Iron sunrise
by Charles Stross · first published 2004
43% recommend52% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Hard science fiction in the Eschaton series, set after a superintelligent AI emerges; readers enjoy its big ideas about AI, time travel and far-future civilization, and see it as a good entry into Stross's work.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library. Accelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross. Singularity stories. House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes. Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗Yup, as notahacker intuited, Charles Stross is another favourite author, whose back catalogue I am eagerly consuming now. His Singularity Sky / Iron Sunrise are (opinion) great introductions to what the kids may call his 'hard science' fiction -- though I'm disappointed that there won't be a third (and disappointed in myself for misunderstanding a rather…
Charles Stross's Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise. It's an interesting hard-scifi take on what happens to humanity after one AI becomes, for all intents and purposes, God.
on “Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?” ↗I should read it again in light of that. I did find that Stross's early work (Accelerando, Singularity Sky, Iron Sunrise, Colder War) heavily influenced my worldview and path in life. I haven't touched Accelerando in over a decade although I go back to the other novels on occasion.
on “Accelerando (2005)” ↗…‘sci-fi fans’ who had never branched out past Doug Adams (and who wouldn’t have even bought a Doug Adams book that was the slightest bit different.) ——- I’ll not though I enjoyed Stross’s early books (Iron Sunrise and Singularit Sky) and I like his antipope blog but I could not stand following him on Mastodon because he uses the word “fascist” the way some people use another f-word, as in “Keir Starmer is a fascist”…
on “They don't make readers like they used to” ↗…examples of positive AI superintelligence I'd rate the Eschaton series by Charlie Stross (sadly only two books ever published in that series, and it's unlikely we'll ever see a third) - Singularity Sky & Iron Sunrise - in this category. I think Accelerando might fit, too.
on “The Culture novels as a dystopia” ↗My favourite Stross books are "Saturn's Children", "Singularity Sky" and "Iron Sunrise" in that order, to name some of his other books. "Neptune's Breed" is the sequel to "Saturn's Children". For "Singularity Sky" and "Iron Sunrise", I really enjoyed the concept of an AI that seeks to…
on “The pivot” ↗…around to it. [1] I don't care if it's a good thing or a bad thing, it's that people are angry about whether they are for or against it and anger is contagious. [2] If only he kept writing books like Iron Sunrise and Singularity Sky but he broke bad the way Niven and Heinlein did in the 1970s.
on “What Is Blueskyism?” ↗…"Accelerando". It's one of my all time favorite books. I've read it a half dozen times, and I'll probably read it again, just not right away. I also liked his Eschaton series, "Singularity Sky", and "Iron Sunrise". In spite of loving "Accelerando", I've never been able to get into his non-hard science fiction series, like the Laundry series, or Merchant Princes.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Oh yes, Iron Sunrise was cool. Love Ian M Banks too, The Culture is incredible as a vision of a far future utopia. I've not read any Vernor Vinge but will check it out, recommend any starting points?
on “Australian footage of Neil Armstrong's moon walk” ↗I really enjoyed Iron Sunrise. I'd also recommend Iain M. Banks and Vernor Vinge as other authors you might enjoy.
on “Australian footage of Neil Armstrong's moon walk” ↗Pretty sure Mr. Stross is a regular around here. I personally couldn't warm up too much to his Laundry or Merchant Princes books, but Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise are excellent, and Accelrando was also fun.
on “The Influence of Neuromancer on Cyberpunk” ↗…Stross has written some excellent books - his Eschaton series might be relevant to your interests, though unfortunately he's said he won't write any more and so we have only the two (Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise). I listened to the audio books of these, and the narration was excellent. I also have very fond memories of reading Accelerando, though reviewers said it was more like an essay than a novel, I don't…
on “Five of the best science fiction books of 2024” ↗…nanofactories and cheap black-market weapons-grade fissiles. The right to self-defense did not, it was generally held, extend as far as mutually assured destruction — at least, not in built-up areas. -- Iron Sunrise, Charles Stross http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841493368/charlies... [his affil, not mine.]
on “Bugger” ↗Now: "Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years" by Diarmaid MacCulloch. A comprehensive history of Christianity, going back to its origins in Judaism and Greek philosophy. A few days ago: "Iron Sunrise" by Charles Stross. Solid space opera, buy not my favorite Stross.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗