Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
The amazing tale of humanity’s first trip outside of the solar system is told in Aurora, a significant new book from one of science fiction’s most influential authors.
It is the creation of a writer at the pinnacle of his abilities and is exquisitely imagined and told.
Years ago, we left Earth and began our journey.
As we get closer to our new house.
AURORA.
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
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In the future world of Aurora, missions to colonize neighbouring star systems are commonplace. Although it’s brilliantly imagined and makes use of technology that is currently out of reach, the book makes me feel as though it’s actually much more about the present than the future, as is maybe the case with much of Robinson’s and other science fiction writers’ fiction.
In his most recent book, Aurora, he makes the ascent to the stars while once again being mindful to follow the laws of nature. The thousands of people on board his enormous starship are born, live and die as it journeys for hundreds of years until it reaches Aurora, the moon of a planet orbiting a far-off sun that appears to be favourable for life. Robinson develops his plot using a number of intriguing techniques. Devi, the brilliant engineer and scientist who passes away just as Aurora is reached, coerces the ship’s computer, commonly referred to as the “Ship,” into creating a narrative about the journey.
For want of a better term, Freya, the daughter of Devi, assumes the role of human heroine, and as the story moves further, it becomes clearer what Robinson’s main points are. As a space explorer, Freya had little choice but to have underlying reservations about the entire expedition, and as challenges mount, those reservations become increasingly apparent. She takes on the forceful leadership of a group that wants to abandon the mission and send the ship back to Earth, which they claim is the only location in the cosmos where humanity truly belongs.
Without giving away any plot details, it appears that Robinson is saying, as Freya grows to believe, that we will be able to explore and colonize only the planets in our nearby area since going any further would be so dangerous as to be useless. Humanity is fascinated by the idea of visiting other worlds and the stars. The desire to accomplish this is a logical continuation of historical explorers and settlers, including those who “discovered” and explored America, settled the ancient west, went on manned lunar missions and explored Mars and the outer solar system unmannerly. But it appears that we have run out of room…
