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Uncanny Valley
Immortality, but at what price, in what form, and how could you be you? In the near future it’s possible to build a new you, a better you, one that could carry on forever. But if you could carry on, if you could make choices about who you would be forever, how much of your past would you bring with you? Would you be tempted to maybe…edit? Adam isn’t all that he used to be, but he wants to be.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2017
73 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Greg Egan
267 books2,804 followersGreg Egan specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness. Other themes include genetics, simulated reality, posthumanism, mind transfer, sexuality, artificial intelligence, and the superiority of rational naturalism over religion.
He is a Hugo Award winner (and has been shortlisted for the Hugos three other times), and has also won the John W Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel. Some of his earlier short stories feature strong elements of supernatural horror, while due to his more popular science fiction he is known within the genre for his tendency to deal with complex and highly technical material (including inventive new physics and epistemology) in an unapologetically thorough manner.
Egan is a famously reclusive author when it comes to public appearances, he doesn't attend science fiction conventions, doesn't sign books and there are no photos available of him on the web.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
He is a Hugo Award winner (and has been shortlisted for the Hugos three other times), and has also won the John W Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel. Some of his earlier short stories feature strong elements of supernatural horror, while due to his more popular science fiction he is known within the genre for his tendency to deal with complex and highly technical material (including inventive new physics and epistemology) in an unapologetically thorough manner.
Egan is a famously reclusive author when it comes to public appearances, he doesn't attend science fiction conventions, doesn't sign books and there are no photos available of him on the web.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 25, 2021
Good short story, different from the usual super-hard SF which Egan got us used to, with a question to ponder: if you get the chance to start over, would you choose to have only the good memories from past life and discard the rest, or would need them all to feel whole?
It can be read online, on tor.com:
https://www.tor.com/2017/08/09/uncann...
It can be read online, on tor.com:
https://www.tor.com/2017/08/09/uncann...
November 18, 2017
This time, though, the darkness remained unbroken. He groped his way forward, unnerved. They’d ended up closer than ever—he knew that with as much certainty as he knew anything. So why did he feel as if he was stumbling blindly through the rooms of Bluebeard’s castle, and the last thing he should want to summon was a lamp?
review to come.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2017/08/09/uncann...
September 6, 2017
Somewhat disjointed, didn't follow it all, but most of it. I do find it very difficult to believe that there would be not ONE special interest group trying to help the androids be seen legally as equal to humans. 3 wasn't great but wasn't bad stars.
February 25, 2021
Wow... This is a surprise. I love this.
I love science fiction, though these days I skew more toward mystery. But science fiction has always made up rather less of my reading than I'd like it to largely because I think good science fiction is rare. (I mean the kind where the SF aspect is integral to the story, not just a setting or window dressing though that can be enjoyable too.) And I think that the (I think) fairly common belief that that is because the people who are good at the science aspect are rarely the same people who are good at the character aspect is a large part of that. Hard SF is one of the genres, like historical fiction, that demands more of an author.
All of which is a preamble to this: despite liking science fiction and hard science fiction in particular, I have avoided Greg Egan like the plague for 20 years because Diaspora. I barely remember anything about that book anymore other than everyone was virtual, and a vague idea it was a book with interesting ideas written in the most uninteresting and unenjoyable way imaginable. I only started reading this last night when I found it on my kindle and thought it might be a different short I remembered reading called The Nearest so I opened it up to check if I could delete it off the kindle.
This novelette is about Adam, who is basically an android loaded up with the memories of a wealthy Hollywood writer who has just died. Adam has realized he has some gaps, and that some of those gaps are deliberate.
I don't think any of the elements here are particularly unique, the questionable status of the duplicate, or the self-as-suspect investigation, but this just really worked for me. In fact, and this is something I never say, I wish it was longer. I would happily buy a novel version of this focused either on the mystery aspect, or the legal status and relationship with his original and original's family and friends.
Additionally, I wasn't put off by Adam's original being a writer, and usually I really dislike when a writer makes a main character a writer, artist, or musician as it comes off as such a blatant sort of self-insert.
As hard SF goes, it's not really. There's no time spent on the technical. But Adam's status as a copy is significant so you could say it's a bit of social and identity issues through the lens of SF.
I think I need to take a closer look at Egan's back catalog now.
I love science fiction, though these days I skew more toward mystery. But science fiction has always made up rather less of my reading than I'd like it to largely because I think good science fiction is rare. (I mean the kind where the SF aspect is integral to the story, not just a setting or window dressing though that can be enjoyable too.) And I think that the (I think) fairly common belief that that is because the people who are good at the science aspect are rarely the same people who are good at the character aspect is a large part of that. Hard SF is one of the genres, like historical fiction, that demands more of an author.
All of which is a preamble to this: despite liking science fiction and hard science fiction in particular, I have avoided Greg Egan like the plague for 20 years because Diaspora. I barely remember anything about that book anymore other than everyone was virtual, and a vague idea it was a book with interesting ideas written in the most uninteresting and unenjoyable way imaginable. I only started reading this last night when I found it on my kindle and thought it might be a different short I remembered reading called The Nearest so I opened it up to check if I could delete it off the kindle.
This novelette is about Adam, who is basically an android loaded up with the memories of a wealthy Hollywood writer who has just died. Adam has realized he has some gaps, and that some of those gaps are deliberate.
I don't think any of the elements here are particularly unique, the questionable status of the duplicate, or the self-as-suspect investigation, but this just really worked for me. In fact, and this is something I never say, I wish it was longer. I would happily buy a novel version of this focused either on the mystery aspect, or the legal status and relationship with his original and original's family and friends.
Additionally, I wasn't put off by Adam's original being a writer, and usually I really dislike when a writer makes a main character a writer, artist, or musician as it comes off as such a blatant sort of self-insert.
As hard SF goes, it's not really. There's no time spent on the technical. But Adam's status as a copy is significant so you could say it's a bit of social and identity issues through the lens of SF.
I think I need to take a closer look at Egan's back catalog now.
May 3, 2020
I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia
Rekomendasi Kobo kali ini berupa cerita tentang kehidupan di masa depan yang mana seseorang punya pilihan untuk menjadi abadi. Pilihan itu pun juga nantinya bisa diubah layaknya sebuah setelan akun. Mau berapa persen dari kisah masa lalu yang terpasang di "tubuh" barunya itu.
Adam bangun dalam keadaan bingung. Ia berusaha mencari tahu dan merangkai ingatan dalam memorinya. Ada yang memanggilnya "sixty" karena 60% dari dirinya mirip dengan Carlos. Pengacara datang dan membicarakan harta, hal yang semakin membuat ia bingung. Ia pun berusaha mencari tahu, sebenarnya apa yang terjadi dan siapa Carlos itu.
Uncanny Valley menarikku sejak premisnya. Kehidupan utopis dimana ingatan bisa diunggah ke cloud untuk sewaktu-waktu diunduh kembali. Prosesnya pun tinggal ditancapkan saja di leher seperti kita menancapkan kandar kilas di komputer. Lalu, semua prosesnya berjalan tanpa rasa sakit sedikit pun.
Cerita pendek tulisan Greg Egan ini rupanya cukup membuatku terhibur ketika tidak bisa tidur. Hanya 54 halaman, aku rasa bisa dijadikan selingan bacaan kala jenuh.
"...If you grew up believing that Facebook could give you ‘news’ and Google could give you ‘information,’ your expectations for quality control would already be nonexistent.”
Rekomendasi Kobo kali ini berupa cerita tentang kehidupan di masa depan yang mana seseorang punya pilihan untuk menjadi abadi. Pilihan itu pun juga nantinya bisa diubah layaknya sebuah setelan akun. Mau berapa persen dari kisah masa lalu yang terpasang di "tubuh" barunya itu.
Adam bangun dalam keadaan bingung. Ia berusaha mencari tahu dan merangkai ingatan dalam memorinya. Ada yang memanggilnya "sixty" karena 60% dari dirinya mirip dengan Carlos. Pengacara datang dan membicarakan harta, hal yang semakin membuat ia bingung. Ia pun berusaha mencari tahu, sebenarnya apa yang terjadi dan siapa Carlos itu.
Uncanny Valley menarikku sejak premisnya. Kehidupan utopis dimana ingatan bisa diunggah ke cloud untuk sewaktu-waktu diunduh kembali. Prosesnya pun tinggal ditancapkan saja di leher seperti kita menancapkan kandar kilas di komputer. Lalu, semua prosesnya berjalan tanpa rasa sakit sedikit pun.
Cerita pendek tulisan Greg Egan ini rupanya cukup membuatku terhibur ketika tidak bisa tidur. Hanya 54 halaman, aku rasa bisa dijadikan selingan bacaan kala jenuh.
“That was more than thirty years ago,” Adam replied. “I’m a different person now.”
“Aren’t we all?”
October 6, 2023
La historia está narrada por Adam, un robot que contiene parte de la memoria de un famoso escritor de Hollywood. En este futuro cercano, este tipo de androides no tienen prácticamente derechos, por lo que la lucha por la herencia crea un conflicto. Además, Adam desea averiguar qué es ese vacío que tiene en su memoria, relacionado con Carlos, el amante del escritor.
Una idea interesante de Greg Egan.
Una idea interesante de Greg Egan.
August 28, 2017
In the near-future, narcissistic ego-maniacs (ahem, Hollywood-types) can afford super-realistic, side-loads (or bots) of themselves in an attempt to achieve perfect immortality.
They are "undocumented aliens": they are not recognized entities and have no legal rights, human or otherwise.
So, stop and consider the ramifications of that. When the human model you are based upon dies, what happens then? Do you become an unnatural extension of that life, minus rights and responsibilities, or are you somehow able to forge a new identity, albeit "illegally".
Interesting. Add in a decidedly throwback Hollywood noir mystery to this piece of short fiction and you get a very well-written tale.
Once again, I am amazed at the quality, quantity and intelligence of the free fiction available from Tor. Sure makes it a whole lot easier to invest in their product.
They are "undocumented aliens": they are not recognized entities and have no legal rights, human or otherwise.
So, stop and consider the ramifications of that. When the human model you are based upon dies, what happens then? Do you become an unnatural extension of that life, minus rights and responsibilities, or are you somehow able to forge a new identity, albeit "illegally".
Interesting. Add in a decidedly throwback Hollywood noir mystery to this piece of short fiction and you get a very well-written tale.
Once again, I am amazed at the quality, quantity and intelligence of the free fiction available from Tor. Sure makes it a whole lot easier to invest in their product.
September 13, 2021
"Uncanny Valley" is a story of future Hollywood and excess wealth, where immortality is possible if you have enough money. Build a new body (simulacra, not really, legally alive), transfer your memories over, and voilà - You get to live forever!
But what about the relatives who want your house? Your estate? Are you really you? Should you attend your own funeral? Although the story posits the questions about whether the original should edit memories of the past, I preferred the questions for the replica and its existence. This was an awesome little story - recommended.
August 2, 2020
Available at Tor.com.
This was my third Tor short story from Egan, and I quite like his writing style. This one was layered in an interesting way, with the phenomenon of Adam's digital life on one level, Hollywood fame, family, love, and dramatic mystery on others. I was reminded of the stellar novella Mem by Bethany Morrow, with a touch of the TV show Humans.
This was my third Tor short story from Egan, and I quite like his writing style. This one was layered in an interesting way, with the phenomenon of Adam's digital life on one level, Hollywood fame, family, love, and dramatic mystery on others. I was reminded of the stellar novella Mem by Bethany Morrow, with a touch of the TV show Humans.
September 16, 2017
Androids should always be both impossibly sarcastic and unbearably kind. Read Uncanny Valley at Tor.com.
August 25, 2017
A story that drops you straight in with little warning about a future where memories can be uploaded to real-life androids, raising questions as to how human the android can be, especially when some memories are deliberately left out.
As the story progresses, Greg Egan starts to fill in the background of the android, who contains the memories of a famous screenwriter. But when he bumps into another person whom he should know from the memories but does not, it triggers off a search for the missing memories; a search that may reveal a dark secret about a grudge the writer had with another person who may have stolen his idea and caused the death of a loved one.
The title of the story probably refers to the idea that robots and artificial creations start to appear creepy as they become close to, but not quite, human. But in this case, it may refer to the idea that memories make up a person so how 'creepy' can it get when an android only have almost all the memories of a person?
A thoughtful story that, in contrast to Egan's other recent works, has little esoteric hard SF but instead features a character that is feeling his way through memories, trying to fill in parts that have been deliberately left out.
As the story progresses, Greg Egan starts to fill in the background of the android, who contains the memories of a famous screenwriter. But when he bumps into another person whom he should know from the memories but does not, it triggers off a search for the missing memories; a search that may reveal a dark secret about a grudge the writer had with another person who may have stolen his idea and caused the death of a loved one.
The title of the story probably refers to the idea that robots and artificial creations start to appear creepy as they become close to, but not quite, human. But in this case, it may refer to the idea that memories make up a person so how 'creepy' can it get when an android only have almost all the memories of a person?
A thoughtful story that, in contrast to Egan's other recent works, has little esoteric hard SF but instead features a character that is feeling his way through memories, trying to fill in parts that have been deliberately left out.
September 15, 2025
A synthetic replica of a dying man finds that not all of his memories have transferred over, leaving him confused and seeking answers, as the man's family strive to disinherit him.
A juicy little mystery, which is presented in a detective noir style. The ending is fairly easy to predict, but the story is still outstanding.
A juicy little mystery, which is presented in a detective noir style. The ending is fairly easy to predict, but the story is still outstanding.
September 23, 2017
This echoes some of Egan's earlier short stories, what with the transfer of memories. However, it's set in the very near future and engages with quite a few current issues. The legal status of is in the same sort of limbo that autonomous cars and drones are right now. That both of those technologies are accepted in the background of the story seem to imply that "side loads" will also be accepted at some point in the future as well. The monetary cost of this sort of immortality also touches on current issues of income disparity.
The core meaty bits of the story are loss and identity, with a side dish of Hollywood inside baseball. Because it's Egan, it's wrapped up in some engineering level hard-sf, but the result is a story with so much heart that I'm comfortable recommending to any reader with even the vaguest interest in science fiction.
The core meaty bits of the story are loss and identity, with a side dish of Hollywood inside baseball. Because it's Egan, it's wrapped up in some engineering level hard-sf, but the result is a story with so much heart that I'm comfortable recommending to any reader with even the vaguest interest in science fiction.
August 11, 2020
Greg Egan é um autor conhecido por suas ficções científicas duras, repletas de jargões complicados de entender. Algumas de suas obras são um teste real mesmo para os fãs mais hardcore. E é com muita surpresa que eu me deparei com Uncanny Valley e me deparei com um conto gostoso e palatável. Uma mescla divertida de scifi e thriller, Egan conseguiu me prender por toda a narrativa. Não conseguia largar a leitura nem por um segundo.
Adam é um personagem bem interessante. Uma cópia mais jovem de um escritor que acabou de falecer. A história começa no enterro do escritor e o clima é bem sombrio, com a família ficando horrorizada com a presença de um autômato que não representa a existência do homem que estava ali enterrado. Adam tenta seguir a vida e descobre que Gina, uma de suas parentes, lhe deu um golpe. A partir daí ele percebe que suas memórias foram de alguma forma mexidas e possuem algumas lacunas. Ao se consultar com um especialista, Adam descobre que o velho editou propositalmente suas memórias, deixando partes dela em branco. Inicia-se uma busca do protagonista pelo que o falecido estava escondendo. Será um golpe? Uma traição? Um assassinato?
Um dos temas trabalhados neste conto é o de o quanto um clone ou um autômato pode ser considerado uma existência no sentido estrito da palavra. Adam é uma cópia quase perfeita do original (ele não pode se reproduzir), tendo raciocínio e sentimentos próprios. Mas, a lei do mundo não o reconhece como um ser "vivo", sendo que ele precisa pagar por uma autorização para poder transitar pelo mundo. Outros autores já se debruçaram sobre esse tema como Isaac Asimov em O Homem Bicentenário e em Eu, Robô enquanto que a questão da transferência de cérebros foi abordada por Richard Morgan em Carbono Alterado. Mas, Egan trabalha de uma forma mais elegante, procurando tratar de uma forma mais reflexiva voltada para a relação do personagem com a família do falecido. Adam tenta de todas as formas estabelecer algum tipo de contato com eles, até tentando ser mais empático diante de uma situação difícil. O curioso é que ele só vai se sentir à vontade em um lugar completamente diferente de sua origem.
O aspecto investigativo desenrola-se por toda a trama. Achei que o Egan conseguiu manter o interesse do leitor até o final. E ele não entregou as respostas de bandeja para o leitor. As peças precisaram ser montadas por nós, principalmente o final. Não existe um deus ex machina aqui, o protagonista, mesmo possuindo muitos recursos financeiros, precisa ralar para conseguir suas respostas. O autor manteve a narrativa até bem pés no chão, sendo que o aspecto de scifi ficou apenas no fato de o protagonista ser um autômato humanoide e mais alguns detalhes de programação. Mas, tirando isso, daria para se confundir com uma narrativa de mistério.
Adam é um personagem bem interessante. Uma cópia mais jovem de um escritor que acabou de falecer. A história começa no enterro do escritor e o clima é bem sombrio, com a família ficando horrorizada com a presença de um autômato que não representa a existência do homem que estava ali enterrado. Adam tenta seguir a vida e descobre que Gina, uma de suas parentes, lhe deu um golpe. A partir daí ele percebe que suas memórias foram de alguma forma mexidas e possuem algumas lacunas. Ao se consultar com um especialista, Adam descobre que o velho editou propositalmente suas memórias, deixando partes dela em branco. Inicia-se uma busca do protagonista pelo que o falecido estava escondendo. Será um golpe? Uma traição? Um assassinato?
Um dos temas trabalhados neste conto é o de o quanto um clone ou um autômato pode ser considerado uma existência no sentido estrito da palavra. Adam é uma cópia quase perfeita do original (ele não pode se reproduzir), tendo raciocínio e sentimentos próprios. Mas, a lei do mundo não o reconhece como um ser "vivo", sendo que ele precisa pagar por uma autorização para poder transitar pelo mundo. Outros autores já se debruçaram sobre esse tema como Isaac Asimov em O Homem Bicentenário e em Eu, Robô enquanto que a questão da transferência de cérebros foi abordada por Richard Morgan em Carbono Alterado. Mas, Egan trabalha de uma forma mais elegante, procurando tratar de uma forma mais reflexiva voltada para a relação do personagem com a família do falecido. Adam tenta de todas as formas estabelecer algum tipo de contato com eles, até tentando ser mais empático diante de uma situação difícil. O curioso é que ele só vai se sentir à vontade em um lugar completamente diferente de sua origem.
O aspecto investigativo desenrola-se por toda a trama. Achei que o Egan conseguiu manter o interesse do leitor até o final. E ele não entregou as respostas de bandeja para o leitor. As peças precisaram ser montadas por nós, principalmente o final. Não existe um deus ex machina aqui, o protagonista, mesmo possuindo muitos recursos financeiros, precisa ralar para conseguir suas respostas. O autor manteve a narrativa até bem pés no chão, sendo que o aspecto de scifi ficou apenas no fato de o protagonista ser um autômato humanoide e mais alguns detalhes de programação. Mas, tirando isso, daria para se confundir com uma narrativa de mistério.
April 5, 2018
https://osrascunhos.com/2018/03/22/un...
Vencedor de dois dos mais importantes prémios na ficção científica, um prémio Hugo e um prémio Locus, para além de vários outros, Greg Egan é um autor peculiar que não se apresenta em convenções de ficção científica, ou apresentações de livros, recusando-se a assinar as suas obras e afirmando que não possui fotos na net. Esta forma particular de não se expor é, no mínimo curiosa.
Uncanny valley é uma história interessante e envolvente que segue a perspectiva de uma única personagem – um ser humano construído à imagem de uma personalidade existente, como forma de garantir imortalidade, ou pelo menos, de se perpetuar ao longo de mais umas quantas décadas. Neste futuro os seres humanos construídos à imagem de outros, com cópia cerebral, não são reconhecidos como seres humanos com direitos próprios. Este enquadramento não nos é explicado, mas é lentamente percepcionado através dos pensamentos e das conversas do ser que seguimos.
Não sendo reconhecido como ser humano, de que forma pode a réplica manter uma vida autónoma e produtiva? Existe um vazio legal. E ainda que o ser humano original, um escritor de forte carácter, tenha tentado proteger a sua réplica, empregando advogados e empresas para a manter ligada, a verdade é que tal manutenção tem um custo elevado – um custo de que a família se quer livrar, e que as empresas contratadas querem elevar ao impossível.
O ser humano construído sabe ser uma réplica imperfeita, existindo memórias às quais não tem acesso – memórias que foram intencionalmente deixadas de fora. O vazio legal e o lapso de memória constituem obstáculos a transformar-se numa pessoa coesa e bloqueiam a capacidade criativa.
A história não se centra na tecnologia que envolve o novo ser humano (ainda que forneça rápidos vislumbres) mas na perspectiva do ser inteligente que se sente desintegrado e incapaz, um ser adulto com todo o peso de memórias de uma outra vida, cujos companheiros e amigos já faleceram ou o evitam, e se sente impossibilitado de realizar novos contactos.
A acrescer a esta perspectiva solitária, o saber que há memórias “suas” que desconhece levanta várias outras questões interessantes. Por um lado, a pessoa original escolheu enterrar uma componente sua, um momento do qual não se orgulha ou, até, obscuro, por outro, a falha de memórias pode levar a uma quebra de personalidade e de integridade psicológica.
O resultado é um conto envolvente que levanta questões éticas interessantes associadas ao desenvolvimento tecnológico que deve ser acompanhado por uma evolução legal e da própria sociedade.
Esta história foi publicada gratuitamente na TOR.com.
Vencedor de dois dos mais importantes prémios na ficção científica, um prémio Hugo e um prémio Locus, para além de vários outros, Greg Egan é um autor peculiar que não se apresenta em convenções de ficção científica, ou apresentações de livros, recusando-se a assinar as suas obras e afirmando que não possui fotos na net. Esta forma particular de não se expor é, no mínimo curiosa.
Uncanny valley é uma história interessante e envolvente que segue a perspectiva de uma única personagem – um ser humano construído à imagem de uma personalidade existente, como forma de garantir imortalidade, ou pelo menos, de se perpetuar ao longo de mais umas quantas décadas. Neste futuro os seres humanos construídos à imagem de outros, com cópia cerebral, não são reconhecidos como seres humanos com direitos próprios. Este enquadramento não nos é explicado, mas é lentamente percepcionado através dos pensamentos e das conversas do ser que seguimos.
Não sendo reconhecido como ser humano, de que forma pode a réplica manter uma vida autónoma e produtiva? Existe um vazio legal. E ainda que o ser humano original, um escritor de forte carácter, tenha tentado proteger a sua réplica, empregando advogados e empresas para a manter ligada, a verdade é que tal manutenção tem um custo elevado – um custo de que a família se quer livrar, e que as empresas contratadas querem elevar ao impossível.
O ser humano construído sabe ser uma réplica imperfeita, existindo memórias às quais não tem acesso – memórias que foram intencionalmente deixadas de fora. O vazio legal e o lapso de memória constituem obstáculos a transformar-se numa pessoa coesa e bloqueiam a capacidade criativa.
A história não se centra na tecnologia que envolve o novo ser humano (ainda que forneça rápidos vislumbres) mas na perspectiva do ser inteligente que se sente desintegrado e incapaz, um ser adulto com todo o peso de memórias de uma outra vida, cujos companheiros e amigos já faleceram ou o evitam, e se sente impossibilitado de realizar novos contactos.
A acrescer a esta perspectiva solitária, o saber que há memórias “suas” que desconhece levanta várias outras questões interessantes. Por um lado, a pessoa original escolheu enterrar uma componente sua, um momento do qual não se orgulha ou, até, obscuro, por outro, a falha de memórias pode levar a uma quebra de personalidade e de integridade psicológica.
O resultado é um conto envolvente que levanta questões éticas interessantes associadas ao desenvolvimento tecnológico que deve ser acompanhado por uma evolução legal e da própria sociedade.
Esta história foi publicada gratuitamente na TOR.com.
September 28, 2018
A great dive into future humanity.
A great novella about life, consciousness, agency, and future humanity. An interesting premis leads to an unusual protagonist going on an even more unnerving journey. I really appreciate the thoughtand care that Greg Egan has put into building his world and the persons within it. I really enjoyed the build up of suspense and the way the reader is kept guessing through the early chapters. I do feel that the end of the novella unravelled a little too much. It had punch and some surprise, but seemed to be lacking a little bit of power in the closing. Overall very enjoyable and I would reccomend if you like Daniel H. Wilson or William Gibson.
A great novella about life, consciousness, agency, and future humanity. An interesting premis leads to an unusual protagonist going on an even more unnerving journey. I really appreciate the thoughtand care that Greg Egan has put into building his world and the persons within it. I really enjoyed the build up of suspense and the way the reader is kept guessing through the early chapters. I do feel that the end of the novella unravelled a little too much. It had punch and some surprise, but seemed to be lacking a little bit of power in the closing. Overall very enjoyable and I would reccomend if you like Daniel H. Wilson or William Gibson.
January 30, 2020
This is a brilliant short story - it sets out the idea (you can make a fake copy of yourself as a young person, but you can also edit your fake copy) and develops the ramifications - Adam doesn't have a full identity as a human, and there's social resistance to what he is.
It takes place from Adam's perspective as he explores what he is to do after his creator passes on, which includes .
It takes place from Adam's perspective as he explores what he is to do after his creator passes on, which includes .
March 11, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2977240.html
I hate cute anthropomorphic robots, and unless I misunderstood, this story is about a cute anthropomorphic robot.
I hate cute anthropomorphic robots, and unless I misunderstood, this story is about a cute anthropomorphic robot.
July 31, 2022
Just don’t read this short story, read something else by Egan. The reason to read Egan is his insanely weird ideas, and this story has none of them. The characters are boring, the story is not compelling, you won’t care about any of it.
August 12, 2017
An awkward attempt to blend soft and hard science fiction
November 20, 2017
Story of an android with the memories of a successful Hollywood writer. Except some memories are missing. Adam goes on a mission to recover those memories. Intensely, yet sparsely written.
December 23, 2017
A concise vision of a near future filled with driverless cars, immortality, and questions about inheritance.
December 30, 2017
An interesting tale of self.
January 5, 2018
Excellent about...retrieving lost memories? That's all I'll say.
January 11, 2018
Pretty good! The story gets a bit weird in a few scenes but overall it’s a nice introspective exploration. At first I thought the ending was somewhat abrupt but it works. Nice read!
January 26, 2018
posthuman blues
Short but sweet. Who said Egan's just a hard science writer? Someone should adapt it for a Dark Mirror episode.
Short but sweet. Who said Egan's just a hard science writer? Someone should adapt it for a Dark Mirror episode.
April 10, 2018
It was good, but not up to the heights I know Greg Egan is capable of.
October 29, 2018
This is a short story, as all "books" from Tor.com seem to be.
Not a bad story but the writing is mediocre and the ending is predictable and unsatisfying.
Not a bad story but the writing is mediocre and the ending is predictable and unsatisfying.
December 4, 2018
Didn’t click for me. Just like the existential spot of the main character, it felt kind of void.
March 30, 2019
This is a neat story that introduces a novel form of life-after-death. But the core mystery is kind of weak and I feel like the potential of the world is under-explored.
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