Phases Of Gravity

Far more than I expected

Seriously, I was truly amazed by the phenomenal writing on this topic. It's a subject that interests me, but the way it was covered was completely unexpected. The author has managed to present the information in a unique and engaging manner, which kept me hooked from start to finish.

The details provided were not only comprehensive but also presented in a way that was easy to understand. The use of vivid language and examples really brought the topic to life. I found myself learning new things and seeing the subject from a different perspective.

This piece of writing is highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in this topic or is looking for something new and interesting to read. It's a great example of how good writing can make a seemingly ordinary topic into something truly extraordinary.

This is not the Dan Simmons book that I had initially anticipated. However, I found myself completely enamored with it.

The interesting aspect is that I am really struggling to precisely identify the reason why I liked it so extremely.

I suppose it could be the well-developed characters and engaging dialogues. But there is definitely something additional within these pages that lifts this book to a higher level.

It is truly a great read that has managed to capture my attention and hold it firmly until the very end.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a captivating story with depth and substance.

Despite not being what I was initially looking for, it has become one of my favorite reads in recent times.

One of the very few "realistic" novels by Dan Simmons.

Usually, his novels fall into the genres of science fiction, horror, fantasy, or a combination thereof. Sometimes, his books are noir or suspense, and although those books are set in the real world, it's not quite the same as true realism. Don't tell Raymond Chandler I said this.

This book was written in the late 1980s, and our lead character, Dan Baedecker, is a retired astronaut who has recently become divorced and estranged from his family. Two things have made him bitter about life: having been to space and knowing he'll never return, and the tragedy of the Challenger explosion. The Challenger explosion is a more immediate fixation, and the anger and rage he feels about it are palpable in this book. In fact, this is the third thing I've read from Dan Simmons where his own anger seeps into the text. It's strange because I was alive during all of it, but I don't remember much beyond the actual explosion and the spectacle of it being on every TV in the country when it happened. For Simmons and our character, it's the negligence and incompetence that allowed it to happen.

The other part, the never going back to space, reminds me a lot of the WWII poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee Jr.

The poem describes the beauty and wonder of flight, and how it can make a person feel as if they've touched the face of God. Having experienced that, what good are people, especially those who either killed the astronauts or don't seem angry enough about it?

This novel explores these themes and more, delving into the psyche of a man who has lost so much and is trying to come to terms with his past. It's a powerful and thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

It has not been what I expected.

However, I have liked it more than what was foreseeable.

At first, when I embarked on this journey or experience, I had certain preconceived notions and expectations. But as things unfolded, it became clear that the reality was quite different.

To my surprise, this deviation from what I had anticipated actually led to a more enjoyable outcome.

Perhaps it was the element of surprise, or the fact that I was forced to adapt and see things from a new perspective.

Whatever the reason, I found myself pleasantly surprised and satisfied with the way things turned out.

It just goes to show that sometimes, not getting what you expect can lead to something even better.

And in this case, it has been a truly rewarding experience.

I look forward to seeing what other unexpected joys and surprises lie ahead in my future endeavors.

Love Dan Simmons - he writes well across many genres (science fiction, horror, fantasy).

This book is very different from any other he's written. It takes the reader on a unique journey that defies expectations.

The story is filled with complex characters and a plot that twists and turns in unexpected ways.

Simmons' writing style is as engaging as ever, drawing the reader in from the very first page.

Whether you're a fan of his previous work or new to his writing, this book is sure to captivate you.

It's a must-read for anyone who loves a good story that challenges the boundaries of traditional genres.

With its richly detailed world-building and thought-provoking themes, this book is a true masterpiece.

Dan Simmons has once again proven himself to be a master of the written word.

The Czech translation is rather cumbersome.

It seems that the process of translating into Czech might not be as smooth as one would hope. There could be various reasons for this, perhaps the complexity of the Czech language itself or the specific nature of the text being translated.

For those interested in exploring more about this, there is a link provided: http://sataiovo.tumblr.com/post/45263.... By clicking on this link, one might be able to gain further insights into the matter and understand better why the Czech translation is causing difficulties.

It could potentially lead to a discussion or analysis among language enthusiasts and translators alike, in an effort to find ways to improve the translation process and make it less cumbersome for future translations.

For a book that didn't possess a specific plot or an easily definable story arc, I was truly astonished to discover that I derived far more enjoyment from it than I had anticipated.

The characters within the book were fascinating, each with their own unique traits and personalities that drew me in and made me care about their fates.

Moreover, the book offered profound introspection on how life has been lived, making me reflect on my own experiences and choices.

Simmons is undoubtedly a remarkable writer, capable of captivating readers and keeping them hooked from start to finish. His skill in creating a vivid and engaging world, despite the lack of a traditional plot, is truly impressive.

This book has shown me that sometimes, the most unexpected reads can be the most rewarding, challenging our preconceived notions about what makes a good story.

I've been a devoted Dan Simmons fan ever since I delved into *Hyperion*. Since then, I've explored a bit of his horror with *The Terror* and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, when I spotted a Simmons novel I'd never heard of tucked away in the science fiction section of a used bookshop, I thought it was worth a couple of bucks. And although this book isn't science fiction at all - it's set in our world and feels eerily realistic - it was definitely money well spent.

It's an intriguing exploration of middle age crises and transcendental experiences. While it didn't affect me as deeply as it has some other reviewers, I firmly believe it deserves to be read by a much wider audience than those who seem to be aware of it.

*Phases of Gravity* kicks off with retired Apollo program pilot Richard Baedecker arriving in India. He aims to reconnect with his son Scott, who has fallen under the sway of a "guru" there. Upon landing, he meets one of Scott's friends, the intelligent young woman Maggie, who acts as a tourist guide for him in Scott's absence. Throughout this first section, we're treated to various flashbacks of Richard's moon landing years earlier, an experience that didn't quite live up to his prior expectations. This section concludes with an encounter between Scott and Richard, but the former wants nothing to do with the latter, and Richard leaves without saying goodbye to Maggie.

Part Two, titled "Glen Oak" (the small Midwestern town where Richard spent several years of his youth), is about Richard being called back to Glen Oak to be their Guest of Honor for their seasonal parade. The private firm he now works for sees this as a great opportunity for publicity. Richard isn't overly thrilled, but he goes along with it, meeting locals - sometimes even going as far as to drink or go shooting with them - and eventually giving his "guest of honor speech" while half in the bag; it turns out to be rather sad and perhaps even critical of humanity's drive to explore space. The plot between these two segments might seem a bit lackluster, but Part Three - "Uncompahgre" - is more engaging. Inspired by a starry sky painted on his ceiling by a boy in Glen Oak, Richard quits his job. This part is told through two concurrent narratives: his climb up a mountain with his ex-Apollo copilot Gavin and his family, and the events leading up to him meeting Gavin's family, including him finding Gavin's telepreaching on a hotel TV and Maggie showing up at Gavin's house, hoping to join the trip.

Now, nothing inappropriate has occurred between Richard and Maggie, but Gavin is skeptical; then again, he doubts everyone and recently made his son end a relationship because, after years together, they might have been getting close to having sex. His son is now acting out, smoking and drinking with thrill-seeking ruffians they encounter on the trail. The camping trip is quite surreal (what with Richard and Maggie succumbing to each other and Gavin's son's drunken antics) and evolves into a desperate attempt at transcendence (when Richard ends up hang-gliding off the side of the mountain). Part Four - "Tonerock" - is a touch more heartbreaking. It's about the third member of the Apollo trio, Dave, and is told mainly in three parts: Richard investigating Dave's death after his funeral, Richard's reaction to his death after the plane he was piloting between his town and his outpost of Lonerock crashed, and the trip up to Lonerock that Richard and Dave took before his death. This is a sad section, especially since Dave's widow was pregnant, but the part where Richard is able to rule out that Dave killed himself because he was picking up a puppy from a local woman to give his son the same kind of pet-loving experience he had as a kid was really nice and sentimental. It does end with another impulsive act, though - after maybe seventy pages of Richard seeing Dave's helicopter as a death trap, he pilots it to the California suburb where Scott's guru has set up shop in a desperate bid to rescue him. Somehow, as we see at the beginning of Part Five, it worked; Richard and Scott are now trying to rebuild their relationship, including a trip to watch a NASA launch. Richard does manage to get Scott's blessing to pursue *something* - even if they don't yet know what - with Maggie, and he ends up chasing her to her parents' place in the Dakotas, embarking on a drug-induced dream-trip with a Native American before Maggie finds him; we can assume that Richard might have found what he was seeking.

The most significant aspect of Dan Simmons, as far as I'm concerned, is his prose. He's an incredibly fluid writer who uses evocative turns of phrase without clouding the narrative. He's a clear writer who paints vivid pictures in your mind while maintaining consistent lines of action and character interactions, all without ever becoming pretentious. This book contains at least a substantial portion of the writing craft you'd expect to find in any accomplished literary novel, yet it remains highly accessible. I almost think of Dan Simmons as a Stephen King who knows how to write; that might offend some of you, but read this (or one of his horror novels) and see if you still disagree with me then.

Just as crucial as his prose is the way Simmons structures Richard Baedecker's journey throughout *Phases of Gravity*. While the journey wasn't entirely convincing to me (I'll explain why shortly), it's evident that Simmons deliberately arranged these events in the order he did, included the flashbacks he did, and omitted certain events from the action. It was all purposeful. In the first section set in India, he quickly outlines what Richard felt during his moonwalk (spoiler alert, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be), but in Part Two, instead of interspersing flashbacks into the narrative, Simmons inserts some self-reflective speeches from Richard to serve the purpose and draw a contrast between himself and the others from Glen Oak; it's quite impressive. And in Parts Three and Four, the layers of flashbacks accumulate and gradually spiral into a different kind of journey than the ones that preceded it... it might be difficult to explain, but I'm a sucker for a couple of well-executed concurrent narratives, and I think *Phases of Gravity* pulls it off. Your mileage may vary depending on how much you appreciate flashbacks, but I'll rarely complain about an elevated story structure. And speaking of elevated story structure, there were a couple of bait-and-switches that Simmons executed extremely well. In Part Three, Gavin assumes that one of the thrill-seekers is a drug addict due to the marks on his arms, but his girlfriend reveals that the marks are from his Epipen; and in Part Four, the revelation that Dave died on his way to pick up a puppy was perfectly foreshadowed by subtle cues like a clump of fur at the crash site and such. It seemed obvious in hindsight; it's all very well done, even though... well...

Richard Baedecker's journey didn't have a profound impact on *me*. I'm a twenty-year-old guy, and stories of middle age crises have a hard time resonating with me because of that. I had the same feeling with Robert Silverberg's *Dying Inside*, and it's not a criticism of these books. *Phases of Gravity*, in particular, feels incredibly realistic, and Baedecker is a genuine character, even if his whining fails to elicit sympathy from you (Good Lord, you went to the moon, man, your life isn't that bad!). And speaking of realism, contrary to the book's spine, this isn't science fiction; you could potentially argue that this is an alternate history because Richard Baedecker wasn't a real Apollo astronaut, but there's nothing about this history that differs from ours. Some of its passages might pair well with some of the more cynical science fiction out there (for example, Barry Malzberg wasn't a fan of the NASA programs Baedecker participated in, and some of his fiction made that abundantly clear), but it doesn't belong to the genre itself. That's not a bad thing; hopefully, it makes this more appealing to readers. However, I did have one major issue with the book: the ending. While it was probably nice and thematic (I'm referring to the Indian dream-trip nonsense) and did end with a glimmer of finality, I didn't appreciate this kind of plot obfuscation and would have preferred a more cinematic ending to Baedecker's various internal journeys. Maybe that would have made for a less realistic or lived-in story, but... that's what I was kind of hoping for with this one. That's not Simmons' fault, though; that's mine.

With that ending, I think *Phases of Gravity* just misses the mark of four stars; thus, *Phases of Gravity* receives a 7.5/10. It will likely move you, and its literary qualities should impress you. Simmons is solidifying himself as one of my top ten favorite authors with every novel of his that I read, and I can't wait to read something else by him, whether it's more horror or one of his harder-to-classify works. But before I can read more Simmons, I have to buy more, so... off I go into the wild? Before I can buy more, though, I need to read more. Maybe I'll go do that... regardless of my next step, thanks for reading this review, and I hope Simmons does even more for you than he has for me. This is Darnoc Leadburger, signing off, but only for now; you can't escape me that easily...