A review by killa_bunnies
Echopraxia by Peter Watts

challenging dark informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I would not call Echopraxia a sequel as it does not start where the previous book – Blindsight – ended. Even Watts himself calls it “sidequel”, which is more fitting. It happens parallel to the story of the first book, with different perspectives and situations, but some connections to the story of Blindsight are here (mostly in form of allusions to some of the characters). 

The main story revolves around vampires, their clash with a trans-humanist cult and the idea of free will. As in the previous case, Watts explores with meticulous precision the topic of consciousness, the free will, or more like its absence (or non-existence, to be more precise). Free will is a concept that from the scientific point of view is more than debatable, since our reflexes, instincts, or internal processes are independent of our will and carry on without our intervention. Thus, free will is just an illusion. The term “echopraxia” that gave the book its title refers to the psychological condition, in which a person involuntarily mimics what it sees (thus again, the question of free will).

Well, that’s just one of the themes in this hard science fiction packed book. And although its pace is as in previous cases rather slow-ish, it rewards patient readers with lots of ideas to think about. If that resonates with you and you are not afraid of complex books, go for it. 

Just a side note: both books could be found in one edition under the title Firefall (Head of Zeus, 2017).