WWW: Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Webmind, the world's first true artificial intelligence, has finally revealed himself to humanity, sparking a
firestorm of controversy and mixed reactions. Despite ingratiating himself by all but eliminating spam, he's already
survived one attempt on his "life" and fears a repeat. Now he must convince his "creators" that he comes in
peace, winning over a world conditioned to expect the worst of artificial intelligences who can break any
encryption, invade any database, and learn any secret.
WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
Born blind, Caitlin Decter receives a retinal implant that allows her to see. In the process,
her doctor accidently gives her the ability to see webspace as well as the real world. With her
online vision, Caitlin notices a presence in the background of the web and begins to explore. She
soon finds that the presence is an accidentally created artificial intelligence which she dubs Webmind.
Starplex by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Big spaceships, alien civilizations, the mysteries of the cosmos, and a story that roams through the vastness of time
and space. All of the elements of a big-scale, hard science fiction adventure story are present right from the start.
When it comes to piling on a sense of wonder, Starplex is right on point.
WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Dan Shade
15-year-old Caitlin Decter was born blind. In spite of that, she is a math genius who can surf the net. Caitlin
gets her sight back because of a computer chip implanted behind her left eye. At first, all she can see is the web
in the form of circles and lines of various colors. Later on, she can see normally due to some
reprogramming of the implant. But when she switches off the implant
and looks at the World Wide Web, she discovers a consciousness out there.
WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Blind from birth, 15-year-old Caitlin Dector, with the aid of a device, she can receive and decipher the same visual
cues as everyone else. She can also see the data flow of the Internet and the so-called Webmind, a spontaneously emerging consciousness
existing only on the Web. Even as Caitlin learns to see the world around her for the first time, the Webmind is learning alongside her.
As more people learn of Webmind's existence, some accept it with trepidation and optimism, others with fear
and worse. The Webmind can't stay a secret for long, and the time for it
to choose its purpose for existing is approaching far too quickly. Is it here to help, or harm?
FlashForward by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Kit O'Connell
For two minutes, every human being on Earth simultaneously falls unconscious. Those
who survive awaken with a vision of their own future (in a
shared human vision of a moment either six months or thirty years ahead, depending on whether you're watching TV
or reading the book). Not only must those who remain bury their dead and heal their injured, they also have to
deal with a profound metaphysical shock, one that raises complex issues of free will and temporal logic.
WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Blind since birth, teenage mathematical genius Caitlin Dector has compensated quite well for her lack of sight,
embracing life online as her way to communicate and keep up with the world. Blessed with a supportive
family, she's doing quite well for herself, even though she's currently adjusting to a recent move from Texas to
Toronto. But now a unique opportunity has presented itself, in the form of a revolutionary new technology
developed in Japan. If successful, a surgically-implanted device would help to process the signals
received by her eyes, granting her sight at last.
Mindscan by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Adam Volk
Jake Sullivan is trying desperately to put together the shattered pieces of his
life. Afflicted with a fatal neurological disease known as Katerinsky's syndrome, Jake is in his early 40s but
due to his condition could conceivably drop dead at any moment. With his wealth, Jake
decides to discard his potentially doomed biological body and replace it with a synthetic android body. The process, known as a Mindscan, is not quite
consciousness transferring, but rather using quantum mechanics and advanced computer technology creates an
instantaneous copy of an individual's mind, transporting every thought, memory, and emotion into a duplicate android body.
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Relativity by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Adam Volk
When it comes to blending cutting edge science with complex philosophical ruminations, there are few authors more talented
than Robert J. Sawyer. For those unfortunate few who have not yet heard of him, the man has left an indelible mark
on the Science Fiction community; earning a well-deserved reputation as a major talent, in addition to his recent receipt of
both a Hugo and Nebula award. He is one of those rare SF authors who is able to approach complex scientific concepts and
humanize them with believable characters, rich dialogue and all too real moral and philosophical dilemmas.
Hybrids by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Contact between a world where humans
were the dominant evolutionary path, and a world where Neanderthals survived instead continues to heat up, as the two worlds share
aspects of science, culture, history, and more. Ponter Boddit, the first Neanderthal to cross over to our world, continues his
growing love affair with human geneticist Mary Vaughan, and the two begin to plan ways to be together permanently, and ways to
signify their union with a child of both races.
Hybrids by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
With this novel, the author completes his three-volume Neanderthal Parallax, a story of the opening
of a parallel world where Neanderthals out-lived Homo Sapiens, and of the people it brings together, most notably
the Neanderthal physicist Ponter Boddit and Mary Vaughan, a human geneticist who falls in love with him. It is also a story
that contrasts two very different cultures, and incorporates what are bound to be some discussion-provoking viewpoints on
justice, social engineering, and gender politics.
Iterations by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Although he is best known for writing novels, he has also written numerous pieces of short fiction, many of
which have been nominated, and won, for awards ranging from the HOMer to the Hugo.
Nevertheless, his short fiction is not generally well known, possibly because it doesn't appear in the major genre magazines.
This is a collection of 22 stories which were originally published in a variety of anthologies and a few magazines.
Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Hard science fiction is easy. Rising above the facts, figures, phenomena, and fancy gadgets to create a
story that is so much more is where the true artistry lies. That rarefied air is where you will find
this author's novels. Near the top of that even more select list, you will find this one, his latest
novel. It's a blend of physics, anthropology, and sociology that snatches up the reader with
a sharp hook of a first sentence and just keeps gaining speed.
Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Donna McMahon
It is April 21, 2009. Physicists at the CERN particle collider facility in Geneva throw the switch on an experiment which they
hope will detect the elusive Higgs boson particle. Instead, the scientists "Flashforward" -- experiencing visions of
their lives 20 years in the future -- then return to discover that they've been unconscious for 2 minutes.
Frameshift by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Rodger Turner
Pierre Tardivel's life hangs on the flip of a coin. His father died of Huntington's
disease so he's got a 50-50 chance. He's moved to Berkeley to do post-doctoral work
on the Human Genome Project, mankind's attempt to map DNA. The author
asks a number of probing questions about where genetic science is leading us.
Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by David Soyka
How does an outspoken advocate of cold hard logic that leaves no wiggle room for concepts
such as God and an afterlife deal with his own soon-to-be demise? Or, to put it another way, if there are
indeed atheists in foxholes, what do they think about? In meditating on this subject, the author has created a
highly readable, entertaining, and informative work.
Factoring Humanity by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Rodger Turner
Robert J. Sawyer writes interesting characters, fast-paced plotting
science threaded elegantly into the prose yet simply put to let Rodger understand
it -- he can do it all with grace and style. He does it again in this novel.
And he's found a way to make the format of technology as important as the content.
Illegal Alien by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Leon Olszewski
Murder mysteries and science fiction are similar in that both expect the reader to think.
There is a rich history where the two have been melded together.
To this illustrious list we can add Robert J. Sawyer.
This novel does more than just bring a murder mystery into a science fiction
setting; it also brings the legal intricacies of a courtroom drama into the story.
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