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Triggers

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 540 ratings · 159 reviews

On the eve of a secret military operation, an assassin’s bullet strikes U.S. President Seth Jerrison. He is rushed to hospital, where surgeons struggle to save his life. At the same hospital, Canadian researcher Dr. Ranjip Singh is experimenting with a device that can erase traumatic memories. Then a terrorist bomb detonates. In the operating room, the president suffers ca...more

Hardcover, Viking, 342 pages

Published April 2012 by Penguin (first published 2012)

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Mar 20, 2013 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think this author is always at his most clever when he takes on American politics. The story begins with an assassination attempt on U.S. President Seth Jerrison. Ironically, the President was speaking about the need to combat increasing violence, which lately had included a series of bombs emitting widely-damaging electromagnetic pulses. The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia had been destroyed, as had the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the Willis Tower in Chicago.

After being shot, the pr...more I think this author is always at his most clever when he takes on American politics. The story begins with an assassination attempt on U.S. President Seth Jerrison. Ironically, the President was speaking about the need to combat increasing violence, which lately had included a series of bombs emitting widely-damaging electromagnetic pulses. The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia had been destroyed, as had the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the Willis Tower in Chicago.

After being shot, the president was rushed to surgery, but during the procedure, yet another bomb went off, this one destroying the White House. The electromagnetic pulse that followed the bomb interacted with some experimental hospital equipment in use. Most of the people in the hospital, including the President, were affected by the resulting “quantum entanglement,” which changed them in radical ways no one could have predicted.

Discussion: How can you not love Robert J. Sawyer? He has won fifty national and international awards for his fiction, and is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science fiction novel of the year. Additionally, he received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. His books are witty, stimulating, and overwhelmingly convey a rosy view of life no matter how dire the circumstances.

The increase in terrorism is certainly dire, and is a development that has informed other works by Sawyer as well as this one. What is the right way to handle terrorism? Do you take an eye for an eye? Do you trust in the strategy of mutually assured destruction? Or is it possible that people can actually become committed – somehow - to mutually assured survival?

Sawyer maintains that science fiction is “ a literature of ideas,” embracing “science, philosophy, history, and ethics.” Certainly, his science fiction is! And although he is very into complicated ideas from the fields of neurobiology and physics, not to mention ethics and political theory, he writes in a way that is neither abstruse nor didactic. His approach is more like Goldilocks found the third bear to be: just right!

Evaluation: I so enjoy the imaginative flights Sawyer takes us on when he contemplates different realities. The plot in this book seems - to me - a bit more improbable than in some of his other books, but I might feel that way just because the author has such an optimistic, upbeat vision of the future! (I, as you may know, am more of a glass three-fourths empty type. Okay, seven-eighths.) Nevertheless, just because Sawyer is positive and a happy-seeming person doesn’t mean his conjectures are outlandish. He is an incredibly thought-provoking, entertaining writer who rarely disappoints!

Rating: 3.5/5
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Dec 18, 2012 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Until about the last 50 pages, I would have rated this book much higher (probably a 4 of 5), but I admit I hated the ending and felt it ruined much of the book.

In a nutshell, a freak accident causes a chain of people to be able to access the memory of the next person in the chain -- A can read B's memories, B can read C's, etc. Most of the novel deals with the ramifications of this: what does privacy mean, how problematic is it if you now know classified information you aren't cleared for, how d...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Tim Hicks rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Six stars for ideas, both large and small. Minus two for the ending, and one for some of the writing.

For about the first half of the book, I felt as if I were reading Reader's Digest or something. Tall, handsome doctor Brock Manly opened his MacBook Air and launched a Safari browser, and looked at burly father of two Joe Average. etc., etc. What is this, I think, a high school class in descriptive writing? But eventually the text seemed to relax and settle into a style that didn't get in the way...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Jaclyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting book. The story starts off as a fairly standard thriller -- people's memories are linked in a chain of unknown length, and a Secret Service agent must find out who has access to the memories of the US President. Sawyer's fascination with science is prevalent, particularly in the character of a Canadian doctor who chronicles each new development in the phenomenon almost gleefully. It was difficult to get into the story at this point, simply because there were so many characters,...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Sherry rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Triggers" is a thought-provoking, compelling read full of suspense and intriguing characters. Robert J. Sawyer's latest meets and exceeds his standard of excellence in writing and story-telling.

In the midst of home-grown terror and a major national defensive initiative, there is an assassination attempt on the American President. At the same time the President is the operating room, Doctor Singh is attempting a new proceedure to treat the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder of an Iraq War Vet by alt...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Michael Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was so intrigued by the blurbs for this novel that, upon starting it, I was threatening to quit my job just so I could have uninterrupted time to finish it. And in fact I did finish it in about three sessions over the next day. However, despite some fascinating twists here and there, the novel seems to spin out of control into a fuzzy, unbelievable, feel-good ending that doesn’t feel emotionally supported by the structure of the novel: a quick and easy resolution, a deux ex machina that resolv...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have read and loved every book by Robert, however this one was a big let down.

Firstly a comment about the edition I bought, the Kindle version. There was very little separation between the character plot lines making it tricky to know when one story ended and the next began. With the way the publishers are ramping up the price of eBooks I would have expected better. Also with the Kindle version there are no page numbers provided, while that is minor it is something I would expect to be there.

N...more

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May 22, 2012 John Parungao rated it 4 of 5 stars

Robert J Sawyer gives us a facinating look at a multi cultural nation in the grip of the post 9/11 era. Set amid a contemporary America, which is once again the victim of terrorist attacks. These attacks use a powerful bomb, which unleashes a powerful electomagnetic pulse. What happens when one of these bombs goes off during a ground breaking experiment to treat a war veteran suffering from PTSD? The scope of the machine's effect is expanded. Suddenly various people from all walks of life are fo...more

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May 04, 2012 Gwen Nicodemus rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed and maybe even loved every Sawyer story I've read. This one was no different in that regard, but the book was much different than Sawyer's previous stories.

This story wasn't just science fiction.

As far as the science fiction part went, I had hoped for a bit more science. He had mentioned at Phoenix ComicCon 2011 that this book touched on consciousness and quantum entanglement. So naturally I read up on consciousness and quantum entanglement. That was my fault, I guess. Since he wa...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars

In near-future America, a string of terrorist attacks has changed its citizens’ viewpoint on the world. President Seth Jerrison is addressing the public in front of the Washington monument when a sniper shoots him in the back. He is rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors attempt to save his life.

While the president is in the operating room, a security agent discovers a bomb on the White House roof. The bomb explodes and the hospital where Jerrison is staying experiences a power surge and temp...more In near-future America, a string of terrorist attacks has changed its citizens’ viewpoint on the world. President Seth Jerrison is addressing the public in front of the Washington monument when a sniper shoots him in the back. He is rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors attempt to save his life.

While the president is in the operating room, a security agent discovers a bomb on the White House roof. The bomb explodes and the hospital where Jerrison is staying experiences a power surge and temporary power loss. This handicaps the doctors’ efforts to save his life, but there is a larger issue at hand. In a nearby room, Doctor Ranjip Singh is using an experimental piece of equipment to treat a soldier for PTSD. The surge has a strange effect on the machine and when power is restored, any person that was within a few rooms of the machine now has the strange ability to read the memories of another person. This ability is not reciprocal; a doctor who can read the memory of a nurse has his memory being read by a real estate agent. The real estate agent in turn has her mind being read by someone completely different.

Also included in the group of memory readers is Susan Dawson, a 34-year-old woman heading security detail, a father and his estranged daughter awaiting a kidney transplant, another secret service agent, an older woman visiting her son, a lawyer, and a few other characters who have their own unique stories. One of these people has access to the president’s mind and what he or she learns could have an effect on the course of human history.

I read that this novel was serialized in Analog magazine; however, I would have never known it. It reads like a complete novel. Sawyer does a nice job of handling the multiple viewpoints required to tell this kind of story and I found myself enjoying the many side stories that took place. This novel is about the plot more than anything, but his characters are still rounded out and believable.

Triggers is classified as science fiction, but the speculative elements are restricted to this strange occurrence and it reads more like a political thriller. The pace is comfortable as we see how each character comes to grips with not only their unique ability, but also their sudden loss of privacy. Through this experience, we see love interests develop and dark family secrets come to a head. Most of all, we see the struggle to maintain national security when confidential information is available like an open book to unknown people.

As I read through the book, I thought I would be giving a 5-star review. Without spoiling the ending, I have to admit the last fifty pages completely derailed for me. What could have been a nicely-tied up conclusion to the novel ended up as an anti-Randian philosophical discourse that left me very disappointed. These philosophical musings are also sprinkled throughout the novel, but they are not obtrusive until the end. It’s not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with Sawyer’s philosophy — it’s that the plot shifted away from what I thought was believable for the characters and even the nature of the strange phenomenon itself.

Overall, Sawyer is a very talented writer and he crafts a solid story in Triggers. Despite the flawed ending, I found the premise to be intriguing and the characters likable, holding my interest on every page. For those who are looking for a mind-bending thriller, Triggers is a fun and thought-provoking read.(less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Tim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I actually read this serialized in Analog Science Fiction and Fact where it was printed over 4 issues. That said, according to the author there's only minor differences (and not to story) with the book version.

The book is centred around a very interesting premise that an experiment causes various people's minds to be linked together, but they only can read one other person's mind (and it's not reciprocal). However, since one of the people linked is the President of the US, this causes definite s...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Sean Randall rated it 4 of 5 stars

I utterly enjoyed this novel, and it was very nearly a 5 star read. But as with something like Flashforward the overwhelmingly transhumanic ending ruined it a little for me.

Other than that, the characters were fascinating, and there aren't many who could've so deftly handled the memory mismanagement. I think the most fascinating mental swap for me was Tarasov reading Dora and the trauma from her childhood, which rang particularly strong for me having a very young daughter of my own. Nikki's surg...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won a copy of Triggers from Penguin Books, through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.

The technology imagined by Robert J. Sawyer inevitably causes me to think "I never could have thought of that!" Triggers provoked that thought a few times...

When a terrorist attack coincides with an experimental medical treatment designed to erase traumatic memomories, the result is remarkable: a random group of people end up sharing memories. And since one of the group members is the U.S. President,...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Bradley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, science-fiction

The latest novel by veteran science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer, Triggers is a tale that pits science against emotion. Coming off his highly acclaimed WWW trilogy, Sawyer portrays a world of the not-distant future where terrorism has struck at America several times since 9/11, and how the President is ready to take drastic measures to prevent it from happening again. Is Triggers yet another Sawyer masterpiece? Read on to find out.

Synopsis for Triggers :

On the eve of a secret military operati

...more

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May 02, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, mystery-thriller, sci-fi

Sawyer has never disappointed me so far. he is exceptionally skilled at coming up with creative "what if" scenarios, which is essential to good sci-fi, but more than that, each novel is a social commentary. this is smart sci-fi and smart writing in general. I would easily recommend any of the Sawyer novels I've read to anyone, even if they aren't into the genre. this book and others bridge the gap and would be enjoyable to most audiences, I think.

this story explores what happens when memories ar...more

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May 06, 2012 Bryan Schmidt rated it 3 of 5 stars

So strongly written, great characters, great suspense, great plot, but just fell apart in the last give chapters. For me, it totally jumped the shark. I just couldn't buy the ending. It seemed like Sawyer pushed the limits of credulity. Even in the context of the world in which he tells it, it just wasn't believable, and that's too bad. Because up until that point, he totally had me. I was turning pages and couldn't stop. I was on the edge of my seat. I was even hoping it was the start of a tril...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Lianne Burwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

Triggers was a strange read.

First of all, Robert J Sawyer is pretty much the leading figure in Canadian SF. Some would argue, perhaps, for writers like William Gibson, but Sawyer is one of the few that is truely *identified* as Canadian. I've read many of his books, which cover all sorts of landscape, but he's mostly settled into present/near future SF (The Neanderthal Parallax trilogy, Rollback, The WWW trilogy, and Flashforward, which was the basis of a television show).

Triggers falls into thi...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Dominick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

On the same day the President barely survives an assassination attempt and an EMP-emitting bomb destroys the White House, Dr, Singh is engaging in an experimental procedure to modify memory--in the very hospital in which the President is undergoing surgery. EMP and memory modification equipment somehow work in tandem to create an effect whereby the memories of several folk get quantum entangled: each person in the group is linked to one other and can access all his/her memories, and of course th...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Aislynn (Stitch Read Cook) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-s-to-review, hard-copy-from-publisher, mystery, read-in-2012

When I initially decided to pick up this book I expected something like Dan Brown or Clive Cussler, but what I got was so much more. As a fan of action adventure, mystery and science fiction – this rolls them all in to one amazing story that I had a hard time putting down.

We are swept up into a chaotic story of an attempted assassination of President Seth Jerrison. When a bomb suddenly goes off, an experiment in the same hospital where Jerrison is being operated on goes wrong. Memories are swapp...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: robert-j-sawyer, read-in-2012, recommended-reading

This is on par with the best of Sawyers other novels. The plot is intriguing and makes sense. The characters are believable and diverse. The science is plausible. Everything that is needed in a good sci-fi novel exists in here.

The basic premise is that during an experiment an EMP goes off and several people are able to read someone else's mind. Included in this group is the U.S. president. Sawyer weaves in a terrorist plot throughout but it doesn't overpower the story. It is an important motivat...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, science-fiction

A quick read and toys with some interesting ideas about memory, telepathy, the mind, etc. but this book just didn't feel as richly developed as some of his others. I love Calculating G-d [sic] Flashforward (the book, not the TV series!) and his Hominids trilogy because of their inventiveness. Robert Sawyer takes on these big thought experiments and looks at them from a variety of angles while also making them immensely personal through the eyes of interesting and complex characters. Triggers see...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Rod rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually read this in Analog SF (Kindle edition) in installments (I'm a sucker for those...a nostalgia thing, I guess. I remember waiting for the new issue to read the next section of a novel by Frank Herbert, Roger Zelazny, Robert Silverberg, Alfred Bester, etc.)

That said, this was another good Sawyer novel, though not my favorite. It had a "thriller" quality to it and felt a little soap opera-ish, though it explored some interesting twists on the "what if we shared one another's memories" th...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Libby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read this one serialized in Analog. What a wonderful, yet frustrating story! I certainly always wanted to know what happened next, and the Big Idea of the novel -- what happens at the hospital -- is really interesting. But the ending just wasn't tight enough to do the rest of the book justice. The solution to the mystery element of the plot was revealed to the reader fairly early on, leaving me frustrated that none of the characters could seem to figure it out. (Wait, but did they ever talk it o...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

[I received a free advance reading copy of this book through a Goodreads First Read giveaway. ]

Oh Robert J. Sawyer. I want to love your books. I usually love the ideas (Flash Forward was so creative a concept!), but something in the execution always frustrates me. The characters always seem so flat, and yet I can feel you trying (too hard) to make them real. You have a story to tell me and sometimes I swear I can feel you bonking me over the head with your plot.

Things that bothered me about this...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Ashley (Firestarbooks) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recieved this book for review as a part of a blog tour. For giveaway, click Review+Giveaway: Triggers by Robert J Sawyer

All I can do is bow and applause for Mr. Robert J. Sawyer. His writing is just pure gold. I don't have to force myself into his novel; his novel just sucked me in. Haha, I totally imagined one of his sci-fi action scene where I'm being dragged into this book but that's how I felt reading his book.

Robert was able to write from so many point of views but still able to connect...more I recieved this book for review as a part of a blog tour. For giveaway, click Review+Giveaway: Triggers by Robert J Sawyer

All I can do is bow and applause for Mr. Robert J. Sawyer. His writing is just pure gold. I don't have to force myself into his novel; his novel just sucked me in. Haha, I totally imagined one of his sci-fi action scene where I'm being dragged into this book but that's how I felt reading his book.

Robert was able to write from so many point of views but still able to connect and make each character distinct. He never left one hanging, he perfected every single one of the characters. It reminded me of Michael Grant's writing where though there are so many characters, each one was explained and developed. Beautiful!

There were different parts to the story, each focusing on different characters. I don't know which one I loved more, all of then was amazing. When one ended, I felt sadly but then just I start the next part, I loved it and didn't want that one to end. It is hard to describe but that's how I felt. Susan, the lead of the Secret Service is so kick-ass! I just want to high five her! Gosh I wish every single female character in books can be like that. It almost reminds of Game of Thrones, how all the females are major kick-ass characters! Woot!

And when I say this book has it all, I mean it. It has a romantic side with the characters Eric Redekop and Janis Falconi. But the story also have a more suspenseful part with the assassination. This pleases both sides of my interests. Plus it gave me a break between the two type. With the alternation between the two "styles", it made me crave each one more instead of boring me out with too much of one side. While reading this book, I had so many different type of emotions running through me. In some parts, it was so intense that I probably didn't breath, and in other parts, my heart broke and in some other parts I laughed. This book was a ride on a rollercoaster. And at the end, I felt so good like I accomplished something. I love how each chapter are decided into chunks so the chapters don't seem long and boring. :)

When the book went into the science/quantum mechanics of this phenomena, I learnt so much. I am kind of a geek to science plus it reminded me of the TV show Fringe. This prompt me to think that this book would be an amazing movie! When I read this book, it kind of gets me a little squeal-ish. It reminds me of the time when I watch Justice League on TV. the action, the planning, the unexpected. I loved all the little codes and tricks! You probably won't understand what I'm taking about, but trust me, you will feel like you are learning from a spy. Mr Sawyer, were you are Secret Service agent? Everything just fits so perfectly. I don't know what to say other than the fact that I am absolutely, indefinitely in LOVE with this book. So goodbye money, hello Robert J Sawyer books!

Okay, there are definitely graphic, descriptive scenes. For example, a car crash and a certain someone kind of had to perform surgery. Yeah, I don't really have the stomach for the details but that is just me. Just a warning for those people who are scream-ish about blood and cutting people open, though it is just 2-3 paragraphs long. :)

The ending felt a bit rushed, in the sense where you feel like you had been cheated. All the things started to collide together too fast that you don't see everything. It was a bit confusing. I remember reading it and saying "What? Really? That's it?". Things unravelled so fast that I didn't have the time to comprehend and it was over, it was unrealistic. It kind of reminded me the ending of the TV show LOST. nothing lead up to the last episode. It was "random" but it did end everything. I remember finishing that last episode and had to sit and ponder. This book made me do that. Brilliant! So beautiful, so touching, so inspiring!

P.S: I loved all the Canadian references! The Heritage Minutes got me! I loved it! I totally knew what he was talking about.

P.P.S: I did found something that didn't fit in the story. Okay, either Robert implies that Obama wouldn't be in office long or his story has a loop hole. Since in this story, Obama precedes Jerrison, but the technologies in the book is not futuristic, in fact it is a little outdated. By that I don't mean I expected flying cars but the technologies were still iPad and Nooks. Shouldn't the technologies be like iPad 5 or something since iPad 3 came out already. Unless Robert believes that Obama wouldn't be in office for long. I'm not judging him for maybe thinking that, I don't even care much about American politics. It is just that little fact can make the story more "real". It is just something to think about. Heck, perhaps this wouldn't even happen in the finish copy. Okay, yeah I should end my little OCD thought.
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Aug 15, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, suspense

Excerpts. http://www.sfwriter.com/sctr.htm
"Triggers" by Robert J. Sawyer are tiny sensory stimulations - whisper of sound, waft of scent, tickle of touch, single word - that recall memories. What if suddenly they link you to another person in a circle of twenty(view spoiler). Many vignettes draw together principal and minor characters. Young, old, male, female, light skin or dark - abuser(view spoiler)...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Darren Vincent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

I loved this book, but then again, there is not much by this author that I have not loved on one level or another.

I love Sawyers ability to take a very science-fictiony premise, which is usually very original and creative, and then bring it down into the real world and make the resulting actions very believable. And that is pretty much the story in a nutshell.

We have a device that is not very plausible and once we digest it and suspend our disbelief, we proceed directly into the story and the ch...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Will rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book! It's in the sci-fi genre and as such answers the question of "What if ..." and Sawyer does a marvelous job of making up a question and then looking at the logical effect of how that would affect people's lives. The story is set in the near future in the US. One of the main characters is a Canadian (Sawyer generally has some Canadian content ;- ). And that is all I'll say about the book as I don't want to give anything away.
Robert Sawyer is a Canadian authour whom both my wi...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Daniel Hembree rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very good story, until the end. The notion of people sharing memories is a rich topic and the author explores many aspects of it. He broke with his usual style here and tried to make it current and fast moving. I think he partly succeeded. It's fast moving and suspenseful, but a little to current. The "war on terror" theme has been beat to death.

One of the things this author does best is research his subject and limit the sci-fi to plausible (almost) scenarios. He does that well through most of...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 200-in-2013, science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer is one of Canada's best known and most successful science fiction writers. He is the only Canadian (and one of only 7 writers in the world) to have won all three of the top international awards for science fiction: the 1995 Nebula Award for The Terminal Experiment, the 2003 Hugo Award for Hominids, and the 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Mindscan.
Robert Sawyer grew up in...more Robert J. Sawyer is one of Canada's best known and most successful science fiction writers. He is the only Canadian (and one of only 7 writers in the world) to have won all three of the top international awards for science fiction: the 1995 Nebula Award for The Terminal Experiment, the 2003 Hugo Award for Hominids, and the 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Mindscan.
Robert Sawyer grew up in Toronto, the son of two university professors. He credits two of his favourite shows from the late 1960s and early 1970s, Search and Star Trek, with teaching him some of the fundamentals of the science-fiction craft. Sawyer was obsessed with outer space from a young age, and he vividly remembers watching the televised Apollo missions. He claims to have watched the 1968 classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey 25 times. He began writing science fiction in a high school club, which he co-founded, NASFA (Northview Academy Association of Science Fiction Addicts). Sawyer graduated in 1982 from the Radio and Television Arts Program at Ryerson University, where he later worked as an instructor.

Sawyer's first published book, Golden Fleece (1989), is an adaptation of short stories that had previously appeared in the science-fiction magazine Amazing Stories. This book won the Aurora Award for the best Canadian science-fiction novel in English. In the early 1990s Sawyer went on to publish his inventive Quintaglio Ascension trilogy, about a world of intelligent dinosaurs. His 1995 award winning The Terminal Experiment confirmed his place as a major international science-fiction writer.

A prolific writer, Sawyer has published more than 10 novels, plus two trilogies. Reviewers praise Sawyer for his concise prose, which has been compared to that of the science-fiction master Isaac Asimov. Like many science fiction-writers, Sawyer welcomes the opportunities his chosen genre provides for exploring ideas. The first book of his Neanderthal Parallax trilogy, Hominids (2002), is set in a near-future society, in which a quantum computing experiment brings a Neanderthal scientist from a parallel Earth to ours. His 2006 Mindscan explores the possibility of transferring human consciousness into a mechanical body, and the ensuing ethical, legal, and societal ramifications.

A passionate advocate for science fiction, Sawyer teaches creative writing and appears frequently in the media to discuss his genre. He prefers the label "philosophical fiction," and in no way sees himself as a predictor of the future. His mission statement for his writing is "To combine the intimately human with the grandly cosmic."

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