Robert J. Sawyer was born in Ottawa and lives in Mississauga with his wife, poet Carolyn Clink. He has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name.
Although only 15 years old and blind, Caitlin Decter surfs the Internet by "seeing" its paths in her mind, aided by a signal-processing implant. When she discovers a hidden "webmind," she strives to discover whether it has a secret-and perhaps malevolent-agenda. Sf veteran Sawyer (Hominids) continues to push the boundaries with his stories of the future made credible. His erudition, eclecticism, and masterfly storytelling make this trilogy opener a choice selection. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
The wildly thought-provoking first installment of Sawyer's WWW trilogy, serialized in Analog in 2008 and 2009, explores the origins and emergence of consciousness. Blind teen Caitlin Decter gets an experimental signal-processing implant that inexplicably opens up her vision to the wondrous infrastructure of the World Wide Web. Inside the Web is a newborn "webmind," a globe-spanning self-contained consciousness that is just becoming aware of the outside world. Secondary plot threads about a highly intelligent hybrid primate and Chinese bloggers battling a repressive government extend the motif of expanding awareness. The thematic diversity-and profundity-makes this one of Sawyer's strongest works to date. Numerous dangling plot threads are an unnecessary pointer to the forthcoming books; readers will keep coming back for the ideas. (Apr.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
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