Sign Up for news and offers Make sure you don't miss interesting happenings by joining our newsletter program. Skip to Main Content ». In Print Preorders Out of Print.
Shopping Cart 0 item. My Cart. You're currently on: Home Troika. Yes Length pages. Related Products. How PayPal Works. Sign Up for news and offers. My account. Address: P. Half-mad and he admits he went insane following his visit to the Matroyshka, claiming his insanity is what saved him and aware that his escape from the asylum is futile, Dimitri tells Nesha and us about what really happened on the expedition. Dimitri is the last member of the crew left alive. The government quarantined them at the asylum because of radiation posioning.
Although their exposure was real enough—and lethal in the case of Ivanov's two comrades—the government had other reasons to want them locked away. Their visit to the Matroyshka altered Dimitri, Yakov, and Galenka on a fundamental level in a way that scared the government. It didn't mutate them into hideous alien monsters or give them superhuman powers, but it affected their identities and individuality in a way that the perfect communist state of the Second Soviet Union could not accept.
Even as he unspools a story about an encounter with something beyond human comprehension, Reynolds provides commentary on the flawed concept of a utopian state, especially such a state as embodied by communism. There are some pointed conversations between Dimitri and Galenka regarding the expectations of their superiors, as well as Dimitri's observations that: "I had been a cosmonaut for much longer and I had seen how our superiors punished failings.
The best you could hope for was incarceration. The worst was returning to your office to find a loaded revolver and a bottle of vodka. It's dirty, political, and even a bit dreary. Dimitri is a textbook unreliable narrator, self-confessed to have been insane at one point, if not still insane, so we can't necessarily take his story at face value. But he is convinced that the Second Soviet will fall within his and Nesha's lifetimes, that the Matroyshka is a sign their nation is "on the wrong track" and that humanity must return to the stars.
And of course, a nation that prides itself as having achieved the pinnacle of human governance can't very well entertain the notion that it is merely a step along the way to that pinnacle—that it is, in fact, a wrong turn. So they bury Dimitri and bury his speculations, and Nesha's theories, about the Matroyshka's origin, purpose, and meaning.
There's also a deep connection to music, particularly Russian music. This novella's title refers to the piece of the same name by Prokofiev, itself referring to a three-person Russian folk dance. If you aren't familiar with it, take a listen.
I bet you have heard it or variations used elsewhere. I don't think it's a coincidence that the expedition to the Matroyshka comprises three people. As much as I love Russian composers, Prokofiev included Tchaikovsky might be my favourite composer of all time , I'm not familiar enough with the history and the culture to be comfortable speculating about the meaning behind Reynolds' choice here.
If I had to take a shot in the dark, though, I'd guess that the piece's upbeat tone is supposed to be ironic in the face of the Second Soviet's oppressive actions and the poor state of spaceflight in general. I didn't see it coming. Maybe I should have done; maybe you, if you read this, will recognize the foreshadowing that eluded me and smile knowingly as Reynolds springs the TWIST upon you. It was clever, consistent, and utterly mind-blowing. Some TWISTs fail so hard they demolish all the hard work of the author not to mention the investment of the reader.
Not so here. No, with this revelation, the entirety of Troika and its themes crystallized, and the novella truly became something special. It leads into an ending that is so sad—and yet so perfect. Troika moved me profoundly, especially at a time like this, when our commitment to spaceflight and space exploration is wavering.
Troika is a warning. It is also an amazing story. Some might argue that the future of spaceflight is better entrusted to robots, who are more suited to the vagaries of vacuum. And that argument has merit. Yet just as the shuttle program has no clear replacement, the elderly Hubble telescope's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is on the chopping block. This is a project into which billions of dollars have already been sunk, money that will have been spent for nothing if the telescope program is cancelled.
But I'm more worried about what will happen when the Hubble goes dark with no new-and-improved replacement. I belong to a generation that has never seen a live television broadcast of someone walking on the Moon.
Will the next generation be one that never sees a new image taken by a telescope in space? Will we gradually turn away from space, turn away from the majesty and near-infinite wonders that the wider universe makes available?
In the twentieth century, we reached out so far. I would hate for it to have been all for nothing. View all 5 comments. Troika by Alastair Reynolds Really awesome short story with shifts between past and present, a barely outlined universe but so real and an unexpected ending. I particularly liked the Dyson sphere concept developed here, which reminded me a bit of Pandora's Star , me being a huge fan of Hamilton's work. Apr 23, Paul Ataua rated it really liked it.
A well-crafted and well written novella containing two interlinked stories. One is a big dumb object story in which Dmitri, a cosmonaut, explores a multilayered artifact in space.
The second takes place years after the mission when Dmitri escapes from a psychiatric institute in Siberia to find an old scientist who had worked on the project years before and who had been ridiculed and punished for her theories about the object. Really worth the hour or so it took to read. Sep 22, Siobhan rated it liked it. Troika was a three-star rating, but it was a rounded-down rating. Another enjoyable read from the author. Jul 12, Rob rated it really liked it Shelves: random-comments-review.
The more cynical reader will probably consider this novella a bit of propaganda for space programs in general, and manned space flights in particular. It's warning us that turning our backs to space, despite the economics of its exploration, is a serious mistake. As the Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky once put it: "The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.
Troika certainly provides food for thought along those lines and it does so in style. This novella is carefully crafted and works to an interesting twist in the plot at the end of the story. It's well-written and most certainly well-timed piece of writing. It's a novella that celebrates sense of wonder science fiction but also wonders if that drive to explore, through science as well as fiction, has perhaps passed. For me, Troika worked very well, both as a warning and a piece of literature.
It faces some stiff competition for the Hugo but I think it would make a fine winner. Full Random Comments review Jul 29, Daniel Fehrenbach rated it liked it. Pretty good novella that hits a bunch Reynolds' main themes: the lonely weirdness of space, complexities of travel over vast times and distances, unknowable alien technology, civilizations aging and decaying.
Basic plot concerns three Russian actually Second Soviet cosmonauts exploring a huge multi-layered alien artifact that appeared in Earth's solar system in the late-early 21st century like 's ish maybe.
The circumstances of that exploration and the consequences for their return are c Pretty good novella that hits a bunch Reynolds' main themes: the lonely weirdness of space, complexities of travel over vast times and distances, unknowable alien technology, civilizations aging and decaying.
The circumstances of that exploration and the consequences for their return are covered by a two track story that takes up maybe pages. Its a quick read manages to pack a fairly compelling plot though the characters aren't really all that much to think about into a short space. Jun 25, Andreas rated it it was amazing Shelves: science-fiction. A huge object appears suddenly in our solar system and three russian cosmonauts are sent out to explore it.
In a cleverly constructed frame story that is set a couple of years after this event we learn what happened and what far reaching impact it had - and still has. I can't say that Alastair Reynolds tells something completely new but he mixes the typical "Big Dumb Object" trope with a lot of interesting ingredients. He has enough room to awaken a dark future to life and even the space voyage A huge object appears suddenly in our solar system and three russian cosmonauts are sent out to explore it.
He has enough room to awaken a dark future to life and even the space voyage contains some twists. I don't know if I will still remember it in 5 years but I enjoyed it very much and can recommend it to all Hard SF fans. I liked Troika quite a lot though it did not blow me away the way other of AR's stories did - Signal to Noise or the alt history with Mongols or for that matter Diamond Dogs which is maybe the best Reynolds all around The atmosphere is superb and the twist at the end is natural imho, what i found less credible is the second Soviet though especially in its mentioned time frame of the relative near future I liked Troika quite a lot though it did not blow me away the way other of AR's stories did - Signal to Noise or the alt history with Mongols or for that matter Diamond Dogs which is maybe the best Reynolds all around The atmosphere is superb and the twist at the end is natural imho, what i found less credible is the second Soviet though especially in its mentioned time frame of the relative near future View all 3 comments.
Jun 20, Lori rated it really liked it. This novella succeeded in completely engrossing me for an hour or so on this dreary chilly rainy summer day. Even tho it's quite different it reminded me of Rendezvous With Rama with an alien something that humans venture into space to investigate. That's where the similarity ends. This is Reynolds at his finest, really a 4. Surprisingly weak for Reynolds. Too much tell from the "show don't tell" law and a clumsy rhythm.
Too slow in some parts, too fast when it really mattered. The idea wasn't that impressive either but not bad either. Perhaps this is an early work for him? Feb 25, Benjamin Atkinson rated it it was amazing Shelves: hard-sf , novella. Alistair Reynolds is one of the best additions to my beloved science-fiction category. First, he is a great writer who bucks the trend in a lot of hard sf, in that his characters are not two-dimensional card board cut-outs that serve as vehicles for a great idea.
Women and men are both represented realistically without a recognizable agenda to promote social justice. Refreshing, in modern science-fiction where a lot of cyber-punk and other sf seems singularly focused on promoting "kick-ass chick Alistair Reynolds is one of the best additions to my beloved science-fiction category. Refreshing, in modern science-fiction where a lot of cyber-punk and other sf seems singularly focused on promoting "kick-ass chicks", see William Gipson, and many others.
Troika, does not disappoint. The plot is nothing super original, but the menace and edge to his writing is remarkable. Then you will love Troika. It is a little hard to find. This anthology contains several other keepers such as "Alone" by Robert Reed. Great novella. Happy Reading! View 1 comment. Aug 29, Sean O'Hara rated it really liked it Shelves: science-fiction , hard-sci-fi , bdo.
It's Alastair Reynolds. It's a Big Dumb Object story. What's not to love? Well, okay the twist at the end is a little to close to "The Real Story" from Zima Blue and Other Stories , but that's one of Reynold's weaker short stories while this is one of his best, up there with " Grefenwalder's Bestiary ," " The Fixation ," and " Diamond Dogs.
While I found the ending to be rewarding with its revelation into the nature of the alien artifact McGuffin, the road leading to it seemed as long and cold as the one Ivanov hitchhikes into Zvezdniy Gorodok in the opening pages.
There is some interesting tension created by the looming threat from the Neo-Stalinist government in pursuit of Ivanov, but surprisingly little offered in the narrative portions set in space. Aug 16, Tobias Langhoff rated it really liked it Shelves: scifi.
I love Alastair Reynolds, but even most of his best novels are long-winded and have some dreary and overly complex parts that could have used some heavier editing. This is instead a succint novella that is still very ambitious, but more focused. There are hints of space opera, but the story is still very much grounded in a recognizable setting that is a reminiscence of the 20th century and the space race.
Aug 28, Michel Salim rated it really liked it Shelves: sci-fi , fiction. A wonderfully multilayered novella, just as the Matryoshka artifact around which the plot revolved. A must for sci-fi fans who are also interested in history and world politics, combining both the current decline in funding for space exploration and a Russia under a Second Soviet that would be familiar to those who remember the Cold War. Sep 13, Mark Palmer rated it liked it. After reading his short story Diamond Dogs, which deals with a "terminal puzzle", I was very excited to read this one.
But, the story was not what I was expecting, but did have an interesting twist at the end that I should have seen coming. Jun 20, Michaela rated it it was amazing. Loved this book! It was the first Alastair Reynolds I made it through and this was a mind-bender that still has me thinking weeks after reading it. It's a fast read, but one of those I could probably read twice just to see new things.
Feb 05, J. Short and interesting. Alastair is an amazing author. Narration was well done. Jul 30, Cosmin rated it really liked it. I'm not sure, but it seems to me Troika is an homage to Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic ok, maybe combined with just a little Randevous with Rama. First there is the focus on "sovietic" urban and social scenary that is an important part in Troika and a central part in Roadside Picninc.
Maybe with a tiny drop of Orwell's as well did you noticed the TV and the constant fear of authorities The second Picnic element is the concept of a zone Matryoshka where the lows of physics are abolished.
Reynolds mentions that the universal constants do not apply in Matryoska, but does not describes any strange manifestation of alienated physics. On the other hand, the beauty of Roadside Picnic or Rama comes from the choice of not revealing the meaning of everything we are just some ants, too small to comprehend Raynolds puts it all in your face and gives you answers to all questions Something is lost because the illusionist's magic loses all it's power over us when the mechanics behind it is revealed.
There is one Hollywood twist in the end and the role of music and even a symbolic object but I feel all of those are put in there just to compensate for a small weakness of the plot. Apr 08, Doctor Moss rated it really liked it Shelves: science-fiction.
This was exactly what I was looking for -- an engrossing science fiction story with enough smarts in it to make you think a little bit. It's a diversion with a kick to it. The story is told in two interwoven narratives, one of a mission to a mysterious and very large object, the "Matryoshka", that appears in Earth's solar system without warning and without communication.
That story is told as a recollection by the main character, Dimitri Ivanov, who also tells his own story, in present tense, now This was exactly what I was looking for -- an engrossing science fiction story with enough smarts in it to make you think a little bit. That story is told as a recollection by the main character, Dimitri Ivanov, who also tells his own story, in present tense, now that he has returned to Earth from that mission. As in other of his writings, the author, Alastair Reynolds, brings a darker, pessimistic feel to the story.
The Matryoshka isn't just an unannounced visitor -- it has a message for us, and that message is unsettling to the powers that be. I'm not giving away anything here -- that much is apparent from the beginning. But Reynolds has some surprises in the plot twists that make the story more than just another dystopian science fiction story. All in all, I was swept along. This is a short book -- in fact, it is labeled a "novella", although published on its own and at the cost of a "novel".
I have no complaints. If the story is good, that's what I paid for. And that's what I got. Feb 23, Brian Botti rated it liked it Shelves: science-fiction , , darker-fiction , dystopian , modern-day-ish , printed-read , speculative , short-story.
0コメント