Back to hard Science Fiction. Or on the surface anyway. I enjoyed this book immensely because it was multi layered and enthralling. On the surface it is an exploration of what ifs. What if Alzheimer's could be cured. What if you could be made young again. What if what mattered was the ability collate rather than create. It creates a near future which is complex and different to where a lot of people see us going, and then weaves through two different story threads. One thread is the story of fighting terrorism in the future, the other is a story of personal redemption and second chances. The two are blended together very well indeed.
This book posits ideas without even stating them obviously. Neuroplasticity is a given, without ever being mentioned and plays a central though hidden role in the narrative. The importance of love and community is one of the biggest lessons you could draw from this novel, but nowhere is said. The messages, the ideas, the statements of Vinge are subtle; they are simply woven into the thread.
I will definitely read more by this writer, who falls on the hard sf side of the genre. If you like hard sf and technobabble, give it a whirl.
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