Sun of Suns 4) An Artificial World

RichardAbbott

For most of the book Virga strikes us as artificially constructed. But from Aubri's point of view it is one of the few (maybe the only) place where "natural" rules of physics apply, while outside, the universe seems more like a VR environment (so far as we can tell from odd hints). Did you like this inversion of perspective or not? Did you want to know more about Aubri's world (for which you'd probably have to read other books in the series)?

clash_bowley

I don't know. They seem pretty much like autocratic religious buttholes to me. I don't like them already.

Apocryphal

Yes and no. I did like this inversion from a story perspective, but the world-building was such that it felt to me like the inside made much more sense as a VR experience than the outside.

What I don't understand is why the outside world can't already be inside? I mean, who controls the access, and who do they work for? I don't know - I thought it was a cool idea, but only half-baked.

I did also like this 'Chinese Room Persona' concept which we encountered briefly at the navel station, but here again I couldn't help but wonder why, in a world in which there's no China and seemingly no Chinese, do we have something named after China? Why isn't it just a 'Club Persona' or some such thing.

NeilNjae

I'm not sure it really added much to the story. The only effect of the trip to the "visitor centre" was to prompt a complete reversal of what we thought Aubri's goal was.

Again, I think this is somewhere the book fell between two stools. Either make the "outside world" a bigger part of the plot, or reduce it to a parargraph-sized interlude. "We needed the map, so I asked the visitor centre or it. Here you go!"

RichardAbbott

@NeilNjae said:
I'm not sure it really added much to the story. The only effect of the trip to the "visitor centre" was to prompt a complete reversal of what we thought Aubri's goal was.

Again, I think this is somewhere the book fell between two stools. Either make the "outside world" a bigger part of the plot, or reduce it to a parargraph-sized interlude. "We needed the map, so I asked the visitor centre or it. Here you go!"

I'm guessing that the later books in the series will go into the wider setting a bit more. Presuming that whoever-is-on-the-outside is now aware of Aubri's failure to complete the mission, it would be logical to have another go via a different strategy.