Permafrost

When I was a kid, I read Ray Bradbury's time travel short, "A Sound of Thunder," in which wealthy adventurers travel back in time to hunt animals such as dinosaurs. Cause and effect kick in when a hunter does something unexpected, and the change ripples through time, catching up with the hunters when they return to the present."Permafrost" is an elaborated version of that concept (though it's still only a novella, not a full length book), which sees a rag-tag team of scientists situated in our future work to reach back in time and avert a disaster that is in their past...or is that the future, it depends on where you sit in the timeline. I liked the grittiness of the environment which is set in Russia, and the stoic perseverance of the cast, who never waver even as they fight against time-induced paradoxes and their hijacked protagonists to achieve their goal.The mechanism of time travel is based on 'Luba Pairs', invented quantum effects that are the brainchild of the mother of the protagonist, math teacher Valentina Lidova. Unlike most leading-ladies in a thriller, Valentina is 71 years old and partially lame. She was included in the secret project because of her mother, though it was not well explained why her presence over any other would make a difference. Whatever, Luba Pairs allow people to link back mentally to suitably prepared people, which was another aspect of the novel that was a little sketchy. Note that while there is discussion of the science of time travel, Reynolds never gets beyond hand-waving explanations of science or tech in any of his novels, so you don't need a degree in quantum mechanics to read this.This is mostly straightforward reading, though, later in the novel when the nature of the threat becomes apparent and I started wondering just how far up and down the timeline events can be influenced the underlying weirdness of time travel kicked in a little bit. I do not think the actual intent of the story is obvious, but (perhaps) having divined it, I forgave Reynolds the tease of a novella when he could have been writing another 'Revelation Space' saga!Still, this is no "'—All You Zombies—'" and it will not spark a brilliant movie based on it such as "Predestination." Heinlein's classic short twists time travel in such a way that it hurts to even contemplate the situation. The time travel here is a less edgy version. It is more a prop to the action, not truly the trigger for the action itself, which seems a strange thing to say, but that's because Reynolds could have told the story of a small team brought together by circumstance and pushed to their limits - and beyond - in any number of ways. I never felt like the time travel aspect was critical to the telling of the story, and I guess the takeaway for me is that once again I felt that Reynolds was coasting in the writing. He is good, and this is a neat little book that I enjoyed reading, but it lacks some spark of creative tension required to get that final emotional nudge for a 5-star finish.

Permafrost is a 2019 novella by acclaimed science fiction author Alastair Reynolds. It is not connected with any of his other books.In the year 2080, humanity is on the brink of extinction due to a global catastrophe known as "The Scouring." Scientists have found a way to go back in time and believe they might be able to fix the problem, thus assuring the future survival of mankind. I can't say much more about the story without spoiling it, but the plot is classic Reynolds; it contains big ideas and extreme science but never loses its human factor.Permafrost is well-written, with good characterization. At the beginning, Reynolds is rather mum about all that has happened on planet earth and how exactly the time travel works, but reveals bit by bit as the book progresses, and it really helps keep you glued to the story until the very end. I particularly enjoyed having to use my brain and trying to wrap my head around some of the ideas the author presents. Reynolds proffers some very interesting concepts about time travel and artificial intelligence, ideas that will get you thinking. I also much enjoyed the main character in the story, who is quite the unlikley heroine; her interactions with her "host" are also great. Depsite the book's short length, characterization is handled deftly, with enough character building to make the cast compelling, but without giving us too much and slowing down the pace.Permafrost is an excellent example of why I have stuck with Alastair Reynolds over the years. The novella presents bold ideas and takes some worn-out concepts and gives them new life. Give Permafrost a shot. I guarantee you'll enjoy this notable entry in the grand tradition of time-traveling storytelling.

This novella was an awkward length for the story it was telling. If it had been a short story, there would have been fewer plot elements. If had been a novel, they could have been fleshed out. What there is feels unfinished.The actual mission doesn't affect the book much. There has been an ecological collapse, and if they can just arrange for some seeds in the past to be preserved, the human race may be saved. It would have been much the same book if they had been trying to preserve water from Lourdes in order to defeat a demonic incursion.The time-travel paradigm is cute - I think the author had fun with the idea of 'grandfathering' - but it could have been a thousand other science-fictional paradigms without affecting the book much. The plot device that actually matters in this regard is the use of nanotechnology to take over other people, and there is no attempt to even hand-wave that.The core of the novella is very good. The characters are trying to save the world. What they do matters and they rise to the occasion. The rest of the novella could have benefited from being longer. or shorter.

This is a time travel novella that alternates between a post-apocalyptic future in 2080 and the near future in 2028.Russian math teacher Valentina Lidova is 71 years old, partially lame, is the daughter of a famous mathematician, and is the first to travel back in time trying to save the future world from extinction.I enjoyed this story although I was expecting a book-length tale and still wish the ideas within had been extended out further.It's a scary look at the "what ifs" of certain possible events happening and leaving no hope for the future.There's some science involved but the story was still easy to understand and contemplate.