thelittleuniverse.com
Summary:
Jon Gruber is an average guy, a carpenter who lives his life without questioning too much. Then one day Webster Adams, a man who hired him for a routine job, starts talking about how the universe began. Interested, Jon accompanies him to his workplace where Adams shows Jon that he’s attempting to recreate The Big Bang in a model of the universe. There, Jon meets Jim, an artificial intelligence entity who assists in the project. Adams hires Jon as an assistant, as well, and soon Jon meets Frank, the investor, and Whitney, Adams’ beautiful daughter. He also learns of Rose, Adams’ deceased wife, who initiated the project. Filled with doubt and an uneasiness caused by Adams’ dreams and his conversations with his dead wife, Jon isn’t sure what to make of his career change. But much to the delight of everyone involved, the experiment works and creates a little universe. Soon, however, Jon realizes the implications of this: this is not simply a model of the universe, it is a universe, and the civilizations that develop in it will teach the crew about more than just advanced technology, but about how thinking beyond society’s conventions can provide answers to our most profound questions about our existence.
Comments:
This unique angle on science fiction is full of spiritual wisdom and even some romance. Morality is a central theme: do we sell what we know about this technology to the military or don’t we? But more often than we see that, we’re faced with questions of introspection, like, Does new technology always benefit societies or can it do more harm than good? and Is the cost of freedom worth certain luxuries? Then there are the spiritual questions, like, what happens to the soul after we die? and Why are we here? Ultimately, the book is more enlightening than entertaining, which is not a bad thing. It’s also very scientific (the methods behind Adams’ experiment are described in great detail) which does two things simultaneously: it suspends disbelief in the reader, adding to the credibility of the narrator, but it also drastically slows the plot. Which is a good thing if the reader is prepared to mull over the story and its implications patiently, but not as good if the reader is curious about the next development. I, admittedly, am an impatient reader. I’m also not a huge science fiction fan, and I don’t prefer knowing every technical detail, although I do recognize why they’re important. For me, the narrative was slow but interesting if not exactly entertaining. There is one civilization that I was very excited about, and I found myself scanning the pages ahead to see how long I’d have to wait until I could learn more about them. But I also had some issues with the writing style. It’s in first person, from the point of view of Jon, which is fine, except that I didn’t really enjoy Jon’s tone throughout the story. Some phrases were just out-of-place, like he would say, “extremely familiar” and I would instantly wonder, how could something be familiar in the extreme? Wouldn’t that just be thoroughly familiar or completely familiar? He also used “quite” a lot, which always irritates me unless I can imagine it in a British-English accent.
Do I recommend this book?
It depends on who I’m talking to, here. Instantly, a few people come to mind who I know would love it because of the questions it raises, and I’ll definitely recommend it to them. I also recommend it to all sci-fi fans; the technology and science throughout the book speaks for itself. And really, anyone who wants to be challenged, intellectually and spiritually, should read this book.
Note: I received this book courtesy of the author through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. Thanks again to Mr. Matthews for participating in the giveaways and sending me on this unique adventure.
Tags: Fiction, Goodreads, Jason Matthews, Science Fiction, Spiritual Fiction, The Little Universe
