Providence

I read a lot of science fiction. It's my preferred entertainment. And so I also read a lot of books that aren't very good - either because their plot is silly, or their characters are two dimensional, or the writing is just boring. This is one of the exceptions. Everything here just works, beautifully. I couldn't put it down. It won't be for everyone, because far future stories with aliens just aren't what everyone wants. But if the broad subject doesn't repel you, this book is a definite must read. And frankly, it's original and interesting and well written enough that I'd recommend it even if you don't normally read stuff like this. It's thoughtful and exciting at the same time.

This book is a curate's egg. Some parts are truly sensational whilst others are a bit plodding. Overall I would recommend it and I will look for other books by this author.

Earth is in the middle of a war with space dwelling, mirco black hole spitting six legged salamander. The latest Providence class star ship is ready to go – with four crew it doesn’t really need because its controlled by an AI. After a series of space battles -- things get darker and darker. The generally story may be a little familiar but this is terrific --- the writing is tight, controlled and fluid, the four characters distinct and original as they grapple with their insecurities and sense of purposelessness. The thrills come fast and furious – the big guns do get to fire, as Berry remarks. Nice touches include reflection of the suspicions of the corporation behind the starships and the nature of AI – - what is it really up to ?does it share humanities purpose ? Highly recommended.

It's a good book, a decent story. Would I recommend to to others? yes, is it one of my favourite books no.The audiobook narrator does an excellent job.

It's a small thing, but as someone who really loves physical books - I was disappointed to receive this book with a damaged cover. Didn't want to send it back as it's still readable and I can't wait to read it, but it is a bit of a downer.

This is a book which doesn't give you that many answers, there's a clear plot, and what happens is clear, but there's tons of stuff in the sub-text which is implied, but never answered.This annoyed some reviewers, but I actually really enjoyed the questions it levels.

Max Barry comes up with some excellent ideas in his fiction from corporations that imbue you, to words that can kill. In 'Providence' he has come up with a powerful message that questions who we are in the modern workplace, but you are going to have to work to discover it.At first glance this book reads like military science fiction with a slow burn. The reason being it is not the action that matters, but the relationships. With only four principles we get to know them well, but it is their relationship with the ship itself that is key. If our job is run by AI, is there any need for humans at all, even in war?'Providence' is more cerebral than you may hope, but there is action, especially towards the end. The book would appeal more to fans of ideas sci fi and not the action types.

Really great debut (well it was for me). Interesting, insightful, thought-provoking and fun...I would definitely recommend this nook. (plus two words)

This novel is about 90% popcorn flick novel and 10% sci-fi thinker, which makes it quite the page turner. The story is simple enough humans vs aliens, following the mission of a four person crew on the space ship providence. The small cast features very strong archtypes that consistently play off each other and propel the narrative through the somewhat basic story. Of the four characters one was a bit too bland for me and I ended up skimming their back story sections a bit. The other three characters had a bit of something going on to make them compelling to me. If the book was 100% popcorn flick pulp I'd give it four stars. I can say that at around the third act I was fully engrossed in the story and actually delayed reading it because I wanted to finish it in one sitting, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed it. The 10% sci-fi thinker puts it in the 5 star category, the ship in the story is AI powered and the plot leaves room for the reader to ponder some big questions around autonomy, propaganda, and so on. I also found the explanations of the aliens extremely clever and were an excellent complement to the AI.

Kurz zum Inhalt: Die vier Hauptfiguren, drei Soldaten und ein Zivilist, befinden sich auf einem Raumschiff im Kriegseinsatz gegen "Salamder" genannten Aliens. Das Schiff wird aber von einer KI gesteuert und die Menschen sind nur Beiwerk, das einem verlustreichen Krieg ein menschliches Gesicht geben soll um die Kampfmoral einer kriegsmüden, finanziell ausgebluteten Bevölkerung (Kriegsschiffe der Providence Klasse sind unfassbar teuer) aufrecht zu erhalten.Zur Kritik: Die Handlung ist über weite Teile charaktergetrieben, da es zwar früh zu Kampfhandlungen kommt, diese durch die absolute Überlegenheit der Providence aber geradezu Routine sind, ohne den geringsten Zweifel wer gewinnt.Die Charaktere lernt man nach und nach kennen - zuerst oft aus der Sicht der anderen Crewmitglieder, früher oder später auch aus ihrer eigenen Sicht. Wobei ich mich öfter als einmal in einem Charakter getäuscht habe.Interessant wird es, da zum einen die Salamander mit jeder Attacke dazulernen und zum anderen durch die menschliche Komponente. Denn die vier Protagonisten beginnen sowohl an der Kompetenz als auch der "Motivation" des intelligenten Schiffes zu zweifeln. Dies führt zu einem überraschenden Ende das mit weniger Kontrolle und mehr Vertrauen besser ausgegangen wäre. Man könnte hier im Nachhinein an der Frage "Was wäre wenn?" wirklich verzweifeln.Das Buch wirft sehr interessante Fragen auf, die sicher nicht neu sind aber doch immer wieder anders gehandhabt werden: Wie reagieren Menschen psychisch darauf Jahre im Weltraum, auf engem Raum, mit immer denselben Menschen und immer derselben Routine zu verbringen?Und wie kann man einer künstlichen Intelligenz vertrauen, deren "Gedankengänge" mit menschlichen Gehirnen nicht nachvollziehbar sind und von der man nicht wissen kann auf welcher Seite sie wirklich steht?Fazit: Viel Psychologie am Anfang, überzeugende Action im letzten Drittel und ein sehr spannendes starkes Ende.

Brilliantly paced and elaborated.A delight to read.Perfect for a flight or a one night binge.Cements the author as one of the current best in SF.

I was introduced to Max Barry by Lexicon, a book I loved and continue to recommend to anyone who will sit still and listen for maybe even 10 seconds. Providence is a good bit of Sci Fi, clever, interesting, and well written but not mind bending in the way that Lexicon was. Maybe I just have to accept that Max writes many good books but thus far, only one great one.

The book started of really well and up until half way I just could not put it down. But then it quickly goes downhill from there, with crews acting crazy for no reason and fighting like they are in a Hollywood movie. It was huge disappointment.