Blindsight

First contact. To boldly go where no man has gone before. To be the first of your race to talk to another form of intelligent life. To be on board the ship Theseus when she first encounters the alien vessel Rorschach in Blindsight by Peter Watts... What a day that would be.

I didn't care for this book to much. I could never really empathize with the main character, Siri Keeton. He flashes back pretty regularly, little glimpses in to what he is, or what he says he is. Its not until the end of the book that you finally start to get Siri. Everything on the ship is perceived through his eyes and while you can't quite understand the person who's head you're in, he can't quite wrap his head around what's happening aboard the alien ship, Rorschach.

The book felt like riding the first minute or so of a roller coaster. You spend the time getting seated, buckling up, waiting for the ride to start. Then the ride starts, and you climb that big hill listening to the chain drag you up towards the top. At the top, you pause and tip forward ever so slightly. Finally the ride rushes down the track, the thrill of riding a roller coaster with your stomach up in your throat. If the ride were to stop there at the bottom of the first hill, it would be a downer to say the least. All the work and anticipation for 2 precious seconds of emotion and you never really got to enjoy it. Same with Blindsight. Peter Watts works the story, slowly at first, building to that climax and boom, dumps everything on you at once. So much happened in such a few short pages that it felt like there was no closure, nothing made sense. Ok, I lied. Some of it made sense, other parts didn't. I wish he had taken some time with end as he had with the beginning.

I read some of the reviews on Blindsight after I already read it. It either got a 5 star or a 1 star. Maybe it just takes a certain kind of person to enjoy that style. Either way, Peter Watts has made a cool alien race for the crew of the Theseus to make first contact with.