8 ms·

It took me a moment to realize, even after the mention of Echopraxia, that this was Peter Watts. If you enjoy hard to very-hard science fiction, I strongly rec

It took me a moment to realize, even after the mention of Echopraxia, that this was Peter Watts. If you enjoy hard to very-hard science fiction, I strongly recommend the first book of his series, Blindsight. I thoroughly loved the read and bounced right back to the beginning for a second read with the context I'd gained on the first one. It's an absolute firehose of concepts; reminded me a bit of Accelerando by Charles Stross but a little less pleased with its own geekiness. The best summary I could give would be a meditation on consciousness set against a first-contact backdrop.

subscribed 1y ago
I think the Blindsight is the best sci-fi book for me. Absolutely gripping and novel. And what I found particularly interesting, the afterword is about as interesting and engaging as the book. It's such a gem of a book.
- lproven 1y ago
  I agree. I read it twice, enjoyed it, and don't know why some people found it hard.
  - throwanem 1y ago
    It never touched the sides.
otikik 1y ago
I wonder how he's feeling about Chinese rooms these days.
- ImaCake 1y ago
  He blogs a lot on the OP link. I would imagine he has a few words about LLMs in there. One of his older works explores the risks of software similar to LLMs but a little more advanced.
  - throwanem 1y ago
    Not at all more advanced. Only differently implemented. He thought there would be slightly more meat involved.
Boogie_Man 1y ago
This may be well known, but I'm posting it because I didn't know: "very-hard" science fiction in this context means extremely plausible science fiction, as opposed to extremely speculative science fiction. The author explains how these fantastic things exist in a way which is realistic. Originally, I thought it meant "very hard to understand" i.e. very technically complicated
- ZpJuUuNaQ5 1y ago
  >extremely plausible science fiction >I thought it meant "very hard to understand" For a mere mortal like myself, those definitions aren't mutually exclusive. I think I tried reading "Blindsight" a long time ago but never got past a few dozen pages. Maybe I should give it a try again someday.
  - Scene_Cast2 1y ago
    Blindsight is known to be a slog for a lot of people including myself. I love sci-fi, I love challenging ideas, and I really liked the concepts explored in Blindsight - except that I learned those concepts through summaries and selective reading.
    - jkingsman 1y ago
      Yes, there were definitely parts where I felt maybe I was picking up on a vibe or a hint, and later realized that was now a structural part of the story without which I would be quite lost. I found this INCREDIBLY FULL OF SPOILERS explanation of fundamental plot points to be helpful in confirming or summarizing some things I missed[0]. [0]: —-EXTREME SPOILER WARNING-- https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understanding_blindsight_spoilers/ https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understandi...
      - throwanem 1y ago
        There are no spoilers for Blindsight at that link. All it does is describe the events of the plot.
NikolaNovak 1y ago
Astonishing book which I reread regularly. Echopraxia has grown on me upon further reading - initially I focused on the seeming promise of action and plot, vs ideas and concepts. His Starfish book however has the most realistic, plausible, feasible, likely AI doomsday scenario though - published as it was 26 years ago and without AI being the focus for majority of the book.
- duskwuff 1y ago
  "Checkers or chess?" But yes. Especially when you boil it down to the essentials: humans take an AI built to perform one task and press it into duty for another, much more impactful task which it was completely unsuited for.
  - throwanem 1y ago
    But, importantly, not obviously completely unsuited for. Indeed, so subtly so that it almost ended the world before anyone noticed.
- atombender 1y ago
  The Freeze-Frame Revolution is also fantastic, along with the short stories, which collectively form the "Sunflower" cycle. Watts writes the smartest but also scariest science fiction. There's an aura of existential, Lovecraftean dread in all his writings that I find incredibly appealing. In the case of Sunflower, Watts is able to make the idea of floating through space for millions of years, unable to stop, into something genuinely upsetting. It's bleak, but also really well plotted. Not too long ago, Watts published a short story set right after Blindsight, "The Colonel". It's an excellent, standalone read.
lynx97 1y ago
I would have enjoyed that book so much more if he had left out vampires. To me, that part unnecessarily ruined the "seriousness" of that book for me. Apart from that, the underlying premise of the book is quite chilling and refreshing at the same time.

subscribed 1y ago

I think the Blindsight is the best sci-fi book for me. Absolutely gripping and novel. And what I found particularly interesting, the afterword is about as interesting and engaging as the book. It's such a gem of a book.

lproven 1y ago
I agree. I read it twice, enjoyed it, and don't know why some people found it hard.
- throwanem 1y ago
  It never touched the sides.

otikik 1y ago

I wonder how he's feeling about Chinese rooms these days.

ImaCake 1y ago
He blogs a lot on the OP link. I would imagine he has a few words about LLMs in there. One of his older works explores the risks of software similar to LLMs but a little more advanced.
- throwanem 1y ago
  Not at all more advanced. Only differently implemented. He thought there would be slightly more meat involved.

Boogie_Man 1y ago

This may be well known, but I'm posting it because I didn't know: "very-hard" science fiction in this context means extremely plausible science fiction, as opposed to extremely speculative science fiction. The author explains how these fantastic things exist in a way which is realistic. Originally, I thought it meant "very hard to understand" i.e. very technically complicated

ZpJuUuNaQ5 1y ago
>extremely plausible science fiction >I thought it meant "very hard to understand" For a mere mortal like myself, those definitions aren't mutually exclusive. I think I tried reading "Blindsight" a long time ago but never got past a few dozen pages. Maybe I should give it a try again someday.
- Scene_Cast2 1y ago
  Blindsight is known to be a slog for a lot of people including myself. I love sci-fi, I love challenging ideas, and I really liked the concepts explored in Blindsight - except that I learned those concepts through summaries and selective reading.
  - jkingsman 1y ago
    Yes, there were definitely parts where I felt maybe I was picking up on a vibe or a hint, and later realized that was now a structural part of the story without which I would be quite lost. I found this INCREDIBLY FULL OF SPOILERS explanation of fundamental plot points to be helpful in confirming or summarizing some things I missed[0]. [0]: —-EXTREME SPOILER WARNING-- https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understanding_blindsight_spoilers/ https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understandi...
    - throwanem 1y ago
      There are no spoilers for Blindsight at that link. All it does is describe the events of the plot.

NikolaNovak 1y ago

Astonishing book which I reread regularly. Echopraxia has grown on me upon further reading - initially I focused on the seeming promise of action and plot, vs ideas and concepts. His Starfish book however has the most realistic, plausible, feasible, likely AI doomsday scenario though - published as it was 26 years ago and without AI being the focus for majority of the book.

duskwuff 1y ago
"Checkers or chess?" But yes. Especially when you boil it down to the essentials: humans take an AI built to perform one task and press it into duty for another, much more impactful task which it was completely unsuited for.
- throwanem 1y ago
  But, importantly, not obviously completely unsuited for. Indeed, so subtly so that it almost ended the world before anyone noticed.
atombender 1y ago
The Freeze-Frame Revolution is also fantastic, along with the short stories, which collectively form the "Sunflower" cycle. Watts writes the smartest but also scariest science fiction. There's an aura of existential, Lovecraftean dread in all his writings that I find incredibly appealing. In the case of Sunflower, Watts is able to make the idea of floating through space for millions of years, unable to stop, into something genuinely upsetting. It's bleak, but also really well plotted. Not too long ago, Watts published a short story set right after Blindsight, "The Colonel". It's an excellent, standalone read.

lynx97 1y ago

I would have enjoyed that book so much more if he had left out vampires. To me, that part unnecessarily ruined the "seriousness" of that book for me. Apart from that, the underlying premise of the book is quite chilling and refreshing at the same time.