When I am asked what my favourite science fiction novel is, invariably the answer is: "The last one by ". With the publication of Wake, the first in Sawyer's WWW trilogy about the rising of consciousness from within the World Wide Web, Rollback must sadly make way for the new title holder.
Sawyer likes to joke that his latest work is William Gibson meets William Gibson. The joke of course is that there are two William Gibsons, one the father of the cyberpunk movement of Science Fiction and the other, the author of The Miracle Worker, about Helen Keller. Sawyer's protagonist, Caitlin Decter (AKA Calculass), has blind all her life-- until a revolutionary surgery and device (which she dubs her Eyepod) is made available by a Japanese scientist.
The web's nascent consciousness develops in time with the experiments that are to gift Caitlin with sight. In addition to his no doubt exhaustively researched portrayal of the life of the blind, Sawyer has created a believable and unique teen voice as well. While there is a great deal more to Wake than just Caitlin's story, she truly carries the book.
Wake is, in the words of its heroine, made out of awesome.
Wake releases April 14th, 2009.
See Also:
Robert Sawyer to Be Writer in Residence
Canadian Robert J. Sawyer Wins China's Top SF Honour
Robert J. Sawyer, An Interview
| Categories: Reviews, Staff Pick, SciFi & Fantasy |
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