The Freeze-Frame Revolution

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com

This particular book is the second in a series of short stories written by Watts called the Sunflower Cycle. The other short stories have been written over the last 10 years and can be found for free on Watt's website. The correct reading order for the series is Hotshot, The Freeze-Frame Revolution, The Island and Giants. However you could quite easily jump in at this second book and not miss anything.

The conflict in The Freeze-Frame Revolution mainly comes from the differing politics between the humans and AI. The humans spend most of their time in stasis, waking every thousand years if the CHIMP needs help creating a wormhole gate. This is a job they have been doing for millions of years, and will seemingly continue on to the heat death of the universe. Unless they are given some sort of sign telling them to stop. Even though they have already been working long past the mission's original end time.

If you would like a modern comparison think of Curiosity, alone, exploring the surface of Mars. NASA engineer's thought it would have broken down long ago, but it continues to run, meaning it continues to send back data. This is similar to the crew of the Eriophora. However so much time has now passed that it may be impossible for humans, or whatever humans have evolved into, to send a signal ending their mission. However the AI doesn't quite see these things the same way.

Peter Watts has done a brilliant job of making this book feel dark. Time is an important factor to the plot and Watts makes you feel like time is passing, this isn't an easy task, especially when nothing on the ship is really changing. Sunday has a regular job, except when she sleeps 1000 years go by. But Watts puts it into perspective by comparing the time that has passed to how far into the past that represents. A few hundred years, a few thousand and then long before the time of the dinosaurs.

I think there is an element of horror to this book, and it's not because the plot. It comes from putting time in perspective. The big bang was a very long time ago, Sunday spends even more time on the Eriophora, millions and millions of years, and they aren't even half way to the heat death of the universe. Time is long and human lives are short.