Blind Lake is a science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 by author Robert Charles Wilson

Robert Charles Wilson

Robert Charles Wilson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.Wilson was born in the United States in California, but grew up near Toronto, Ontario. Apart from another short period in the early 1970s spent in Whittier, California, he has lived most of his life in Canada, and in 2007 he...

. It was published in 2003

2003 in literature

The year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...

, and won an Aurora Award

Aurora Award

The Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...

 for Best Long Form and was nominated for the Hugo Award

Hugo Award

The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...

 for Best Novel

Hugo Award for Best Novel

The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...

, both in 2004.

Plot introduction

The novel deals with a government installation at Blind Lake, Minnesota, where scientists observe sentient life on a planet fifty-one light-years away, using telescopes powered by quantum computer

Quantum computer

A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...

s that have advanced beyond human understanding. A sudden and unexplained facility lockdown extends into a long-term quarantine. Observation department head Marguerite Hauser tries to carry on with her work studying the alien life while taking care of her socially-challenged daughter Tess, warding off her ex-husband Ray, and deciding how she feels about houseguest and disgraced journalist Chris.

Publication history

• First hardcover edition: 2003, Tor Books, ISBN 0-7653-0262-4
• First paperback edition: 2004, Tor Books, ISBN 0-765-34160-3
• Blind Lake was also published in French by Denoël édition in their Lunes d'encre collection in November 2005.

Publication info

• Cassada, Jackie. "Blind Lake (Book)." Library Journal 128.12 (15 July 2003): 132.
• Cannon, Peter, and Jeff Zaleski.. "BLIND LAKE (Book)." Publishers Weekly 250.24 (16 June 2003): 55.
• Green, Roland. "Blind Lake (Book)." Booklist 99.22 (Aug. 2003): 1969.
• "BLIND LAKE (Book)." Kirkus Reviews 71.11 (June 2003): 784.

External links

• Blind Lake at Worlds Without End