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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “My only fault with this book is that there is no sequel or other books set in this scenario. I was hooked, drawn into, and did not want to leave this world from the very first page. What a fascinating premise and how fun would it be to live in this world?” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“I moved this book up my TBR list because of the upcoming movie Surrogates. Brin here has a society where people can imprint their soul onto multiple copies of clay "golems". while there is a mystery that our lead character, a PI, must solve, what elevates this book above most science fiction is that is poses questions, and tries to answer them about what such technology would do to society, in addition to the question of what is a soul?”
Alan B wrote this review Monday, September 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A non-stop thrilling ride into a scary future. As hard sci-fi goes, Brin can get caught up in details and/or background as a rule, but this book flows well. ”
muque and shylock tomes wrote this review Saturday, July 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“David Brin weaves a great science fiction read in Kiln People. Albert Morris is a private investigator in a world where everyone is able to make duplicate clay copies of themselves that go about tasks and then can inload memories back to the original human. He is on the case for Ritu's missing father, a very important scientist linked to Universal Kilns--the originator of clay copies. Little does Morris know that his copies and himself are about to get wrapped up into an intricate plot between Aeneas, trillionaire owner of Universal Kilns; Beta, an illegal copier of people's bodies; and ditYosil, Ritu's father's left over copy after he is found dead.
graphicstudent wrote this review Tuesday, February 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I loved the world Brin created. Everything: the slang and humor of his chapter headlines; his philosophizing of being the grasshopper or the ant for the day; the questions he brings up over the ease of risking copies of oneself, or being able to experience high-risk hobbies because it isn't the real you; the questions over what is human; the questions over rights to one's own mind and copy of oneself. All those details I really, really enjoyed.
I didn't like the ending, though. Or at least not all parts of it. For some reason after reading the beginning I got this expectation of a traditional private eye story. The kind where the smoking hot babe calls upon him about her missing father offering tons of money with a 1920s flair. Instead Brin went off to a sort of La-La Land that got confusing on who exactly was narrating the story. ”
“I had a bit of trouble with some of the supposed science in this book, but the writing is excellent as usual. Given the premises, the world created presents a unique way of getting at the question of "What if?" If you have numerous copies of yourself, which is the basic idea, then you can explore what will happen to same person in different situations with different perspectives. Alternate realities with direct interaction. Definitely worth reading both for the ideas and for the story itself. ---gk”
Gary K wrote this review Friday, October 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“David Brin is truly a genius to create this wold of clay copies. So much detail is put forward you can't help but feel that this world is entirely possible. The story becomes a bit long-winded towards the end, and I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the ending - but all-in-all very enjoyable. Excellent sci-fi!”
JMGatsby wrote this review Monday, June 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Neat sci-fi without interstellar travel - and it seems at least vaguely plausible. Although I'm skeptical of the "quantum consciousness" idea presented here, I suppose reading about things you're skeptical or uncertain of is one of the points of science fiction.”
Nate B wrote this review Wednesday, May 21 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I highly recommend this one - very enjoyable brain candy.
Mark W wrote this review Thursday, April 10 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The idea of being able to make copies of your consciousness and install them in 'extra' bodies is not new and the story format of a murder mystery/countdown to save the world is not new either. Mr. Brin crafts a gripping yarn out of these elements with some thought provoking and entertaining exploration into previously unexplored implications of the premise.
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“Brin has a quirky twist on the oft-written subject of androids/replicants. In this novel, surrogates can be created by "baking clay" replicas of one's self, sending the copy off to do something and then download the copy's memory later. Once you get past the completely strange techonological issues related to clay copies of real people you can really enjoy how Brin explores issues of self, humanity and even compassion. Contains plenty of action and thrills to keep you reading.”
Jim M wrote this review Wednesday, January 2 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Brin takes a classic "what if" question -- what if you could make copies of yourself to do the jobs you don't want to do -- and looks at some of the implications. His descriptions of the resulting society are detailed and ring surprisingly true.”
PAgent wrote this review Monday, August 27 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
