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Pushing Ice

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Pushing Ice

By: Alastair Reynolds
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

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 Anthologies & Short Stories Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Solar System Mind-Bending

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
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I really enjoyed this book, gripping start, some parts in the middle felt slow and it seemed to get really good three quarters through, then it finished too soon.
I feel like this book is just Alastair Reynolds flexing his muscles and I have to say it's impressive, the scope was mind bogglingly vast yet the story never gets too lost In the details. I sat for a long time thinking when it finished and I feel like I'm not ready to start another book for a little while until my mind has digested the story. It's a good book for a beginner reader of space opera, I like the way it was about one crew of one ship so It was easy for me to learn the characters and follow the story. I feel that it's been an exciting yet human story, I liked how most of the characters were professional even though everything was going to hell in a handcart, there was a lot of dignity given to us, humanity - more than we deserve I think.

Good stand alone book

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A wonderful and compelling story that rivals any science-fiction novel. Would have been great as a series, however is still a great standalone novel.

Is it a pity that it had to end

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I don't know how Alastair comes up with such original concepts and creates these incredible worlds and the people inhabiting them. Amazing ideas. Science driven plots and beyond epic scope. Psychological, philosophical and pushing physics to the limit. I feel lucky to have discovered his work. Not to be overlooked are John Lee's dramatic performances depicting these stories. Awesome combination.

Alastair Reynolds has an incredible imagination

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Enjoyed this story a lot, there's a lot of changes in the plot over decades of time. I liked the pacing, the characters were interesting, capable and flawed. The narrator was great, there was never any doubt about who was speaking. I thought there was some odd editorial choices and it felt in a couple of places some scenes which I would have liked to hear about were cut and mentioned. Maybe it's the author's style, it's the first book of his I've bought. Overall great book and hoping there is a sequel.

Good story, great performance

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An engaging, imaginative story, with enough of a mystery to keep you turning pages to see how it would end, and continuous twists to raise interest at times when interest started to flag. Not the best science fiction I've encountered, but nonetheless enjoyable.

Kazablanka

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the authors ability to transport the reader into a parallel time and dimension while keeping common values and society substructure is genius.
I have rear 100s of sci Fi novels and Reynolds imagination is a standout.

the narration was perfect

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Great story, would purchase the sequel. Let down by the editing or something. Lack of pauses made it really hard to tell often where one part of story ends and another day/ character/ episode begins. Became quite confusing. Narrator OK but often couldn't tell who was saying what in a conversation. Shorter chapters probably would have helped with some of this, but that would be from how book was written and just a negative feature inherent in transferring to audio books.

Great story, not perfect audio book.

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Really enjoyed this. Great story, dignified and interesting characters and an expansive world. It felt slow in some spots around the middle but then really picked up. Would love this as a series.

Excellent

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Reynolds has seriously created a marvel of sci-fi novels. It is well constructed, interestingly written, and full of strange and innovative ideas.

Lee, while initially not being my favourite narrator, is now very near the top of my list of narrators. His classical style of speech goes well with the voices and characters he portrays; his accents well placed and in all ways engaging and real.

Overall, a great book, a great story. Excellent for those who love sci-fi, or those who wish to invest in their first sci-fi novel.

A marvellous standalone sci-fi

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A story which moves, seeds hope and reason to work, learn. Highly recommended to everyone

Really amazing story

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