Books by author: Ken Grimwood

Into the Deep is a weak followup to Grimwood's excellent Replay. If you've read Replay, you will recognize the subject matter in this novel as the basis for the "Starsea" film in that book. Cetacean (dolphin/whale/etc.) intelligence was clearly one of Grimwood's passions, and the idea of humankind's first encounter with non-human intelligence (especially with creatures on our own planet) has the capacity to fuel a great novel, but this isn't it. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on what exactly disappointed me, but all I can definitively say is that I was never completely engaged by the story, and Grimwood's writing here seemed much less tight than it was in Replay.

I recommended Replay to my book club and reread it to prepare for the meeting. I liked it a little less the second time, in large part because Jeff Winston's evolution from cycle to cycle was less surprising. Also, I was a little creeped out this time by Jeff's actions with Pamela during his "last" replay. I still value the book for the way it makes me think about what is important in life, and I still recommend it.

I had never heard of Ken Grimwood or his novel Replay until I read Glen's memorial , written shortly after Grimwood's death. Between that and the fact that the novel had won the World Fantasy Award forBest Novel in 1988, it was a no-brainer that I should read this book. I received a copy this year for Christmas, and now that I have read it, consider me a fan — Replay is wonderful.

In Replay, Grimwood takes a simple science fiction premise — a man relives 25 years of his life over and over — leavens it with a couple of complications (one is that his "replays" keep getting shorter), and plays it out to one of several possible conclusions. What makes the novel interesting is that Grimwood gradually reveals the "rules" governing the novel's universe, and he consistently brings in new wrinkles with every cycle. I don't want to reveal more, because part of the wonder of the novel is the continual surprise laced with the perfect logic that marks the progression. The prose itself is workmanlike but descriptive. Grimwood was clearly not a show-off, but he obviously worked hard at his writing mechanics to make things very readable and never boring.

The end result is not just a successful science fiction story; it's a thoughtful commentary on life itself. It is life-affirming and a little bit heart-breaking. I found myself close to tears after reading one particularly good passage, and after I turned the final page, I sat for quite awhile, thinking about how I'm living my own life.

Thanks, Glen, for bringing this novel to my attention. I can't say (yet) that it changed my life, but it's the kind of novel that has that potential.