF", this is not it; neither with action or SF. But still a fine story and a worthwhile read.

Reviewed by R.F. Briggs 6/12/99

And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i></i>

I do like action packed science fiction, but I also like well drawn character driven stories. I think I'll have to keep my eye out for this one. Ankh-Morpork people considered that spelling was a sort of optional extra. They believed in it the same way they believed in punctuation; it didn't matter where you put it, so long as it was there.~Terry Pratchett<i></i>

Here is a snippet of an interview With Dan Simmons that appeared in this month's Science Fiction Crow's Nest, an online science fiction and fantasy newsletter (this month being September, 2003).
____________________________________________________
SFRevu: Would you say that Hyperion is your most successful book? Is it your favorite?

Dan:Successful in what terms? Sales? Hyperion has been translated to about 20 languages and has sold well over a million copies worldwide, and the four books in the Hyperion cycle were recently optioned by one of the top film directors in the world – but does that make it my “most successful book?”

I’m never fully satisfied with my novels. I have fairly high standards, and I meet them only in fits and starts, never completely, no matter how much effort and care I put into a project. If I have a favorite of my novels – as opposed to a favorite sentence here, a favorite character there – it would be Phases Of Gravity, a little-read and mislabeled mainstream novel about an ex-Apollo astronaut’s midlife crisis. All my other novels have debuted as hardcovers – only Phases Of Gravity was a paperback in the Bantam Spectra line – and I do wish it had found a slightly larger readership, because the human issues I was circling and exploring in this book were important.

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>

I somehow found time to begin reading Phases of Gravity today, and so far am very pleased. It is the story of a former Apollo astronaut and moon walker, who is having a hard time as a middle aged man. He is working for an aerospace firm in St. Louis (which I take to be a thinly disguised McDonnell Douglas in its pre-Boeing incarnation), doesn't seem to particularly care for his job, his wife of 28 years has left him for another man, his son has dropped out of graduate school in Boston to run to India and join a cult...and what do you do with your life when the highlights are decades behind you? ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

I continue to be very impressed with this book. It is a much quieter and more contemplative novel than the others by Simmons which I have read.
It is sort of written in what I would call time cycles. The main character does something -- say, visits an old friend - and this starts a cycle of inter-related events and past memories cascading from the events...all woven together into an organic whole...it is very well done. Each chapter is one of the "cycles"... ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

I finished this little novel last night, and it is incredibly well written and very moving. It is an exploration of friendships, family, and personal meaning as it examines in depth one man's life...
If anyone ever wants to read a deep and quiet well written book, this one might well be for you. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

I think this is one of Dan's best books. It's not world building science fiction or epic horror but it is a very moving tale of one man's life and I think anyone reading this should check it out.

Greg <i></i>