Phases of Gravity [Anglais] [Relié]

I had never heard of this Dan Simmons book until the moment when I first saw it in some comic book store . . . and that immediately intruiged me. Generally with a successful author you hear about all of their books, whether it's the glorious peaks of their best work or the terrible quality that is the worst they have to offer. Curious I picked it up and put it on a shelf to read until just the other day, and now I finally finished. And I'm definitely impressed. This has to be one of the Simmons' least known and most underrated works, all of his fans who read his Hyperion series or even the fans who like his horror work should come and get this, because it falls nicely in the middle. Neither a science fiction nor a horror novel, this time he chooses to write about the simplest and most complex of topics: people. The novel concerns the spiritual (in a sense) quest of a former astronaut who once walked on the moon and his attempts to come to terms with his life and all that has transpired. It raises the interesting question, once you've sacrificed nearly everything so you can do what only a handful of men have done, isn't everything downhill after that. And if you leave your life in ruins because of those sacrifices, well you can't stay in space forever and you've eventually got to come down and face the music. The more is vastly more complicated than that and even though it doesn't have snarling vampires or weird spiky creatures (not that I don't like those) guarenteed you won't miss them one bit. Simmons crafts his main character with all the depth of a real person and eventually he becomes someone you want to know and someone you do get to know. His style is still marvelously apparent, his gift for description and detail never in better evidence here, especially when describing dreams or nature sequences, or even the cold beauty of space. Most of all this book has heart, Simmons has a real affection for the material and the characters and that shows through on every page. This is one of those books you can't go wrong with. Sadly out of print, try your best to snag a used copy and get ready to discover another facet of the man that you might not have realized. If anything this proves that Simmons can do any type of novel he wants and still create something of quality.

Dan Simmons has done something very rare in writing today. He makes you think. He has written a book about taking stock of ones life. His protangonist has been to the moon, which would make him the envy of many people. Yet, his life is not working. So the story weaves its magic on the reader. As the story proceeds, some of lifes questions are answered for the hero, but not all of them. There is a sense of disquiet that pervades the story. Better yet, melancholy best describes this work. If you going through your own personal search for the meaning of life or want a sense of what it could be like, then I highly recommend this novel. There are no aliens or monsters with this read, but it stands along with the best of what he has written. It is truly an amazing piece.

This is one of those rare books that I try to read again every few years. I was searching for another book on Amazon by another author and a book by Simmons was suggested. This got me thinking about Phases, one of the few books I have ever read that inspired serious reflection without inducing an even more serious downer. I don't remember a great deal about the plot or the protagonist, Baedecker, but I do recall reading the last line and closing the book with a clean satisfaction.

This is not sf, despite its designation as such. Its just a damned good story about a middle-aged "success" trying to find himself in an odd little world. If this sounds a bit like you -- get a copy -- if you can find one. Seeing that this book is out of print just about ruined my day -- except that I know where my copy is at home!