A review by firozah
Blindsight by Peter Watts

4.0

This was not an easy read, but a rewarding one. I would not recommend this to anyone averse to sci-fi, as it's not a casual foray into the genre by any means. This is for a lover of sci-fi who wants to challenge themselves to think about technology, consciousness, and humanity in new ways. If you enjoyed the movies Alien or Arrival, you might like this book for similar reasons--it considers new forms of life that are so different from our own that it instills a harrowing fear/excitement/wonder about what it means to be human.

I found myself lost in the jargon, like many readers, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. It's best not to dwell on the intricacies of the ship's architecture or the innovative technology that Watts invents--though appreciating these finer details definitely adds to the reader's appreciation of the hard work invested in Watts' world-building--and to focus on the pacing, plot, and characters. You don't need to be a scientist to enjoy this book, but you do have to like science.