Manifold: Time ends with a silent expanding wave of a new reality; and life can go on. It was a satisfying conclusion, and provides an alternative answer to the question of the cosmic purpose of life and mind.
Although I feel sorry for the poor cephalopods (squids) that are out-running the vacuum collapse... it was a sad ending for them. As sad as the Heat Death struggle of life at the end of time.
I have to admit though that it was a long, and often times surreal journey; like a long drive that has too many branches and long stretches. At some point, I was already wondering where the story was heading. The plausibility of some of the technologies developed can make you raise eyebrows - given the time period. If the story were set further in the future, the technologies would probably have been more believable.
But I'm glad the author was able to wrap it up properly - meaning, it didn't land flat for me; at least something was answered. There are really a lot of stuff that I wish were resolved - particularly related to the nature of the downstreamers, the portal on Cruithne, and how the causal loop worked. I think these are central concerns of the story. Or perhaps it was meant to be that way? A story told from the point-of-view of a person living in our time.
Now, what I also wanted to know (and didn't get) is how this book will connect to the next one, Manifold: Space. Reading the description at the back of the next book, it would seem everything was back to normal(??). It was like that time when I read Exultant and Transcendent (Destiny's Children books 2 and 3). Having read the Xeelee Sequence, I can't stop thinking, "Huh? How does all this tie-in with the existing works?" -- which was really frustrating.
So will I buy the next book? Well yes, but not immediately. I think I'll prioritize getting myself Axis by Robert Charles Wilson, and Endymion by Dan Simmons.
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