Slow Time Between the Stars - John Scalzi - ★★★

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AUTHOR: John Scalzi
SERIES: The Far Reaches, #6
GENRE: Sci-Fi Short Story.
PUBLICATION DATE:
RATING: 3 stars.

In a Nutshell: An intelligent sci-fi short story but essentially plotless. Suited to a mood when you just wanted to hear someone talk than for when you want to read some sci-fi action. I might have liked it better had I been prepared for something more introspective.


Plot Preview:
There’s no plot! The entire story is a rambling narrative in the first person point of view of a sentient spaceship who reveals to us its origin at the hands of humans, the purpose behind its existence, and its current and future intent. All this is told to us while it is on a long journey lasting millions of years.


This is the sixth and final standalone story in 'The Far Reaches’ series, described on Amazon as “a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart.”

Woohoos:
🎉 Unique first-person narrative from an AI spaceship.

🎉 The AI’s observations on human behaviour, some of which lead to wry introspection.

🎉 Great ending.

🎉 Only 28 pages long.


Mehs:
💣 No action at all.

💣 Only one long monologue from start to end, so it gets saturating soon.

💣 Repetitive and rambling at times.

💣 Slow.


All in all, this was like listening to an AI being speak for 15 minutes. Though the plot covered millions of years in time, there’s nothing substantial that stuck to my mind after I was done. It might have worked better for me had I been in a contemplative mood instead of wanting a proper plot/action-oriented sci-fi work.

Good, not great. Can be read, not ‘must be read’. To be tried only when you want something slow and ruminative than fast and thrilling.

This was my first experience of this reputed sci-fi author’s writing, and it does motivate me to try more of his writing, but maybe in long fiction.

This standalone story is a part of the 'The Far Reaches’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

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