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Hard to review this novel and praise all that's great in it without spoiling it! There's at least 4-5 really clever bits I'd love to talk about that would spoil it, so I'll just be coy...

First off, it's a slow burn going in, but worth sticking with. I find Robinson consistently enjoyable as an author, even when I've felt a given novel is weak or underwhelming. But this one is neither. This is one of the most impressive "hard" sci-fi novels I've read in a long while, a highly inventive generational ship story with deep characters and a few surprising twists and reveals.

The emotional heart of this book dances around loss, acceptance, hope, love, discovery, aging and meaning, and "home" -- what it is, how one finds it or makes it. I wish I could say more, but I'd ruin it. Give this one a chance, and if you read it I'd love to talk with you about it...

To my friends who aren't that into sci-fi, I'd still recommend this one. Just be prepared for bouts of extended science exposition -- one of Robinson's strengths, put to skilled use here as it fleshes out several plot points and emotional themes to great effect.

A clear and engaging story of a newsman's often reluctant secular meditation journey. In his quest to reduce his anxiety and understand his mind better, Dan Harris finds one after another prejudice and preconception questioned and readjusted as he comes to embrace what I'd call his version of a secular Buddhism. A good read for anyone curious about meditation but suspicious of the usual woo-woo elements, and motivational for those of us who maybe don't even mind the woo-woo but forget over and over just how beneficial a meditative practice can be.

That said, it's more a memoir than a how-to, and while I'd say he does a good job representing how meditation is a useful thing to do even if you don't want religion or spirituality and want to "remain effective" ... he's also not really someone I'd personally want to hang around with, and while expressing gratitude for his connections and luck, one has to admit, he also seems a little sheltered in his privilege & access. I'm really glad meditation helped his life get better, and I hope his message helps reduce stress and suffering for many. But I have to narrow my eyes a little when after all this he's still expressing befuddlement at the end as to why some of the figures in this book wanted to talk to him, "be his friend," or otherwise help him. Um ... hello? You've been a significant media figure since you began this journey.