Greg Egan is Jedi
I've already posted in the blog about authors who are clever to the point of being brash, in fact one may notice a trend for my spotting such folks. My latest demi-god is Greg Egan. Although I did put him down to read Naïve, I've been intending to blog about him for the longest time.
I tried to explain the plot of Quarantine when I was high but it didn't go so well for obvious reasons. The intoxicating effect, however, of Egan's writing and his even more alluring subject matter inspire me onwards though in at least propelling the knowledge that this book (and others) by Egan exist.
The book is overtly science fiction. There are frequent paragraphs describing the neural modifications that increase the abilities of the protagonist but these lay between the real story which encompasses the tension between science and religion, the question of what makes us human and detailed speculation on Quantum Mechanics. Egan is at his best when he's hovering over these topics, masterfully throwing out pieces to the reader in the manner that one would throw pieces of bread to pidgeons at a sidewalk cafe.
The down side of Egan is that his book lacks soul which was the reason I could put it down for a few days to finish Naïve and pick it up again with little effect on continuity. I don't empathize (or particularly care, for that matter) about the characters - I feel as separated from my emotions while reading as the protagonist "Nick" does when he invokes a modification that eliminates most of his emotive capability. But don't let this daunt you; Egan is so good at having your mind spinning with other topics that poignancy is smashed to pulp against Eigenstates, Cybernetics and Quantum Measurement Problems.
12:00:01 AM 
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