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Kiln People by David Brin
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Kiln People (original 2002; edition 2003)

by David Brin

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,880488,830 (3.7)68
Al Morris is a private investigator. Actually, he's lots of private investigators. For he lives in a world in which every person, every day, can be in any number of places at the same time. It's the world of dittos. It is our world. Welcome to the future. In a business where information is the currency, Al's dittos are loaded. And with a number of cases on the go at once, it is crucial that Al keeps track of what's going on. What he doesn't know is that he is about to be drawn into a plot that could throw this delicately balanced world into chaos. It seems that the technology has been developed for dittos to replicate themselves. It seems that real people may no longer be necessary. And, suddenly, it seems that mankind's dream of immortality could turn into a nightmare. Look out for more information about this book and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk… (more)
Member:Mantra
Title:Kiln People
Authors:David Brin
Info:Tor Science Fiction (2003), Mass Market Paperback
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
Tags:science fiction, clones, identity

Work Information

Kiln People by David Brin (2002)

  1. 21
    Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan (reading_fox)
    reading_fox: Similar idea about transposable conciousness, and the corruption this can endevour in those with the money/power to exploit it.
  2. 00
    Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan (grizzly.anderson)
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» See also 68 mentions

English (47)  Spanish (1)  All languages (48)
Showing 1-5 of 47 (next | show all)
The first two-thirds were really fun and inventive. The writing wasn't strong, but the premise was so interesting and full of promise. But after awhile, Brin got carried away with ridiculous plot devices, page after page of "rapturous" self-indulgent monologue that ruined it. Too bad. ( )
  lschiff | Sep 24, 2023 |
This book has an absolutely awesome backdrop with wonderful characters.

Brin has enough great ideas and possibilities here for a half dozen novels, not just one.

In so many ways it's Brin at his best... but it's still not enough to save this one from being mediocre at best I'm afraid.

In pacing it really reminds me of his Earth novel. It starts out interesting but moderately paced, then around two thirds of the way through starts spiralling out, getting wilder and wilder.

In Earth, it worked. The craziness was still believable, and never completely threw you off the ride.

Here, it just doesn't work.

There's two things that make it impossible to hold on.

First, the ditto concept is the coolest part of the novel, and spotting the differences between the almost identical characters is part of the fun, but it's tough sledding at times. You often end up feeling lost. The result is a centre which just can't hold you through the insanity coming.

Part two, (and the biggest sin) is the weirdo plot progression. It starts out a detective novel, wanders into an honest to god multi-party conspiracy theory I still don't understand, then caps it all off with a convoluted theology section
that bears almost no resemblance to the rest of the novel.

I wanted to love this book, but it's neither fish nor fowl, bread nor wine. It's just a big mishmash painted on a gorgeous backdrop. ( )
  furicle | Aug 5, 2023 |
128
  freixas | Mar 31, 2023 |
Pretty dumb premise. More fantasy than sci-fi ( )
  dualmon | Jan 4, 2023 |
A rip-roaring sci-fi noir that gets nice and weird but then gets... too weird at the end, IMO. But a fascinating and strange ride the whole time. On the downside, it's insensitive about folks with multiple personalities in some of the standard ways. ( )
  Going_To_Maine | Nov 28, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 47 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Brin, Davidprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Burns, JimCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pedone, MichelleCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Dedication
For Poul Anderson, who explored for all of us, making the future fun.... ...and Greg Bear, who takes on every shadow, with edge... ...and Gregory Benford, who delves stark beauty in the dark ocean of night... ...all of them shamans by the campfire. Indispensable.
First words
It's hard to stay cordial while fighting for your life, even when your life doesn't amount to much. Even when you're just a lump of clay.
Quotations
Even in the old days it was normal to wonder, now and then, if you were real. At least it was normal for zen masters and college sophomores. Now, the thought can strike you in the middle of a busy day. Running errands and doing business, you actually lose track of which table you got up from that morning. You can't help checking, lifting a hand to glance at the color, or giving the flesh a quick pinch.
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Al Morris is a private investigator. Actually, he's lots of private investigators. For he lives in a world in which every person, every day, can be in any number of places at the same time. It's the world of dittos. It is our world. Welcome to the future. In a business where information is the currency, Al's dittos are loaded. And with a number of cases on the go at once, it is crucial that Al keeps track of what's going on. What he doesn't know is that he is about to be drawn into a plot that could throw this delicately balanced world into chaos. It seems that the technology has been developed for dittos to replicate themselves. It seems that real people may no longer be necessary. And, suddenly, it seems that mankind's dream of immortality could turn into a nightmare. Look out for more information about this book and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

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