Postsingular

It took me so long to get to read this book. it’s fantastic. i’ve been hearing about Rudy Rucker for many years as a worthy successor to Philip K. Dick and other mind-bending authors. this book is a science-fiction fantasy of sorts and didn’t disappoint me. it's into dimensional travel and the very interesting idea of living in a world where there really is no privacy. you're never alone. you can always be in contact with somebody and everyone all the time via semi-sentient nanotech network.

and yet, it's not all cerebral. it is an adventure complete with love, humor, monsters, and explosions. it is a ripping great yarn. all the pillars that are necessary for good science fiction are there and it still pushes boundaries, putting show more forth questions that force us beyond the usual tropes. it shows things that might be by giving us a lot of what-ifs to think about and it does so with an eye to joy and exhilaration. it’s a feel-good story of human evolution and transcendence. show less

I needed a break from YA and picked up this book because I'm a fan of some of Rucker's other books. This book fit right in with his others, and I completely loved it -- it's probably favorite. It comes cyberpunk with sort of a nostalgia for being unconnected and messes it seamlessly into the urge to be connected on every level possible. While many SF novels attempt to explore how awesome VR would be, Postsingular takes a completely different tact. Rucker creates a world that was temporarily thrown in VR all at once and then describes how this changed (for better or for worse) that world. It's a great, fun and fast read. I loved it.

Rudy Rucker starts a reported trilogy with a book about nanotechnology remaking the world, and the consciousness of the world's inhabitants right along with it.

In fact, the world is remade at least twice in the book, first in a freak experiment, and then in a phreakier one. The law of unintended consequences is the law of the land in Rucker's re-re-imagined Earth, where a global, semi-organic network of sentient helper tech grants everyone a form of omniscience, and taps into other dimensions.

True to human nature, these newfound abilities and insights lead to nothing so much as more of the same. Like Warren Ellis's Transmetropolitan comic series, Rucker's novel is formulated on the thesis that technological improvements lead not show more necessarily to an improved society, but to one in which the same faults and foibles, lusts and needs, are magnified. It's told with constant humor, endless goofy neologisms, and Rucker's trademark sense of calm despite the waves of societal and technological change. show less

Foly huck! Lively characters, snappy prose, and baked fresh this morning science. In short, my kinda book. Rucker has built an optimistic, exciting nanotech infused world for this story. Through carefully chosen words and well constructed and well paced prose, the world is almost self-explanatory. No need for a Phd to enjoy this book - just jump right in.

This book has fascinating ideas-- a nanotechnology "internet" that encompasses all the senses and pervades the world, a nearby semi-parallel dimension that (Dune-like) has sworn off digital technology... It's also one of the only books that I've read written by a non-Vietnamese author that a) uses the Vietnamese language correctly (he notes the proper pronunciation of Thuy's name, uses the word ban gai with proper Quoc Ngu diacritics), and b) features a Viet-Kieu main character without...more This book has fascinating ideas-- a nanotechnology "internet" that encompasses all the senses and pervades the world, a nearby semi-parallel dimension that (Dune-like) has sworn off digital technology... It's also one of the only books that I've show more read written by a non-Vietnamese author that a) uses the Vietnamese language correctly (he notes the proper pronunciation of Thuy's name, uses the word ban gai with proper Quoc Ngu diacritics), and b) features a Viet-Kieu main character without making any reference to the war.

The author, famous in sci-fi circles, but not well-known outside of them, has also embraced copyleft initiatives-- he's made the book available in multiple formats for free download on the book web page.

The style of the book is goofy, and reminds me a bit of Vonnegut (though I get the sense that Vonnegut could write beautifully if he wanted to). But the ideas, even more than the plot, drive this book; style isn't everythin show less

Rudy has a pretty funny take on what we’re in for when the Internet hooks up with self-replicating nanotechnology. Welcome to the Singularity. Highly recommended.

Rudy Rucker again takes us on a wild ride while exploring some important concepts like the fundamental nature of the universe and the difference between virtual reality and physical reality. This is a great read, lots of fun, and at heart a thought experiment.