Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

 There are different kinds of science fiction. Some varieties are pretty light on the science and really are more like fantasy with aliens. Those books are easy to read. If there is something challenging, it is usually the ordinary character line sorts of things. Spin isn't the easy kind of science fiction. It's an intense read from beginning to end and it's a long book. 

Spin walks the line between speculative fiction and hard science fiction. The premise is that one day a mysterious membrane envelopes the earth. All the stars go out and the moon disappears, but a facsimile of the sun rises and sets each day. The biggest problem is that for ever second on earth, about three years goes by outside the membrane. Clearly it is not a natural occurrence and at that rate, the life cycle of the sun quickly becomes a concern. From their perspective, the expansion of the sun is imminent event; the world is going to end.

The novel is from the perspective of Tyler Dupree who is a child at the beginning of the story. He is with his friends, the twins Jason and Diane, when the membrane shuts down the sky. He later becomes a doctor and ends up working at a super elite aero-space agency for his friend Jason who is now the leading genius researching the membrane, which they end up calling the spin. Diane joins one of the many extreme religious groups that pop up.

The central line of the story is the mystery of the membrane. Who created it and why? The more they figure out about it, the less sense it seems to make. It really feels like the world is ending and society's reaction to it is down-right depressing mainly because it feels accurate. 

I had a hard time reading this one, not because it wasn't good, but because it crawled into my head and tanked my mood. Spin is the first of a series and I spent most of the read convinced of two things: 1. I was absolutely going to finish the book and 2. I was absolutely never going to pick up the second book. Well, I did finish it and the last 100 pages changed my mind on the second point.

It's a fascinating read, but you have to have faith in the story. Otherwise, it's just incredibly grim and depressing for over half the book.