aking wise choices requires constant diligence, especially when those
choices will ultimately determine the fate of the human race. Blissfully
unaware of cosmic coincidence or predestined fate, young Christian Brannock
is aware of only one choice, and that is his decision to travel among the
stars. Humanity has managed to visit only the moon and nearby planets, but
fortunately for Christian, the machines designed for space exploration
gradually develop a sophisticated artificial intelligence that allows
symbiotic relationships between human neural networks and their mechanical
counterparts.
When offered the opportunity, Christian immediately agrees to download
his personality into a space probe seeking alien life-forms throughout the
galaxy. Back on Earth, machines work for the betterment of
civilization. Terra Central is a huge network that controls much of the
planet's maintenance activities. The benevolent system warns that dramatic
changes in the environment must be made to avoid the next ice age. The
task of convincing governments to go along with the network's plan is given
to Laurinda Ashcroft. Attractive, intelligent and extremely persuasive,
Laurinda helps sway a world to agree with a computer.
Thousands of years pass. Terra Central evolves into Gaia, a
massive artificial intelligence that controls a primitive, barbaric remnant
of humanity. In communication with a larger, more pervasive alien
intelligence, Gaia has systematically reported on the condition of her
planet, as well as ongoing experiments dealing with extrapolations of
Earth's history. However, recent reports from Gaia have been sporadic and
inconsistent. Concerned that Gaia may be malfunctioning, an emissary
containing Christian Brannock's memories is sent to evaluate the situation.
Good old-fashioned SF
Poul Anderson's most recent novel delivers a story that's as reliable as
a favorite pair of sneakers. It includes a grand quest for the stars, an
unceasing search for intelligent life and, of course, a love story that
defies space and time. But don't confuse the story line with some kind of
lightweight fluff piece. This novel debates and analyzes many heavy-duty topics during the course of the adventure. For example, in a post-human world, where does computational
power leave off and actual consciousness begin? Does artificial
intelligence undergo an evolutionary process, and if so, what might the
outcome of that process be? There is even an examination of free will and
the ability to sin as a necessary component of human development.
At times, the narrator detracts from the story when he tries to explain
why some things can't be explained. On occasion, it's also necessary to
take gigantic leaps of faith. The story covers an incredibly broad sweep
of time, yet unfolds through individual events described in
vivid detail. While they can give the text a feeling of being off balance,
the vignettes effectively propel the plot toward an unexpected ending.
Wisdom is a theme that permeates the story. Is it wise to allow
machines to make decisions for humans? Is it safe to permit humans to make
decisions for themselves? What would an entity be like that has both human
and artificial intelligence? Is one type of intelligence preferable to
another? The text contains multiple meanings for the book's title, and
Anderson seems to enjoy revealing each new possible interpretation.
Poul Anderson's been telling stories for a long time, and it's evident he
still has the magic touch.
-- Susan
ommander Morgan Roche's latest mission is straightforward enough. She is
to escort a powerful artificial intelligence known as "The Box" from its
manufacturers to her superiors in the Intelligence division of the
Commonwealth of Empires. As she bides her time in her cramped quarters on
the starship Midnight, which is transporting convicts to the prison
planet known as Sciacca's World, a fellow passenger named Adoni Cane visits
her. Cane, rescued from a life-support pod drifting through space, has no
memory of his past. Then things get complicated.
At Sciacca's World, warships from the Dato
Bloc, longtime enemies of the Commonwealth, ambush the Midnight. With help from The Box and the amnesiac Cane, Roche escapes in a shuttle just before the starship
self-destructs. Along for the ride are two convicts, including a young woman
whose telepathic abilities enable her to see through other people's eyes--a
skill she was forced to hone when surgeons removed her own eyes.
Roche and company crash land on Sciacca's World and seek asylum
with an underground (literally) resistance movement. Roche's only hope of
completing her mission involves a daring assault on a military base, where she
will be able to send a distress call to headquarters. Meanwhile, resistance
technicians discover that Cane is a genetically engineered super-soldier,
created by an unknown agency for an unknown purpose. His prowess as a
warrior makes him an invaluable asset to the resistance, but Cane himself,
with no memory of his past, doesn't know if he can be trusted.
A long slog
Evergence has some neat plot twists at the end, but getting there
isn't much fun at all. Roche and company spend a lot of the novel running
through tunnels and corridors. The frantic pace forestalls character
development. Much is made of Cane's mysterious past, but as far as readers
are concerned, Roche's past is equally blank. The authors provide scant
insight into her values and motivations. A potentially interesting villain
surfaces sporadically to bark orders, only to morph jarringly into a more
complex and sympathetic character at the end.
The future history crafted by Williams and Dix owes much to Vernor
Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep. A half-million or more years in the
future, humanity has speciated into distinct "castes," some of which have
transcended into superintelligent, immensely powerful entities. Everyone
else is remarkably low-tech, considering that it's been hundreds of
thousands of years since the development of interstellar travel. The Dato
Bloc troops wear cool battle armor but otherwise look like they would have
trouble holding their own against a high school ROTC unit.
An appendix and glossary offer background on the Commonwealth. Some of
this historical and expository material should have been incorporated into
the narrative, allowing the authors to vary the book's tempo and relieve the
often claustrophobic focus.
The final chapters feel like the pilot episode of a television series.
Mysteries remain and more adventures await. After slogging through this one,
however, readers may be unwilling to tune in for the next installment.
I still don't know what the heck "Evergence" means.
-- Curt
aking wise choices requires constant diligence, especially when those
choices will ultimately determine the fate of the human race. Blissfully
unaware of cosmic coincidence or predestined fate, young Christian Brannock
is aware of only one choice, and that is his decision to travel among the
stars. Humanity has managed to visit only the moon and nearby planets, but
fortunately for Christian, the machines designed for space exploration
gradually develop a sophisticated artificial intelligence that allows
symbiotic relationships between human neural networks and their mechanical
counterparts.
ommander Morgan Roche's latest mission is straightforward enough. She is
to escort a powerful artificial intelligence known as "The Box" from its
manufacturers to her superiors in the Intelligence division of the
Commonwealth of Empires. As she bides her time in her cramped quarters on
the starship Midnight, which is transporting convicts to the prison
planet known as Sciacca's World, a fellow passenger named Adoni Cane visits
her. Cane, rescued from a life-support pod drifting through space, has no
memory of his past. Then things get complicated.
