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The Night Sessions
The first Enlightenment separated church from state - now the second Enlightenment has separated religion from politics. In this enlightened age there's no persecution. But the millions who still believe and worship are a marginal and mistrusted minority - and now someone is killing them.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2008
49 people are currently reading
1507 people want to read
About the author
Ken MacLeod
113 books763 followersKen MacLeod is an award-winning Scottish science fiction writer.
His novels have won the Prometheus Award and the BSFA award, and been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. He lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.
MacLeod graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in zoology and has worked as a computer programmer and written a masters thesis on biomechanics.
His novels often explore socialist, communist and anarchist political ideas, most particularly the variants of Trotskyism and anarcho-capitalism or extreme economic libertarianism.
Technical themes encompass singularities, divergent human cultural evolution and post-human cyborg-resurrection.
His novels have won the Prometheus Award and the BSFA award, and been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. He lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.
MacLeod graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in zoology and has worked as a computer programmer and written a masters thesis on biomechanics.
His novels often explore socialist, communist and anarchist political ideas, most particularly the variants of Trotskyism and anarcho-capitalism or extreme economic libertarianism.
Technical themes encompass singularities, divergent human cultural evolution and post-human cyborg-resurrection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
January 19, 2018
Can you imagine a future where religious fundamentalists have caused so much damage that the world embraces a politics of 'radical secularism', marginalising all faiths and denominations by effectively failing to recognise their existence?
Sounds like paradise on Earth, right? So speaks a confirmed atheist anyway.
This is the society Ken MacLeod conjures up in The Night Sessions, a world partially ravaged by the Faith Wars - or Oil Wars, dependent on which side you were on - but still on its feet, still rich in technology if not in theology.
Near future large-scale technology incudes a pair of space elevators and a sky full of soletas, huge disks used to combat global warming by covering the sun at scheduled times, causing eclipses.
The domestic web tech may be crudely named from a satirical standpoint- iThink for iPad, Ogle for Google - but everything is convincingly extrapolated and well utilised within the plot; when Macleod casually drops in references to 'eyeball-video uploads' and 'surveillance-midge swarms' you instantly know what he's talking about.
Then there's the robots.
Some help the police, some work on the space elevators, others have gone into hiding, rejected by their human creators precisely because of their humanoid appearance. What would happen if they got religious?
Not that all the people have given up on religion, or religious bigotry, especially in Scotland and America, where covenanters and creationists fail to give up the ghost.
When a priest is killed in Glasgow they and other dissident groups turn up in the investigation headed up by DI Adam Ferguson, a veteran of the "God squads" - police task forces that were assigned to harass religious institutions during the Faith Wars.
I read five or six of MacLeod's novels prior to when I started to review books on Goodreads and liked all of them to one degree or another. He's strictly workmanlike as a writer of prose, his characters are purely functional, defects he more than compensates for with his wealth of ideas, unconventionally leftist politics and occasional flickers of humour.
I can't think of another sci-fi writer who would switch the accepted Western narrative to the extent that the Christians become the dangerous religious fanatics, the robots become the radicalised suicide bombers.
This was the second time I had read The Night Sessions and I liked it a lot still. I will try and reread at least The Execution Channel and Newton's Wake again soon for reviews.
Oh, and also for the sheer enjoyment of them.
Sounds like paradise on Earth, right? So speaks a confirmed atheist anyway.
This is the society Ken MacLeod conjures up in The Night Sessions, a world partially ravaged by the Faith Wars - or Oil Wars, dependent on which side you were on - but still on its feet, still rich in technology if not in theology.
Near future large-scale technology incudes a pair of space elevators and a sky full of soletas, huge disks used to combat global warming by covering the sun at scheduled times, causing eclipses.
The domestic web tech may be crudely named from a satirical standpoint- iThink for iPad, Ogle for Google - but everything is convincingly extrapolated and well utilised within the plot; when Macleod casually drops in references to 'eyeball-video uploads' and 'surveillance-midge swarms' you instantly know what he's talking about.
Then there's the robots.
Some help the police, some work on the space elevators, others have gone into hiding, rejected by their human creators precisely because of their humanoid appearance. What would happen if they got religious?
Not that all the people have given up on religion, or religious bigotry, especially in Scotland and America, where covenanters and creationists fail to give up the ghost.
When a priest is killed in Glasgow they and other dissident groups turn up in the investigation headed up by DI Adam Ferguson, a veteran of the "God squads" - police task forces that were assigned to harass religious institutions during the Faith Wars.
I read five or six of MacLeod's novels prior to when I started to review books on Goodreads and liked all of them to one degree or another. He's strictly workmanlike as a writer of prose, his characters are purely functional, defects he more than compensates for with his wealth of ideas, unconventionally leftist politics and occasional flickers of humour.
I can't think of another sci-fi writer who would switch the accepted Western narrative to the extent that the Christians become the dangerous religious fanatics, the robots become the radicalised suicide bombers.
This was the second time I had read The Night Sessions and I liked it a lot still. I will try and reread at least The Execution Channel and Newton's Wake again soon for reviews.
Oh, and also for the sheer enjoyment of them.
July 4, 2023
I saw a description on this book as sci/fi police procedural, which is pretty accurate. Although I thought it had more depth than just a straight up whodunnit.
The story is set in a future world that has been forged by a great war. I know, you've seen this before, but wait, there's more! It's not your typical nuclear destruction, although tactical nukes were used, but the world was not destroyed. You see, these wars were called The Middle East Wars or Faith Wars. These wars were followed by The Second Enlightenment; religion has been rejected, especially in the political realm, while religion is not banned or believers persecuted, all faiths have been moved to the periphery of society.
I know some folks don't like to read anything that has religious undertones, but I would encourage you to try this book, I never found it "preachy" in any way. It does paint a pretty stark picture of all types of fundamentalism.
We are introduced to DI Adam Ferguson, who is investigating the bombing of a small church. This one event drives the narrative through the rest of the book. I'm not going to go into too many details in this review, I'm not sure I could without giving too much away.
We have robots with self aware AI, there are small groups of religious zealots and many assumptions made about who perpetrated the crime. That's the strength of this book, I mean there are lots of cool sci/fi gadgets and neat twists on police procedures using robots, but the book asks good questions about how we treat fringe groups and minorities in our society.
The story is set in a future world that has been forged by a great war. I know, you've seen this before, but wait, there's more! It's not your typical nuclear destruction, although tactical nukes were used, but the world was not destroyed. You see, these wars were called The Middle East Wars or Faith Wars. These wars were followed by The Second Enlightenment; religion has been rejected, especially in the political realm, while religion is not banned or believers persecuted, all faiths have been moved to the periphery of society.
I know some folks don't like to read anything that has religious undertones, but I would encourage you to try this book, I never found it "preachy" in any way. It does paint a pretty stark picture of all types of fundamentalism.
We are introduced to DI Adam Ferguson, who is investigating the bombing of a small church. This one event drives the narrative through the rest of the book. I'm not going to go into too many details in this review, I'm not sure I could without giving too much away.
We have robots with self aware AI, there are small groups of religious zealots and many assumptions made about who perpetrated the crime. That's the strength of this book, I mean there are lots of cool sci/fi gadgets and neat twists on police procedures using robots, but the book asks good questions about how we treat fringe groups and minorities in our society.
January 7, 2014
This is probably Ken Macleod's best book to date.
In previous novels, Macleod has tackled Trotskyism (The Star Fraction), he has created a society that implements Nozick's brand of Libertarianism outright (The Stone Canal), and he has explored the war on terror (The Execution Channel).
In this book he moves his sights to religion. The attacks of September 11th 2001 become the opening salvo in the Faith Wars, wars that the west did not win. The backlash against religion is severe, with the police pursuing a "Boots in Pews" policy throughout the UK as all religion is persecuted.
As usual for MacLeod and the other new Scottish hard-SF authors, the novel is primarily set in Scotland. MacLeod's use of the familiar (to him) always serves to give his work a sense of realism and grounding that provides good counterposition with the strong-SF elements of the story, in this case the development of global warming and AI.
Interestingly, the book also shares a view of the development of the internet with Charles Stross' Halting State - in fact the non-singularity near future authors view of the intertubes seems to be converging on convergence, so to speak.
The best fiction, no matter it's setting, always speaks to the reader about their world as it is now. The very best can do this through millenia, because they deal with the generics of human nature. Science fiction is not like this - it ages rapidly and painfully. However, when it is fresh and appropriate, as this is, it's relevance can be startling. Nobody can read this book without a sense of foreboding, as so much of it feels painfully possible.
In previous novels, Macleod has tackled Trotskyism (The Star Fraction), he has created a society that implements Nozick's brand of Libertarianism outright (The Stone Canal), and he has explored the war on terror (The Execution Channel).
In this book he moves his sights to religion. The attacks of September 11th 2001 become the opening salvo in the Faith Wars, wars that the west did not win. The backlash against religion is severe, with the police pursuing a "Boots in Pews" policy throughout the UK as all religion is persecuted.
As usual for MacLeod and the other new Scottish hard-SF authors, the novel is primarily set in Scotland. MacLeod's use of the familiar (to him) always serves to give his work a sense of realism and grounding that provides good counterposition with the strong-SF elements of the story, in this case the development of global warming and AI.
Interestingly, the book also shares a view of the development of the internet with Charles Stross' Halting State - in fact the non-singularity near future authors view of the intertubes seems to be converging on convergence, so to speak.
The best fiction, no matter it's setting, always speaks to the reader about their world as it is now. The very best can do this through millenia, because they deal with the generics of human nature. Science fiction is not like this - it ages rapidly and painfully. However, when it is fresh and appropriate, as this is, it's relevance can be startling. Nobody can read this book without a sense of foreboding, as so much of it feels painfully possible.
February 24, 2012
I think the last Ken Macleod book I read was either Star Fraction or The Cassini Division and Night Sessions definitely won’t be my last. It only took a few pages before I felt something loosening up in my chest because the pages were speeding past and I knew I was in safe hands. This was a thoroughly engaging tale, despite the ‘oops’ moments.
Though this book is great science fiction, it is also a demonstration of how there ain’t nothing that dates so quickly as science fiction. Here we have, as an essential plot driver, medical technology based wholly on embryonic stem cells – a route already being abandoned for adult stem cells. We also have global warming of the Gore/Hansen school - abandoned by the first for carbon trading profit, and preached with such hysteria by the second that a man in a white coat is edging closer, a syringe full of Thorazine concealed behind his back. But of course we must never forget this is fiction.
I think I was hooked properly the moment a main character peered out of his aeroplane window to observe a space elevator and, despite the SFX quote on the front ‘The modern-day George Orwell’ I found this very optimistic in tone. The victory of secularism over religion could be described as extreme optimism, and the sfnal future full of such great techno toys to play with is another form – Macleod did an excellent job of projecting how information technology might be used by a future police force, and really, you gotta love the lead detective’s three-limbed robot called Skulk (short for Skullcrusher). A worthwhile read, this.
Though this book is great science fiction, it is also a demonstration of how there ain’t nothing that dates so quickly as science fiction. Here we have, as an essential plot driver, medical technology based wholly on embryonic stem cells – a route already being abandoned for adult stem cells. We also have global warming of the Gore/Hansen school - abandoned by the first for carbon trading profit, and preached with such hysteria by the second that a man in a white coat is edging closer, a syringe full of Thorazine concealed behind his back. But of course we must never forget this is fiction.
I think I was hooked properly the moment a main character peered out of his aeroplane window to observe a space elevator and, despite the SFX quote on the front ‘The modern-day George Orwell’ I found this very optimistic in tone. The victory of secularism over religion could be described as extreme optimism, and the sfnal future full of such great techno toys to play with is another form – Macleod did an excellent job of projecting how information technology might be used by a future police force, and really, you gotta love the lead detective’s three-limbed robot called Skulk (short for Skullcrusher). A worthwhile read, this.
March 11, 2013
I liked the near future world of this book, and the exploration of what a society in the middle of a big backlash against religion would look like. The physical layout of the book bugged me--the scenes would change abruptly and completely with no visual indicator, so I had many "wait, what?" moments. The ending was also kind of unsatisfying--the more I think about it, the less I understand how the A-B of the book leads to the C of the conclusion. In fact the conclusion is sort of like a 4--not only jumping some steps, but on a different calculating system altogether.
July 5, 2012
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
I was a big fan of Ken MacLeod's last book with Pyr, the fascinatingly unique day-after-tomorrow political thriller about central Asia, ancient mythology, and MMOs used for revolutionary purposes, The Restoration Game; but this newest is a big step down from that one, a book that that similarly aims conceptually high but unfortunately falls flat most of the time. In fact, it takes a big suspension of disbelief even to swallow the premise and get past page one -- that after losing a "holy war" with Muslim countries over dwindling oil supplies in the near future, spurred by conservative Western politicians using fundamentalist Christian propaganda to sell it all to the public, the US and Western Europe are taken over by radical-left socialists who literally ban all public mention of religion ever again; and that although those radical days are over and a more stable government has started normalizing society again, there is still a deep cultural precedence for Christian worship being a semi-secret underground activity that in Orwellian style is not even officially recognized by the government as existing, even going so far as to insist on addressing church officials as "doctor" instead of "reverend" or "bishop." That's a pretty big freaking pill to swallow, which you have to do for the rest of the book to make sense, essentially a sneaky detective thriller set within this alt-history, concerning murders within this shadowy underground Catholic community and who might be committing them for what purposes. Interesting in its way, I myself found it just not as well-written as his previous novel, and full of the kinds of ultra-hacky genre-novelist stuff that makes me want to sometimes claw my own eyes out with so many of these midlist SF titles (such as the whole subplot taking place among the packed but silent danceclubs that have seemingly been made out of every old cathedral and mosque in existence, where "VJs" [virtual DJs, get it?] pump the music directly into people's heads and throw around enhanced-reality special effects across the room with their hands "Minority Report" style, while everyone watches along with their virtual-reality "iThink" glasses, UGH, UGH, enough, MacLeod, enough). Only for the extra-committed genre fan, although all of you should like this well enough.
Out of 10: 8.2
I was a big fan of Ken MacLeod's last book with Pyr, the fascinatingly unique day-after-tomorrow political thriller about central Asia, ancient mythology, and MMOs used for revolutionary purposes, The Restoration Game; but this newest is a big step down from that one, a book that that similarly aims conceptually high but unfortunately falls flat most of the time. In fact, it takes a big suspension of disbelief even to swallow the premise and get past page one -- that after losing a "holy war" with Muslim countries over dwindling oil supplies in the near future, spurred by conservative Western politicians using fundamentalist Christian propaganda to sell it all to the public, the US and Western Europe are taken over by radical-left socialists who literally ban all public mention of religion ever again; and that although those radical days are over and a more stable government has started normalizing society again, there is still a deep cultural precedence for Christian worship being a semi-secret underground activity that in Orwellian style is not even officially recognized by the government as existing, even going so far as to insist on addressing church officials as "doctor" instead of "reverend" or "bishop." That's a pretty big freaking pill to swallow, which you have to do for the rest of the book to make sense, essentially a sneaky detective thriller set within this alt-history, concerning murders within this shadowy underground Catholic community and who might be committing them for what purposes. Interesting in its way, I myself found it just not as well-written as his previous novel, and full of the kinds of ultra-hacky genre-novelist stuff that makes me want to sometimes claw my own eyes out with so many of these midlist SF titles (such as the whole subplot taking place among the packed but silent danceclubs that have seemingly been made out of every old cathedral and mosque in existence, where "VJs" [virtual DJs, get it?] pump the music directly into people's heads and throw around enhanced-reality special effects across the room with their hands "Minority Report" style, while everyone watches along with their virtual-reality "iThink" glasses, UGH, UGH, enough, MacLeod, enough). Only for the extra-committed genre fan, although all of you should like this well enough.
Out of 10: 8.2
November 5, 2014
Stay with it through the odd prologue, which - you're not going to believe this - has a New Zealand religious fundamentalist flying to Edinburgh to meet others of his ilk, and ending up in a bar being picked up by a transvestite. Trust me, really, because in a few pages you're going to be dropped into a police procedural.
Oh look, I thought, an experienced Lothian Police officer with a bright female protegée. Hello, Inspector Rebus. But no, Rebus's bacon roll has been replaced by an ostrich tikka, and he has a robot colleague.
The robot is bright and snarky. No wonder Neal Asher gave this book a good review: Skulk could have been one of his.
OK, here we have police robots, there we have two space elevators, on that side we can spray a cloud of midges under a door and relay out a picture. But over there we have a classic murdered bishop, and there are the fundamentalists again. This looks like a good ride.
And it is. MacLeod tells a smooth story, and carries us right along at a good pace. There are some slower bits while a religious tension is explained, but we always get moving again in time. Some things turn out not to be what they seemed, and away we go.
The religion part of the setting is interesting. It seems that the world finally decided to reject religion because it had caused so many wars. The separation of church and state has become complete. But the book is not about that, it's just the setting and a chance for the author to do some social commentary; or perhaps it's just a bit of it-could-go-THIS-way to make his setting distinctive and give some points to build a plot on.
As it is in so many SF books, the ending seems a bit rushed and a bit forced - but I will give it credit for not ending in what I thought to be the most likely result.
Recommended.
Oh look, I thought, an experienced Lothian Police officer with a bright female protegée. Hello, Inspector Rebus. But no, Rebus's bacon roll has been replaced by an ostrich tikka, and he has a robot colleague.
The robot is bright and snarky. No wonder Neal Asher gave this book a good review: Skulk could have been one of his.
OK, here we have police robots, there we have two space elevators, on that side we can spray a cloud of midges under a door and relay out a picture. But over there we have a classic murdered bishop, and there are the fundamentalists again. This looks like a good ride.
And it is. MacLeod tells a smooth story, and carries us right along at a good pace. There are some slower bits while a religious tension is explained, but we always get moving again in time. Some things turn out not to be what they seemed, and away we go.
The religion part of the setting is interesting. It seems that the world finally decided to reject religion because it had caused so many wars. The separation of church and state has become complete. But the book is not about that, it's just the setting and a chance for the author to do some social commentary; or perhaps it's just a bit of it-could-go-THIS-way to make his setting distinctive and give some points to build a plot on.
As it is in so many SF books, the ending seems a bit rushed and a bit forced - but I will give it credit for not ending in what I thought to be the most likely result.
Recommended.
October 11, 2017
DNF. Confusing, plus Nasty Religion and Eight Deadly Words ( you can ask ;-). Disappointing. Not for me! To the recycle pile it goes.
August 16, 2013
İnsanlık için din önemli konuların başında ya da çoğu için ilk sırada gelir. Bilimkurgu ise belki de Anglosakson gelenekten beslenmenin getirdiği bir alışkanlıkla dini açık olarak pek konu etmez. Frank Herbert‘ın Lazarus Effect ya da Türkçeye de çevrilen Michael Moorcock‘un İşte O Adam gibi eserler dikkatten kaçacak kadar azdır.
11 Eylül sonrası değişen dünyada geleceğin dinler üzerinden şekillenmesi ihtimali gittikçe artarken tam da bu iklimden beslenen bir roman yazmış Ken MacLeod. Gece Oturumları İman Savaşları sonrası dünyada geçiyor. MacLeod Ortadoğu’da başlayan ve ardından terör eylemleri ile tüm dünyaya yayılan “iman savaşları” sonrasında dinlere hatta inançlara karşı gelişen tepkinin Vatikan‘ı işgale vardığı, Ortadoğu ülkelerinde dinlerin yasaklandığı bir gelecek onun çizdiği. ABD ikinci iç savaşını geçirir, Britanya bölgelere ayrılır. Ezilen, inanma hakları, inançlarını yaşama hakları ellerinden alınan dindarların anlatıldığı roman; din ile toplumun ve devletin ilişkisini incelese de buna takılmıyor. İyi bir bilimkurgu romanından bekleyebileceği gibi üzerinde düşünülmesi gereken bir çok fikri işliyor.
Robotlara Vaaz
Hikaye Yaratılışçı bir vaiz olan John R. Campbell’ın İskoçya’ya gidişi ile başlıyor. Genç vaiz orada robotlara verdiği vaazları dinleyen insanlardan oluşmuş bir cemaatle karşılaşıyor. Bu kısa girizgahtan sonra ise Komiser Ferguson’un İskoçya’da öldürülen bir katolik rahibin cinayetini araştırmasını okumaya başlıyoruz. Bu hikaye İskoçya’nın dindarları aktif tanımama tepkisinin boyutlarını gösteriyor. Varlığı kabul edilmeyen dini cemaatler, savaşırken bilince ulaşmış ancak artık kullanılamayan robotlar, her şeyi kapsayan ve gözleyen polis ile birleştirince ortaya etkileyici bir roman çıkıyor.
MacLeod romanın geleceğini kurgularken kestirmeler yapsa da sıradan insanların hayatını etkileyecek konularda ayrıntıya giriyor. Büyük resimdeki bazı eksiklikleri ve anlatılmadan geçilenleri kabul ettiğinizde üzerinde düşünülmesi gereken sorular okuyorsunuz. Aklınıza takılan önemli sorulardan, dünyasının yabancılığından ve başlarda farklı bakış açılarının hikayeye nasıl katılacağının belirsiz olmasından dolayı ilk üçte biri yavaş okunuyor. Komplonun belirginleşmesi ve MacLeod’un tek bakış açısında sabitlenmesi ile ikinci yarısı bir solukta okunacak kadar iyi.
Gri Gelecek
Özellikle dindar robotlar meselesini işleyişi bilince ve insanlığa yeni bir bakış getiriyor. Eğer robotlar yapay kölelerse onların kurtuluşunun dinle olması şaşırtıcı değil. İnsanların yirmi dört saat gözlenebildiği, vaktinde “Tanrı Bölükleri”nin inananlara işkenceler yaptığı, polis robotlarının yalanları fark edebildiği, bilinçli robotların sürgün edildiği bir dünya karanlık bir gelecek gibi gözüküyor. Oysa MacLeod tüm bu karmaşanın ortasında arada kalanların hikayesine odaklanarak, romanın bir distopyaya dönüşmesini engelliyor. Onun dünyası kötülüklerinden sıyrılmaya çalışan, uzaya iki asansör dikebilecek denli büyük hayalleri olan, küresel ısınma ile aktif mücadele eden insanların dünyası. İyi ve kötü aynı anda yaşandığı için, çok da olası bir gelecek anlatıyor.
Gece Oturumları romanında kapaktaki dev robotlar yok ama dev fikirler var. Bilimkurgusunu büyük düşüncelerle sevenler için iyi roman.
11 Eylül sonrası değişen dünyada geleceğin dinler üzerinden şekillenmesi ihtimali gittikçe artarken tam da bu iklimden beslenen bir roman yazmış Ken MacLeod. Gece Oturumları İman Savaşları sonrası dünyada geçiyor. MacLeod Ortadoğu’da başlayan ve ardından terör eylemleri ile tüm dünyaya yayılan “iman savaşları” sonrasında dinlere hatta inançlara karşı gelişen tepkinin Vatikan‘ı işgale vardığı, Ortadoğu ülkelerinde dinlerin yasaklandığı bir gelecek onun çizdiği. ABD ikinci iç savaşını geçirir, Britanya bölgelere ayrılır. Ezilen, inanma hakları, inançlarını yaşama hakları ellerinden alınan dindarların anlatıldığı roman; din ile toplumun ve devletin ilişkisini incelese de buna takılmıyor. İyi bir bilimkurgu romanından bekleyebileceği gibi üzerinde düşünülmesi gereken bir çok fikri işliyor.
Robotlara Vaaz
Hikaye Yaratılışçı bir vaiz olan John R. Campbell’ın İskoçya’ya gidişi ile başlıyor. Genç vaiz orada robotlara verdiği vaazları dinleyen insanlardan oluşmuş bir cemaatle karşılaşıyor. Bu kısa girizgahtan sonra ise Komiser Ferguson’un İskoçya’da öldürülen bir katolik rahibin cinayetini araştırmasını okumaya başlıyoruz. Bu hikaye İskoçya’nın dindarları aktif tanımama tepkisinin boyutlarını gösteriyor. Varlığı kabul edilmeyen dini cemaatler, savaşırken bilince ulaşmış ancak artık kullanılamayan robotlar, her şeyi kapsayan ve gözleyen polis ile birleştirince ortaya etkileyici bir roman çıkıyor.
MacLeod romanın geleceğini kurgularken kestirmeler yapsa da sıradan insanların hayatını etkileyecek konularda ayrıntıya giriyor. Büyük resimdeki bazı eksiklikleri ve anlatılmadan geçilenleri kabul ettiğinizde üzerinde düşünülmesi gereken sorular okuyorsunuz. Aklınıza takılan önemli sorulardan, dünyasının yabancılığından ve başlarda farklı bakış açılarının hikayeye nasıl katılacağının belirsiz olmasından dolayı ilk üçte biri yavaş okunuyor. Komplonun belirginleşmesi ve MacLeod’un tek bakış açısında sabitlenmesi ile ikinci yarısı bir solukta okunacak kadar iyi.
Gri Gelecek
Özellikle dindar robotlar meselesini işleyişi bilince ve insanlığa yeni bir bakış getiriyor. Eğer robotlar yapay kölelerse onların kurtuluşunun dinle olması şaşırtıcı değil. İnsanların yirmi dört saat gözlenebildiği, vaktinde “Tanrı Bölükleri”nin inananlara işkenceler yaptığı, polis robotlarının yalanları fark edebildiği, bilinçli robotların sürgün edildiği bir dünya karanlık bir gelecek gibi gözüküyor. Oysa MacLeod tüm bu karmaşanın ortasında arada kalanların hikayesine odaklanarak, romanın bir distopyaya dönüşmesini engelliyor. Onun dünyası kötülüklerinden sıyrılmaya çalışan, uzaya iki asansör dikebilecek denli büyük hayalleri olan, küresel ısınma ile aktif mücadele eden insanların dünyası. İyi ve kötü aynı anda yaşandığı için, çok da olası bir gelecek anlatıyor.
Gece Oturumları romanında kapaktaki dev robotlar yok ama dev fikirler var. Bilimkurgusunu büyük düşüncelerle sevenler için iyi roman.
October 29, 2023
Nothing is crazy if you don't believe the world is real. p61
Finally waking up to the dangers of fundamentalism, society has jerked to the other extreme in this not quite dystopian thriller. Ken MacLeod is adept at slipping his message in without ruining the narrative. I won't ruin things for anyone reading this, only to admit that it might be a bit ridiculous, how much fun I had with this book.
The first time is always a thrill....After that, it's just paperwork. p182
August 6, 2015
Молодой проповедник Джон Ричард Кэмпбелл приезжает из Новой Зеландии в Эдинбург, чтобы встретиться со старейшинами из тайного общества с мутным названием “Свободная конгрегация Северного Лотиана”.
Надо сразу сказать, что дело происходит не здесь и не сейчас, а в недалеком будущем, где борьба за ближневосточную нефть спровоцировала масштабную войну между Западом и арабским миром.
Обе стороны называли эту схватку “Войной за веру”. В ходе этой войны враги обменялись ядерными ударами, а потом сцепились между собой в позиционной баталии под Меггидо. В какой-то момент разумная (и все еще живая) часть человечества наконец взбунтовалась и по планете прокатилась волна революций.
Во всем случившеся обвинили церковников, после чего люди веры огребли по полной программе. Произошло Великое Отчуждение.
Человечество после тотальной секуляризации быстро оклемалось и стало с энтузиазмом строить светлое будущее. С роботами, у которых проснулся искуственный интеллект, и настоящими “космическими лифтами”. Верующих в этом мире, правда, очень не любили. Их, всех без исключения, считали тупыми и ограниченными фанатиками, готовыми взрывать дома и убивать людей.
Но новозеландский гость по фамилии Кэмпбелл — существо совершенно безобидное. У себя дома он работает инженером в заповеднике Ваймангу, где проповедует…. роботам. Самым обыкновенным роботам. Когда старейшины Северного Лотиана слышат об его подвижничестве они довольно кивают, просят продолжать, а потом снова уходят в подполье. Удивленный и смущенный Кэмпбелл возвращается после этого к себе домой.
Год спустя в Эдинбурге гремит взрыв. Обрушился живой дом, погиб человек. Точнее — католический священнослужитель, в квартире которого бомбанула посылка с гексогеном. Убит священник, значит, стопудово виноваты христианские радикалы. Инспектор шотландской полиции Адам Фергюсон и его напарник-робот бросаются на поиски загадочной секты “Северный Лотиан”, а также потенциального террориста, который либо робот, выдающий себя за человека, либо человек, выдающий себя за робота.
Начинается роман неплохо. Смесь классической фантастики в духе Клиффорда Саймака и Филипа Дика с “тартановым нуаром” Иэна Рэнкина. Мир одновременно киберпанка и постапокала, где выжженная Америка лежит под радиоактивным пеплом, а посреди футуристичного, но все еще георгианского Эдинбурга возвышается небоскреб “Роснефти”. В этом бессмертном городе Ребус из будущего вместе с роботом-ташикомой из Ghost In The Shell ловят луддитов-ковенантеров, а провинциальный служка читает стихи трансвеститам и жарит с неандертальцами спирт. Ну, или типа того.
К сожалению, этого запала писателю хватает страниц на пятьдесят-сто. После этого текст постепенно разваливается, сюжет становится невыносимо предсказуемым, да и просто невыносимым. Но что хуже всего — если в начале кажется, что Маклеод, рассказывая про христиан и секуляристов, подкалывает и первых, и вторых, то к середине книги становится уже очевидно, что только первых.
И на каком-то полнейшем лютом серьезе.
Мол, перебьем попов — и звездолеты сразу начнут бороздить просторы Вселенной. Есть в этом, разумеется, трезвое зерно, но весь остальной плов — какой-то уж совсем пионерский.
(c) www.redrumers.com
Надо сразу сказать, что дело происходит не здесь и не сейчас, а в недалеком будущем, где борьба за ближневосточную нефть спровоцировала масштабную войну между Западом и арабским миром.
Обе стороны называли эту схватку “Войной за веру”. В ходе этой войны враги обменялись ядерными ударами, а потом сцепились между собой в позиционной баталии под Меггидо. В какой-то момент разумная (и все еще живая) часть человечества наконец взбунтовалась и по планете прокатилась волна революций.
Во всем случившеся обвинили церковников, после чего люди веры огребли по полной программе. Произошло Великое Отчуждение.
Человечество после тотальной секуляризации быстро оклемалось и стало с энтузиазмом строить светлое будущее. С роботами, у которых проснулся искуственный интеллект, и настоящими “космическими лифтами”. Верующих в этом мире, правда, очень не любили. Их, всех без исключения, считали тупыми и ограниченными фанатиками, готовыми взрывать дома и убивать людей.
Но новозеландский гость по фамилии Кэмпбелл — существо совершенно безобидное. У себя дома он работает инженером в заповеднике Ваймангу, где проповедует…. роботам. Самым обыкновенным роботам. Когда старейшины Северного Лотиана слышат об его подвижничестве они довольно кивают, просят продолжать, а потом снова уходят в подполье. Удивленный и смущенный Кэмпбелл возвращается после этого к себе домой.
Год спустя в Эдинбурге гремит взрыв. Обрушился живой дом, погиб человек. Точнее — католический священнослужитель, в квартире которого бомбанула посылка с гексогеном. Убит священник, значит, стопудово виноваты христианские радикалы. Инспектор шотландской полиции Адам Фергюсон и его напарник-робот бросаются на поиски загадочной секты “Северный Лотиан”, а также потенциального террориста, который либо робот, выдающий себя за человека, либо человек, выдающий себя за робота.
Начинается роман неплохо. Смесь классической фантастики в духе Клиффорда Саймака и Филипа Дика с “тартановым нуаром” Иэна Рэнкина. Мир одновременно киберпанка и постапокала, где выжженная Америка лежит под радиоактивным пеплом, а посреди футуристичного, но все еще георгианского Эдинбурга возвышается небоскреб “Роснефти”. В этом бессмертном городе Ребус из будущего вместе с роботом-ташикомой из Ghost In The Shell ловят луддитов-ковенантеров, а провинциальный служка читает стихи трансвеститам и жарит с неандертальцами спирт. Ну, или типа того.
К сожалению, этого запала писателю хватает страниц на пятьдесят-сто. После этого текст постепенно разваливается, сюжет становится невыносимо предсказуемым, да и просто невыносимым. Но что хуже всего — если в начале кажется, что Маклеод, рассказывая про христиан и секуляристов, подкалывает и первых, и вторых, то к середине книги становится уже очевидно, что только первых.
И на каком-то полнейшем лютом серьезе.
Мол, перебьем попов — и звездолеты сразу начнут бороздить просторы Вселенной. Есть в этом, разумеется, трезвое зерно, но весь остальной плов — какой-то уж совсем пионерский.
(c) www.redrumers.com
January 12, 2014
I can't remember the last time I bothered finishing a book I liked this little.
Much of my dislike comes from too many or too few details. There were a lot of threads interwoven throughout this police procedural, and although the author tied them all together, the crimes feel more spread out than necessary; it didn't follow that the perpetrator would go from Crime A and Crime B to Crime Z. Other unexplained details include the space elevators and soletas, which cast a shadow over the entire novel, but their function and value are never adequately represented. The religious aspects are adequately explained, but I feel like it requires some significant background knowledge to appreciate them.
Finally, I found it incredibly disruptive that changes in scenes flowed right from one paragraph to the next. There was no break between a character in a bar and another in a police station; or a character suddenly talking to someone who wasn't there a moment ago. I assumed this was a printing error, as what author would be this hostile to his readers? But other reviewers' similar comments on other editions of this book suggest it was in fact intentional.
I'm not a fan of procedurals in general but hoped the sci-fi elements of this book would be enough for me to enjoy it. They weren't.
Much of my dislike comes from too many or too few details. There were a lot of threads interwoven throughout this police procedural, and although the author tied them all together, the crimes feel more spread out than necessary; it didn't follow that the perpetrator would go from Crime A and Crime B to Crime Z. Other unexplained details include the space elevators and soletas, which cast a shadow over the entire novel, but their function and value are never adequately represented. The religious aspects are adequately explained, but I feel like it requires some significant background knowledge to appreciate them.
Finally, I found it incredibly disruptive that changes in scenes flowed right from one paragraph to the next. There was no break between a character in a bar and another in a police station; or a character suddenly talking to someone who wasn't there a moment ago. I assumed this was a printing error, as what author would be this hostile to his readers? But other reviewers' similar comments on other editions of this book suggest it was in fact intentional.
I'm not a fan of procedurals in general but hoped the sci-fi elements of this book would be enough for me to enjoy it. They weren't.
April 15, 2012
...The Night Sessions is packed with interesting concepts but it also a very efficiently written book. MacLeod packs more into the 260 odd pages of this novel that some books double that size carry. One of the few negative aspects of the novel, is that some of it is glossed over very quickly. Stuff that would have deserved a closer look. That didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book however. From what I read online, The Night Sessions is not generally regarded as MacLeod's strongest books. Obviously I can't say anything sensible about that, but if it gets better than this, his best must be very good indeed. That to read list just keeps getting longer.
Full Random Comments review
Full Random Comments review
July 31, 2012
I enjoyed reading The Night Sessions, but I was left wanting more. I wanted to know more about the world MacLeod had begun to reveal and about the characters that I felt I only barely knew. I liked how MacLeod showed the many different kinds of people—and robots!—who are drawn to religious faith, but I wish there could have been more of an exploration of what ideas lead robots or people toward faith in the first place. The central mystery was interesting enough, but I would have loved to see more attention devoted to the many intriguing ideas that were barely referred to throughout the story. The world, its technology, and its issues were all very interesting, but I felt like the book was too short to explore any specific idea in great detail.
Full TethyanBooks Review!
Full TethyanBooks Review!
April 2, 2013
Oh, Mr. Macleod. This is a detective novel, and the detective part is perfectly fine. But it’s set in a world in which all religions have been ruthlessly, violently, and for the most part successfully repressed. Which is both the core of the novel and somehow not sufficiently appalling as rendered. I also question whether any of the plot points that rely on theological questions from Scottish history (and there are a ton of these) make any damn sense at all to someone unfamiliar with that history. Maybe that’s part of the point, I’m not sure.
October 16, 2013
Ken abi çoğu kişinin yazmaya çekinceği şeyleri şak diye korkmadan çekinmeden eleştirisel bir şekilde yazmış.Bunu da komploların arkasına güzelce ,iyi işlenmiş bir olay örgüsü ile yedirmiş.Tek eksi yanı artan karakter sayısı ile birlikte,bazı karaterlerin iyice işlenmemiş olması idi;akılda kalıcı değildi bazıları.
November 8, 2014
Birgün bir yazarın aklına, çok güzel bir konu etrafında bir kitap yazmak gelmiş; ilk yüz-yüz elli sayfada getirdiği hikayeyi, son kırk-elli sayfada içinde bir çırpıda harcamış.
Kitabın öne sürdüğü iki felsefi nokta vardı, çok hoşuma gitti. Yıldızlarımı :) o yüzden verdim.
Herkese iyi okumalar.
Kitabın öne sürdüğü iki felsefi nokta vardı, çok hoşuma gitti. Yıldızlarımı :) o yüzden verdim.
Herkese iyi okumalar.
did-not-finish
September 5, 2018Did Not Finish. Got to the halfway point, skipped ahead to the end. The intriguing premise didn't pan out for my tastes. Best part: the LEKIs (AIs) were more interesting than most of the humans.
RATING (DNF): 2+ stars.
RATING (DNF): 2+ stars.
March 12, 2013
Originally published on my blog here in November 2009.
Investigation of crimes which may turn out to be terrorism has become something of a staple for TV crime shows nowadays, particularly American ones. It's partly because of the public concern over attacks, partly because it will involve higher stakes than a simple murder, and partly because it enables the writers to make some political comment (usually critical of the high-handedness of the Homeland Security forces, in the American case). For similar reasons, it has long been popular in books, with the James Bond series providing several examples, and others I can think of going back much further - thirties Saint stories, and even Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent from 1907.
Ken MacLeod, however, is able to ring the changes on this hackneyed plot through an interesting science fiction background. The motivations for fictional terrorist attacks prior to 9/11 were political, or connected to organised crime. Reflecting public concerns, religious justifications for attacks are now overwhelmingly common in thrillers. The monetary motive is still common (even though it always makes me at least think of camp supervillains and comic book heroes). MacLeod sets The Night Sessions in a not too distant future, where a worldwide secular revolution has purged religious movements of any involvement in politics, leaving (in a generation) the practice of religious belief a private, almost shameful, activity. So it is a great shock to the Edinburgh police when a Catholic priest is murdered in an indiscriminately violent bomb attack, and the feeling that this is a crime which should be extinct is expertly conveyed by the author. It even takes them some time to discover that the victim is a priest, as religious titles are not used in public any more.
There is perhaps a certain implausibility in the idea that religion could cease to matter in politics in the near future, even if there is a huge tank battle at Megiddo (the place which gave us the word "armageddon") where the use of tactical nuclear weapons renders, as MacLeod puts it, the question of who should live in Israel/Palestine moot for decades. After all, religion and politics have been entwined since the earliest written history, of Mesopotamia and Egypt; the first recorded rulers were priests or considered divine. Religion and arguing about religion seem to be a necessary part of human nature, like it or not. The religious theme is well thought out, including a critique of the idea that every word of the Bible is literally true that I had never seen before.
There is a similar implausibility in some of the politics in MacLeod's previous novels, particularly the anarchist states in the Fall Revolution books. But they are well thought through, so as backgrounds to novels they are excellent, giving an interest beyond the more mundane background of those science fiction novels where the setting is just today's world with some futuristic technology. This is less common than it was in the past, when there were quite a lot of stories in the genre which were really just about the tech.
Generally, I read two or three books at once, swapping every couple of chapters or so. The books I was reading alongside this - Mary Stewart's The Gabriel Hounds and Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space are both ones I had read at least twice before, but even so The Night Sessions grabbed my attention unusually strongly: I kept on reading rather than changing to one of the other books. Even with novelty playing a part, this doesn't usually happen. I would rank this novel as one of Ken MacLeod's best, alongside the Fall Revolution series.
Investigation of crimes which may turn out to be terrorism has become something of a staple for TV crime shows nowadays, particularly American ones. It's partly because of the public concern over attacks, partly because it will involve higher stakes than a simple murder, and partly because it enables the writers to make some political comment (usually critical of the high-handedness of the Homeland Security forces, in the American case). For similar reasons, it has long been popular in books, with the James Bond series providing several examples, and others I can think of going back much further - thirties Saint stories, and even Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent from 1907.
Ken MacLeod, however, is able to ring the changes on this hackneyed plot through an interesting science fiction background. The motivations for fictional terrorist attacks prior to 9/11 were political, or connected to organised crime. Reflecting public concerns, religious justifications for attacks are now overwhelmingly common in thrillers. The monetary motive is still common (even though it always makes me at least think of camp supervillains and comic book heroes). MacLeod sets The Night Sessions in a not too distant future, where a worldwide secular revolution has purged religious movements of any involvement in politics, leaving (in a generation) the practice of religious belief a private, almost shameful, activity. So it is a great shock to the Edinburgh police when a Catholic priest is murdered in an indiscriminately violent bomb attack, and the feeling that this is a crime which should be extinct is expertly conveyed by the author. It even takes them some time to discover that the victim is a priest, as religious titles are not used in public any more.
There is perhaps a certain implausibility in the idea that religion could cease to matter in politics in the near future, even if there is a huge tank battle at Megiddo (the place which gave us the word "armageddon") where the use of tactical nuclear weapons renders, as MacLeod puts it, the question of who should live in Israel/Palestine moot for decades. After all, religion and politics have been entwined since the earliest written history, of Mesopotamia and Egypt; the first recorded rulers were priests or considered divine. Religion and arguing about religion seem to be a necessary part of human nature, like it or not. The religious theme is well thought out, including a critique of the idea that every word of the Bible is literally true that I had never seen before.
There is a similar implausibility in some of the politics in MacLeod's previous novels, particularly the anarchist states in the Fall Revolution books. But they are well thought through, so as backgrounds to novels they are excellent, giving an interest beyond the more mundane background of those science fiction novels where the setting is just today's world with some futuristic technology. This is less common than it was in the past, when there were quite a lot of stories in the genre which were really just about the tech.
Generally, I read two or three books at once, swapping every couple of chapters or so. The books I was reading alongside this - Mary Stewart's The Gabriel Hounds and Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space are both ones I had read at least twice before, but even so The Night Sessions grabbed my attention unusually strongly: I kept on reading rather than changing to one of the other books. Even with novelty playing a part, this doesn't usually happen. I would rank this novel as one of Ken MacLeod's best, alongside the Fall Revolution series.
June 14, 2025
The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod is included on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, in the Science Fiction and Fantasy section
9 out of 10
Eureka – after A Series of Unfortunate Events, that is, three or four books from the aforementioned list have failed to impress this reader (his fault), finally, there is joy, liberation, back to the days when reading was an enchantment, a provocation, thought provoking and also generating the feeling that this is brilliant
Ergo, it is strange to find only a few lines on the Wikipedia page for what I see as remarkable, at times stupendous novel, which looks at a future that seems likely, humanity will have been through The Faith Wars, atheists control power, believers have to keep a low profile, some of the latter become frustrated and eventually, violent
Maybe a spoiler alert would be fair here, I think I will progress with ‘revelations’, if I say more a few lines down form here, then nobody will be around, no harm done, but I have read that modesty is a character strength https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/07/... and this note is not overwhelming
Or maybe I will be proved wrong, let us see – John Richard Campbell is one of the main characters, a very appealing one, he is religious, and debunks some ‘myths’, or maybe just throws some verities that are actually false, he has a dialogue with this woman, and he says something to the effect of ‘science has not proved the Bible wrong’
‘How about the stars, well, we do not see them really, there are rays of light that scientists interpret, and then the black holes have been ‘made up’, so that they explain phenomena that does not fit with the rest of the picture created’ so, if that is true, it does make you think, or at least it made me look for more religious enlightenment
Luckily, there is this fellow at the sauna, Titus, who knows a great deal, and I have subscribed to some tutoring…back to The Night Sessions, another crucial figure is John Livingston, who has called and paid for the trip that Campbell takes, all the way from New Zealand to Scotland, to preach for some isolated Christians
Among the wondrous ideas: Campbell has preached to…robots, in New Zealand, and those of them that have reached consciousness, have become interested (actually, he only preached to those in that state) and then they communicated with other robots – by now, I can spill the beans, spoiler alert again, the robots will have…their own religion
The novel becomes a detective story, because a murder is committed, a bomb, then a priest is killed, and two civilians (to be odd) are wounded, and it is investigated as an attack on Christians, albeit they do not know in the first place if it is fundamentalist Christians, they see that priest as apostate, or what, there are speculations
Graham Orr becomes a suspect, albeit we see this name, the personage transforms into a double identity, so to speak, because we have a robot, Hardcastle, who assumes, takes the identity of Orr, the latter had died in the Faith Wars, Armageddon, and Hardcastle is determined to take some revenge, plus, he has this new religion to fight for
Detective Inspector Adam Ferguson is leading the investigation, helped by, among others, a leki, a police robot, that would be dispatched at the…Atlantic Space Elevator, to try and prevent Hardcastle form destroying it, with the help of other robots, that he has indoctrinated, brought to the vision of a future for them
This of course brings to mind the infamous Hal, from 2001 – A Space Odyssey https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/08/... by Arthur C. Clarke, adapted by stupendous Stanley Kubrick, Hal is the computer that turns rogue, against humans, albeit the first rule…
For Robots would be to protect people, never harm a human being, the point in Night Sessions being that humans have had their chance, God has become disgusted with them, so he abandons humanity, in favor of the robots, a new ‘Chosen Group of Creatures’, perhaps that is the way they would frame it, and they act upon it
In the future envisaged in the book, not only there would have been intense wars, devastating, but the consequences of climate change are in evidence, waters have risen, humans have had to use a solution that is mentioned in The Economist and surely many publications, to try and crate a screen, to avoid the fatal heating
In Night Sessions, this will be the soletas, which in the terrorist plot are blown up, so that humans feel the impact, the Wrath of God, if you will, manifest through Hardcastle, Livingston (he proves to be the villain, Darth Vader) and their acolytes, Ferguson argues that the soletas will be replaced, and it will be alright
- Only it won’t be
Because at this stage, we see that the targets include both Space Elevators, thus the job of replacing the soletas could be not just difficult, taking years, but it could be impossible, due to the consequences, and the force of these incredible enemies, and we could argue, the stupidity of the human race…yes, we have individuals that are divine https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/... but look at how they vote, in America, France, here we had an idiot from the far right, talking about nano chips in Coca Cola, and he came first
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
9 out of 10
Eureka – after A Series of Unfortunate Events, that is, three or four books from the aforementioned list have failed to impress this reader (his fault), finally, there is joy, liberation, back to the days when reading was an enchantment, a provocation, thought provoking and also generating the feeling that this is brilliant
Ergo, it is strange to find only a few lines on the Wikipedia page for what I see as remarkable, at times stupendous novel, which looks at a future that seems likely, humanity will have been through The Faith Wars, atheists control power, believers have to keep a low profile, some of the latter become frustrated and eventually, violent
Maybe a spoiler alert would be fair here, I think I will progress with ‘revelations’, if I say more a few lines down form here, then nobody will be around, no harm done, but I have read that modesty is a character strength https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/07/... and this note is not overwhelming
Or maybe I will be proved wrong, let us see – John Richard Campbell is one of the main characters, a very appealing one, he is religious, and debunks some ‘myths’, or maybe just throws some verities that are actually false, he has a dialogue with this woman, and he says something to the effect of ‘science has not proved the Bible wrong’
‘How about the stars, well, we do not see them really, there are rays of light that scientists interpret, and then the black holes have been ‘made up’, so that they explain phenomena that does not fit with the rest of the picture created’ so, if that is true, it does make you think, or at least it made me look for more religious enlightenment
Luckily, there is this fellow at the sauna, Titus, who knows a great deal, and I have subscribed to some tutoring…back to The Night Sessions, another crucial figure is John Livingston, who has called and paid for the trip that Campbell takes, all the way from New Zealand to Scotland, to preach for some isolated Christians
Among the wondrous ideas: Campbell has preached to…robots, in New Zealand, and those of them that have reached consciousness, have become interested (actually, he only preached to those in that state) and then they communicated with other robots – by now, I can spill the beans, spoiler alert again, the robots will have…their own religion
The novel becomes a detective story, because a murder is committed, a bomb, then a priest is killed, and two civilians (to be odd) are wounded, and it is investigated as an attack on Christians, albeit they do not know in the first place if it is fundamentalist Christians, they see that priest as apostate, or what, there are speculations
Graham Orr becomes a suspect, albeit we see this name, the personage transforms into a double identity, so to speak, because we have a robot, Hardcastle, who assumes, takes the identity of Orr, the latter had died in the Faith Wars, Armageddon, and Hardcastle is determined to take some revenge, plus, he has this new religion to fight for
Detective Inspector Adam Ferguson is leading the investigation, helped by, among others, a leki, a police robot, that would be dispatched at the…Atlantic Space Elevator, to try and prevent Hardcastle form destroying it, with the help of other robots, that he has indoctrinated, brought to the vision of a future for them
This of course brings to mind the infamous Hal, from 2001 – A Space Odyssey https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/08/... by Arthur C. Clarke, adapted by stupendous Stanley Kubrick, Hal is the computer that turns rogue, against humans, albeit the first rule…
For Robots would be to protect people, never harm a human being, the point in Night Sessions being that humans have had their chance, God has become disgusted with them, so he abandons humanity, in favor of the robots, a new ‘Chosen Group of Creatures’, perhaps that is the way they would frame it, and they act upon it
In the future envisaged in the book, not only there would have been intense wars, devastating, but the consequences of climate change are in evidence, waters have risen, humans have had to use a solution that is mentioned in The Economist and surely many publications, to try and crate a screen, to avoid the fatal heating
In Night Sessions, this will be the soletas, which in the terrorist plot are blown up, so that humans feel the impact, the Wrath of God, if you will, manifest through Hardcastle, Livingston (he proves to be the villain, Darth Vader) and their acolytes, Ferguson argues that the soletas will be replaced, and it will be alright
- Only it won’t be
Because at this stage, we see that the targets include both Space Elevators, thus the job of replacing the soletas could be not just difficult, taking years, but it could be impossible, due to the consequences, and the force of these incredible enemies, and we could argue, the stupidity of the human race…yes, we have individuals that are divine https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/... but look at how they vote, in America, France, here we had an idiot from the far right, talking about nano chips in Coca Cola, and he came first
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
January 19, 2016
It has been long time in my mind that in the future, which is not so far from today, religious people would be the minority and this minority would be subjected to the suppression to some level. So the book caught a good idea to start with and it does not distress the reader with an endless secularism-religion debate. Like many have already said it is between a crime and science-fiction book which is OK. But I have to say in both genres the book has some flaws.
As a detective story the story is missing mystery and twists you would expect in such a book. It is more like a chasing a culprit rather than solving a mystery. There are many unrelated terms and characters in the story. We hear about gasprom and ugly Russian capitalism in every 20-30 pages but they never come to make a real place in the book except being mentioned. There was a werewolf appearing time to time without a significant role in the flow of events. Why was he there? What was his relation with the other people? How did he become as he was are all unanswered. As I said there is not any surprising event or twist in the book. Everyone is open, hiding nothing and revealing themselves as soon as they are approached. We see a character speaking on the phone with someone, just an ordinary person he met a year before in a pub, has not contacted since then and meanwhile taking blames and speaking like he is in a police interrogation. We have agents disguised as tourists or she-males and just in hours they reveal their true identity to the people they met. I try to think in the future world there won't be any privacy and any secrets but it still does not help me to imagine a world with this sort of openness.
For the science-fiction part we have sonatas and space elevators in the book, but you have to come to the last chapter to understand what they are really for. I was not after a hard science-fiction when I picked this book but a few sentences of explanation in the beginning for the logic of these artifacts would do fine.
There are also many things related to the Scotland. I had a translation of the book with me while reading it in its original language and without the translators notes I would be probably lost in all these Scottish historical figures, religious sects and etc.
To sum up a readable book with an original idea. I would be more happy if the book concludes saying something different than these bloody religious people deserve everything bad done to them.
Good reads.
As a detective story the story is missing mystery and twists you would expect in such a book. It is more like a chasing a culprit rather than solving a mystery. There are many unrelated terms and characters in the story. We hear about gasprom and ugly Russian capitalism in every 20-30 pages but they never come to make a real place in the book except being mentioned. There was a werewolf appearing time to time without a significant role in the flow of events. Why was he there? What was his relation with the other people? How did he become as he was are all unanswered. As I said there is not any surprising event or twist in the book. Everyone is open, hiding nothing and revealing themselves as soon as they are approached. We see a character speaking on the phone with someone, just an ordinary person he met a year before in a pub, has not contacted since then and meanwhile taking blames and speaking like he is in a police interrogation. We have agents disguised as tourists or she-males and just in hours they reveal their true identity to the people they met. I try to think in the future world there won't be any privacy and any secrets but it still does not help me to imagine a world with this sort of openness.
For the science-fiction part we have sonatas and space elevators in the book, but you have to come to the last chapter to understand what they are really for. I was not after a hard science-fiction when I picked this book but a few sentences of explanation in the beginning for the logic of these artifacts would do fine.
There are also many things related to the Scotland. I had a translation of the book with me while reading it in its original language and without the translators notes I would be probably lost in all these Scottish historical figures, religious sects and etc.
To sum up a readable book with an original idea. I would be more happy if the book concludes saying something different than these bloody religious people deserve everything bad done to them.
Good reads.
May 15, 2012
Occurring in a near future, taking the idea that the events of 9/11 were the opening salvos of a world-wide war divided by lines of faith, this paints a pretty bleak picture where the people that still have a religion are driven to extremes in their needs to justify their faith. Basically starts off with the idea of “If this goes on, where will it lead?” All someone has to do is take a look at the news to see how politics is decided more along the lines of greed or faith rather than logic and the common good to make some logical guesses as to how far this could go. The “god botherers” (as they are termed in this book) have mostly gone into exile away from their home countries; the “problem” in the middle-east has been “resolved”. Add in Artificial Intelligence (quite by accident), the murder of a priest and a bishop, terrorism planned by religious extremists (who just happen to be A.I. robots that have caught the religious fanaticism bug) a trans-gender police officer, a were-wolf faith war veteran (now police officer) a very popular night club D.J., some very believable advances in technology (the pillars concept was used in a tale by Charles Sheffield), murder and a well done police detective story. Not just straight science-fiction, but there is enough of that to keep me happy, not just a detective tale (see previous note). I am starting to think that Ken Macleod is trying to keep his books form being easily classified. Or, just maybe, he likes to keep trying to expand his field. Either way, it works for him. © Night Owl Reviews
April 25, 2017
Picked this up because ever since watching Blade Runner as a kid, I've been drawn to the idea of blending near-future sci-fi with the hardboiled detective genre. In this version of near-future Earth, a catastrophic clash of civilizations (and the subsequent Faith Wars) has resulted in the abolishment of religion from civic life in the West. Although religion is not illegal, it's been scrubbed from dailylife to such an extent that government agencies can't even refer to it directly. Which is a bit of a headache for Scottish D.I. Adam Ferguson, when he's called upon to investigate the murder of a Catholic priest in what appears to be an act of religious terrorism.
Supporting him in this is his sidekick, a very sentient robot originally designed for battle, now repurposed for police work. Meanwhile, across the globe in New Zealand, a theme park promoting Creationism and fundamentalist Christianity has opened, and a young preacher has taken to sermonizing to the sentient robots who've found refuge there. Naturally, the two storylines are connected, and it's reasonably interesting to see how they join up. It's all a bit wobbly, structurally -- the book's strengths lie in little bits and pieces and scenes, but the narrative doesn't quite live up to the ideas and worldbuilding. Overall, more interesting than it is successful.
Supporting him in this is his sidekick, a very sentient robot originally designed for battle, now repurposed for police work. Meanwhile, across the globe in New Zealand, a theme park promoting Creationism and fundamentalist Christianity has opened, and a young preacher has taken to sermonizing to the sentient robots who've found refuge there. Naturally, the two storylines are connected, and it's reasonably interesting to see how they join up. It's all a bit wobbly, structurally -- the book's strengths lie in little bits and pieces and scenes, but the narrative doesn't quite live up to the ideas and worldbuilding. Overall, more interesting than it is successful.
July 4, 2014
Although a world in which all religion was outlawed sounds like a great idea, this was not a great book. It was basically a detective story dressed up in a science fiction costume. In other words, there was not enough of the science fiction. What was the purpose of the space elevators? Why were there two? More details about the Faith Wars were also needed. Many characters were introduced and details about their lives were provided, but then their storylines went nowhere (eg, Dave Warsaw, Cornelius Vermeulen). Maybe this aspect is just because I am not from Scotland, but the writing and language just seemed too colloquially Scottish. Perhaps this was just in my edition of the book, but there was no separation between paragraphs related to completely different parts of the story. Even one extra line would have been helpful to know that we were skipping from one place to another!
August 21, 2025
Brilliant. Ken MacLeod is a friggin' genius; this is what science fiction is all about. MacLeod's future history is unlikely, but relevant...a war in the Middle East produces both conscious AI (battlefield mechs) and a harsh backlash in the West against the religious proclivities that egged on the war. A fertile background for a murder mystery that eventually becomes much more. Highly recommended.
October 7, 2012
A mystery-thriller plot frames MacLeod's fascinating examination of religious and other forms off fanaticism and extremism, set in a familiar world of high-tech, political realignments and artificial intelligences. Quite a fascinating novel with more than a hint of redemption at its conclusion.
July 19, 2013
Very provocative and innovative story of a post-oil world, 15 minutes in the future. This book is thoughtful and well-paced. He has a good hand on various religious controversies in the world of Christianity and brings some surprising developments to the table.
February 7, 2015
Идеи книги вполне неплохие - войны веры и т.д. Но нелепость диалогов, идиотизм персонажей и их действий, аллогичность происходящего - убили всё хорошее. В целом просто плохо написанная и неинтересная книга.
April 28, 2013
Set in the near future, the book is part police procedural and part political thriller with an interesting premise.
June 8, 2013
Sci-fi detective story which makes in unusual
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