What do you think?
Rate this book
An Elegant Loop
Frances Phillips has embarked upon the journey of a lifetime. She and her family have been selected to travel to Mars where they will be among the first settlers of a new Martian colony.
The interplanetary flight doesn’t go exactly as planned, however, when a catastrophe threatens the lives of everyone onboard the ship. Frances will have to find a way to get the ship back on course, rescue the expedition and protect her family.
The interplanetary flight doesn’t go exactly as planned, however, when a catastrophe threatens the lives of everyone onboard the ship. Frances will have to find a way to get the ship back on course, rescue the expedition and protect her family.
167 pages, Paperback
Published July 31, 2020
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 22, 2021
On a "Day of Dispassionate Sorting" (love that!), the Phillips family's fate is sealed: they'll be heading to Mars on the fourteenth flight (I'm assuming from Earth? but not quite sure why). They're lucky, Francis is sure, because it's not the thirteenth flight. Luck, though, doesn't seem to just be a numbers game...
The story starts out very strong: visualizations are great, the dialogues believable, the family dynamics make sense. Some exchanges puzzled me with how vague/random they seemed (and while I sensed these characteristics were purposeful on the writer's part, I felt that one of the characters should have been more perplexed about the nature of such an exchange), like the first meeting between the captain and Francis. There were also some instances when the visuals confused me, as when Francis is in the corridor and experiences gravity again after a long time -- I couldn't situate myself clearly in a place where the corridor was slipping away (or she was?) and people were vanishing... somewhere (has the ship lurched sideways? Where are the people tumbling and disappearing to? And suddenly there's a huge tv screen below her?). Or when Francis appears to TX -- as a hologram? A ghost? A creature of the past or the future? At one point she's referred to as "mist". I could not tell.
A few mispellings/miswordings (e.g., "along" instead of "alone", "but" instead of "felt") also caused me to occasionally trip and upped my confusion. All in all, however, I think Milner does a very fine job crafting this story partially from a fourteen-year-old girl's perspective (no easy feat, putting yourself in the shoes of a different age group and gender! so definitely kudos for this!), and partially from a robot's. I found TX to be an endearing character from the start (love his quirk with shoveling and his compassionate personality), while most of the robotic society appears appropriately but chillingly lacking in empathy -- one that is fascinated with materials and often finds (and discards) human debris.
Nearer to the end, when it becomes clearer to me that ...I am left with so many questions. The apparently non-linear chronology of the book's Parts confused me, too, and I didn't feel that the end offered me much clarity.
The potential and imagination in this story are inarguable. I'm generally not a huge sci-fi fan, meaning I don't have a plethora of knowledge on sci-fi terminology or physics, but Milner's grasp of science fiction as a genre feels plausible to me, which I very much appreciated. My lack of sci-fi history might partially be to blame in many instances where I couldn't make sense of a character's physical whereabouts and the order and reason of things seemed to blow right over my head. But, especially if this story is to appeal to younger audiences (which I'm supposing it should, or also should, given the protagonist's age), perhaps Milner would be wise to provide a bit more clarification for more ignorant readers like me. :) The story is fast-paced and enjoyable, albeit pretty confusing, and it has realistically bleak and suspenseful moments that juxtapose smartly with the more serene and even humorous ones.
The story starts out very strong: visualizations are great, the dialogues believable, the family dynamics make sense. Some exchanges puzzled me with how vague/random they seemed (and while I sensed these characteristics were purposeful on the writer's part, I felt that one of the characters should have been more perplexed about the nature of such an exchange), like the first meeting between the captain and Francis. There were also some instances when the visuals confused me, as when Francis is in the corridor and experiences gravity again after a long time -- I couldn't situate myself clearly in a place where the corridor was slipping away (or she was?) and people were vanishing... somewhere (has the ship lurched sideways? Where are the people tumbling and disappearing to? And suddenly there's a huge tv screen below her?). Or when Francis appears to TX -- as a hologram? A ghost? A creature of the past or the future? At one point she's referred to as "mist". I could not tell.
A few mispellings/miswordings (e.g., "along" instead of "alone", "but" instead of "felt") also caused me to occasionally trip and upped my confusion. All in all, however, I think Milner does a very fine job crafting this story partially from a fourteen-year-old girl's perspective (no easy feat, putting yourself in the shoes of a different age group and gender! so definitely kudos for this!), and partially from a robot's. I found TX to be an endearing character from the start (love his quirk with shoveling and his compassionate personality), while most of the robotic society appears appropriately but chillingly lacking in empathy -- one that is fascinated with materials and often finds (and discards) human debris.
Nearer to the end, when it becomes clearer to me that ...I am left with so many questions. The apparently non-linear chronology of the book's Parts confused me, too, and I didn't feel that the end offered me much clarity.
The potential and imagination in this story are inarguable. I'm generally not a huge sci-fi fan, meaning I don't have a plethora of knowledge on sci-fi terminology or physics, but Milner's grasp of science fiction as a genre feels plausible to me, which I very much appreciated. My lack of sci-fi history might partially be to blame in many instances where I couldn't make sense of a character's physical whereabouts and the order and reason of things seemed to blow right over my head. But, especially if this story is to appeal to younger audiences (which I'm supposing it should, or also should, given the protagonist's age), perhaps Milner would be wise to provide a bit more clarification for more ignorant readers like me. :) The story is fast-paced and enjoyable, albeit pretty confusing, and it has realistically bleak and suspenseful moments that juxtapose smartly with the more serene and even humorous ones.
October 12, 2020
This story is stunning, both in its beauty and its ability to stop you cold. But I’ll admit I didn’t feel this way at the outset. Orienting myself was difficult initially; as a reader, I lacked complete information, as is often the case in life. The information provided, though, was sensorial, immersive, and, well, quite stunning.
While I’m often wondering how a fairly straightforward plot might resolve, An Elegant Loop left me wondering where the unpredictable and expanding story might be venturing next. At times, its meandering, exploratory line left me a little disoriented, much like Frances, herself, might feel traversing a spaceship’s corridor without the grounding of gravity.
Beyond its echoing imagery (“The noise in his head was like the sound in the place where squares of white plastic rained�), I was surprised at how this story was able to pull me, emotionally, into empathies I wasn’t prepared to allow. My connection to these characters grew, quite frankly, without my permission and, at times, without my notice. At the end, I realized I would miss them. I was grateful for a fulfilling ending to a story that, despite its somewhat confusing path, eventually meets itself full circle. Definitely five stars.
While I’m often wondering how a fairly straightforward plot might resolve, An Elegant Loop left me wondering where the unpredictable and expanding story might be venturing next. At times, its meandering, exploratory line left me a little disoriented, much like Frances, herself, might feel traversing a spaceship’s corridor without the grounding of gravity.
Beyond its echoing imagery (“The noise in his head was like the sound in the place where squares of white plastic rained�), I was surprised at how this story was able to pull me, emotionally, into empathies I wasn’t prepared to allow. My connection to these characters grew, quite frankly, without my permission and, at times, without my notice. At the end, I realized I would miss them. I was grateful for a fulfilling ending to a story that, despite its somewhat confusing path, eventually meets itself full circle. Definitely five stars.
October 15, 2020
A Hopeful Ending
An Elegant Loop was a book told between human and robotic perspectives. With an unexpected crash at the start of the story, I admit I had no clue as to where the story would take me. But with the help of a few space robots, and their reluctance to let things lie, the ending truly surprised me! I recommend for readers of all ages.
An Elegant Loop was a book told between human and robotic perspectives. With an unexpected crash at the start of the story, I admit I had no clue as to where the story would take me. But with the help of a few space robots, and their reluctance to let things lie, the ending truly surprised me! I recommend for readers of all ages.
October 26, 2020
An unexpected course of events and a fulfilling ending.
The premise of this story is interesting. We meet Frances. This young woman together with her family and the rest of the passengers are on their flight to Mars. A one-way trip. The 14th flight of the Mars Extra-Planetary Exploration and Colonization Mission was supposed to be a lucky one. Frances loved number fourteen, and she was about to turn fourteen in only two months.
Everything was planned and was supposed to go smoothly. Still, the interplanetary flight faced some problems, and there is where the story changes its curse. Of course, compared to what I was expecting. We get to meet TX and PL04 and other robots that live on Mars. I liked Frances and TX the same. One human, one robot, caught in a turbulent loop. Somehow, both had an incredibly high level of empathy and goodness in them.
The author’s imagination, his writing talent, together with a cleverly built plot, made this book an interesting read.
The premise of this story is interesting. We meet Frances. This young woman together with her family and the rest of the passengers are on their flight to Mars. A one-way trip. The 14th flight of the Mars Extra-Planetary Exploration and Colonization Mission was supposed to be a lucky one. Frances loved number fourteen, and she was about to turn fourteen in only two months.
Everything was planned and was supposed to go smoothly. Still, the interplanetary flight faced some problems, and there is where the story changes its curse. Of course, compared to what I was expecting. We get to meet TX and PL04 and other robots that live on Mars. I liked Frances and TX the same. One human, one robot, caught in a turbulent loop. Somehow, both had an incredibly high level of empathy and goodness in them.
The author’s imagination, his writing talent, together with a cleverly built plot, made this book an interesting read.
November 11, 2020
It took me a little bit to get into the nuts and bolt of the story but then so do most books where I am concerned. However, once you become embedded in the story it is a really interesting read with a fairly unique storyline. I picked it up twice and read a few paragraphs but the third time i powered all the way through to the end and what an enjoyable experience that was.
February 2, 2021
At times while reading this book, I longed to zoom out and get a look at the big picture. It begins with a detailed description of a lottery, complete with numbered ping pong balls, to choose passengers for what turns out to be a shuttle to Mars. The Phillips family is chosen, and the point of view shifts to almost-14-year-old Frances. She shows qualities of genius in her understanding of spaceships and other technology. During the course of the journey to Mars, she makes several observations about the ship's captain, who is being treated for unnamed reasons by Frances's mother, a doctor. Soon after that, things go seriously wrong for the ship and its passengers, and become seriously weird for the reader.
Descriptions of events unfold in slow-motion with a lot of detail, but at times I struggled to figure out what was going on. I was also uncertain about chronology. At first I assumed Part 2 happens long after Part 1, but that appears not to be the case. Eventually details came together and mostly made sense.
I was struck especially by two elements of this book—a heartwarming portrayal of family, and a surreal depiction of technology, complete with a wealth of detail about specialized computer-driven intelligent machines, otherwise known as robots. These elements interact in surprising ways to bring the plot to a satisfying conclusion. I did think some crucial events weren't sufficiently explained by the story's internal logic, but perhaps that was one of its themes—that not everything can be reduced to numbers. It certainly left me thinking about the distinction between human and machine.
Descriptions of events unfold in slow-motion with a lot of detail, but at times I struggled to figure out what was going on. I was also uncertain about chronology. At first I assumed Part 2 happens long after Part 1, but that appears not to be the case. Eventually details came together and mostly made sense.
I was struck especially by two elements of this book—a heartwarming portrayal of family, and a surreal depiction of technology, complete with a wealth of detail about specialized computer-driven intelligent machines, otherwise known as robots. These elements interact in surprising ways to bring the plot to a satisfying conclusion. I did think some crucial events weren't sufficiently explained by the story's internal logic, but perhaps that was one of its themes—that not everything can be reduced to numbers. It certainly left me thinking about the distinction between human and machine.
February 15, 2021
I regret that I found the book a bit bleak being set on board space ships travelling to Mars and on the surface inhabited with robots. I also found some of it hard to follow, wondering what was happening.
Further I wonder how realistic the book is since it seems likely that any initial settlements on Mars would have to be underground rather than on the surface due to (1) the fierce sand storms that rage on Mars for years and (b) radiation poisoning since Mars has no magnetic field as Earth does. Also the robots seem to have human emotions and consciousness, whereas robots ever being conscious is a matter of some debate.
There were a few spelling/grammar issues and hyphens seem to have been used instead of dashes. I could have done without the repetitious ‘Frances’s Dad/Mum� and the same for the other children on board. The parents� real names would have been less cumbersome.
I guess this is a book aimed at children and early teens, so with that in mind I’ve given it three stars, but bear in mind that everyone these day, including children, have access to tons of information and the topic of travel to and potentially colonising Mars is well explored in the media and online.
Further I wonder how realistic the book is since it seems likely that any initial settlements on Mars would have to be underground rather than on the surface due to (1) the fierce sand storms that rage on Mars for years and (b) radiation poisoning since Mars has no magnetic field as Earth does. Also the robots seem to have human emotions and consciousness, whereas robots ever being conscious is a matter of some debate.
There were a few spelling/grammar issues and hyphens seem to have been used instead of dashes. I could have done without the repetitious ‘Frances’s Dad/Mum� and the same for the other children on board. The parents� real names would have been less cumbersome.
I guess this is a book aimed at children and early teens, so with that in mind I’ve given it three stars, but bear in mind that everyone these day, including children, have access to tons of information and the topic of travel to and potentially colonising Mars is well explored in the media and online.
February 6, 2021
For lovers of sci-fi space oddities
Right from the start we are into the action as 14-year-old Frances is in transit from Earth with her family on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to form a colony on another planet.
The strong opening was somewhat marred by an overabundance of sci-fi jargon. Clearly, some of this is to be expected in a futuristic novel, but for me it made the text too noisy and difficult to follow.
After some well-described hairy moments aboard the ship, the scene switches to ground level as we follow the movements of what might be described as sentient androids. Although this device worked well enough in Star Wars, the characters here are no R2D2 and C3PO, and the constant repetition of the machines� alpha-numeric designations soon became a little wearing. That said, I did find myself drawn to the caring nature of the TX android character.
I wouldn’t describe myself as a sci-fi buff, but I think the story is well narrated and will appeal to all lovers of the genre, particularly young adults.
Right from the start we are into the action as 14-year-old Frances is in transit from Earth with her family on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to form a colony on another planet.
The strong opening was somewhat marred by an overabundance of sci-fi jargon. Clearly, some of this is to be expected in a futuristic novel, but for me it made the text too noisy and difficult to follow.
After some well-described hairy moments aboard the ship, the scene switches to ground level as we follow the movements of what might be described as sentient androids. Although this device worked well enough in Star Wars, the characters here are no R2D2 and C3PO, and the constant repetition of the machines� alpha-numeric designations soon became a little wearing. That said, I did find myself drawn to the caring nature of the TX android character.
I wouldn’t describe myself as a sci-fi buff, but I think the story is well narrated and will appeal to all lovers of the genre, particularly young adults.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.