Wake
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Product Description
Product Description
Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a matematics genius-and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind. But Caitlin's brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. So when she receives an implant to restore her sight, 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 more and more intelligent with each passing day. The first of a spellbinding future history trilogy that charts what will happen when the world's first first, and superior, artificial-intelligence is born in the web.
About the Author
Robert Sawyer is one of only seven SF writers ever to have won the three major awards for best novel - the HUGO the NEBULA and the JOHN W. CAMPBELL. He has also won the top SF awards in Canada, China, France, Japan and Spain. The author of 17 novels, he was born in Canada in 1960 and lives in Ontario.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Unfortunately, this is Robert Sawyer's book that I like least. The reason why I like his other books is that he takes an idea or event, and then describes its consequences for society and individuals. The idea or event is generally reasonably plausible, and the consequences are quite logical. This makes his books not some wild fantasy, but quite believable. "Wake" has a much narrower scope. It is mainly about one teenage girl, who discovers a new intelligence via the internet. The consequences of this for society don't play a role in the book, and there is very little of what it means for others than Caitlin Decter. I find that a pity. I also find the character of Caitlin Decter not very interesting. Compared to the main characters in his other books, she is much less interesting. Maybe this is because she is a teenager and has much less personal history, but that is neither here nor there.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There's an interesting premise in this novel by Robert Sawyer that seeks to explore the nature of self-awareness and its origins. The story centres on a young girl Caitlan. Blind since birth, she's given a chance to see thanks to Japanese research scientist Dr Kuroda, but she gets more than she bargains for when the 'EyePod' (as she names the device) allows her to see cyberspace (the world wide web), and there she comes to perceive a nascent awareness.
Something is becoming aware of the outside world, of Caitlan, and through that it is becoming aware of itself. No, don't think of the Internet becoming aware; it's not that but this entity exists on the web all the same. Throw in an experiment with primates of different species beong taught to communicate over the species barrier with sign language, Internet censorship in China, and we have a number of strands that begin to weave together an exploration of consciousness.
It sounds fascinating, but the truth is the novel left me strangely unmoved, despite it covering a theme I expected would fire up my interest. The book is part of a series, so doubtless th real meat and bones of the story are yet to come, but I can't say this novel has inspired me to read further and find out.
Something is becoming aware of the outside world, of Caitlan, and through that it is becoming aware of itself. No, don't think of the Internet becoming aware; it's not that but this entity exists on the web all the same. Throw in an experiment with primates of different species beong taught to communicate over the species barrier with sign language, Internet censorship in China, and we have a number of strands that begin to weave together an exploration of consciousness.
It sounds fascinating, but the truth is the novel left me strangely unmoved, despite it covering a theme I expected would fire up my interest. The book is part of a series, so doubtless th real meat and bones of the story are yet to come, but I can't say this novel has inspired me to read further and find out.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Once I read 'Wake', the first book in the trilogy, I 'had' to read the other two because the implications of the story are so intriguing that I wanted to know what was next. Intriguing pretty much like a blockbuster can be with lots of action and shallow characters though.
If you're a geek and don't care too much about poetry, you'll like it.
There are some very good points about the internet, and its evolution toward a sentient being is something anyone interested in sci-fi, h+, tech trends etc, is inevitably attracted to.
If you love good literature and in books you look for poetry, then it'll disappoint you.
The characters are shallow, and few details are given about them. Even when they're given, they tend to stick to eye colours and superficial stuff like that. The book is a never-ending sequence of actions, as you would see in an action movie. In fact, it feels more like a script than a book. It's very visual, and leaves nothing to the other senses. No character ever seems to have time for pondering and introspection, since everyone is trapped in this lunatic cage of constant action. There is no poetic image in over 1,000 pages. It feels like it's being written by a scientist with no artistic gift.
This is a successful book, and its author is a successful author. Why?
If you're a geek and don't care too much about poetry, you'll like it.
There are some very good points about the internet, and its evolution toward a sentient being is something anyone interested in sci-fi, h+, tech trends etc, is inevitably attracted to.
If you love good literature and in books you look for poetry, then it'll disappoint you.
The characters are shallow, and few details are given about them. Even when they're given, they tend to stick to eye colours and superficial stuff like that. The book is a never-ending sequence of actions, as you would see in an action movie. In fact, it feels more like a script than a book. It's very visual, and leaves nothing to the other senses. No character ever seems to have time for pondering and introspection, since everyone is trapped in this lunatic cage of constant action. There is no poetic image in over 1,000 pages. It feels like it's being written by a scientist with no artistic gift.
This is a successful book, and its author is a successful author. Why?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wave
Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a matematics genius-and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Book Addict
Awake and Aware...
In typical Sawyer fashion, a scientific development is examined by putting a handful of sympathetic characters through a life-changing experience--in this case we follow the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by sjhigbee
Technologically laughable but a great story
The premise of this story - a blind girl gets a Device to make her see, and ends up being able to see the structure of the world wide web - was a real turn-off for me. Read more
Published 17 months ago by D. R. Cantrell
Too clever?
Wake contains two stories which dance alongside each other until their collision in the latter part of the novel. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr. G. Battle
A great story!
You have to read this book!
This was the first time i read a book by this author. It was a very good read! Read more
This was the first time i read a book by this author. It was a very good read! Read more
Published 21 months ago by Spacegirlgemma
Sadly Lacking
This is the first book of Sawyer's I have read and...bear with me...the first time I've felt compelled to pen a review. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Bougle
Wake For More
This is the first of the 2010 Hugo Award nominated novels I have read and I'm left a little, just a little, disssapointed. Read more
Published 22 months ago by D. Malcolm
Thought provoking
I bought this book entirely because of the TV show Flashforward, which I am enjoying. I'm always intrigued when films or tv shows are based on books because the book is generally... Read more
Published on 24 April 2010 by J. Owen
A Sci-Fi Gem
Wake is another future classic from Robert and the start of a news series for him, in which the principle protagonist learns to see the web and learns of the consiousness stirring... Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2010 by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
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