- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Night Shade Books (7 July 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1597801518
- ISBN-13: 978-1597801515
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 208,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
From Walter Jon Williams, the celebrated and influential author of Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind, and Angel Station comes Implied Spaces, a new novel of post-singularity action, pyrotechnics, and intrigue. Aristide, a semi-retired computer scientist turned swordsman, a scholar of the implied spaces, seeking meaning amid the accidents of architecture in a universe where reality itself has been sculpted and designed by superhuman machine intelligence. While exploring the pre-technological world Midgarth, one of four dozen pocket universes created within a series of vast, orbital matrioshka computer arrays, Aristide uncovers a fiendish plot threatening to set off a nightmare scenario, perhaps even bringing about the ultimate Existential Crisis: the end of civilization itself! Traveling the pocket universes with his wormhole-edged sword Tecmessa in hand and talking cat Bitsy, avatar of the planet-sized computer Endora, at his side, Aristide must find a way to save the multiverse from subversion, sabotage, and certain destruction.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
*Synopsis*
The sun is orbited by 11 vast slabs, almost-inconceivably powerful AIs whose capabilities have been deliberately limited by 'Asimovian Protocols' to just below the point of 'Vingean-singularity'. The AIs' primary use is to create pocket universes accessible via wormholes, which, by careful tweaking of their initial 'big bang' parameters, can have any conditions required. Humans can backup their minds, which can then be rehoused in artificially grown bodies in the case of death or boredom. Guarded by the AIs, effectively immortal and possessed of limitless resources, humanity is in a happily stagnant utopia. Aristide is one such human, though a little older and more restless than most. He's a 1500 year-old 'semi-retired computer scientist turned biologist turned swordsman' and we first meet him wandering through a deliberately low-tech recreational pocket universe (essentially a real-life MMORPG) armed with a wormhole-generating sword and accompanied by a sardonic talking cat that's a manifestation of one of the AIs. He's there because he's interested in the unlooked-for side-effects of universe generation, the 'implied spaces' that exist between the deliberately created bits, necessary but not designed. Of course, he's not above fighting bandits and chatting up chicks while he's there, but when he finds impossible creatures in the desert his hobby becomes vital for uncovering and defeating a threat to the entirety of human civilisation.
*Review*
This is high speed, high-tech science fiction at its most fun. It's got an intriguing and unusual setting, and explores its implications for individuals, societies, and the entire universe. It wrestles with political, ethical, technological and existential dilemmas. But unlike much of the SF with these features, it's also action-packed and really entertaining. There's spaceships, snappy dialogue, death cultists, likeable characters, underwater combat, assassinations of public figures for their own good, zombies, Batman references, robots, memes, talking cats, and stars used as flamethrowers. A lot of books seem to be described as a 'rollercoaster ride', but this is the only one that I've read that really earns the metaphor. There should be more books like this.
The sun is orbited by 11 vast slabs, almost-inconceivably powerful AIs whose capabilities have been deliberately limited by 'Asimovian Protocols' to just below the point of 'Vingean-singularity'. The AIs' primary use is to create pocket universes accessible via wormholes, which, by careful tweaking of their initial 'big bang' parameters, can have any conditions required. Humans can backup their minds, which can then be rehoused in artificially grown bodies in the case of death or boredom. Guarded by the AIs, effectively immortal and possessed of limitless resources, humanity is in a happily stagnant utopia. Aristide is one such human, though a little older and more restless than most. He's a 1500 year-old 'semi-retired computer scientist turned biologist turned swordsman' and we first meet him wandering through a deliberately low-tech recreational pocket universe (essentially a real-life MMORPG) armed with a wormhole-generating sword and accompanied by a sardonic talking cat that's a manifestation of one of the AIs. He's there because he's interested in the unlooked-for side-effects of universe generation, the 'implied spaces' that exist between the deliberately created bits, necessary but not designed. Of course, he's not above fighting bandits and chatting up chicks while he's there, but when he finds impossible creatures in the desert his hobby becomes vital for uncovering and defeating a threat to the entirety of human civilisation.
*Review*
This is high speed, high-tech science fiction at its most fun. It's got an intriguing and unusual setting, and explores its implications for individuals, societies, and the entire universe. It wrestles with political, ethical, technological and existential dilemmas. But unlike much of the SF with these features, it's also action-packed and really entertaining. There's spaceships, snappy dialogue, death cultists, likeable characters, underwater combat, assassinations of public figures for their own good, zombies, Batman references, robots, memes, talking cats, and stars used as flamethrowers. A lot of books seem to be described as a 'rollercoaster ride', but this is the only one that I've read that really earns the metaphor. There should be more books like this.
Format:Paperback
Dont read the negative reviews , they will ruin the book for you. I bought this because I read theThe Dread Empire's Fall series and was impressed with his style and wit. This is one for open minded sci-fi fans.It moves along nicely with the classic hero figure we all want to be doing his bit nicely.
Imaginative and entertaining ,worth every penny.
Imaginative and entertaining ,worth every penny.
Format:Paperback
I brought this because I like Walter Jon Williams books cyber punk books, not so keen on some of the others but I thought I'd give it a go. When I first started to read I was worried, I don't really read fantasy style books so when the main character has a sword and starts vanising people in a clap of thunder I thought I wasn't going to like it.
But, not to give up, and because it clearly said that it was high tech I carried on and after a few chapters all was explained. The story as a whole was good, I enjoyed reading it and Walter talks about some interesting ideas for pocket universes. I particularly like the central AI characters avatar :-)
But, not to give up, and because it clearly said that it was high tech I carried on and after a few chapters all was explained. The story as a whole was good, I enjoyed reading it and Walter talks about some interesting ideas for pocket universes. I particularly like the central AI characters avatar :-)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Implied spaces (contains spoiler)
This is a very good book indeed. As a sci-fi book it is engaging from the start but, when you realize what it's really about then it is very, very satisfying. Read more
Published 15 months ago by David FitzSimons
Rather cliched effort
This book is a bit of a strange fish. It starts out as a straight-forward D&D adventure in which a wandering hero, Aristide, with a special sword and a very intelligent cat joins a... Read more
Published on 18 Dec 2009 by A. J. Poulter
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