The Long Earth – Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett

When I first read about The Long Earth, this collaborative effort between Terry Pratchett and hard SF writer Stephen Baxter seemed to me… a little odd. As it did to quite a few, I am pretty sure. But now that I have finished the novel, I realize my suspicion was absolutely unwarranted. In fact, now I see clearly that this co-authorship is a match made in heaven. The Discworld series is, if anything, one of the biggest arenas for fictional thought experimentation ever imagined, be it related to technology, society, art, etc. Stephen Baxter, on the other hand, has the know-how to take Pratchett’s skill and panache for world creation to the next level – science fiction and its stricter adherence to mimesis. I am happy to say that the brainchild of the two authors delivers spectacularly.

Two promising SF releases today!

Two interesting new books came out today. One is Existence, which I have been expecting for a long time. If it is comparable in scope and ambition to Earth, then it will be a truly great SF novel.

The other one is a curious collaboration between Terry Pratchett and hard sci-fi author Stephen Baxter, called The Long Earth.

If all is well and there is time, I will try to post reviews of the two in the coming weeks. With new novels from Alastair Reynolds and Kim Stanley Robinson already out, and with Rajaniemi’s The Fractal Prince coming out in September, 2012 is shaping up to be a decent year for SF.