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Human+
Librarian's Note: Same ISBN-13 as paperback: 9781481180276
- GenresScience Fiction
229 pages, ebook
First published September 6, 2012
18 people want to read
About the author
Martin Higgins
1 book6 followersMartin Higgins is a freelance journalist and copywriter. In 2000 he dropped out from a lowly PR job in London to test his idealism against the practicalities of real communal life, spending a year helping establish a young intentional community in Andalusia, Spain. Years of wandering followed, including long stints in Germany, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Human+ is his first novel, based on his own feature-length screenplay, with a story inspired by his own experiences of "non-ordinary" states of consciousness.
Human+ is his first novel, based on his own feature-length screenplay, with a story inspired by his own experiences of "non-ordinary" states of consciousness.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 2, 2026
I had high hopes for this one, with its intense beginning, likable protagonist (complete with paranoia and hallucinations), and promise to offer an interface between technology-assisted evolution and inner growth. (Why should it be either/or?)
It still asks plenty of pertinent questions:
Indeed, why should it be either/or?
How would more evolved human beings fit in and interact with the current movers and shakers, the moguls and the pundits and the governments?
If we can leave our physical bodies behind, should certain of our present values follow them: monogamy vs. promiscuity; the value of a human life?
If there is a spiritual world, with higher beings overseeing us, what's there to fear--even in technological advances?
Can anyone see the future? Which future? What happens to free will?
And many, many more.
My problem was that Human+ didn't go far enough beyond the questions--and I've already thought a lot about them, so I would've liked to see more of the author's answers. Basically, it was too short. Also, after a certain point, we started spending too much time in the MC's head and too little in the outside world; the telling took away from the showing. My final gripe is that the female characters felt two-dimensional. In fact, all the characters but the MC seemed underdeveloped, for which I also blame the brevity.
As for the ending: At first I groaned, Oh no! Not another case of author breakdown at the finish line! With so many subplots unresolved! On second thought, it probably adds more art to the philosophy: we're free to offer our own interpretations. (Or we're even forced to, if we insist on proper resolutions. Who's making us insist, huh? ;) It also makes the novel more lifelike. Life doesn't have a resolution either. We have to go on ... even after death, if one of the premises here proves correct. ;) In that respect, I was reminded of Ivan Popov's Хакери на човешките души.
All in all, Human+ is an intellectually stimulating book. But do supplement it with A Requiem for Homo Sapiens.
The rest of my impressions as I read:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
It still asks plenty of pertinent questions:
Indeed, why should it be either/or?
How would more evolved human beings fit in and interact with the current movers and shakers, the moguls and the pundits and the governments?
If we can leave our physical bodies behind, should certain of our present values follow them: monogamy vs. promiscuity; the value of a human life?
If there is a spiritual world, with higher beings overseeing us, what's there to fear--even in technological advances?
Can anyone see the future? Which future? What happens to free will?
And many, many more.
My problem was that Human+ didn't go far enough beyond the questions--and I've already thought a lot about them, so I would've liked to see more of the author's answers. Basically, it was too short. Also, after a certain point, we started spending too much time in the MC's head and too little in the outside world; the telling took away from the showing. My final gripe is that the female characters felt two-dimensional. In fact, all the characters but the MC seemed underdeveloped, for which I also blame the brevity.
As for the ending: At first I groaned, Oh no! Not another case of author breakdown at the finish line! With so many subplots unresolved! On second thought, it probably adds more art to the philosophy: we're free to offer our own interpretations. (Or we're even forced to, if we insist on proper resolutions. Who's making us insist, huh? ;) It also makes the novel more lifelike. Life doesn't have a resolution either. We have to go on ... even after death, if one of the premises here proves correct. ;) In that respect, I was reminded of Ivan Popov's Хакери на човешките души.
All in all, Human+ is an intellectually stimulating book. But do supplement it with A Requiem for Homo Sapiens.
The rest of my impressions as I read:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
December 1, 2013
Human+ is a near future speculative fiction novel about the awakening of a new kind of transhumanism, a spiritual transhumanism. It is a story of personal transformation and the journey of awakening to a more mature level of intelligence and integration, a more profound experience of humanity that is beyond and yet encompasses the mundane materialistic world in the higher order of a more encompassing reality. Intentionally or not the novel begins to address the question of what lays ahead for us as a species as we move beyond the biological enhancements of health, performance and cosmetic to explore the enhancements of our intelligence and connectivity. With that said, the story is a good metaphor and cautionary tale for potential issues that will likely arise with technological enhancement especially when these deeply personal upgrades are bound to a corporation in a free market capitalist economy.
The story follows the journey and transformation of David, an isolated and confused but inspired artist lost not in the dark wood midway through life's journey but in a jungle of confusion and alienation bordering on psychosis. He has visions of creatures and strange things manifesting in the world around him and follows signs, trying to piece together a meaningful hidden order amidst the chaos of the world around him. David repeatedly loses himself in drugs, psychological confusion, the inability to hold a job, maintain meaningful relationships or pay his rent. The siren song of the short lived pleasures of chemically induced highs inevitably causes him to crash on the rocks of his broken life over and over again. On one of his excursions through the tumult of life in the city he encounters a woman with a mysterious and magnetic presence so he follows her and the various signs and synchronicities that spring up in her wake like blossoms in the footsteps of Persephone. She is both his spirit guide and anima who leads him across the threshold into a new life. David retains much of his innocence and lack of confidence as new capabilities such as telepathy, lucid dreaming, astral travel, access to a deep ground of etheric knowledge and the elusive quest for precognition progressively unfold within him. His trauma and psychosis fall away like old clothes in a matter of weeks and he becomes a new man. The chrysalis of his cramped and confused self is cracked open through state of the art therapeutic and reprogramming techniques and it releases his latent but immature spiritual Self, finally able to grow and fly. The innate capacities buried within human consciousness become the ultimate tools that initiate then next stage of evolution just as the invention of language did for our ancestors 50,000 years ago.
While psychic enhancement is presented here as an antidote to the western materialistic and comfort driven lifestyle and mindset, the author Martin Higgins shows how psychic evolution is not without it's challenges and dangers. As David masters his new found capacities he becomes seduced by them. While he develops these wondrous powers the ethical side of his psyche initially takes a back seat but compassion and loving kindness return in due course along with a healthy amount of doubt and uncertainty. And despite David's savant capacity for developing psi abilities, the high level of mastery and control he and his colleagues attain, David realizes there are still mysterious forces that are beyond their comprehension.
Intentionally or not, I think Martin in this book has raised the question of: What is this Self, this conscious identity that Transhumanists seek to preserve and maintain? What is this Self that seeks the nectar of immortality, this technological ambrosia or soma of the gods? Much of the reading I've done so far in Transhumanist and Singularity literature seems to maintain a materialistic and reductionistic concept of the Self; a Self that is a singular egoic conscious intelligence or identity composed of neural structures and processes. It seems little has been done to integrate the insights of humanistic, depth or transpersonal psychology into these visions of human future evolution. I'm sure it could be argued within the Cognitive Behaviorist model implicit in much of the current literature that our innate drive toward Actualization, toward wholeness that integrates and balances the complex unconscious archetypal attractors deep with the human psyche and mystical experiences are the result of neural structures and chemical and electrical epiphenomena. My humble readings of current brain research though indicates that the human brain is a modular system, and so the conscious Self, if it is indeed limited to the brain is composed of modular subsystems. Ben Goertzel's approach to creating an Artificial General Intelligence moves even further in this direction. If I understand him correctly then he is suggesting that generalized consciousness may be the result not only of the different organs of the brain but the organs and organ systems of our bodies. Further, philosophy professor Anthony Miccoli, author of Transhuman Suffering argues convincingly in his academic blog, Posthuman Being that the Self may not even be limited to one's own body but a result of a distributed intelligence anchored in the Objects we surround ourselves with. And so, what is this Self? Like the Ship of Theseus paradox, if the Self is indeed modular and limited to biology, can the various parts not be replaced and still be the same Self?
The ancient meditative traditions of Yoga and parts of Buddhism, ancient shamanic traditions, new age mythologies, psychedelic experimenters and scholars in the field of transpersonal psychology arguably present alternative models of consciousness and the Self. Instead of the brain being an organ that generates consciousness, it could be a receiver for a higher order of non biological consciousness. This is the model that Martin Higgins explores in Human+ and the kind of Transhumanism he explores. One of the main themes of the book is that we can unlock the latent potential within us and become something greater; something more inspired, connected and intelligent. The main character David does this well by cleansing his body and mind and so opening the doors of perception to greater capacities, a larger more encompassing experience and definition of Self. And as we embrace a grander vision of technological connectivity through more advanced networked information systems, haptic interfaces, augmented and virtual glasses, increasingly realistic game worlds, neural implants and long distance communication then the numinous capacities of telepathy, lucid dreaming and astral travel gain new and more potent meaning. The novel Human+ leap frogs us into that future of direct post neural hyper connectivity.
The hero David is a likable character, whom I found easy to identify with. While he is not truly of this mundane world he is also not a truly transcendent character either. Human+ is very well written with a smooth flow of natural language and superb pacing. There are points where I knew what lay ahead but that did not diminish my enjoyment of the story. Sometimes I couldn't put the book down and other times I wanted to jump ahead see if my suspicions were correct and see what happened. The novel displays a unique balance of a well written story, interesting ideas and enjoyable characters. Bottom line is that as both a writer and as a reader I highly recommend this book.
The story follows the journey and transformation of David, an isolated and confused but inspired artist lost not in the dark wood midway through life's journey but in a jungle of confusion and alienation bordering on psychosis. He has visions of creatures and strange things manifesting in the world around him and follows signs, trying to piece together a meaningful hidden order amidst the chaos of the world around him. David repeatedly loses himself in drugs, psychological confusion, the inability to hold a job, maintain meaningful relationships or pay his rent. The siren song of the short lived pleasures of chemically induced highs inevitably causes him to crash on the rocks of his broken life over and over again. On one of his excursions through the tumult of life in the city he encounters a woman with a mysterious and magnetic presence so he follows her and the various signs and synchronicities that spring up in her wake like blossoms in the footsteps of Persephone. She is both his spirit guide and anima who leads him across the threshold into a new life. David retains much of his innocence and lack of confidence as new capabilities such as telepathy, lucid dreaming, astral travel, access to a deep ground of etheric knowledge and the elusive quest for precognition progressively unfold within him. His trauma and psychosis fall away like old clothes in a matter of weeks and he becomes a new man. The chrysalis of his cramped and confused self is cracked open through state of the art therapeutic and reprogramming techniques and it releases his latent but immature spiritual Self, finally able to grow and fly. The innate capacities buried within human consciousness become the ultimate tools that initiate then next stage of evolution just as the invention of language did for our ancestors 50,000 years ago.
While psychic enhancement is presented here as an antidote to the western materialistic and comfort driven lifestyle and mindset, the author Martin Higgins shows how psychic evolution is not without it's challenges and dangers. As David masters his new found capacities he becomes seduced by them. While he develops these wondrous powers the ethical side of his psyche initially takes a back seat but compassion and loving kindness return in due course along with a healthy amount of doubt and uncertainty. And despite David's savant capacity for developing psi abilities, the high level of mastery and control he and his colleagues attain, David realizes there are still mysterious forces that are beyond their comprehension.
Intentionally or not, I think Martin in this book has raised the question of: What is this Self, this conscious identity that Transhumanists seek to preserve and maintain? What is this Self that seeks the nectar of immortality, this technological ambrosia or soma of the gods? Much of the reading I've done so far in Transhumanist and Singularity literature seems to maintain a materialistic and reductionistic concept of the Self; a Self that is a singular egoic conscious intelligence or identity composed of neural structures and processes. It seems little has been done to integrate the insights of humanistic, depth or transpersonal psychology into these visions of human future evolution. I'm sure it could be argued within the Cognitive Behaviorist model implicit in much of the current literature that our innate drive toward Actualization, toward wholeness that integrates and balances the complex unconscious archetypal attractors deep with the human psyche and mystical experiences are the result of neural structures and chemical and electrical epiphenomena. My humble readings of current brain research though indicates that the human brain is a modular system, and so the conscious Self, if it is indeed limited to the brain is composed of modular subsystems. Ben Goertzel's approach to creating an Artificial General Intelligence moves even further in this direction. If I understand him correctly then he is suggesting that generalized consciousness may be the result not only of the different organs of the brain but the organs and organ systems of our bodies. Further, philosophy professor Anthony Miccoli, author of Transhuman Suffering argues convincingly in his academic blog, Posthuman Being that the Self may not even be limited to one's own body but a result of a distributed intelligence anchored in the Objects we surround ourselves with. And so, what is this Self? Like the Ship of Theseus paradox, if the Self is indeed modular and limited to biology, can the various parts not be replaced and still be the same Self?
The ancient meditative traditions of Yoga and parts of Buddhism, ancient shamanic traditions, new age mythologies, psychedelic experimenters and scholars in the field of transpersonal psychology arguably present alternative models of consciousness and the Self. Instead of the brain being an organ that generates consciousness, it could be a receiver for a higher order of non biological consciousness. This is the model that Martin Higgins explores in Human+ and the kind of Transhumanism he explores. One of the main themes of the book is that we can unlock the latent potential within us and become something greater; something more inspired, connected and intelligent. The main character David does this well by cleansing his body and mind and so opening the doors of perception to greater capacities, a larger more encompassing experience and definition of Self. And as we embrace a grander vision of technological connectivity through more advanced networked information systems, haptic interfaces, augmented and virtual glasses, increasingly realistic game worlds, neural implants and long distance communication then the numinous capacities of telepathy, lucid dreaming and astral travel gain new and more potent meaning. The novel Human+ leap frogs us into that future of direct post neural hyper connectivity.
The hero David is a likable character, whom I found easy to identify with. While he is not truly of this mundane world he is also not a truly transcendent character either. Human+ is very well written with a smooth flow of natural language and superb pacing. There are points where I knew what lay ahead but that did not diminish my enjoyment of the story. Sometimes I couldn't put the book down and other times I wanted to jump ahead see if my suspicions were correct and see what happened. The novel displays a unique balance of a well written story, interesting ideas and enjoyable characters. Bottom line is that as both a writer and as a reader I highly recommend this book.
August 19, 2013
Although the story started off a bit slow for my taste it was worth it to read through to the end. The very brief synopsis is David (the protagonist) is a heroin addict who happens to stumble upon a group who practice telepathy, astral travel, precognition, etc. and is recruited by them. He kicks his heroin addiction and becomes an amazing pre-cog. There is a lot of suspense and thrills and twists that you don't really see coming.
The author covers topics like free will and predestination, religion and meditation. The topics are interesting and well written. The only thing I thought was a bit strange was the ending. I won't spoil it, but I am not sure if I loved the ending or hated it... I keep going back and forth on it! But it is worth a read! And I heard it was a screen play as well... I would be interested in seeing this on the big screen!
Also, I happened to come across this statue online today and it seemed like it would fit in here great! It reminded me of the story!
Paige Bradley, Expansion
The author covers topics like free will and predestination, religion and meditation. The topics are interesting and well written. The only thing I thought was a bit strange was the ending. I won't spoil it, but I am not sure if I loved the ending or hated it... I keep going back and forth on it! But it is worth a read! And I heard it was a screen play as well... I would be interested in seeing this on the big screen!
Also, I happened to come across this statue online today and it seemed like it would fit in here great! It reminded me of the story!
Paige Bradley, Expansion
April 29, 2013
This book and I did not start well together. The narrator initially sounded like science fiction’s clichéd young male narrator who is attempting to channel Raymond Chandler and whose only friend is the barman. But within a few pages, I was surprised to realise that I was inside the head of a schizoid drug-user with heightened paranoia. I changed from groaning to admiring the writing.
David, the drug-user, turns out to be a select adept at psychological precognition – mind-reading. He has the ability to tune into people’s thoughts, moods and memories. A mystery organisation recruits him and offers to train his precognitive gifts. He befriends the trainers and discovers that his talents outshine theirs.
The organisation engineers a high-profile position for him, inventing a back-story with academic papers and university records. Lawrence, one of the trainers, seemingly deserts the organisation, and David is left to wonder whether being caught up in the world of high capitalism is the best use of his supra-human gifts.
To its credit, the book does not give a pat answer to this question, but leaves the reader with complex possibilities: with the help of nanotechnology, will human beings ever develop advanced communication abilities? Can capitalism deliver the most ethical future for humanity? Will there always be people left behind by human progress – will the poor always be with us despite all the promises of technology? Are reading and story-telling technologies by which we enter the thought-worlds and moods of other humans and transform ourselves into more than humans?
At the end of the book, I was surprised how much I had enjoyed it. I enjoyed the company of the first person narrator, I was intrigued with the bigger questions raised by his experience, and I continued to wonder where the hard science ended and the fiction begun. That’s a mark of good science fiction.
The book was professionally presented, so I did not have the common experience with E-books of being confronted by spelling and grammar clangers. The story kept me interested until the end, and it was altogether an enjoyable and worthwhile read.
David, the drug-user, turns out to be a select adept at psychological precognition – mind-reading. He has the ability to tune into people’s thoughts, moods and memories. A mystery organisation recruits him and offers to train his precognitive gifts. He befriends the trainers and discovers that his talents outshine theirs.
The organisation engineers a high-profile position for him, inventing a back-story with academic papers and university records. Lawrence, one of the trainers, seemingly deserts the organisation, and David is left to wonder whether being caught up in the world of high capitalism is the best use of his supra-human gifts.
To its credit, the book does not give a pat answer to this question, but leaves the reader with complex possibilities: with the help of nanotechnology, will human beings ever develop advanced communication abilities? Can capitalism deliver the most ethical future for humanity? Will there always be people left behind by human progress – will the poor always be with us despite all the promises of technology? Are reading and story-telling technologies by which we enter the thought-worlds and moods of other humans and transform ourselves into more than humans?
At the end of the book, I was surprised how much I had enjoyed it. I enjoyed the company of the first person narrator, I was intrigued with the bigger questions raised by his experience, and I continued to wonder where the hard science ended and the fiction begun. That’s a mark of good science fiction.
The book was professionally presented, so I did not have the common experience with E-books of being confronted by spelling and grammar clangers. The story kept me interested until the end, and it was altogether an enjoyable and worthwhile read.
January 5, 2013
As someone who can't even take ibuprofen, I wasn't sure how well I would be able to relate to a main character who was a drug addict, but David was such a sympathetic character that it was easy to warm to him. This book defies genre, there's elements of quite a few different ones in here: sci-fi, horror, paranormal, conspiracy thriller, but the author has blended them all into a cohesive whole.
The whole book is told through David's eyes throughout and you are never quite sure whether David is really experiencing all the things he does or if it's just seem weird dream or drug-induced hallucination, which keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next.
It's not an easy book to read, there are some confusing things in there and at times I was as much in the dark as David as to what was going on. Some sections felt more like lectures rather than narrative flow, but it is a very interesting read. Can the things in this book really happen with the technology we have today? I have no idea, but it is an intriguing thought. It's a book that makes you think long after the last page is turned.
Review copy from author
The whole book is told through David's eyes throughout and you are never quite sure whether David is really experiencing all the things he does or if it's just seem weird dream or drug-induced hallucination, which keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next.
It's not an easy book to read, there are some confusing things in there and at times I was as much in the dark as David as to what was going on. Some sections felt more like lectures rather than narrative flow, but it is a very interesting read. Can the things in this book really happen with the technology we have today? I have no idea, but it is an intriguing thought. It's a book that makes you think long after the last page is turned.
Review copy from author
July 19, 2013
A very well written novel with elements of mystery, science fiction, drama, action, and romance. It is based on a screenplay, very descriptive, making you feel as if you were watching a movie. The main character is a struggling visual artist who suffers from depression and fears that he is going crazy. At first one wonders whether he is a ‘sensitive’ (psychic) or just a paranoia ridden junkie desperately needing his next fix. His name is David and his Goliath seems to be the reality of city life combined with the uncertain future of the global system we exist in. Seeking a way out of his misery, he begins following a set of mysterious clues and comes across an educational course in psycho spirituality. He learns that he has psychic abilities and his life changes (which is where the story really takes off).
June 13, 2013
To be honest, I'm not much of a science/sci-fi fan but this book just sucked me in. In the beginning, you are introduced to David as a drug addicted artist. As things progress (I won't give much away as you HAVE to read it yourself), he is molded into improving his psychic skills. Or is he? There is a lot of scientific jargon in this book but you don't really have to understand that to enjoy it. David becomes involved with certain characters who make him question his sanity and alliances. It was wonderfully written. A few editing issues, but those didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. In essence, it's a story that really makes you think about where we are going with technology, is there more than one plane of existence and what does our future hold?
August 4, 2016
In this book, David, a drug addicted artist living on welfare becomes involved with a group who recognise that he has psychic abilities that make him more than human. After training to realise these abilities he is put to work to come up with a plan to solve mankind's problems. The story is fast paced and contains a lot of ideas that I felt were a bit too glib and rushed and could have been developed further. However, it was an enjoyable rad and I thank the LibraryThing giveaway program for my free copy of the book.
June 17, 2013
Enjoyed the writing style, flowed well after a rather slow tedious start. Almost quit reading it. The action started moving after that but then fizzled out in the last chapter. Thought the ending was a bit soft and didn't get much closure (Where's Astrid?).
June 10, 2013
I really like the cover. Human+ was a little hard to start, but it turned into a very interesting read. Very intriguing from a psychology perspective, too.
October 14, 2013
Engaging and dynamic read. Though not generally a fan of fiction, I really enjoyed the elements of realism Martin Higgins draws upon. I look forward to more from him.
April 18, 2013
A little hard to get into in the beginning. But well written and an interesting concept.
July 1, 2013
Martin Higgins’s Human+ is a well written, thought provoking page-turner which portrays a possible future where advanced technology is used to enhance human potential by developing the limitless possibilities that each of us carries inside.
The story follows David, an ex-drug addict with psychic abilities as he meets a girl from a mysterious group called the Psi Group. The course of the events pulls him into a vortex of unprecedented events that help him understand and further develop his abilities. As the story progresses, moral and ethical dilemmas arise on the ramifications of ab-/using such possibilities.
The mixture of science and fiction along with well-developed characters and intelligent dialogues makes Human+ a futuristic novel that will surely intrigue everyone interested in modern technology and under-explored human potentials.
The story follows David, an ex-drug addict with psychic abilities as he meets a girl from a mysterious group called the Psi Group. The course of the events pulls him into a vortex of unprecedented events that help him understand and further develop his abilities. As the story progresses, moral and ethical dilemmas arise on the ramifications of ab-/using such possibilities.
The mixture of science and fiction along with well-developed characters and intelligent dialogues makes Human+ a futuristic novel that will surely intrigue everyone interested in modern technology and under-explored human potentials.
November 1, 2014
This was an enjoyable tale of a life completely transformed by waking up to what is beyond a mundane life of drudgery. I really loved seeing David's transformation from miserable misanthrope to someone who is happy and in tune with universal love. My favorite parts of the book were the synchronicities David followed and his training to develop his natural psychic abilities.
It felt like it ended kind of abruptly, and it felt just a little lacking in some ways. Maybe the metaphysical parts were just so good and interesting, I wanted more of them. Three stars for "liked it." It definitely had the potential for four or five stars from me in some parts.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a PDF copy for review. I hope he will continue to write.
It felt like it ended kind of abruptly, and it felt just a little lacking in some ways. Maybe the metaphysical parts were just so good and interesting, I wanted more of them. Three stars for "liked it." It definitely had the potential for four or five stars from me in some parts.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a PDF copy for review. I hope he will continue to write.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews