Why am I passionate about this?
Growing up, I was exposed to the same influences as most other SF writers of my generation – Clarke, Heinlein, and Asimov. But I was also exposed to the more nuanced, more psychologically realistic work of writers like Harlan Ellison, Norman Spinrad, Ursula K. LeGuin, and J.G. Ballard, none of whom shared the unquestioning techno-utopianism of an earlier generation of writers. They taught me not to automatically respect power or authority, and to always question ideas that might otherwise be taken for granted. It’s an approach that’s carried over into my own writing ever since.
Gary's book list on cynical takes on space colonisation
Why did Gary love this book?
Quite possibly one of the most divisive SF novels of recent years, this starts with a familiar scenario: the launch of a generation ship to transport thousands of colonists – and, ultimately, their descendants – to a distant habitable world. Despite having written Red Mars, one of the best novels about colonizing another world, Robinson has disparaged the idea that any such thing is, in fact, possible or even desirable. In Aurora, he confronts the question of what happens when those descendants, born on a ship they didn’t choose to be passengers on, decide they have a quite different idea of where they should go, and why.
2 authors picked Aurora as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
'What a saga! Scifi with honest, complex humanity, physics, biology, sociology' - Tom Hanks
'Aurora is a magnificent piece of writing, certainly Robinson's best novel since his mighty Mars trilogy, perhaps his best ever' - Guardian
Our voyage from Earth began generations ago.
Now, we approach our destination.
A new home.
Aurora.
Brilliantly imagined and beautifully told, Aurora is the work of a writer at the height of his powers.
'An accessible novel packed with big ideas, wonders, jeopardy and, at the end, a real emotional punch' SFX
'Aurora is Robinson's best book yet . . . Heart-wrenching, provocative' Scientific…