I thought the book was good, not great. Arthur C. Clarke is an excellent author, but he could have done better. The book basically diminishes everything in the world as we know it to be usless and meaningless. It describes a grim future for our planet, one in which I think is a little insulting to the human race.

The book concentraited on to many details, overuse of figurative language. If I wanted to know how the roses smelled in 2037 I would not have read a Science-Fiction book, I would have read a poem. Once the book told you something, or should I say, described it, it would have restated you again and again. I just wish the book would have been directed toward how life could be in the future, not directed at a few characters personal lives.

However, even if the book did not have exactly what I was looking for, it included a lot of interesting ideas. It also related the problems in the furture to the ones we are facing now very well. I was extremely interested in the fact that Clarke used actual scientific ideas and principles, not just ones made up by a couple of mental patients.

I would rate this book a good read for someone who likes a good story, and not to someone who would like to aquire some knowledge.

In my reviews of two other Baxter books - Manifold:Time and Titan - I've been somewhat negative, primarily about Baxter's ability to flesh out his characters. I'll also admit that in general I've been less than impressed by the series of "Arthur C. Clark & ..." books. However, I was pleasantly surprised by "The Light of Other Days."

Isaac Asimov (I think) wrote a short story about the effects of being able to see the past. He concentrated on the effects of that discovery on the inventor and his wife. Clarke and Baxter expand on that theme and then upon that invention.

Baxter and Clarke are masters at the "sense of wonder" I enjoy in Science Fiction, and that sense is here in abundance as you follow users of the WormCam through both the past and distant space through the wormholes that the WormCam opens. Obviously, there's more to the story, but then that's why you read a book, right?

The story is solidly crafted though I confess that some of the turns and twists, and some of the characters' actions seemed to happen suddenly. That could be due to my inattention, a lack of characterization, or simply my being used to "novels" that span multiple books and use many too many pages in needlessly detailed characterization.

Still, that's a personal nit to pick. Light of Other Days is a solidly crafted work, well worth your time. It is complete: No need to wait for a sequel to finish the story, and that's getting all too rare. It's also a case where the collaboration seems to have worked very well. If I seem to sense the feel of "Childhood's End" and "The City and the Stars" in the book, who knows if it was Clarke's direct influence or his subliminal influence on Baxter.

Speaking of "The City and the Stars," I still think that it contains Clarke's best prose. Some of the story is a little dated, but it remains a book that I can read and re-read, savoring the wonderful use of the language that Clarke crafted into it.

I've been a fan of Sir Arthur Clarke's science fiction for most of my life. I haven't read anything by Stephen Baxter before, but after this I will. They've produced a real winner here.

As they say in the afterword, the idea of a machine that can see into the past and through walls is an old one (I especially recommend "E for Effort," by T. L. Sherrard, if you can find an old copy of the ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGY). Clarke and Baxter managed to make it new and different.

The key to their achievement was to anchor it to a rigorously imagined physics. The "wormhole camera" turns out to have uses and implications that its inventors don't expect, and it leads off in many strange directions.

I don't want to give away surprises, but I started this book expecting to be able to predict everything that would happen, and I was repeatedly taken by surprise.

There are a few flaws in this novel (for instance, the POW camp scene, which apparently has no purpose whatsoever), but almost everything is topnotch. The characters are mostly believable, the future world is interesting, and the ending was a delight.

Highly recommended.

I have read several of Stephen Baxter's novels, and this collection of his short fiction (including sections from several of his novels) is by far the best way to be introduced to his ideas. Stephen has a real talent for formulating mind-blowing ideas based on hard science. What he doesn't have a talent for is developing characters. This book gives you an overview of his ideas, without boring you with his characters. It is all plot and exposition. The only way that I would improve this would be to lose the redundant stories about how marvelously adaptable life is.

I started backwards. I think I should have read first this book and then gone to Flux, Ring and other Baxter's novels, but I started by Ring. I specially liked its first chapter, and then I discovered it was originally a short story, contained in this book.

I have to concur with other reviewers: I like the science in Baxter's books, even if sometimes he is too dense. The four stars come from this. Sometimes the main interest lies not on the plot, but in the ideas presented.

Why should you read it? Standalone, it is interesting. In the Xeelee Universe, this book gives the background to others, through its short stories. I finally understood why the Xeelee Ring is associated with a human name, and some other details about the Xeelee and other races.

This compilation of Baxter's short stories comprising the Xeelee Sequence is awesome in scope, but at times too heady. For me the book began to pick up steam with the last few stories, when there is a nice balance between plot and science lesson. This is real HARD SF! Baxter knows his physics and quantum mechanics, and uses them bravely throughout the book. It's not an easy read, but, if anything, will leave you contemplating its many themes and ideas.

Not that I'll be misunderstood: I'm one of Mr Baxters biggest fans and most loyal readers, but "Manifold:Space" lacks a very important quality of a book: a coherent story that keeps the reader interested. Characters and their achievements light up for a few chapters and then disappear again in the vast maw of time.
"The most awesome ideas in science fiction today" rates "The Times" on the cover of my UK edition. That is not untrue - but unlike in "Manifold:Time", here Mr Baxter fails to weave those ideas into a gripping story - I repeatedly had to force myself to continue reading. Of course it is way more difficult to tell a story that spans centuries and millenia than one that only stretches the protagonist's lifetime and maybe it is the problem of us "mayfly humans" (compared to those mechanical aliens described in the book that "live" for millenia) that we find it hard to follow such eternal-like periods of time - but hey: we're the only life-form yet that can read (his) books ! And in "Time" Mr Baxters'ideas about the future of the universe and mankind as a part of it were at least as awesome as in "Space" - and nonetheless it was a thrilling, page-turning story. I hope that the proposed third one in this sequence, "Manifold:Origin", will take up the quality of "Time" and - although hardly possible, since its his best - "The Time Ships".

Thank you, you other reviewers on this website. Without you, I would have understood far less of this book. Not being a sci-fi buff.

This book has great value because it makes us realize how small we are, compared to the larger scheme of things. Where will we be when the the years in which this book is set (3800) come around? In Heaven, maybe?

Which brings up the spiritual aspect of the book, which few reviewers mentioned. I got a sort of Buddhistic concept from the author's tone. This rather fits in with the fact that one of the protagonists is a Japanese woman, Nemoto, who lives from scene to scene in a metaphysical way. Also, the inhabitants of the Moon are Japanese.

The Buddhistic element in the book is embodied in the idea that as humans, we believe we are separate and autonomous individuals. But maybe, like computers, we are just electronic impulses with an aggrandized view of ourselves. Pre-programmed at the factory, melted down and recycled when the newer generation of computers takes our place.

Buddha taught something similar, didn't he? Dissolving the ego?

In this context, there is a character in the book, somewhat minor really, named Dorothy Chaum. She was really the most interesting character, because she starts out working for the Pope trying to convert aliens and Extra-terrestrials.

She ends up something far different than a practicing Catholic, something more like, what, a Buddhist? And when you're flying around from galaxy to galaxy, visiting Venus, Triton, a strange Earth, seeing and feeling all sorts of strange feelings, living too long, who wouldn't be a Buddhist by then? Anyway, there is little mention of Christ, but he must be flying around there somewhere also, wouldn't you think?

Well, this book is worth reading, but only the patient will be able to finish it. Diximus.

I was astounded by Stephen Baxter's first novel in the Manifold duo, Manifold: Time. Honestly, I enjoyed Time more than Space, but Manifold: Space is truly just as fascinating.

Baxter has a wonderful job with his ability to flawlessly write true hard science fiction that incorporates real science into the story. He has done a beautiful job with Space.

I would also like to note that if you are expecting to read Manifold: Time in this book, you will be disappointed. Space is a totally new story with new characters, and even a new Malenfant, for we also have a new universe (and NO, that is NOT a spoiler)! I will say that Space's plot unfolds similarly stylistically, but the story is a totally original and new sci fi experience that is equally magnificent to that of Time.

This is truly a book for all science fiction lovers. I guarantee it! Enjoy!

-Taylor

As shown by his work in this novel, technically Stephen Baxter isn't a bad writer. The story does pull you along and your interest is maintained.

Unfortunately Stephen has a Message To Sell You and he's not going to let anything get in the way of it. Other reviews have told you of the massive right wing decline of the USA in this novel. What they don't tell you is that it is utterly implausible in the way it is presented here.

Characters seem to lack any sense of humor or consistency. No one has any coping mechanisms. The astronauts are all disfunctional introverts and idiots. Characters do things clearly because they advance the plot, regardless of whether their actions make sense or are in harmony with the character.

There is a scatalogical focus on how people (...) in space that borders on the ridiculous.

There is one series of scenes, where members of the Air Force set in motion to destroy the last NASA mission. I won't spoil it by telling you everything, but the problem is that it's completely unnecessary to the plot of the book, it wastes a great deal of the readers time, and there are no expected repercussions. It doesn't foreshadow anything, the characters continue to appear later in the novel as if nothing happened. It's like the writer decided "action and peril must go here" and stuck the scenes in for no other reason.

Aside from all this, and the unrelenting depressing tone of the story, Mr. Baxter clear has talent. This book doesn't show his best form, but at least it's not a Trek spinoff.

This is the first book I've read by Mr. Baxter, and I did enjoy it very much. Very Imaginative, and descriptions of space programs and the SATURN V in particular, I found to be excellent.
The overall pessimism and lack of faith in the ability of America to stay focused as free people was a distraction to me, but he is entitled to his own view points(and predictive [not] history). I would still recommend this book to anyone as it is well written and jam packed with fascinating aspects of life on a shuttle, various tidbits of chemistry, physics, not to mention a description of a pre-biotic Titan.

Like others here, I did find this book depressing but Baxter has researched the book so well that one comes away with a feeling that space travel on the grand scale probably would be this incredibly difficult and dismal. I did not find this off putting as most of what is really worthwhile in life is obtained at great personal sacrefice and struggle. I recommend this book highly to anyone who has the guts to face the existential aspects of science fiction. Images from the book keep coming back to haunt me. The stark hostile beauty of Titan, the squalid conditions aboard the ships, the descriptions of having to dispose of your wastes while in a pressure suit camped inside a environmental enclosure resting on frozen methane, the tragic deaths of the crew whom we get to know intimately, the unforgetable death of the heroine in a lake of tholin, and the an ending that is both upbeat and poignant. People who panned this book are either out of touch with the terror of human existence or living in a fool's paradise.

This was an okay book, but the whole auora of the story was a little depressing. The whole book your there watching these mammoths who are the last of there kind and don't know it. It doesn't feel good to watch almost every single charecter in the story die. There was just something wrong with this book, the fact that there is no happiness in it. But, it was interesting to see the world from the point of view of a mammoth with the IQ of a chicken. This book had something wrong with it, i dont know what but this book needs some work.

Graphic violence, torure, death, hardship - well, maybe, but still well written and exciting and pacey throughout.

Fans of Stephen Baxter's science fiction may be surprised by this venture into unexplored territory. "Silverhair" is the first of three books in a series which promises to provide a novel and thought-provoking diversion from his previous work.

Silverhair is one of the last of her kind: a woolly mammoth. Long thought to be extinct, these relics of the ice-age have somehow survived eons of change in a remote, isolated "lost world". Legends passed down through the Great Cycle of mammoth history tell of their flight to this last sanctuary, and the great danger from which they fled: the Lost. Now the Lost have once more discovered the existence of Silverhair and her kind. Silverhair must find some way to reconcile thousands of years of mammoth existence with the advent of humanity, or face the end of the Great Cycle- the death of her species.

The theme of conflict between humankind and nature is as old as the human race; the telling of stories from the perspective of animals scarcely less so. In Baxter's expert hands, however, these elements are interwoven to produce a book that touches a rarely-explored space in the mind.

If "Silverhair" has a flaw, it must be the briefness of the story- the pace at times seems incongruously swift, jolting the reader out of the synchrony produced by Baxter's otherwise excellent characterisation. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the book left me with a desire to re-enter the world of the mammoths and explore their culture further.

Baxter creates the legends, social structure and emotions of these majestic animals with a vividness which evokes both a deep resonance with the familiarity of their thoughts and feelings and a sense of wonder at the complete alienness of their nature. Beautiful and brutal, this book yields a glimpse into the mysteries of the long-forgotten past and speaks to the wildness buried in the human soul.

In collected stories, there is always the risk of getting nuggets of iron pyrite in with true treasures. Rarely does a collection have a complete slate of hits without a miss. Even the best author can have a few lesser lights mixed in with the best.

Stephen Baxter's collection Traces shows this maxim quite well. Unlike the thematic Vacumn Diagrams, its a pretty diverse collection, including probably the best story of the lot, the imaginative "Moon Six". The titular story, on the other hand, is a forgettable tale at best. In between range stories of various strengths and weakness, ranging on sf treatments of subjects from Verne to Gagarin.

American fans of Stephen Baxter like myself will appreciate having the collection, but this is definitely not the place to start with his work if you are new to his brand of idea bursting stories.

I read Manifold:Time, his first in the series, and found it a very satisfying SF read. The science is solid, the characters well-developed and the pace perfect. The next in the series, Manifold:Space, was a disappointment, but still bearable--Note that although the characters (at least their names) are the same in all 3 books, it is not really a series as the author uses "parallel universe" plot lines to make each book stand on its own. The third one, Manifold:Origin is truly a waste of paper. The plot has so many holes, inconsistencies and in general inanities that you almost feel the whole thing is a joke, or maybe Mr. Baxter really sacrificed ideas for speed (less than a year between M:Space and M:Origin). The main character of the book, a well-developed and engaging personality in the first book, is shallow and failry boring in this instance, with few endearing or engaging traits. The main plot line starts with his significant other being kidnapped to (he presumes) a new planet that has just appeared orbiting the Earth and replacing the moon. He fights tooth and nail to get a ship to go there (never mind why an overcrowded planet with existing technology would not be rushing to colonize a new planet with water and atmosphere less than 5 light-minutes away). When he gets there, primary objective being to resuce his loved one, he is met by hostile hominids and is saved by what appears to be a lost English lord. of course the next logical step is to: leave the ship, his only means of getting out, open and abandoned, have his only communications device with Earth destroyed, and proceed to go have beers and sleep off the hangover at the Brits' camp.
Never mind that he also just found out that this planet happens to be a "link" between parallel Earths and just phases in and out bwtween universes and therefore any second he could be phased to a different universe and forget any hope of coming back. The plot goes downhill from there. it becomes excrutiatingly boring and even less believable. It is a shame that an author with such a stellar oeuvre felt compelled to publish such an unworthy novel. I hope his next effort is more satisfying, but after M:Origin, I will definitely wait for reviews before buying it.

This book started out with a bang! I loved the first person narrative from a hominid view point and as usual, I really enjoyed Stephen Baxter's literary style. What really disappointed me was the cliche use of the "inquisition" type characters who are sexually repressed and ultimately evil. I also think that the story could have done without the gratuitous amount of violence, especially sexually related violence and violence against infant hominids. I got the point regarding humanity's view of lower life forms early on in the book and I resented the message being pounded on me through out the book. In addition, was this deja vu, or was Stephen recycling a lot of his ideas from his first two Manifold books?

I really enjoy Stephen Baxter's writing and I thought that his first books were great science fiction. This book lacked any hard science fiction and was geared more toward a sociological observation of both the nature of evolution and how man's cruelty is related to his stage of evolution. I wish that Mr. Baxter would have taken more time on this book and allowed his imagination to travel past the Red Moon. Had there been more interesting and interactive characters (instead of saving them for a sequel), I would have given this book a much higher rating.

This is an extended meditation on the Fermi paradox, the idea that if intelligent life existed elsewhere in the universe we should already have encountered it. Baxter's solution to the paradox is to suggest that our close hominid relatives - Neanderthals, homo erectus etc are the intelligent neighbours we never noticed. However, don't let this philosophical musing put you off. The novel is a cracking good thriller, often dark and violent, sometimes tender and humane. The earth's moon is suddenly replaced by a mysterious new one. Malenfant's wife is marooned there so he sets off on a mission to rescue her. On the way he learns the secret of the red moon and of the evolutionary tinkering it represents.

This is the first Stephen Baxter book I've read. Although it is at the end of a trilogy of novels I didn't feel as though I'd missed anything by not having read the other two first.
Baxter is sometimes mentioned in relation to 'hard science fiction', a phrase that puts me off. If you are similarly affected by the threat of too much physics and not enough story, do not be put off reading 'Origin'. It is an intelligent, easy read, with plenty of plot, enough characterisation to keep readers happy, and really not that many complicated spaceships.

Poor book. The author doesn't understand Spanish nor French - very strange when writing Buñuel's biography. His sketch of B's personality is very poor.

Baxter's book is readable, but inadequately researched. Baxter is innocent of Spanish, and this means that many of the documents related to Bunuel are...well, Spanish, to him. It also leads to a number of egregious errors and, in general, to suspect judgements and thin interpretations. A number of questions need to be addressed in a biography of Bunuel, but Baxter either treats them superficially or ignores them. A definitive--or even semi-definitive, if such a thing exists-- biography of Bunuel is yet to come.

"Bunuel" by John Baxter has received some bad press from some of the reviewers here, but this is not a bad book at all. It is probably the second best biographical book about Luis Bunuel right after, of course, "My Last Sigh." Bunuel remains one of the giants of the cinema, a director who's films remain timeless and evocative, seductive and visceral, and sometimes funny. Baxter is not a bad author and elevates his subject to some great intellectual levels, exploring the depth of Bunuel's work and the philosophies, desires, madness and obsessions that spin madly at the center of this man's story. And yet, Baxter reveals that Bunuel was not some lunatic with a camera, he had surprisingly compassionate, funny human aspects, which is the case with most geniuses. Bunuel's life here plays like a great novel, filled with interesting characters from Bunuel's life like the painter Salvador Dali and the poet Federico Garcia Lorca. There is interesting information here, sometimes voyeuristic when we learn Lorca apparently tried to seduce Dali. The book is also a good examination of the films, because to understand Bunuel's mind, one must look at his masterpieces. There are fascinating moments when the book goes into the Surrealist movement and Bunuel's first two surreal films made with Dali, "Un Chien Andalou" (with the immortal image of a razor slicing across a woman's eye-ball) and "L'Age d'Or" (which has touches of De Sade). We follow Bunuel on his exile to Mexico where he makes the classic "Los Olvidados" which left an impact in many directors including, we learn here, Roman Polanski. Bunuel's work is a rich collage of visceral, seductive emotions and images as seen in works like "Viridiana" and "Belle De Jour" (the most famous erotic film ever) and the book makes good use of exploring all of the art. And yet, the human stories are also entertaining. A surprising thing that comes out is the love story between Bunuel and his wife Jeanne Rucar (who wrote a book about their marriage titled "Woman Without A Piano" which I wish someone would put back in print!) which is as involving as the stories of Bunuel's movies. There are comic moments, as when Mexican director Arturo Ripstein calls on Bunuel after seeing "Nazarin" and tells him he wants to be a director just like him. Bunuel gets anrgy, admits him and screens "Un Chien Andalou" and comments, "THIS is what I do." Ripstein, of course, is one of Mexico's greatest directors. "Bunuel" is fascinating, enjoyable, entertaining and sometimes crazy. It manages to capture a man and his art and dissect the wonderful faults and positives of his genius.