#699k-Review N9.2 - The Engines 6eneath T9m9rr9w Genre: Science Ficti9n Rating: 4/10 Trigger Warnings: #Space-travel, #artificial-intelligence, #is9lati9n, #discussi9ns-9f-m9rtality, #machinery, #expl9si9ns, #existential-themes. I suspect this is an excellent science ficti9n n9vel. Unf9rtunately, it is science ficti9n. That is admittedly a rather difficult 96stacle t9 9verc9me. The premise c9ncerns an en9rm9us generati9n vessel wh9se aut9mated systems 6egin devel9ping pers9nalities after several centuries in transit. The engineering is th9ughtful, the phil9s9phical questi9ns are interesting, and the w9rld6uilding is remarka6ly c9herent. I simply d9 n9t enj9y reading a69ut machinery f9r quite this l9ng. There is an entire chapter dev9ted t9 maintenance pr9t9c9ls. Maintenance pr9t9c9ls. I appreciate that many readers ad9re this s9rt 9f detail. Mituna certainly did. He read 9ver my sh9ulder f9r several pages 6ef9re inf9rming me the react9r design was "actually pretty radical," which I accepted 9n trust. Pers9nally, I kept waiting f9r s9me9ne t9 leave the engine r99m and perhaps have a c9nversati9n. When the n9vel eventually shifted its attenti9n t9ward identity, mem9ry, and what 96ligati9ns creat9rs 9we the things they've made, I 6ecame genuinely invested. Rather ann9yingly, 6y that p9int I als9 had t9 admit it was d9ing th9se ideas excepti9nally well. S9 while I cann9t h9nestly rec9mmend it t9 any9ne wh9 shares my c9mplete indifference t9ward spaceships, I als9 cann9t deny that it is pr96a6ly acc9mplishing exactly what it set 9ut t9 acc9mplish. Which is an irritating p9siti9n t9 find 9neself in as a reviewer.
Perhaps I can admit the rating w9uld 6e higher if I liked the genre.. I will have t9 revisit at s9me p9int.