Hard science parts made my head hurt, never really understood how all the pieces (three different story lines) fit together. ( )

A pretty good story about AI and Von Neumann Machines (self-replicating); also how do you know if what you think you know is really true. How far can you push back "proof"?

Not great, but not terrible. The first 3/4ths of the novel are confusing and the various characters have literally nothing to do with each other. The very end is interesting in much the same way as Westerfeld’s Evolution’s Darling or Blindsight--it’s an exploration of what it means to be intelligent, and what intelligent machines would mean (both to humanity and to themselves). ( )

I thought this first novel by Tony Ballantyne a well conceived and written novel, woven from three separate story-lines (each featuring separate characters from different time-lines) into a finished tapestry. It is a first novel, so there are a few rough spots - it's difficult to fully engender yourself with some of the supporting character's motivations, however the main protagonists of each story can mostly carry the narrative forward. A bit more character development and the author would be fine in this regard.

The back-story centers around the "Watcher" - which you find to be a very powerful AI that shapes events to improve humanity. Without giving too much away, each story ultimately falls back on the creation and consequences of having a consciousness shaping human destiny. The other element is the development of VNM - Von Neumann Machines - self-replicating machines that can quickly convert matter into more machines used to effect change (usually to build something the maker has devised). If you're familiar with the Fermi Paradox, it's used as a possible theory regarding the "Watcher"s origins and much of the conclusion is supported by its context.

I came across this book in a book bin at Goodwill - the back cover summary enticed me to buy and read so kudos to the marketing department at Bantam Spectra. However the front cover did nothing for me and if anything I almost passed it by (if I hadn't recognized the publisher I probably wouldn't have picked it up as SciFi). Yeah I know I'm being picky but what else are reviews for? ( )

http://onefinemess.rhinopanda.net/2009/11/26/book-review-recursion/ ( )