It's been two months since a myriad of alien objects clenched about the Earth, screaming as they burned. The heavens have been silent since - until a derelict space probe hears whispers from a distant comet. Something talks out there: but not to us. Who to send to meet the alien, when the alien doesn't want to meet? Send a linguist with multiple-personality disorder, and a biologist so spliced to machinery he can't feel his own flesh. Send a pacifist warrior, and a vampire recalled from the grave by the voodoo of ...
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It's been two months since a myriad of alien objects clenched about the Earth, screaming as they burned. The heavens have been silent since - until a derelict space probe hears whispers from a distant comet. Something talks out there: but not to us. Who to send to meet the alien, when the alien doesn't want to meet? Send a linguist with multiple-personality disorder, and a biologist so spliced to machinery he can't feel his own flesh. Send a pacifist warrior, and a vampire recalled from the grave by the voodoo of paleogenetics. Send a man with half his mind gone since childhood. Send them to the edge of the solar system, praying you can trust such freaks and monsters with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they've been sent to find - but you'd give anything for that to be true, if you knew what was waiting for them.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
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Seller's Description:
Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
"Blindsight," by Peter Watts, provides a reading experience that is rather difficult to describe. So, there are two things to say:
1) I was confused throughout much of the book...
2) But I still really liked it and will definitely return to it again someday for rereading.
These may seem like mutually exclusive circumstances, but this is a unique novel in that way.
It must be said that Watts jumps right in to the hard-science techno-babble, and thankfully I kept up enough with the biology and chemistry references that it sort of made up for my deficiencies in the physics arena.
However, it isn't so much the science terminology that made things difficult; Watts plays hard and fast with big concepts of sentience, consciousness, and intelligence. Then there is his relentless tendency to nickname everything so that I was constantly trying to remember what "Jack," "Big Ben," and "Burns-Caulfield," actually WERE.
There is something both frustrating and energizing about a book that asks so much of its reader.
I would recommend this book to readers who like to be challenged, and who enjoy working for a payoff. This book will not give one for free, but if the work is put in, the mind-boggling ideas and emotional revelations that are spring-loaded within its pages are quite powerful.
