jack: (Default)
Spin

An interesting one-off; read once. It's hard to discuss many of the ideas without spoiling it, but as mentioned, a giant membrane surrounds the earth; this is intensively studied and then exploited. The characters are not classic but are interesting.

Greg Egan: Quarantine

Q. Why did I read it?
A. Greg Egan!

Q. Where acquired?
A. Second hand via amazon. It's strange that a book about quantum mechanics is old :)

Q. Basic premise?
A. The observer effect in quantum mechanics is due to a specific and manipulatable neurological configuration. (Unsurprisingly this leads to interesting and mind-blowing philosophical consequences.)

Q. Characters (and plot)?
A. Some. Not especially unique, but interesting to read about; on a par with the short stories or permutation city, rather than the rather interchangeable non-characters of diaspora.

Q. Also?
A. An Egan that reminds me most of near-future Stross or Vinge, with nanotech and neurological implants in normal street scenes.

Greg Egan

Dec. 4th, 2006 12:22 am
jack: (Default)
It's actual science fiction. You can tell because it's fiction about science[1]. I haven't read any of that for ages and ages.

On the other hand, why does complex consciousness/physics related fiction always tend to be confusing and depressing? Why can't more of it be upbeat?

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