Rainbows End by Vernor VingeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read Rainbows End for my English 295 class a few weeks ago. I'm a pretty big fan of science fiction so I was excited to be reading a science fiction novel for a class. The beginning was great. I loved the espionage and the secret technology that was being developed. Right when I was really getting into all of it Vinge switched gears and threw me into the life of a recovering Alzheimer's patient who is trying to rediscover the world in which he lives, which is interesting and thought provoking, but not in the same way as the section that came before it. Overall I liked the book. I enjoyed learning about Vinge's new technology through Robert Gu and watching him try to understand and come to terms with everything, but I was a little disappointed that he left a lot of loose ends untied.
If the book's purpose was to ignite discussion about what is in store for books and the new technology that may replace them, then I think it does that well enough. I was intrigued by few of the ideas Vinge brought up and the fight scene set in the library was interesting.
The book, while lacking a bit in plot, was good at presenting Vinge's ideas in an easily accessible form.
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Yes, I do think that the purpose of the book (at least in part) was to get us thinking about the future of books, and I'm glad you identified that. How exactly does Vinge get us thinking about the issue, and what is your take on the future of reading (in terms of your response to the book)?
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