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Paradise
In your wildest, most outrageous dreams, what would you want to be? Rich, famous, adored? Happy, beautiful, immortal? If you could live forever in a perfect world of your very own design, what would you choose? Your every wish can come true in Paradise. Forever.
It's humankind's oldest dream. And now the world's most secretive startup, Neurodyne, has brought it to life. By uploading the mind into data, Neurodyne lets consciousness transcend the body. Anyone can live forever in Paradise. For a small price, of course.
The world is eagerly lining up to enter Paradise. But Algernon Stark, the journalist, as weary as he is jaded, is skeptical. Setting out, despite his misgivings, to examine life in Paradise, its possibilities and realities, he uncovers a truth greater and darker than he--or anyone--suspected.
In this sci-fi noir novella, Umair explores the idea of transcendence, asking the question: even if mankind could create its own Paradise, should it?
It's humankind's oldest dream. And now the world's most secretive startup, Neurodyne, has brought it to life. By uploading the mind into data, Neurodyne lets consciousness transcend the body. Anyone can live forever in Paradise. For a small price, of course.
The world is eagerly lining up to enter Paradise. But Algernon Stark, the journalist, as weary as he is jaded, is skeptical. Setting out, despite his misgivings, to examine life in Paradise, its possibilities and realities, he uncovers a truth greater and darker than he--or anyone--suspected.
In this sci-fi noir novella, Umair explores the idea of transcendence, asking the question: even if mankind could create its own Paradise, should it?
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 9, 2015
About the author
Umair Haque
9 books62 followersUmair Haque is Director of the Havas Media Lab and author of The New Capitalist Manifesto: Building a Disruptively Better Business. He also founded Bubblegeneration, an agenda-setting advisory boutique that shaped strategies across media and consumer industries.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 22, 2015
With mankind on the verge of the greatest technological breakthrough in history, society is faced with a choice: join Paradise and be immortal, or live a normal life and eventually die. Facing this marvel with skepticism, a veteran journalist and TV newsman finds he may well hold a unique position to frame society's response to the technological miracle.
In many ways, the ideas of Paradise are archetypal of the genre, but Haque brings the universal ideas presented in this novella into the 21st century by framing the story in the context of Silicon Valley's pursuit of utopia wrought by the progression of technology. In doing so, Haque succeeds not only in updating the philosophical questions inherent in Paradise for a modern audience, but he lays the foundations of a all too real near-future as well.
In many ways, the ideas of Paradise are archetypal of the genre, but Haque brings the universal ideas presented in this novella into the 21st century by framing the story in the context of Silicon Valley's pursuit of utopia wrought by the progression of technology. In doing so, Haque succeeds not only in updating the philosophical questions inherent in Paradise for a modern audience, but he lays the foundations of a all too real near-future as well.
March 5, 2016
Not so much transcendence
I'm a big fan of Umair's business writing, and his work on doing good and being a whole member of society is obviously a heavy influence on this first longer piece of fiction.
It's a great little read that you're never quite sure about. Will Infinity be a dystopia? Is Paradise all it's said to be?
You'll have to read to find out.
I'm a big fan of Umair's business writing, and his work on doing good and being a whole member of society is obviously a heavy influence on this first longer piece of fiction.
It's a great little read that you're never quite sure about. Will Infinity be a dystopia? Is Paradise all it's said to be?
You'll have to read to find out.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews