A Wreath of Stars

A mysterious and unforeseen astronomical event occurs when a bright object made of neutrinos passes through our solar system. This event was only witnessed due to a new device in the world of optics that allows human eyes to see the neutrinos like light. Years later, this event is found to have caused the shift in orbit of a neutrino planet, with all its own life forms and society, that has been resting inside of earth itself. Gilbert Snook, the self-described human neutrino, ends up becoming caught in an attempt to contact the lifeforms on this planet as its orbit slowly shifts it outside of the earth's surface. 

This is my first Shaw and an enjoyable one. Shaw is able to weave some hard-ish scientific concepts and explanations into the plot line in a smooth and enjoyable way. The premise itself is the real draw here, and it definitely was my favorite part of the novel. I also really enjoyed the description of the culture on this new planet, including the telepathic locals. Shaw's prose style tended to be understated, but with short moments of beauty, especially towards the beginning and end. I especially liked the light smattering of humor that he writes with. It actually tended to be pretty funny, which is saying something coming from someone who struggles to connect with humor through text. The plot moved along at a good pace, and the ending was pretty good if a bit saccharine. 

Most of the characters were... bland at best. All of the characters, even the more minor ones, were well drawn in that they all had clearly described motivations that seemed believable, but that didn't stop them from being pretty transparent. The primary characters, Ambrose and Gilbert, were far more three-dimensional than the rest. I especially found the treatment of  sex and race to be pretty dated. And speaking of being dated, the future world that Shaw draws is bland and tepid, barely feeling like things have progressed that far from the 1960s. The setting, a new and corrupt African nation-state, was a bit boring, which is a shame because that's ultimately where Shaw tries to summon most of the drama and suspense from. I think I would've enjoyed the novel more if these qualities were instead drawn from the freaking alien race of neutrinos. C'mon Mr. Shaw. 

I don't know. It was pretty good, but maybe forgettable. Nothing really stuck with me strongly, even if it was a fun time. I could see this going over better for me if I was in a more 'beach-read' mood. I think there are some flashes of excellence that make me eager to get back to some of Shaw's other works.