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Fiction Books Thread
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson, the author of Red/Blue/Green Mars (which I did not read).
The protagonist, Swan Er Hong, is probably the single most annoying character in recent memory, more so even than Catelyn Stark of GoT (in the books, not the show). Despite being 130 odd years old, she is mostly driven by impulses fitting for a 13 year-old. She is also bossy, short-tempered and not very smart. Whether this is intentional is not clear to me, probably not. Fitz Wahram, a diplomat, who is much more reasonable, is under her spell and often goes out of his comfort zone for her, with considerable risk to his life and health.
This book is a rare case where I wish for the main character to bite the dust already.
Oh, and the long scientific ruminations by the author, judging by the parts close my area of expertise, physics and quantum computers, are total rubbish.
I put down the book when it describes Swan's more stupid antics, and pick it up again when I have nothing else to read.
I think it was intentional -- other characters frequently remark on how dumb she is. My impression is that Swan's character was some kind of artistic/political statement by Robinson -- that the adventures of a screwed-up, clueless person are just as valid and meaningful as those of more traditional heroes, or something. I wasn't too impressed by this, but the book's worldbuilding was amazing and that made up for everything else.
Economies of Force by Seth Dickinson
A very interesting sci-fi story touching on AI and automation.
This is a repost from last month's thread, because I posted at the end of the month and it had low exposure.
I once read a transhumanism short story by Isaac Asimov but have forgot the title and short story collection it was in, I'm trying to find this story again. The plot summary goes as such: A retired businessman is reminiscing about the frontier days of cognitive enhancement where 'chipped' professionals were a high value rarity and his firm was so lucky to have the opportunity to interview two at the same time and he had to choose which one to hire. A key limiter to the 'chipping' was that those professionals were ten times as smart for one tenth the productive lifespan, meaning early onset of senility and retirement. The retired businessman laments that the current generation of 'chipping' is so dialed down and legislated that they are nothing special.
If this rings a bell and you can give me a title to this short story, you will have my eternal gratitude.
Are you sure it was by Asimov?
Very certain, Hardcopy short story collection from a public library, picked up after discovering the Foundation series.
http://www.storypilot.com/asimov1.html
This list of Asimov's short stories may help. Also, see if you can dredge up any details about the title of the anthology, other stories in it, etc.
"Man as the Ultimate Gadget" (Asimov's original title: The Smile of the Chipper) Years ago, at the outset of the 21st century, junior executive Johnson's career depended on choosing between two "chippers"--those men with implanted microchips that gave them power over others' emotions. ASIMOV STORY [A.375] PUBLICATION RECORD: ----- First publication: Business Week's 1988 Guide to Giving (October 21, 1988) Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (April 1989) Gold (1995)
Memory got corrupted, the chips were not cognitive enhancements but let them manipulate emotions.
Troupes: