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ajsquilla's review against another edition
4.0
(4.5)
A multi-layered scifi tale! Lots of fun science/pseudo science without being overly complicated. Fast paced and never boring with a positive message at the end. If you like Sagen's Contact or the film Interstellar, you will love this book too!
A multi-layered scifi tale! Lots of fun science/pseudo science without being overly complicated. Fast paced and never boring with a positive message at the end. If you like Sagen's Contact or the film Interstellar, you will love this book too!
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely a wow book. This was a travel re-read, it was fun to read a book in one go, haven't done that in awhile. This one starts rough especially as a father to a daughter. But it gets past it. Sawyer's standard book is a near-future sf with a couple of things changed. It used to be that each book would have exactly two big ideas. This one must be after the point that he through bunches of ideas big and small. A tear-jerker with a pretty good ending. And the ideas are still flowing all the way to the end. This one has AI, messages from aliens, cosmic consciousness and repressed memories - which was more than enough. A quick great read.
dax9616's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is by far one of my favorite books. It challenges the readers pre-conceptions about basic ‘facts’ of life. A truly cerebral read through and through.
weaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
Breathtaking in its scope!
You have to hand it to Sawyer! He certainly isn't one to think small! Why deal with mere cutting edge esoteric research when one can create Factoring Humanity, a novel that folds that research into a gutsy thought experiment encompassing all of humanity, the nature of consciousness, extra-terrestrial communication and the manifold structure of the universe?
Heather Davis, a professor in the psychology faculty at the University of Toronto, has spent a significant part of her career attempting to decode a ten year long stream of obviously structured radio signals that clearly emanate from an intelligent source in Alpha Centauri. Her estranged husband, Kyle, puts in his scientific day on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence research and the development of quantum computer technology. (His pet project "Cheetah" is an APE, a computer designed to Approximate Psychological Experiences. With startlingly realistic responses, Cheetah comes very close but doesn't quite clear Turing's bar of deceiving a human interrogator.) In one of those serendipitous "Eureka" moments, Heather achieves a complete breakthrough decoding the alien signal stream and realizes that the decoded data comprise a blueprint to build an amazing new technology. As she and Kyle stumble through the learning curve associated with manipulating this new alien machine, it becomes clear that humanity's understanding of communication, consciousness and the very structure of the universe will never be the same again! Life and our perceptions of reality will be fundamentally altered as soon as knowledge of this technology enters the public domain.
FACTORING HUMANITY contains a parallel sub-plot line in which Heather and Kyle's daughter, under psychological counseling, re-discovers suppressed memories of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, Kyle. Issues such as sexual abuse of children, sexual harassment, Jungian theories of "false" or "suppressed" memories and the myriad social outcomes of accusations of sexual misconduct are dealt with warmly, sensitively and realistically. But, unfortunately, this whole more human part of Sawyer's novel to me seemed artificially contrived and awkwardly shoehorned into the science in order to provide a canvas on which to paint his fascinating hypothesis about the possible nature of human consciousness and communication! The two stories were individually compelling and well-crafted but their integration into a whole was less than seamless.
On the other hand, Kyle's relationship with Cheetah and Cheetah's burgeoning intelligence and unique character provide an absolutely fascinating third facet to Sawyer's wonderful tale that flows much more smoothly into the story as a whole. In a manner reminiscent of Star Trek's Data, Cheetah's ruminations comprise a thought-provoking essay on the nature of sentience and humanity which is at once warm, gripping, humorous and intelligent.
A magnificent four-star combination of the outer reaches of hard and soft sci-fi from Canada's premier author of contemporary science fiction.
Paul Weiss
You have to hand it to Sawyer! He certainly isn't one to think small! Why deal with mere cutting edge esoteric research when one can create Factoring Humanity, a novel that folds that research into a gutsy thought experiment encompassing all of humanity, the nature of consciousness, extra-terrestrial communication and the manifold structure of the universe?
Heather Davis, a professor in the psychology faculty at the University of Toronto, has spent a significant part of her career attempting to decode a ten year long stream of obviously structured radio signals that clearly emanate from an intelligent source in Alpha Centauri. Her estranged husband, Kyle, puts in his scientific day on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence research and the development of quantum computer technology. (His pet project "Cheetah" is an APE, a computer designed to Approximate Psychological Experiences. With startlingly realistic responses, Cheetah comes very close but doesn't quite clear Turing's bar of deceiving a human interrogator.) In one of those serendipitous "Eureka" moments, Heather achieves a complete breakthrough decoding the alien signal stream and realizes that the decoded data comprise a blueprint to build an amazing new technology. As she and Kyle stumble through the learning curve associated with manipulating this new alien machine, it becomes clear that humanity's understanding of communication, consciousness and the very structure of the universe will never be the same again! Life and our perceptions of reality will be fundamentally altered as soon as knowledge of this technology enters the public domain.
FACTORING HUMANITY contains a parallel sub-plot line in which Heather and Kyle's daughter, under psychological counseling, re-discovers suppressed memories of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, Kyle. Issues such as sexual abuse of children, sexual harassment, Jungian theories of "false" or "suppressed" memories and the myriad social outcomes of accusations of sexual misconduct are dealt with warmly, sensitively and realistically. But, unfortunately, this whole more human part of Sawyer's novel to me seemed artificially contrived and awkwardly shoehorned into the science in order to provide a canvas on which to paint his fascinating hypothesis about the possible nature of human consciousness and communication! The two stories were individually compelling and well-crafted but their integration into a whole was less than seamless.
On the other hand, Kyle's relationship with Cheetah and Cheetah's burgeoning intelligence and unique character provide an absolutely fascinating third facet to Sawyer's wonderful tale that flows much more smoothly into the story as a whole. In a manner reminiscent of Star Trek's Data, Cheetah's ruminations comprise a thought-provoking essay on the nature of sentience and humanity which is at once warm, gripping, humorous and intelligent.
A magnificent four-star combination of the outer reaches of hard and soft sci-fi from Canada's premier author of contemporary science fiction.
Paul Weiss
jazmin5644's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
thomcat's review against another edition
4.0
A good book and a quick read (3.3 total hours) which interestingly hits some of the same points as [b:Forever Peace|21618|Forever Peace (The Forever War, #2)|Joe Haldeman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1267317517s/21618.jpg|94590] - but with considerably more finesse. Not completely without flaws, but I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more from this Canadian author.
Messages from space have been arriving for a while at the start of the story, and while the first few have been decoded, the rest are a mystery. One of the two main characters (a psychologist) works on that mystery, the other (her husband) works on quantum computing and artificial intelligence, and his favorite artwork involves a tesseract. Great subject matter for SF abounds! One of their daughters committed suicide, and the other has her own issues, and this subplot is quite important in the long run.
When the messages stop, an idea occurs for decoding them, and soon the Interocitor is built - only this is more of a mirror to the human overmind than a travel device. Driven to investigate her daughter's claims, our main character unwraps this and other mysteries, and ultimately the alien goals as well.
This is a book which leads you to think, and some of the subplots are clumsily handled. For me, these were minor drawbacks, and I fell headfirst into this thought experiment - surfacing only a day (and 3.3 total reading hours) later. If you don't need to have action in all your science fiction, this is highly recommended.
Messages from space have been arriving for a while at the start of the story, and while the first few have been decoded, the rest are a mystery. One of the two main characters (a psychologist) works on that mystery, the other (her husband) works on quantum computing and artificial intelligence, and his favorite artwork involves a tesseract. Great subject matter for SF abounds! One of their daughters committed suicide, and the other has her own issues, and this subplot is quite important in the long run.
When the messages stop, an idea occurs for decoding them, and soon the Interocitor is built - only this is more of a mirror to the human overmind than a travel device. Driven to investigate her daughter's claims, our main character unwraps this and other mysteries, and ultimately the alien goals as well.
This is a book which leads you to think, and some of the subplots are clumsily handled. For me, these were minor drawbacks, and I fell headfirst into this thought experiment - surfacing only a day (and 3.3 total reading hours) later. If you don't need to have action in all your science fiction, this is highly recommended.
journey_sloane's review
A combination of offputting early subject matter - molestation, rape, suicide along with scientific discovery delivered dryly put me off.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Abortion and Rape
amynbell's review against another edition
3.0
I think I liked where I thought this book was going more than I liked where it actually went. It certainly started out as food for thought. I liked the comparisons I thought this book was trying to subtly make between parallel universes on the quantum level and the parallel universes we make with false memories: "The rest [of her memories] was stored nowhere else but in her fallible brain." It’s interesting how much of our reality not in film and writing resides just in our brain and sometimes (probably most of the time) isn't even accurate because we’ve rewritten it by revisiting it in our minds and making it fit our version of reality. Another idea that I liked thinking about that didn’t play the role I thought it would in the book is the idea that maybe parallel worlds are fewer than we think because there are just 2 options for most events: yes, no—1 or 0. Some alternatives could never exist because it would never have been an option.
But this isn’t a book about parallel universes even though there’s a lot of setup to suggest otherwise. Instead, this is a book about artificial intelligence, alien contact, the 4th dimension, and the complexity of family relations. Earth has been receiving radio transmissions from Alpha Centauri like clockwork. At first, the messages are decipherable, but then they become incomprehensible. Finally, they stop. Of course, one of the heroes of the book solves them even though she’s a psychologist. I’m not sure why a psychologist was tasked with trying to solve the messages rather than a mathematician or linguist … but whatever. It just so happens she’s the former girlfriend of the last person who solved an alien message who subsequently killed himself in the same manner as Alan Turing. And it just so happens that her husband is working on a quantum computer and advanced AI. Somehow, this all fits together.
Anyhow, about halfway through, I found out the nature of the alien message, and it was just disappointing. I kept reading, but everything started feeling more and more loosey goosey as it proceeded. There was all that wonderful intro information that just really didn’t go where I wanted, and the book ended up feeling too implausible from what the aliens showed humanity to why the first alien message caused the boyfriend to kill himself rather than actually convey the message.
I think Sawyer’s books generally make me feel this way, though. They read quickly. They have interesting ideas. But they never quite go where I need them to go. They’re brain fodder for sure, so I won’t avoid them. I just won’t expect a 5-star read from them.
But this isn’t a book about parallel universes even though there’s a lot of setup to suggest otherwise. Instead, this is a book about artificial intelligence, alien contact, the 4th dimension, and the complexity of family relations. Earth has been receiving radio transmissions from Alpha Centauri like clockwork. At first, the messages are decipherable, but then they become incomprehensible. Finally, they stop. Of course, one of the heroes of the book solves them even though she’s a psychologist. I’m not sure why a psychologist was tasked with trying to solve the messages rather than a mathematician or linguist … but whatever. It just so happens she’s the former girlfriend of the last person who solved an alien message who subsequently killed himself in the same manner as Alan Turing. And it just so happens that her husband is working on a quantum computer and advanced AI. Somehow, this all fits together.
Anyhow, about halfway through, I found out the nature of the alien message, and it was just disappointing. I kept reading, but everything started feeling more and more loosey goosey as it proceeded. There was all that wonderful intro information that just really didn’t go where I wanted, and the book ended up feeling too implausible from what the aliens showed humanity to why the first alien message caused the boyfriend to kill himself rather than actually convey the message.
I think Sawyer’s books generally make me feel this way, though. They read quickly. They have interesting ideas. But they never quite go where I need them to go. They’re brain fodder for sure, so I won’t avoid them. I just won’t expect a 5-star read from them.