Arkhangelsk 3 - The Setting

clash_bowley

The setting of the novel is bleak, but seems at first to be viable, but things are worse than they seem. How did you feel about this setting?

RichardAbbott

They were so bleak I wondered how they'd managed to survive this long! I mean, I know that as has been said, in the long run we're all dead, but the planet was so inhospitable in so many ways that you wonder why they bothered. I guess there was an element of contrivance in that the newcomers arrived just at the point where the constant medical juggling was beginning to fall over, but having accepted that then the rest seemed to flow well.

NeilNjae

"Why they bothered" is a key theme of the novel, I think. What is the point of living? And both sub-settings (Novayarkha and Hypatia) are post-apocalyptic.

The Hypatia's answer to the meaning of life is to carry out the great work that's been assigned to them, despite knowing they'll never live to see the benefits of it.

Novayarkha's answer is endure what suffering is necessary now so that future generations can live a better life. The promise is always "our children and grandchildren will have it better".

What's missing from either of those is any idea of making life better for the here and now. But too much emphasis on that has you living beyond your means and leads (at the extreme) to problems like baby boomers hoarding all the wealth, and environmental collapse.

Interesting ideas!

Apocryphal

To @NeilNjae 's point, in this sense at least, I do feel the motives did feel rather Russian, where individual life is cheap and duty to the national project has greater meaning. As I said in the world-building question, I rather liked the bleak, hardscrabble colony setting in space.

BarnerCobblewood

It was unbelievable - the land was too harsh, the people too institutional, and the historical and social dynamics - Oh yeah, wait, there weren't any. When the stasis is finally broken our "heroes" simply leave everyone behind to go on their honeymoon. Very reassuring for what's left of however many readers aspire to the life of the petty bourgeoisie I suppose. Kind of like the end of the Harry Potter series. Sheesh.

kcaryths

I liked the setting quite a bit. Enjoyed the constant battle against an enemy that will never give up (radiation or time). It reminded me a little bit of Seveneves in that sense, in that things just keep getting worse, but Seveneves I enjoyed a lot more because it degraded much faster and it felt like there was a very real possibility of everyone being dead and the human race in its entirety being wiped out. This book felt like it never quite gave me the same full sense of dread.

RichardAbbott

> @kcaryths said:
> I liked the setting quite a bit. Enjoyed the constant battle against an enemy that will never give up (radiation or time). It reminded me a little bit of Seveneves in that sense, in that things just keep getting worse, but Seveneves I enjoyed a lot more because it degraded much faster and it felt like there was a very real possibility of everyone being dead and the human race in its entirety being wiped out. This book felt like it never quite gave me the same full sense of dread.

I don't know Seveneves - who wrote it?

kcaryths

@RichardAbbott said:

@kcaryths said:
I liked the setting quite a bit. Enjoyed the constant battle against an enemy that will never give up (radiation or time). It reminded me a little bit of Seveneves in that sense, in that things just keep getting worse, but Seveneves I enjoyed a lot more because it degraded much faster and it felt like there was a very real possibility of everyone being dead and the human race in its entirety being wiped out. This book felt like it never quite gave me the same full sense of dread.

I don't know Seveneves - who wrote it?

Neal Stephenson. It's the only one of his tomes that I have read. I really liked it, but it's not without its flaws (and some people hate it)