Noumenon

Marina J. Lostetter

Book 1 in the series:Noumenon

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'Noumenon' by Marina J. Lostetter is a science fiction novel that explores the journey of a generation convoy sent from Earth to investigate a distant potential artificial star. The convoy is made up of seven ships, each with a unique civilization dedicated to their sole cause, maintaining their population through genetic cloning. The story delves into themes of purpose, individuality, morality, and the essence of humanity, while also touching on societal structures, technological advancements, and philosophical questions. Through a series of interconnected vignettes, the narrative spans centuries, showcasing the evolution of the convoy's culture and the impact of decisions made before their departure from Earth. The writing style combines elements of hard science fiction with inventive twists on familiar tropes, offering a thought-provoking and mind-bending exploration of space exploration and human nature.

Characters:

The characters are primarily clones, leading to challenges in uniqueness, but they evolve culturally over time, with some exhibiting more depth, especially the AI.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is accessible yet uneven, blending cheerful tones with thoughtful explorations, though criticized for lackluster prose at times.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a generation ship journeying to a distant star, framed through various character perspectives and exploring human and ethical challenges, culminating in a potential sequel.

Setting:

The setting spans from a future Earth to various generation ships, focusing on societal evolution within closed communities.

Pacing:

Pacing is mixed, alternating between engaging moments and slower sections; the vignette structure enhances the broad timeline but can confuse reader connection.

The Planet United Consortium was formed in order to pursue Earth-wide interests in deep space. Each Planet United Mission is designed to further humanity’s joint scientific understanding, its reach be...

Notes:

Noumenon is a speculative fiction novel by Marina J. Lostetter.

The story is set in the year 2088 and follows a generation spaceship journey.

Humans use cloning to populate the ships and replace generations.

The novel explores themes of purpose and society in a closed environment.

The narrative is structured through multiple vignettes, each detailing different time spans.

An AI named ICC provides continuity throughout the story.

The book critiques traditional notions of reality in literature, compared to fantastic worlds.

It touches on ethical questions relating to clones and humanity.

Some readers found the science in the book implausible, leading to critiques of the author's scientific research.

Critics noted the storytelling could appear naïve and overly optimistic.

Despite its flaws, many commend its ambitious exploration of complex themes.

The narrative includes existential dilemmas about what it means to be human, especially in relation to cloning.

From The Publisher:

With nods to Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series and the real science of Neal Stephenson's Seveneves, a touch of Hugh Howey's Wool, and echoes of Octavia Butler's voice, a powerful tale of space travel, adventure, discovery, and humanity that unfolds through a series of generational vignettes.

In 2088, humankind is at last ready to explore beyond Earth's solar system. But one uncertainty remains: Where do we go?

Astrophysicist Reggie Straifer has an idea. He's discovered an anomalous star that appears to defy the laws of physics, and proposes the creation of a deep-space mission to find out whether the star is a weird natural phenomenon, or something manufactured.

The journey will take eons. In order to maintain the genetic talent of the original crew, humankind's greatest ambition-to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy- is undertaken by clones. But a clone is not a perfect copy, and each new generation has its own quirks, desires, and neuroses. As the centuries fly by, the society living aboard the nine ships (designated Convoy Seven) changes and evolves, but their mission remains the same: to reach Reggie's mysterious star and explore its origins-and implications.

A mosaic novel of discovery, Noumenon-in a series of vignettes-examines the dedication, adventure, growth, and fear of having your entire world consist of nine ships in the vacuum of space. The men and women, and even the AI, must learn to work and live together in harmony, as their original DNA is continuously replicated and they are born again and again into a thousand new lives. With the stars their home and the unknown their destination, they are on a voyage of many lifetimes-an odyssey to understand what lies beyond the limits of human knowledge and imagination.

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