Permutation City

by Greg Egan
Permutation City  
published 1995 by EOS
binding Mass Market Paperback
isbn 006105481X   (isbn13: 9780061054815)
pages 352
description

The good news is that you have just awakened into Eternal Life. You are going to live forever. Immortality is a reality. A medical miracle? Not exa...more

date added
02-23-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 118)



Peter
Peter rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/18/07

bookshelves: scifi, thought_provoking
Read in January, 2001
recommends it for: Geeks and Philosophers
This was my first introduction to Greg Egan and it blew my mind. Permutation City was the first book I ever read that made me say, 'Wow, that's a really interesting argument.' Other books made me think, 'huh, maybe we will have jet blaster space rays in the future.' but this one presents a serious and troubling philosophical argument. Permutation City isn't as fast paced or as idea dense as some of his other works but the ideas are much bigger and more provocative.

Egan is often criticize...more
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David
David rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/08/07

bookshelves: fiction
Egan writes sci-fi, heavy on the sci. It’s what sci-fi was meant to be: a tale that takes a scientific idea and leads the imagination, wide-eyed, past the event horizon. The protagonists of Permutation City are software humans, scanned from fleshly originals, virtually immortal, and fated to craft a purpose for themselves in a world of infinite flexibility. Those who revel in the vertigo of Egan’s world may want to move on to Diaspora next.
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Lolakay
Lolakay rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/22/08

bookshelves: sci-fi-and-futurism
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for: Gibson fans, Matrix fans, Dao of physics types
I think i really liked this one. Like all scifi, it would have been better in one sitting. I brought it on a trip, and got halfway through it on the way to Chicago. The plan to finish it on the way back was foiled by a really loud events coordinated with an obnoxious laugh two seats over.

Nice read. Reminds me a lot of the themes in Tippler's Physics of Immortality, but since it's fiction, it's not as dopey.

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Stephen
Stephen rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/27/07

bookshelves: readthisyear
Read in June, 2007
Humanity has gained immortality, by placing perfect
simulations of humans onto a computer chip after they die.
The humans on the chip learn how to create artificial
life. And so on, in an ever-ascending chain of machines.
Prepare to have your mind blown.
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Hoby
Hoby rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/11/08

bookshelves: sci-fi
Read in January, 2002
It's kind of the most typically Egan-esque of the books I've read - slowly trudging through misery and the pain of being human until the main theory of story makes the plot take flight and soar into the stratosphere. Making it to the end can be hard but it's totally worth it.
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Falsedan
Read in May, 2008
Diaspora-lite; the "computing on dust" concept confounded and didn't thrill me, but setting it in Sydney more than made up for any lack of comprehension on my part.
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Fredrik
Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in May, 2008
recommended to Fredrik by: glenn
friggin' awesome framtidsroman om virtualism med vackra metaforer för en bruten samtid. verkligen, VERKLIGEN rekommenderad.
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Michael
Michael rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/27/08

Trippy as all hell. Slow to start, excellent development, weird end. Creation/Identity seems to be the main theme(s).
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SFReader
SFReader rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/09/08

bookshelves: reviewed
Read in January, 2002
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bluetyson
bluetyson added it
08/21/08

 

Don
Don marked it as to-read
09/07/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Patrick
Patrick rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
08/20/08

 

Kris
Kris rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/03/08

 

David
David rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/20/08

Read in August, 2008
 

lordl
lordl marked it as to-read
08/31/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Toastrix
Toastrix rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/16/08

 

320x200 320x200
320x200 marked it as to-read (review of isbn 0752816497)
09/07/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Donal
Donal rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/05/08

 


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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.14 (118 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 4.17 (107 ratings)
number of reviews: 9






other editions

Permutation City (Paperback)
Permutation City (Paperback)
Ciudad Permutacion (Hardcover)