SFF

2312

Orbit: Hachette. May 2012. c.576p. ISBN 9780316098120. $25.99. SF
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In the year 2312, humans have developed the technology to colonize most of the solar system, including Mercury, which boasts a single city that travels on rails around the planet just ahead of the rising sun. When Swan Er Hong arrives to mourn her recently deceased grandmother Alex, one of Mercury's movers and shakers, Swan realizes how little she knew about the woman who raised her. Meeting some of Alex's scientific friends reveals to Swan that mysterious projects were in the works and that she must uncover her grandmother's secrets before they destroy not only Mercury but the entire solar system.
VERDICT The award-winning Robinson ("The Mars Trilogy"; Fifty Degrees Below) delivers a feast for advanced technology fans and future history aficionados with this intriguing portrait of a solar system economy based on the mining of the asteroid belt. Despite their genetically engineered adaptations to their galactic colonies, his well-drawn characters resonate with traits that emphasize their humanity.
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