Hm. Not as good as [b:Flashforward|337132|Flashforward|Robert J. Sawyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393745881s/337132.jpg|327550] or [b:Mindscan|580196|Mindscan|Robert J. Sawyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388450742s/580196.jpg|567098] imo. But then, maybe I'm saying them because I read them all so close together? I dunno, but in this one I wanted more science, and more of other characters' points of view. This was almost entirely about Don, and he's still not quite real to me - I'm informed he's likable, even lovable, but I didn't much care for him. I really like Gunter and Sarah, though.

Anyway, it's not a bad book, and if you read SF for the What If ideas, you'll probably like it. If you've not read Sawyer before, though, you probably don't want to start here. Otoh, I'll continue reading all I can find by him. ( )

I hated this book.

The idea of SETI contact and the rollback to youth was fascinating but the execution was a heavy handed disaster.

It was like discussing philosophy with a Lunkhead like Fred Flintstone. ( )

I say something similar to this in every review I write of a [a:Robert J. Sawyer|25883|Robert J. Sawyer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224975910p2/25883.jpg] book: He imbues his stories with a thoroughness and thoughtfulness that leaves me in awe. In [b:Rollback|264940|Rollback|Robert J. Sawyer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1390071421s/264940.jpg|256847], he takes up the issues associated with curing aging, both on a social and on a personal level. In a single paragraph, he completely upended and enriched my perception of one of the characters. Sawyer's skills as a science fiction author are breathtaking. If you don't read this book, read a different one of his; any one. You won't regret it. ( )

I was disappointed again by my genre fic pick. This is just mediocre writing, man. I can't get into it. The premise was interesting, but Sawyer's treatment of it was predictable and kind of boring. ( )

This book does have the seeds of a lot of interesting ideas- ideas about how we might want to communicate with aliens, how and why they might want to communicate with us, and some thought on how physical rejuvenation of our bodies poses some social and moral questions. However none of these ideas gets much development, and the story is basically trivial Hollywood style entertainment. ( )