Aurora
by Kim Stanley Robinson · first published 2015
50% recommend42% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Generation-ship novel partly narrated by the ship's AI, with well-informed detail on closed ecosystems, prions, genetic isolation, and the ethics of descendants who never chose the mission. For fans of sober space SF.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Generations after leaving earth, a starship draws near to the planet that may serve as a new home world for those on board. But the journey has brought unexpected changes and their best laid plans may not be enough to survive. "--
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…to film or long form series yet. Anathem by Neal Stephenson is superb and I recommend you carve out some time to really let it soak in. Anything by Neal is phenomenal, but Anathem stands out for me. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson is my favorite sci-fi book I've read in a while. Generation ships, AI, and a fascinating narrative perspective. I'm a sucker for realistic/hard scifi with well-researched technical…
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗See also: Aurora, by Kim Stanley Robinson http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316098...
on “NASA proposes new propulsion to cut Mars voyage to 3 days” ↗…bed time). I do both, and on balance I slightly prefer actually reading myself, but I don’t think of listening to a book as a lesser experience. There are books that are enhanced by a great narrator (Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson) or the author gives a bit of extra info/context while reading (Good to Great by Jim Collins). Also, Audible has a huge selection of “Great Courses”, which are lectures from professors.…
on “Why none of my books are available on Audible” ↗A significant part of the plot for the excellent science-fiction novel Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(novel)
on “Worlds more habitable than Earth?” ↗One of the major observations in Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora[0] (which is excellent, well-informed, and worth a read) is that "99.9%" self-sufficient isn't going to cut it, at least for a multigenerational interstellar mission. [0]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(novel)
on “Standard Space Habitats” ↗A fun book about this idea, Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora.
on “Close and tranquil solar system has astronomers excited” ↗Prions are both beautiful and terrifying. One of my favorite science fiction stories is Kim Stanley Robinson's "Aurora". He makes great use of the prion concept, and its consequences for human life, in relation to space exploration. Fascinating read if you're interested in the topic.
on “Deadly animal prion disease appears in Europe” ↗Aspects of this island evolution were part of the plot in the marvelously detailed sci-fi book from Kim Stanley Robinson: Aurora. TLDR: Interstellar multi-generation spaceships are essentially genetic islands.
on “Why Do Islands Induce Dwarfism?” ↗Most of the other books I'd recommend in this area are mentioned already, but I'll add Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. The primary narrative is from the pov of a generation ship's A.I.. You get to see it learn over time and with it it's vocabulary. Since it's a ship it gives KSR the opportunity…
on “Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?” ↗…What is the timescale you have in mind? Hundreds, thousands of years? If this is the case, it makes more sense focusing on keeping Earth livable. I think Kim Stanley Robinson had a nice take on this in "Aurora" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(novel)). Without giving too much away, one of the core ideas of the novel is that there really is no place like home. > After that, moving to Mars will be a much…
on “James Lovelock: 'I Would Not Waste My Fortune on Colonizing Mars'” ↗…your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction. Also, Charles Stross - "Accelerando" Daniel Suarez" "Daemon" Kim Stanley Robinson - "Aurora" Tobias Buckell - "System Reset"
on “Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?” ↗For a visceral encounter with extremes on this theme, read Kim Stanley Robinson's novel "Aurora".
on “Gut microbes eat medication” ↗Highly recommend Kim Stanley Robinson's novel Aurora, an exploration of precisely these concepts written in the fascinating perspective of a generation ship's AI instructed to narrate its journey.
on “Is everything falling apart?” ↗Thanks so much for the recommendation! I love Kim Stanley Robinson - Aurora and the Red Mars series are some of my all time favorite books - but have had trouble getting into the one of his I'm on right now (The Ministry for the Future). So I'm very pleased to get a different…
on “We are all nerds: The literary works of Neal Stephenson” ↗I loved all of Seveneves, and hate Three Body Problem. The biggest difference in theme being, optimism that humanity can overcome any obstacle and flourish. If you want more in that vein, see: Aurora - Kim Stanley Robinson Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Delta-V - Daniel Suarez
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗