Well, this is ironic. I liked Robert Charles Wilson’s Spin so much that I wanted to think up some really interesting stuff to say about it, rather than just dashing off a hasty little slap-dash entry that wouldn’t do it justice; but I got busy with other stuff, never got around to writing the booklog entry, and now I’ve forgotten a bit more than I’d prefer. Alas.
I really liked Wilson’s earlier novel, The Chronoliths, so it’s not surprising that I’d like this book — especially because they’ve got a lot more in common than just the author. Both books deal with time manipulation, a multi-decade countdown to the inevitable end of the world, and the personal relationships of the protagonist. These are the rare books that use a science fictional setup as both an interesting mystery in its own right, and as an impetus to set off character arcs that wouldn’t have occurred in a more sedate period.
This is well-written, quality SF that sacrifices neither literary nor science fictional virtues, the sort of book that could win either a Hugo or a Nebula without it being a surprise. Highly recommended.
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