Proxima – by Stephen Baxter
FROM AMAZON’S BOOK DESCRIPTION:
“Mankind’s future in this galaxy could be all but infinite.
There are hundreds of billions of red dwarf stars, lasting trillions of years—and their planets can be habitable for humans. Such is the world of Proxima Centauri. And its promise could mean the never-ending existence of humanity.
But first it must be colonized, and no one wants to be a settler. There is no glamor that accompanies it, nor is there the ease of becoming a citizen of an already-tamed world. There is only hardship…loneliness…emptiness, even as war brews in the solar system.
But that’s where Yuri comes in. Because sometimes exploration isn’t voluntary. It must be coerced.”
FIRST SENTENCE:
“I’m back on Earth.”
MEMORABLE MOMENTS:
(83% into the Kindle edition) “A sentient mind refuses to be confined by the parameters of its programming.”
(87% into the Kindle edition) “The need for personal freedom seems to be ingrained in the human animal, to some extent. We accept compromises where it benefits the family. Beyond that, we resent.”
MY THOUGHTS:
Proxima was recommended to me by one of my brothers. I’ve liked all the books he’s suggested in the past, and this was no exception. What I would qualify as ‘hard-core sci-fi’, the plot takes on interplanetary and interstellar travel, alien lifeforms and evolution, human and AI relationships, war and politics, and, of course – basic science.
I can’t comment on whether the science was accurate because much of it was (I assume) fiction, therefore read as pure entertainment. (I use to sometimes struggle with certain elements of science fiction, but have learned to suspend belief to combat this.) Early on, I had some confusion since the author had more than one story-line going. It took me awhile to realize that, eventually, it would all come together. Or at least I hoped so.
I knew before I got to the end (thanks to my brother), that I would be drawn to the second book. Looking back at reviews, now that I’ve completed the novel, I don’t understand how some readers say it wrapped things up. I won’t say it was a total cliff-hanger, but there are still unanswered questions in my mind. I hadn’t planned to move right to the second book (which my brother thought was slower, yet concluded well), but feel compelled to while the events of the first are still fresh.
This book qualified for the What’s In A Name Challenge (a “title with an ‘X’ in it“) and the Mount TBR Challenge. In fact, not only does the title include an ‘X’, so does the author’s name.
Kelly
Kelly's Thoughts & Ramblings 
Kelly,
After reading your excellent review,
this sounds like a very interesting
and thought provoking book. And
I will add it to my list.
Raven
By: stardustraven on February 1, 2017
at 9:10 pm
It’s really an exciting, interesting storyline. I’m already 14% into the second and it’s taken a different turn that was hinted at in this one.
By: Kelly on February 2, 2017
at 11:00 am
One thing I failed to mention in my review is that, after this book was written, there actually was an earth-like planet detected orbiting Proxima in the Alpha Centauri system. Some of you might be interested in looking at this blog post about the idea of sending some type of spacecraft there.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/closest-earth-planet-proxima-b-centauri-solar-sail-space-science/
By: Kelly on February 2, 2017
at 11:14 am
Not a hard-core sci-fi kind of reader (I leave that to Mr T), whilst we do have many genres and indeed authors in common this alas isn’t one of them.
Still, glad you enjoyed it so much. You are flying with this years What’s In A Name challenge.
By: Tracy Terry on February 2, 2017
at 11:37 am
I always like to try and get to them in early in the year, while I’m still reading full-throttle. I seem to slow down as the year progresses and there’s always that fear I’ll forget about it until too late.
This is one I think you need to suggest to Mr. T. Also, if he decides to read it, have him check out the link I posted in the comment above.
By: Kelly on February 2, 2017
at 12:13 pm
Hi Kelly,
I have passed on your link to Mr.G, as I have practically zero interest in science fiction as a genre, or anything to do with space in general.
I am impressed that you managed to fill a letter like ‘X’ so early on in the year though, so clearly sci-fi has something going for it after all (just joking!)
I am pleased that you enjoyed the story, although I would have felt quite agrieved knowing that I had to read the second chapter to get closure.
You also picked some great sentences to share, I particularly liked your first ‘memorable moment’ excerpt 🙂
By: Fiction-Books (@Fiction_Books) on February 3, 2017
at 11:49 pm
I was of an age (in this country, at least) to be totally fascinated with the space program and I can remember how exciting it was when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. I’ve been hooked on space ever since.
The second book is different, but I’m enjoying it very much.
By: Kelly on February 4, 2017
at 10:58 am