"Witty, bright, sharp and unexpected . . . as surprising a book as I've read for years. Every story is a new Heaven." (Brian Eno)
"A very well-written, very funny and very thought-provoking book that makes you realize that when it comes to the afterlife, most religions suffer from an acute shortage of imagination. Sum immediately made me think of several more alternative afterlives" (Yuval Noah Harari)
"SUM is terrific. It's such a good idea that I was grinding my teeth all the way through wishing I'd thought of it first. The inventiveness, the clarity and wit of the prose, the calm air of moral understanding that pervades the whole thing, add up to something completely original. I hope Sum will be the great big hit it deserves to be." (Philip Pullman)
"Brilliantly realised, blazingly original, Sum isn't so much about the next life as this one. Eagleman's stories - parables? - a chilly reminder of our foibles and delusions." (Colin Waters Sunday Herald 2009-05-03)
"40 intriguing tales describing different heavenly scenarios ... and all formidably imagined ... Readers may discover much to appreciate - not least the lives they are living now, still so much better than some nightmares in these pages ... quirky, occasionally unsettling ... never short of new new ideas, all of them rolled out with style." (Nicholas Tucker Independent 2009-05-11)
"This delightful, thought-provoking little collection belongs to that category of strange, unclassifiable books that will haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned. It is full of tangential insights into the human condition and poetic thought experiments ... full of touching moments and glorious wit of the sort one only hopes will be incopious supply on the other side." (The New York Times)
"This stunningly original book is little more than 100 pages long. You can get through it in an hour, but you'd be mad to hurry, and you will certainly want to return to it many times ... Sum has the unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius. It seems exquisitely adapted to fill the contemporary longing for a kind of secular holy book." (Geoff Dyer Observer 2009-06-07)
"It does what it says in the title - satirical, playful, troubling, inventive, thought provoking and often funny takes on possible afterlives. A complete one off. I've been buying it and giving to friends and family. Everyone is delighted. Keep by the bed and feed yourself one or two before turning out the light." (Andrew Greig Sunday Herald 2009-11-29)
"SUM is an imaginative and provocative book that gives new perspectives on how to view ourselves and our place in the world." (Alan Lightman, author of EINSTEIN'S DREAM)
"I suppose there could be people who dislike Canongate's latest find ... those, dare one say it, without poetry in their souls. For the rest - the millions who even in a post-religious, secular society find themselves at unexpected moments wondering who or what God is, if he's not a little old man sitting on a cloud." (Mary Crockett Scotsman 2009-05-09)
Sum is terrific... The inventiveness, the clarity and wit of the prose...add up to something completely original.
Review
Sum is an imaginative and provocative book.
Book Description
What happens to us when we die? And what does that tell us about being human?
From the Inside Flap
What happens to us when we die? And what does that tell us about being human?
In the afterlife you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. Or you may find the afterlife contains only those people whom you remember. In some afterlives you are split into all your different ages, in some you are recreated based on your credit card records and in others you are forced to live with annoying versions of yourself that represent what you could have been.
In these wonderfully imagined tales - at once funny, wistful and unsettling - Eagleman kicks over the chessboard of traditional notions and offers us a dazzling lens through which to see ourselves here and now. His stories are rooted in science and romance and awe at our mysterious existence: a mixture of hope, love and death that cuts through human nature at innovative angles.
From the Back Cover
'A small, modest book of big ideas . . . Every story is a new Heaven.'
Brian Eno
'Sum is terrific . . .The inventiveness, the clarity and wit of the prose and the calm air of moral understanding that pervades this book add up to something completely original.'
Philip Pullman
'Sum is an imaginative and provocative book that gives new perspectives on how to view ourselves and our place in the world.'
Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams
About the Author
David Eagleman, PHD, is a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas where his research laboratory is developing a reputation for doing some of the most unusual experiments in contemporary neuroscience. He has had essays published in all manner of journals including Nature and Science. He also lectures widely and continues to be invited to speak at universities all around the world.
