When a Japanese researcher develops a new signal-processing implant that might give her sight, she jumps at the chance, flying to Tokyo for the operation.

But Caitlin’s brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. Once the implant is activated, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something — some other — lurking in the background. And it’s getting smarter …

Par Robert James SAWYER, ISBN 978-0-441-01679-2

Arsouyes’ opinion

😒 Tbowan

The book is pleasant to read and the subject particularly interested me: the emergence of an intelligent consciousness.

On the other hand, I find that the author miss his target by wanting to explain the nature of this consciousness as his explanations are not credible for a penny.

The side quests add nothing to the story except more pages to justify the publication of a book which is in fact only an introduction.

Because this book stops precisely at the moment when consciousness awakens, leaving to the following books the care of answering all the questions posed by the subject of an emerging intelligence.

😒 Aryliin

The story struggle to start. The slow pace of the plot doesn’t keep you going, and doesn’t make you want to pick up the book once you have put it down.

Some references to computer culture are obsolete (who still thinks that blogs only have 20 visitors ?!) and we it’s clear that it was written around 2010. The author explains trivial concepts, even for neophytes (like, for example, what is a smiley), and we feel a bit patronized.

The subplots add nothing to the book. One wonders what they are used for.

It’s too bad because the very idea of the book is very cool.

Affiliation

• The (french version of the) book at Les Libraires