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Originally Posted by bill_mchale
The problem is that the same physical laws that are responsible for electricity, internal combustion engines, explosives and steam power are also responsible for us being able to live.
Like I said, I haven't read the novels yet, so I don't know how many characters in the books are aware of that basic fact. But implicitly, allowing such a state to exist suggests that those specific technologies are being suppressed... either scientifically or mystically.
Bill
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Well, a 'pseudo science' explanation is given in the first book as a theory that sort of accounts for this discrepancy. How well it holds up scientifically, I couldn't say. There is a long tradition in speculative fiction that certain situations CAN be triggered by some being or beings with enough power to appear God like to humans and to have the characters speculate on the nature of the being(s) that created the situation.(River World, for example).
I think what is jarring, in this case, is the abrupt change in tone and direction of the nature of this speculation. It sometimes seems as if 2 separate stories were somehow grafted together. And while the grafting is skillfully done, I find it weird to find a pear hanging from an apple tree!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bill_mchale
I am not sure I would really agree with the first trilogy being science fiction.. but I will buy that the tone of the novels changed dramatically between the first and the second series.
Bill
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This sort of novel can never really be called 'hard' science fiction, but it did start out more 'sciencefictiony' than many stories of this sort.
BTW, criticism of the 2 story lines as reflected by the starting novels "Island in the Sea of Time" and "Dies the Fire" should not be construed as a reason not to read them. All 3 novels in the "Island in the Sea of Time" are fun and entertaining. And the first 3 novels in the DTF series (ending with A Meeting in Corvalis) are well worth the read (also fun, but a tad more 'serious' than the Island books).
Like all book series that hang around too long, the remaining books start to get less and less entertaining, and everyone will find a different stopping point appropriate.