Share for friends:

Permutation City (1995)

Permutation City (1995)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Rating
4.07 of 5 Votes: 4
Your rating
ISBN
006105481X (ISBN13: 9780061054815)
Language
English
Publisher
harperprism

About book Permutation City (1995)

Permutation City by Greg EganI don't read a lot of hard sf because my understanding of science is rudimentary at best, but I do tend to enjoy it when I read one that do not go too far over my head. I feel I only need to understand the basic plot and the characters' motivation, the whys if not the hows of it. If those conditions are met then my patchy understanding of the scientific details is not too much of an impediment and the bits that get through to me tend to be quite fascinating.So it is with Permutation City which had me hooked from Chapter One which takes place inside a computer (no, not the plastic casing!) and is told from the point of view of a simulated personality, a software version of the protagonist. The opening scene where this simulated man "wakes up" and feel an unbearable disconnection from reality is like nothing I have ever read before. The story of this book is based on the author's "dust theory" which posits that: "There is no difference, even in principle, between physics and mathematics, and that all mathematically possible structures exist, among them our physics and therefore our spacetime." (Wikipedia) If I understand this theory correctly it means that there is no difference between a simulated person (called a "Copy" in this book) constructed from mathematics and the original flesh and blood person. To experiment on or delete such a person would be cruel and unethical, not to mention absolutely beastly. Virtual Reality as portrayed in this book is actually a layer of reality where actions tend to have consequences which are just as "real" to the people in this environment. Without going into the synopsis this book is essentially about what constitute reality, an examination of the nature of the consciousness, and the implication and psychological impact of digitization of personalities for the original people and the "Copies".The sf trope of digitizing or simulating personalities utilized so well in Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon is done even better here. For me the sticking point of this trope is that I do not believe that the digital version of myself would really be me regardless of the accuracy of the backup, if I am dead and gone the digital replacement would bring me back to life. There is no "right answer" to this question, it depends on your personal belief. However, the issue is very well explored here: "To me, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to be imitated by a computer after my death is just … farcical. I’m not an eccentric millionaire, I don’t want to spend my money – or yours – building some kind of … talking monument to my ego. I still have a sense of proportion."‘I do believe that Copies are intelligent. I just wouldn’t say that they are – or they aren’t – ‘‘the same person as’’ the person they were based on. There’s no right or wrong answer to that; it’s a question of semantics, not a question of truth. ""Being scanned wouldn't make me feel any better about dying. Whatever a Copy of me might think, if one was ever run.’ ... and much later on in book:"Copies, like funerals, were for the benefit of the survivors"There are also many brilliant other concepts in this book. How time can be slowed down in the virtual world (the word "cyberspace" suddenly seems a bit quaint) so that the time in reality just whizzes by. There are "slow clubs" and slums for "Copies" of less well to do people who can not afford the expense of running their virtual counterparts in or near real time. Also the launching of an entirely new virtual universe.What ultimately makes this book worthwhile for me though is that it is about people and the "effects of technology on the human condition". This may be the first sf book that seriously consider the philosophical implications of what the author calls "conscious software"*. I am always fascinated by the theme of how technology can change what it means to be human, and in order to explore this theme properly the characters need to be well developed and believable. If they were just flat devices to service the plot it would render the theme completely ineffective. Egan did a very good job with characterization here, few of the characters are actually likable but they have their own virtues and flaws. As usual much of the science is beyond me and the book is completely devoid of humor (not a necessity but always a bonus in serious novels). but the book has given me plenty to ponder in the wee hours which is a great alternative to getting up to get ready for work. Definitely a worthwhile and fascinating read.4.5 stars* Related interview with author.Excellent Jo Walton's review of this book.

This book takes some time to absorb, and I'm probably doing it a great injustice by reviewing it so quickly after finishing it (and with such a rushed reading by such an uneducated reader). Greg Egan clearly knows what he's talking about when it comes to theoretical physics, and I certainly don’t, so the main bits of Permutation City intimidated me to a point that I may have taken the book too seriously. Some of the reviews I've read now that I've finished have lead me to believe some irony and perhaps even humor were completely lost on me in my reading. But aside from the subtle and scientific points I missed (of which there was little to no overlap), there was plenty left to entertain and impress me. Egan handles ideas surrounding brain copies, digital consciousness, and immortality more realistically and satisfyingly than most sci-fi writers I've known to attempt it. However, I feel like some of the more enjoyable, interesting, brain copy aspects of the book were swallowed up by the more less-interesting-to-me theoretical parts, and find myself wishing this had instead been written as two complementary novellas (mostly so the concepts I enjoyed reading about could have been given more time and also a leading role in a story instead of a lead-in).Regardless of how you felt after reading Permutation City, you should check out Eliezer Yudkowsky’s short unofficial sequel to Permutation City, The Finale of the Ultimate Meta Mega Crossover (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5389450/1...). Yudkowsky loved Permutation City (as shown by his review here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3RHGO7Y...), but suggests a replacement for one of the book’s central concepts. At the very least it left me with a better understanding of Permutation City (and also a drastically different color of ending).

Do You like book Permutation City (1995)?

Exasperating. The author presents some interesting ideas and then offers solutions which are entirely nonsensical. In particular, once you have played the "in an infinite universe, anything can and will happen" card, I no longer feel obliged to care about your plot, because you are just randomly reporting events.Occasionally I see people talking about "splitting" or "cloning" consciousness, and I guess I now understand better where they are coming from. However I still feel that this is basically crazy talk, and now I know who to blame for it.
—Dan

Cosa sono io? I dati? Il processo che li genera? Il rapporto tra i numeri?Tutto questo messo insieme?Esattamente dieci anni dopo Neuromante e cinque anni prima di Matrix, si impone questo ricco e visionario romanzo, con una rilettura della realtà virtuale forse troppo complessa, ma che davvero è capace di aprire la mente.Scenari cyber degni di Gibson e soci, scenografie e paesaggi mastodontici che ricordano un po' Ian M. Banks (Criptosfera è il più simile, ed è proprio dello stesso anno - le migliori invenzioni viaggiano sempre insieme), conflitti metafisici tra sogno e veglia, realtà e finzione a la Dick (Ubik in testa), una spruzzata di elementi hard sci-fi e tanta matematica ed informatica: questi gli ingredienti esatti di questo romanzo. In realtà una tale presentazione sarebbe fuorviante, perché l'essenza di questo romanzo va ben oltre la mera summa di cui sopra.Forse troppo complesso, troppo matematico, soprattutto: è questo il principale elemento che mi ha reso la lettura piuttosto difficile e discontinua. Egan, del resto, ha una formazione da programmatore, che incide molto sul romanzo. Affascinante, certo, estremamente visionario, e anticipatorio (soprattutto questo: anticipa con lucidità suggestioni che più tardi affiorano), ma per apprezzarlo al massimo è richiesta una certa preparazione. Che personalmente non possiedo del tutto.In ogni caso, una pietra miliare, senza dubbio.
—T4ncr3d1

-Desde las ideas y las reflexiones que estas deberían generar, abrumadora.-Género. Ciencia-Ficción.Lo que nos cuenta. En la segunda mitad del siglo XXI, nuestro cerebro, nuestra mente y nuestra consciencia pueden ser reproducidas mediante avanzados soportes tecnológicos de software y hardware. Esas “copias” pueden ser usadas como elementos de seguridad en caso de que a la persona le suceda algo, pero también son conscientes de sí mismas y de no ser “reales” y sí ser simulaciones informáticas. Paul Durham tiene antecedentes psiquiátricos y un ambicioso proyecto que aparenta ser únicamente negocio y que presenta a millonarios ya familiarizados con el uso de copias con el atractivo de asegurar su mantenimiento más allá de lo que se ha podido ofertar hasta ahora y a prueba de posibles inconvenientes futuros, mientras contrata a María Deluca, una habilidosa programadora desempleada que invierte su tiempo en desarrollos aparentemente poco prácticos, como experimentar con organismos unicelulares y su evolución en entornos virtuales, pero que equivalen a una parte importante del proyecto que Paul tiene en mente.¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
—Olethros

download or read online

Read Online

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Other books by author Greg Egan

Other books in category Poetry