h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Complementing his ‘Manifold’ series of novels – 'Time', 'Space' and 'Origin' – Stephen Baxter has put together 'Phase Space'; a collection of loosely-connected stories exploring the themes of human consciousness, our place in the Universe and our perception of reality. Tied together by excerpts from the Manifold-based story 'Touching Centauri', the collection is split into six sections, of which 'Paradox' is arguably the best. Apparently fascinated by the ‘Fermi Paradox’ concerning extra-terrestrial intelligence (summed up by the oft-quoted line “If they existed, they would be here”), Baxter speculates on possible solutions to the problem in this section, and the results are often absorbing.

Weakest of the six sections is, in my view, 'Worlds', in which stories become bogged down in repetitive detail concerning the space programmes of this and other worlds. Tales in 'Worlds' and 'Open Loops' often reach conclusions which are too obscure for readers to reasonably be expected to untangle, and suffer for this. That having been said, one of the most mind-bending stories – 'Dante Dreams' – is also one of the best for its originality and profound ideas.

'Phase Space' is by no means Baxter’s finest work, especially as the similarity of some stories and repetitiveness of ideas can take the edge off the writing, but it still provides entertaining, thought-provoking reading.

R25968 21:54 29/11/03