6 ms·
It’s not an easy read, but Blindsight by Peter Watts has some equally unique and compelling synthesis of scientific concepts into a big concept plot.
by cdogl 3y ago
It’s not an easy read, but Blindsight by Peter Watts has some equally unique and compelling synthesis of scientific concepts into a big concept plot.
- bejd 3y agoBlindsight hit all the right hard sci-fi notes for me. I've yet to find something that scratches that same itch.
- paul80808 3y agoSecond this recommendation. Blindsight hits much harder and faster than Egan - and in my opinion the writing is much tighter. Similar focus on science-based idea exploration, particularly in regards to theories of consciousness, brain structure, probability, and vampires. If you like Egan I'd be shocked if you didn't like watts. He is one of the hidden gems of science fiction and an absolute gift to humanity.
- gpderetta 3y agoBlindsight is his best book, but Watts has written a lot of great stuff, I recommend all of Rifters and, for something a bit different, especially the Sunflowers cycle.
- badcppdev 3y agoStandard internet Watts warning that the Rift novels have random sexual torture just in case you prefer to avoid that
- gpderetta 3y agoRight, yes, especially the last Rifter book made me wonder a bit about the sanity of the author.
- k__ 3y agoI read the acknowledgements in some of his books and found him rather dislikeable.
- caskstrength 3y agoYou might want to read his blog [0] to get more insight into his character. I got the impression that the author is a great and likeable human being that became rather cynical due to his disillusionment with humanity. [0]: https://www.rifters.com/crawl/ https://www.rifters.com/crawl/
- k__ 3y agoHaha, I already read Blindsight
- davely 3y agoOh, boy. Blindsight was a book that made me realize that maybe I like the _idea_ of hard sci-fi more than I actually like reading it.
- mvdtnz 3y agoBlindsight is by no means a hard sci fi book.
- davely 3y agoHah, well then, maybe I just don't like vampires! In all seriousness, I thought I had seen it in a list of "top hard sci-fi books" awhile back and a quick Kagi search seems to imply that a lot of people seem consider it hard sci-fi for whatever reason. Maybe this means there's still a chance for me.
- MeImCounting 3y agoSomebody will always say something like this on any thread anywhere on the internet about any sci-fi. I dont know whats so attractive about gatekeeping "hard scifi" but it must be satisfying since so many people feel compelled to do so. Regardless Blindsight is a good book and definitely has interesting concepts and good writing throughout.
- matkoniecz 3y agoI think that Blindsight was extremely on depressing/grimderp/evil side. I really like hard SF and will never again read by this author. > Standard internet Watts warning that the Rift novels have random sexual torture just in case you prefer to avoid that in thread next to this one is not really surprising me Also, not really sure is Blindsight actually hard SF. It seems to be soft one at most with a lot getting close to magic with SF styling.
- MeImCounting 3y agoMaybe we read totally different books called "Blindsight" by Peter Watts because this sounds like a completely different experience than what I and most other readers have had.
- zeekaran 3y agoSemi related: If you like The Thing (1982), Watts' The Things is pretty great: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/ https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/
- goatlover 3y agoBrilliant fan fiction that takes a few liberties, but it would be interesting to have The Thing's perspective if The Thing was made into a series. I think in the movies was just supposed to be cosmic horror who's only real goal was to survive by spreading. Communicating with it would be pointless, unlike in Watt's story, where you have a fundamental philosophical difference based on The Thing's understanding of biology, but you could at least have a meaningful conversation with it.