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A review by orlion
Brain Wave by Poul Anderson
4.0
Frankly, my review for this book would be mostly about how terrible I thought "Flowers for Algernon" was. So, let's have at it:
Flowers for Algernon was inane, wish-fulfillment garbage. It mostly taps into the presumed "outsider" feelings of its readership and is only tragic in that the nerd's fantasy did not last with the main character. The only real value was the technique where the writing changed style as the narrator grew in intelligence.
And how silly was that displayed! Somehow, a personality that was not adept to research or critical thinking was able to dive into it after being injected with magical science goo. And, furthermore, he was able to pursue and consummate a romantic relationship with a professional teacher who observed him as a drooling Neanderthal.
It was trite, it was tripe, it really did not have anything to say about the human psyche or how it would react to an increase of IQ.
Not so with Brain Wave. In Brain Wave, the increased ability to process and handle information is not this magical gift... it's a catalyst for an immense struggle for the soul of humanity. What happens when your brain functions on such a level that you recognize tedious work for what is? What happens when all your past achievements look childish? Where the greatest works of art humanity had produced in history no longer stimulate the intellect? Where the futility of your actions in the great empty universe are grasped subconsciously?
Brain Wave is about a world where every living organism has its IQ increased on Earth... the result is struggle against the fear that results, the chaos and societal collapse that engenders, and desperate effort to find purpose and meaning in one's existence when thousands of years of culture and experience are suddenly rendered mote.
Poetic at times, Brain Wave causes the reader to ponder what role intelligence plays in 'being human'.
And yes, there is, briefly, a monkey with a shotgun riding an elephant named Jumbo.
Flowers for Algernon was inane, wish-fulfillment garbage. It mostly taps into the presumed "outsider" feelings of its readership and is only tragic in that the nerd's fantasy did not last with the main character. The only real value was the technique where the writing changed style as the narrator grew in intelligence.
And how silly was that displayed! Somehow, a personality that was not adept to research or critical thinking was able to dive into it after being injected with magical science goo. And, furthermore, he was able to pursue and consummate a romantic relationship with a professional teacher who observed him as a drooling Neanderthal.
It was trite, it was tripe, it really did not have anything to say about the human psyche or how it would react to an increase of IQ.
Not so with Brain Wave. In Brain Wave, the increased ability to process and handle information is not this magical gift... it's a catalyst for an immense struggle for the soul of humanity. What happens when your brain functions on such a level that you recognize tedious work for what is? What happens when all your past achievements look childish? Where the greatest works of art humanity had produced in history no longer stimulate the intellect? Where the futility of your actions in the great empty universe are grasped subconsciously?
Brain Wave is about a world where every living organism has its IQ increased on Earth... the result is struggle against the fear that results, the chaos and societal collapse that engenders, and desperate effort to find purpose and meaning in one's existence when thousands of years of culture and experience are suddenly rendered mote.
Poetic at times, Brain Wave causes the reader to ponder what role intelligence plays in 'being human'.
And yes, there is, briefly, a monkey with a shotgun riding an elephant named Jumbo.