"Spin" - Robert Charles Wilson

Published in 2006 by Tom Doherty Books

Spin is the first of a trilogy of books about the distant future where biotechnology has come to play an incredibly important role.  While earthlings are going about their daily lives, one night the stars go out.  Over time, it is discovered that there is a protective bubble around the planet but outside of it time is speeding by.  Inside the bubble a minute passes, while the rest of the universe ages 100 years.

Unlike the last book I read, I loved the characters in this novel.  They were all thoughtfully constructed so that they were likable but human.  The way Wilson writes intertwines the present (4 x 10⁹ AD) and the past (the childhood and adolescence of the three protagonists) is done beautifully and never feels confusing or broken.

At 450 pages, this book is neither short nor terribly long, but it flew by. I found myself reading it while walking or in the 6 minutes it takes to make vegetables for dinner.  I just couldn't put it down.

Rating: ****

Quotes:
"An absurd position, I know, but if critics insist that he showed us how to live and think and love, then surely he taught us how to run an efficient terror-based revolution and how to commit genocide, too."

"busy hands don't tremble, busy minds don't panic"

"Don't be upset. The world is full of surprises. We're all born strangers to ourselves and each other, and we're seldom formally introduced."

"next" - Michael Crichton

Published in 2006 by Michael Crichton and Harper Collins

I read my first Michael Crichton book in one night while I was dog sitting for Chelsea back in high school. It wasn't really an option to sleep as her puppy Chevy wanted to go in and out every 5 minutes and I was afraid she would have an accident (which still happened) so I stayed up through the night and read.

Sadly, Next was not quite as engrossing as Prey and I felt that his characters were too many and too underdeveloped. It was hard to keep track of who was doing what and what was happening where.

Still, it was a very interesting look at the relationship between the law and genetic material. Especially how we can patent things that aren't really understood and in so doing, mess up real beneficial science that could help people.

Rating: **