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The Eyes of Heisenberg
Public Law 10927 was clear and direct. Parents were permitted to watch the genetic alterations of their gametes by skilled surgeons...only no one ever requested it. When Lizbeth and Harvey Durant decided to invoke the Law, when Dr. Potter did not rearrange the most unusual genetic structure of their future son, barely an embryo growing in the State's special vat-the consequences of these decisions threatened to be catastrophic. For never before had anyone dared defy the Rulers' decrees...and if They found out, it was well known that the price of disobedience was the extermination of the human race.
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First published November 1, 1966
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About the author
Frank Herbert
547 books16.5k followersFranklin Patrick Herbert Jr. was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel Dune and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, photographer, book reviewer, ecological consultant, and lecturer.
The Dune saga, set in the distant future, and taking place over millennia, explores complex themes, such as the long-term survival of the human species, human evolution, planetary science and ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and settled many thousands of worlds. Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and the entire series is considered to be among the classics of the genre.
The Dune saga, set in the distant future, and taking place over millennia, explores complex themes, such as the long-term survival of the human species, human evolution, planetary science and ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and settled many thousands of worlds. Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and the entire series is considered to be among the classics of the genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
July 3, 2015
In this obscure science-fiction novel, written at about the same time as Dune, Frank Herbert asks a question which has occupied surprisingly few SF writers: if you were immortal, what would you actually do? His answer, which will appeal to many people on this site, is more or less that you would catch up on your reading.
As things are, we're so limited by our puny lifespans. Usually we just read a book once and then move on to the next one. If we liked it, we might read it a second or even a third time. If we really liked it, we may occasionally go further: read books that it refers to or that influenced it, check out a biography of the author, perhaps find a doctoral dissertation that provides further details.
Even though we know we could do a whole lot more, we don't have time. But suppose we could count on living to two hundred thousand. If we thought a book was interesting, we could spend a century reading it properly. We could become fluent in Polish or classical Japanese to get all the nuances of the original, visit the places it mentions, check out every single book that the author might have read, learn to imitate their style and try rewriting the story in different ways to explore the artistic choices they had available, and finally publish our conclusions in thirty leisurely volumes. A few thousand years later, when we were busy with another author of the same period, we'd be able to reread our previous work, see how our ideas had changed and revise a few things. Maybe we'd suddenly notice an angle we'd missed first time round.
Well, that's roughly how the immortals here spend their time. Of course, the underground wants to get rid of these spoiled, decadent aristocrats, and you're encouraged to sympathize with their revolutionary ideals. But I wasn't sure I agreed. I quite liked the immortals and felt sorry that they couldn't go on with their cultural studies for another few million years.
As things are, we're so limited by our puny lifespans. Usually we just read a book once and then move on to the next one. If we liked it, we might read it a second or even a third time. If we really liked it, we may occasionally go further: read books that it refers to or that influenced it, check out a biography of the author, perhaps find a doctoral dissertation that provides further details.
Even though we know we could do a whole lot more, we don't have time. But suppose we could count on living to two hundred thousand. If we thought a book was interesting, we could spend a century reading it properly. We could become fluent in Polish or classical Japanese to get all the nuances of the original, visit the places it mentions, check out every single book that the author might have read, learn to imitate their style and try rewriting the story in different ways to explore the artistic choices they had available, and finally publish our conclusions in thirty leisurely volumes. A few thousand years later, when we were busy with another author of the same period, we'd be able to reread our previous work, see how our ideas had changed and revise a few things. Maybe we'd suddenly notice an angle we'd missed first time round.
Well, that's roughly how the immortals here spend their time. Of course, the underground wants to get rid of these spoiled, decadent aristocrats, and you're encouraged to sympathize with their revolutionary ideals. But I wasn't sure I agreed. I quite liked the immortals and felt sorry that they couldn't go on with their cultural studies for another few million years.
October 24, 2023
There was a time when if you had asked me, "who is your favorite science fiction author?" I would have answered : "Frank Herbert." That was because I was reading Herbert's DUNE series. But there were other books by Herbert which I did not get to, such as this one, "The Eyes of Heisenberg", published in 1966, concerning a future society in which humans are bioengineered. I only give it *** because I don't think the story--and the future world-- was developed very well. The Optimen have been engineered to be the superhumans, but they seem to be running the world very ineffectively. There are Cyborgs who are operating against them as well as a Parents' Underground that the "supermen" can't handle very well. The characters (whom I could not keep straight!) were not developed in this story anywhere nearly as well as the characters in the DUNE series.
Herbert remains one of my favorite authors. Born in Washington State in 1920, he brought his interests in psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and religion into his DUNE series. Indeed, the original "Dune" is considered ecological science fiction, actually popularizing the term "ecology." I think a lot of my interest in the environment goes back to that book.
Frank Herbert died in 1986.
Herbert remains one of my favorite authors. Born in Washington State in 1920, he brought his interests in psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and religion into his DUNE series. Indeed, the original "Dune" is considered ecological science fiction, actually popularizing the term "ecology." I think a lot of my interest in the environment goes back to that book.
Frank Herbert died in 1986.
July 29, 2019
"That's the trouble with endless life... With too much repetition, everything loses meaning."
.
From THE EYES OF HEISENBERG by Frank Herbert | 1966
A future Pacific Northwest US governed and ruled by the "immortal" Optimen, genetically engineering/breeding selected humans, sterilizing the larger population via a breathable gas, and an underground network of cyborgs / modified humans who partner with others and revolt against the Optimen.
It's an intriguing world, but never quite fleshed out how I had hoped. Like so many others, I came to Frank Herbert through #Dune, where there is a distinct culture and world so carefully and intricately crafted... And here, we just kind of jump in and sink or swim.
The narrative is disjointed, and it is obvious that this was an early work (1966). There were some nascent ideas that Herbert comes back to in his magnum opus, notably the communication/linguistics, modified/recreated humans and their consciousness, and the general idea of immortality.
.
From THE EYES OF HEISENBERG by Frank Herbert | 1966
A future Pacific Northwest US governed and ruled by the "immortal" Optimen, genetically engineering/breeding selected humans, sterilizing the larger population via a breathable gas, and an underground network of cyborgs / modified humans who partner with others and revolt against the Optimen.
It's an intriguing world, but never quite fleshed out how I had hoped. Like so many others, I came to Frank Herbert through #Dune, where there is a distinct culture and world so carefully and intricately crafted... And here, we just kind of jump in and sink or swim.
The narrative is disjointed, and it is obvious that this was an early work (1966). There were some nascent ideas that Herbert comes back to in his magnum opus, notably the communication/linguistics, modified/recreated humans and their consciousness, and the general idea of immortality.
November 25, 2015
-Ni sí ni no, ni todo lo contrario.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En una sociedad con tensiones entre Folks, Optimen y Cyborgs, el señor y la señora Durant, Folks ellos mismos y con permiso para reproducirse, van a la clínica reproductiva del doctor Thei Svengaard y exigen su derecho legal a la vigilancia del proceso al que será sometido su óvulo fecundado. Molesto pero obligado, Svengaard comienza su trabajo antes de que llegue el experto designado para ayudarle, Potter, y descubre que la mórula presenta una particularidad que sólo se ha documentado otras ocho veces: es resistente.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En una sociedad con tensiones entre Folks, Optimen y Cyborgs, el señor y la señora Durant, Folks ellos mismos y con permiso para reproducirse, van a la clínica reproductiva del doctor Thei Svengaard y exigen su derecho legal a la vigilancia del proceso al que será sometido su óvulo fecundado. Molesto pero obligado, Svengaard comienza su trabajo antes de que llegue el experto designado para ayudarle, Potter, y descubre que la mórula presenta una particularidad que sólo se ha documentado otras ocho veces: es resistente.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....
August 19, 2012
The Eyes of Heisenberg is a fascinating glimpse at a world where reliance on genetics has become the sole principle of human survival, and embryos are carefully "cut" to a specific mold to ensure that randomization is not a factor. Earth is ruled by a class of superhumans that have forgotten how to live, and are only concerned with their eternal survival.
The book is weak in some areas and strong in others. The premise is good; the story at times is lacking. Herbert's character development is hit and miss. Some are blatantly cliche: the protective father, the caring mother, the calculating cyborg. Others break out of the mold: Svengaard, at first an unlikable simpleton, goes from an unassuming surgeon to one who cares about life and what life means to others. Calapine, one of the Optimen (the ruling class), finds out what it truly means to be human and that in all of her centuries of being "alive," she has never truly lived.
The plot is a bit slow at parts and Herbert perhaps over-utilizes technical terms, especially during medical procedures. Looking past this, the book is above average and also provides Herbert fans with a glimpse at many factors of Dune. Many themes that appear in Dune are explored in The Eyes of Heisenberg: immortality, reliance on pharmaceuticals, and an apathetic ruling class. Perhaps the most obvious theme is of the "dopplegangers" and their parallels the "gholas" in Dune. The character Max, who has lived through many lifetimes, can be seen as a primitive archetype for Duncan Idaho.
I would recommend this book to any Herbert fan, and any science-fiction fan that likes speculative fiction. It's a splendid read.
The book is weak in some areas and strong in others. The premise is good; the story at times is lacking. Herbert's character development is hit and miss. Some are blatantly cliche: the protective father, the caring mother, the calculating cyborg. Others break out of the mold: Svengaard, at first an unlikable simpleton, goes from an unassuming surgeon to one who cares about life and what life means to others. Calapine, one of the Optimen (the ruling class), finds out what it truly means to be human and that in all of her centuries of being "alive," she has never truly lived.
The plot is a bit slow at parts and Herbert perhaps over-utilizes technical terms, especially during medical procedures. Looking past this, the book is above average and also provides Herbert fans with a glimpse at many factors of Dune. Many themes that appear in Dune are explored in The Eyes of Heisenberg: immortality, reliance on pharmaceuticals, and an apathetic ruling class. Perhaps the most obvious theme is of the "dopplegangers" and their parallels the "gholas" in Dune. The character Max, who has lived through many lifetimes, can be seen as a primitive archetype for Duncan Idaho.
I would recommend this book to any Herbert fan, and any science-fiction fan that likes speculative fiction. It's a splendid read.
March 16, 2013
Set in the far future in a time when Optimen lived for tens of thousand of years, The Eyes of Heisenberg is kind of like 1984 on Steroids. In this society, the rulers only allow certain people to procreate, and when they do so, genetic engineers manipulate the embryo seeking to make these superhumans, who can virtually live forever. The concept is okay, but I thought by and large the execution is poor. For one thing, I think to fully understand the story, you need an advanced degree in biochemistry. Secondly, it was never fully explained why things were happening. Why the embryos are engineered, what was so important about the embryo belonging to the Durants, which is the focus of the story, that makes all hell break loose. The other thing that really annoyed me was how Herbert jumps from one scene to another skipping all sorts of scenes in between that are necessary to set up the scene. It almost seemed like I was reading an abridgement. So although the concept was interesting, and there was good character development in the story, I found the novel more exasperating than anything else.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street
January 18, 2021
There’s good and bad to this book, but for the most part it was just a little bit of a letdown. I think the problem is that when reading sci-fi, I tend to enjoy myself if the technology is fascinating, the ideas are profound or the characters are relatable. Here, I didn’t get any of that.
Still, Herbert is a decent enough writer, and I did at least find that the writing was pretty approachable. And I guess the actual ideas were cool, even if they weren’t explored as thoroughly as I was hoping.
It’s all about gene editing and is set in a world in which all babies can be specifically grown to avoid problems such as thyroid illnesses. There’s also a section of society that’s immortal, and Herbert looks at the baggage that comes with that.
Still, Herbert is a decent enough writer, and I did at least find that the writing was pretty approachable. And I guess the actual ideas were cool, even if they weren’t explored as thoroughly as I was hoping.
It’s all about gene editing and is set in a world in which all babies can be specifically grown to avoid problems such as thyroid illnesses. There’s also a section of society that’s immortal, and Herbert looks at the baggage that comes with that.
February 17, 2023
I had to really try and finish this book as I wanted to know how it ended, but I didn't care for the characters as they weren't particularly likeable. The world Frank Herbert sets up is interesting, however in the melange of the heavy sci-fi techo talk, ethical themes and poltics - I found things got a little muddy.
January 19, 2016
Enzymatic balance, genetically-altering the population, and not thinking too much about death: the keys to immortality in The Eyes of Heisenberg. Of course, the powerful rulers eventually think about it and lose their balance based on a family vs. the system scenario that is now the Hunger-Game-standard mode (this book seems like it could be popular without the long passages of pseudo-biochem Carcass-lyrics, or a version dumbed-down created for today's teens...maybe it already has been).
Philosophically, I like (as all humans must) the exultations of the human drive, the old natural ways, the maternal instinct, the life-affirming power of mortality, the one normal guy who can make a difference. We are meant to detest these ruling class overlords, then realize their human failures and try to understand - very cool, if standard sci-fi, ideas.
Stylistically, though, this book jumped so far so fast after a huge intro that didn't even paint a full view of what this dystopia must look like, the jargon was oftentimes laughably impenetrable, and the unraveling of a massive government that could and has destroyed thousands with a wrist flick becomes a simple machine god that solves itself.
Here's a taste of some of the terminology nonsense that bogs down the beginning of the text. I'll never forget the moment when Potter "shifted his attention to the mitochondrial structures, saw the evidence of the arginine intrusion. It squared precisely with Sven's description. Alpha-helics had begun firming up, revealing the telltale striations of the aneurin shifts." Nor when, sentences later, Herbert is reduced to just listing terms with no indication of the difference between them: "the first row of pyrimidines, nucleic acids and proteins, then aneurin, riboflavin, pyridoxin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, choline, inositol, sulfhydryl..."
Bizarre ending (wherein Herbert seems confused about how much people love being pregnant) would seem to set itself up for a sequel in a cyborg vs. human confrontation future. We definitely would've gotten one if it was first published today, and I'm sure Herbert's son would crank one out if anyone showed any demand.
If you need some Dune-based tropes but don't want to read 600 pages of the next piece of that series, Herbert's got you here with Muad'dib classics like swallowing in a dry throat and glowglobes and most of the conflict occurring internally with italicized subconscious wandering around.
It's an almost fresh take on Brave New World with only the embryology parts, but, essentially why you are here, it's not Dune; the world is too undeveloped for that.
Philosophically, I like (as all humans must) the exultations of the human drive, the old natural ways, the maternal instinct, the life-affirming power of mortality, the one normal guy who can make a difference. We are meant to detest these ruling class overlords, then realize their human failures and try to understand - very cool, if standard sci-fi, ideas.
Stylistically, though, this book jumped so far so fast after a huge intro that didn't even paint a full view of what this dystopia must look like, the jargon was oftentimes laughably impenetrable, and the unraveling of a massive government that could and has destroyed thousands with a wrist flick becomes a simple machine god that solves itself.
Here's a taste of some of the terminology nonsense that bogs down the beginning of the text. I'll never forget the moment when Potter "shifted his attention to the mitochondrial structures, saw the evidence of the arginine intrusion. It squared precisely with Sven's description. Alpha-helics had begun firming up, revealing the telltale striations of the aneurin shifts." Nor when, sentences later, Herbert is reduced to just listing terms with no indication of the difference between them: "the first row of pyrimidines, nucleic acids and proteins, then aneurin, riboflavin, pyridoxin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, choline, inositol, sulfhydryl..."
Bizarre ending (wherein Herbert seems confused about how much people love being pregnant) would seem to set itself up for a sequel in a cyborg vs. human confrontation future. We definitely would've gotten one if it was first published today, and I'm sure Herbert's son would crank one out if anyone showed any demand.
If you need some Dune-based tropes but don't want to read 600 pages of the next piece of that series, Herbert's got you here with Muad'dib classics like swallowing in a dry throat and glowglobes and most of the conflict occurring internally with italicized subconscious wandering around.
It's an almost fresh take on Brave New World with only the embryology parts, but, essentially why you are here, it's not Dune; the world is too undeveloped for that.
December 19, 2020
Either Dune is worse than I remembered or Frank Herbert lost all of his writing ability between 1965 and 1966, because the best thing about this book is the sheer godawfulness of his biology jargon.
January 27, 2022
Buuueno.... lectura fàcil però bastant inconexa e incongruent. Probablement només apte per adolescents dels 70.
November 13, 2018
As a fourteen year old, I stepped onto the sands of Dune, introduced to the worldview and metaphysics of Nietzsche, Cynics, Agnostics, all wholly alien to my teleological, Roman Catholic worldview. I appreciated vicariously experiencing the emotions of those in this intense metaphysical struggle, as well as having my own fears and doubts drawn with flourish across a lavish sci-fi landscape. Sumptuous and unique to anything I have experienced since (alas, even in the sequels to the first and second books), 'Dune' remains of the books I would choose to preserve in an apocalyptic library. Now I wonder if I would add another of Herbert's works to that shelf.
Many have sneered and told me that had I not read Herbert as a teenager, I wouldn't have been so impressed. Reading this book as a 34 year old, I can reply with certainty that that is incorrect. In 'The Eyes of Heisenberg', I see a very intriguing flip to Dune's thesis. The Bene Gesserit and even the Kwisatz Haderach found it necessary to manipulate humanity to turn it into a super race. Yes, I count Leto's oppression and sacrifice as such a manipulation; even if he wanted the uncontrolled violence of the Scattering, he had to provoke it. His message to Darwi Odrade in the old Sietch Tabr confirms that the Bene Gesserit also had had the ability to build the Golden Path with him.
Frankly, I think Herbert's thesis in the Dune chronicles was either a contradiction or a paradox he himself had not resolved. I truly think the story's natural end was when Paul walked into the desert in 'Dune Messiah', refusing to play a part in the totalitarian machinations any longer. His uncertainty mirrors the author's.
This book, however, flatly states not only is such control undesirable, it is ultimately impossible and undesirable. It's an incredible dystopian thriller with empathetic characterizations, intriguing world-building, and while the premise is black and white, the people and factions are not. Regarding the actual science, I am not a geneticist, but it seems at least that Herbert has superbly walked the fine balance between completely glossing over scientific facts with technobabble and getting bogged down with the science of his day, destined to become obsolete in ours. A layman should be happy with it.
I do see many complaints about the ending, calling it weak. How so?
I recommend this to any lover of grand sci-fi. Pax!
Many have sneered and told me that had I not read Herbert as a teenager, I wouldn't have been so impressed. Reading this book as a 34 year old, I can reply with certainty that that is incorrect. In 'The Eyes of Heisenberg', I see a very intriguing flip to Dune's thesis. The Bene Gesserit and even the Kwisatz Haderach found it necessary to manipulate humanity to turn it into a super race. Yes, I count Leto's oppression and sacrifice as such a manipulation; even if he wanted the uncontrolled violence of the Scattering, he had to provoke it. His message to Darwi Odrade in the old Sietch Tabr confirms that the Bene Gesserit also had had the ability to build the Golden Path with him.
Frankly, I think Herbert's thesis in the Dune chronicles was either a contradiction or a paradox he himself had not resolved. I truly think the story's natural end was when Paul walked into the desert in 'Dune Messiah', refusing to play a part in the totalitarian machinations any longer. His uncertainty mirrors the author's.
This book, however, flatly states not only is such control undesirable, it is ultimately impossible and undesirable. It's an incredible dystopian thriller with empathetic characterizations, intriguing world-building, and while the premise is black and white, the people and factions are not. Regarding the actual science, I am not a geneticist, but it seems at least that Herbert has superbly walked the fine balance between completely glossing over scientific facts with technobabble and getting bogged down with the science of his day, destined to become obsolete in ours. A layman should be happy with it.
I do see many complaints about the ending, calling it weak. How so?
I recommend this to any lover of grand sci-fi. Pax!
January 9, 2012
Frank Herbert, best know for his Dune books, also wrote quite a few others of which this is one. And I must say, a damn good one it is.
Frank envisions a world of genetic manipulation is this book, a world governed by Optimen, mortals who have been gene manipulated to the point of living forever - almost. Virtually lost from their vocabulary are words like death, killing, murder and violence. They just don’t happen any more in this sterile controlled world.
Under the Optimen are the Folk, lesser gene manipulated mortals who only live hundreds of years. Poor them. The society is well thought out, creepy in the extreme and of course you just know it is not going to last. What perfect society ever does?
This novel tells the tale of some Folk wishing to procreate on their own, and underground resistence to the overseers (the Optimen) who grand breeding licenses to those worthy. And the womb of woman is no longer used to raise children; that job is left to vats. All people in the cities are fed a constant mixture of gas, gas which renders them sterile and infertile just in case any "viable" humans are in the population and get the funny notion of procreating on their own outside the Optimen’s control.
And the creepiest of all. Any gamete which is found to be viable (a normal reproduction capable human) during the artificial procedures to join sperm and egg, is exterminated because it would ruin the world order if it ever escaped. But the underground is fighting for just that, and they may soon win.
Cyborgs also play a pivotal roll in this society and they also have plans of their own.
Now all of this may seem old hat, especially if you have been watching the Discovery or the Space channel the last decade or so, but remember this was written back in 1966. After reading this book I can safely say Herbert is a master storyteller.
I recommend this book for its ideas, plot, suspense - hell pure entertainment.
Two sterile thumbs up.
This is what great classic science fiction is all about.
Frank envisions a world of genetic manipulation is this book, a world governed by Optimen, mortals who have been gene manipulated to the point of living forever - almost. Virtually lost from their vocabulary are words like death, killing, murder and violence. They just don’t happen any more in this sterile controlled world.
Under the Optimen are the Folk, lesser gene manipulated mortals who only live hundreds of years. Poor them. The society is well thought out, creepy in the extreme and of course you just know it is not going to last. What perfect society ever does?
This novel tells the tale of some Folk wishing to procreate on their own, and underground resistence to the overseers (the Optimen) who grand breeding licenses to those worthy. And the womb of woman is no longer used to raise children; that job is left to vats. All people in the cities are fed a constant mixture of gas, gas which renders them sterile and infertile just in case any "viable" humans are in the population and get the funny notion of procreating on their own outside the Optimen’s control.
And the creepiest of all. Any gamete which is found to be viable (a normal reproduction capable human) during the artificial procedures to join sperm and egg, is exterminated because it would ruin the world order if it ever escaped. But the underground is fighting for just that, and they may soon win.
Cyborgs also play a pivotal roll in this society and they also have plans of their own.
Now all of this may seem old hat, especially if you have been watching the Discovery or the Space channel the last decade or so, but remember this was written back in 1966. After reading this book I can safely say Herbert is a master storyteller.
I recommend this book for its ideas, plot, suspense - hell pure entertainment.
Two sterile thumbs up.
This is what great classic science fiction is all about.
May 26, 2010
...I guess I would have to rate this book as one of Herbert's weakest. It is still strong on interesting ideas and fascinating concepts but the character development in particular is not great. There is an awful lot to recognize for people who have read Dune however. The longevity of the Optimen is a theme Herbert would reuse in God Emperor of Dune for instance, Leto II lives several thousand years. Again longevity is coupled with a tight control of human society, although some might find Leto's fate preferable to the eternal boredom of the Optimen. Recognition and strong concepts are not enough to lift this novel to the same level as some of Herbert's other books though. A bit of a shame really, this story probably was not developed to its full potential. Of course, for the real Herbert fan like me, it is still an interesting read.
Full Random Comments review
Full Random Comments review
April 12, 2012
Not very good. A dystopia ruled by a class of Overmen, ageless and genetically perfect comes across resistance when a chance embryo has the possibility to escape their control. Cyborgs and an underground group of parents try to stay one step ahead of them.
It's a dull and abstract book. The embryo serves as a Mcguffin, and the characters are bland and not particularly likable. The ending is a cop-out, with no real foreshadowing. The theme is okay, and deserves a better book: it's the idea that in any closed and unnatural situation, something works to shake it up, be it Heisenburg's Uncertainity Principle acting through nature, or God. But the book fails to deliver, and if anything it's ultimate solution will seem like a slice of hell to pregnant women, and silly to boot.
It's a dull and abstract book. The embryo serves as a Mcguffin, and the characters are bland and not particularly likable. The ending is a cop-out, with no real foreshadowing. The theme is okay, and deserves a better book: it's the idea that in any closed and unnatural situation, something works to shake it up, be it Heisenburg's Uncertainity Principle acting through nature, or God. But the book fails to deliver, and if anything it's ultimate solution will seem like a slice of hell to pregnant women, and silly to boot.
November 16, 2008
Somewhat interesting premise. Weak ending.
April 10, 2024
Honestly. If the chapters in the high-school chemistry books had catchy titles like this one, studying would've been actually ok.
January 3, 2023
Frank Herbert's writing feels paradoxical to me, as he examines the minutiae of individual characters or particular scenes, yet his main focus always remains on the situation as a whole. His heroes are worlds entire, with people just instruments of inevitable evolution or death. The Eyes of Heisenberg might be Herbert's alternative to Zamyatin's We or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. The same oppressive dystopia of clinical control of society, the rebels, the groups of people vying for control and/or survival, the epic sweeping finale. Yet, where a central protagonist was the focus of those books, this one refuses to hold any one person to a rank high enough to outshine all of the others.
Imagine a world ruled by Optimen, immortal people living in their own bubble of beliefs and absolute power, served by the Folk, cloned and genetically engineered people destined for a centuries life of predetermined work, yet still mortal, rarely rewarded for their servitude with the permission to procreate. The world has become this after a terrible war between Optimen and cyborgs, in which the Optimen prevailed. A couple of young parents come to the clinic for the "cutting", where the embryo is examined, genetically manipulated against flaws, then put in a growing vat. But this embryo is special! A race between several groups of people is on to hide, preserve, destroy or use it as bait.
You know that I don't usually describe the book plot in that much detail for fear of spoiling the story, but in this case I feel it is warranted, as The Eyes of Heisenberg is so full of technobabble it takes great effort to start reading it. Once the names and who is who are clear, the book is easy to read, but the beginning of the book... ugh! Especially since genetics wasn't really developed at the time, and all of the futuristic mumbo jumbo is obviously bull.
I really liked the idea of the story. Herbert always had great imaginative ideas that were not limited by his ability to express them. He will spend as much time or explanation for any detail or person as he needs, then sweep them over like they never mattered just a bit later. The idea was always first! It took me some time to realize this, but Herbert always rushes the endings. He builds this incredible set of worlds and then, at the very end, he gets impatient and does it over with. It's not as bad as Peter F. Hamilton, but it's there. I guess it takes a lot of determination and planning to keep a consistent pace throughout a book.
I am sure you will be curious to know if this book, published in 1966, just a year after Dune (together with two other novels), is anything like the book that made Herbert famous. It does. People are cloned in axolotl tanks, organizations form around their approach to the solution of life: technical minded cyborgs, sterile immortals manipulating genes, couriers developing humanistic methods of communication and analysis. Some of the inner thoughts put on page, the tool that made me fall in love with Dune in the first place, is there. There is also that permeating generic idea of the strong coupling between environment and life. Somehow I want Herbert to come back and write books in the Starcraft or Alien universes, I am sure he would have loved those worlds.
Bottom line: not a perfect book and feeling a bit dated - note that I did compare it with work written three or four decades before - but still entertaining and evocative of Herbert's general ideas and style. Pandora is coming next, all four books.
Imagine a world ruled by Optimen, immortal people living in their own bubble of beliefs and absolute power, served by the Folk, cloned and genetically engineered people destined for a centuries life of predetermined work, yet still mortal, rarely rewarded for their servitude with the permission to procreate. The world has become this after a terrible war between Optimen and cyborgs, in which the Optimen prevailed. A couple of young parents come to the clinic for the "cutting", where the embryo is examined, genetically manipulated against flaws, then put in a growing vat. But this embryo is special! A race between several groups of people is on to hide, preserve, destroy or use it as bait.
You know that I don't usually describe the book plot in that much detail for fear of spoiling the story, but in this case I feel it is warranted, as The Eyes of Heisenberg is so full of technobabble it takes great effort to start reading it. Once the names and who is who are clear, the book is easy to read, but the beginning of the book... ugh! Especially since genetics wasn't really developed at the time, and all of the futuristic mumbo jumbo is obviously bull.
I really liked the idea of the story. Herbert always had great imaginative ideas that were not limited by his ability to express them. He will spend as much time or explanation for any detail or person as he needs, then sweep them over like they never mattered just a bit later. The idea was always first! It took me some time to realize this, but Herbert always rushes the endings. He builds this incredible set of worlds and then, at the very end, he gets impatient and does it over with. It's not as bad as Peter F. Hamilton, but it's there. I guess it takes a lot of determination and planning to keep a consistent pace throughout a book.
I am sure you will be curious to know if this book, published in 1966, just a year after Dune (together with two other novels), is anything like the book that made Herbert famous. It does. People are cloned in axolotl tanks, organizations form around their approach to the solution of life: technical minded cyborgs, sterile immortals manipulating genes, couriers developing humanistic methods of communication and analysis. Some of the inner thoughts put on page, the tool that made me fall in love with Dune in the first place, is there. There is also that permeating generic idea of the strong coupling between environment and life. Somehow I want Herbert to come back and write books in the Starcraft or Alien universes, I am sure he would have loved those worlds.
Bottom line: not a perfect book and feeling a bit dated - note that I did compare it with work written three or four decades before - but still entertaining and evocative of Herbert's general ideas and style. Pandora is coming next, all four books.
October 26, 2017
I love that which Jung called “synchronicity.” It seems like our thoughts or experiences are often on parallel lines which unexpectedly converge. When I found Brian Herbert’s Eyes of Heisenberg, I assumed it would be a plot based around Werner Heisenberg’s “uncertainty principle.” I wasn’t expecting to find a novel that dovetailed with the material on genetics in a recent book I read by a neuroscientist, Mind of God: Neuroscience, Faith, and a Search for the Soul. Mind of God sees evidence for purposeful, hence “directed,” evolution as the author considers genetic progress and stability. Eyes of Heisenberg considers a future where scientists are attempting to direct evolution by surgically gene-splicing human progeny toward immortality. Yet, Herbert posits a force within evolution itself that works against this human manipulation.
This mysterious force is interesting as its own idea, but the plot “sickens.” In Eyes of Heisenberg, this utopian ideal is supported by use of the general population as breeding stock for those “fortunate” few who have become the near-immortal Optimen. Alas for the Optimen. reproduction isn’t compatible with immortality while recreational sexuality has not been bred out. So, these optimal human specimens are prone to get bored with each other and use the lesser beings as toys. There is an overt cruelty about these Optimen. Hence, it is not surprising that an underworld movement has been formed among the ordinary humans. What is surprising is the solution chosen by this underground in order to level the playing field with the Optimen. I wasn’t expecting that.
Prior to reading this novel, my experience with Brian Herbert had been restricted to his initial Dune books and, of course, his influence on the sequels penned by his son and Kevin J. Anderson. Eyes of Heisenberg will force me to seek out more. Though the factions in Dune are more ornately constructed, the nascent class warfare implied in Eyes of Heisenberg is sufficiently crafted to stimulate insights on power, resistance, and revolution on a broader scale than a mere action novel set in the future. To be sure, there are some fascinating action scenes, but it’s when the characters speculate on what it means to be human as both individuals and as a corporate entity growing toward some destiny or goal that the book reaches its apex.
Eyes of Heisenberg is a cerebral story with a message warning against egregious adjustments to nature. My previous impression of Herbert was that he was primarily concerned about ecology with little to no concern for humanity beyond survival. In this story, my assumptions are proven “bogus.”
This mysterious force is interesting as its own idea, but the plot “sickens.” In Eyes of Heisenberg, this utopian ideal is supported by use of the general population as breeding stock for those “fortunate” few who have become the near-immortal Optimen. Alas for the Optimen. reproduction isn’t compatible with immortality while recreational sexuality has not been bred out. So, these optimal human specimens are prone to get bored with each other and use the lesser beings as toys. There is an overt cruelty about these Optimen. Hence, it is not surprising that an underworld movement has been formed among the ordinary humans. What is surprising is the solution chosen by this underground in order to level the playing field with the Optimen. I wasn’t expecting that.
Prior to reading this novel, my experience with Brian Herbert had been restricted to his initial Dune books and, of course, his influence on the sequels penned by his son and Kevin J. Anderson. Eyes of Heisenberg will force me to seek out more. Though the factions in Dune are more ornately constructed, the nascent class warfare implied in Eyes of Heisenberg is sufficiently crafted to stimulate insights on power, resistance, and revolution on a broader scale than a mere action novel set in the future. To be sure, there are some fascinating action scenes, but it’s when the characters speculate on what it means to be human as both individuals and as a corporate entity growing toward some destiny or goal that the book reaches its apex.
Eyes of Heisenberg is a cerebral story with a message warning against egregious adjustments to nature. My previous impression of Herbert was that he was primarily concerned about ecology with little to no concern for humanity beyond survival. In this story, my assumptions are proven “bogus.”
April 12, 2017
On retrouve bien sûr l'obsession de Franck Herbert pour Heisenberg et son travail.
Ce livre ne contient en tout et pour tout que 3 personnages féminin : Mrs Washington, l'assistante du chirurgien (qu'on n'évoquera plus après la page 18) ; Lisbeth Durant, cantonnée à son rôle de mère tout au long du roman (surprotectrice, à « l'instinct maternel surdéveloppé ») ; et Calipine, une Optimhomme, femme dirigeante aux côtés de Schruille et de Nourse.
La description du tyran : les Optimhommes
Une critique de l'immortalité et de la toute-puissance : les Optimhommes ont cela, et pourtant ils sont enfermés dans un carcan qui les condamne à la passivité, au rôle de spectateurs même dans leur propre vie, et à l'ennui.
Un contrôle absolu de la population à la Orwell (jusqu'à leur pensées et leurs sentiments « La culpabilité était interdite aux membres du corps médical, car la culpabilité conduisait immanquablement à la trahison » « La nuance critique impliquée dans cette pensée suscita une crainte éphémère chez Svengaard, qui avala sa salive et se força à se concentrer sur le répons que la Masse adressait aux Optimhommes : Eux nous dirigent, eux nous aiment, eux prennent soin de nous. » p8).
On retrouve également le culte de la personnalité (la Masse doit adorer les Optimhommes, c'est presque une religion planétaire et ils sont presque des dieux ; les individus ordinaires lorsqu'ils sont autorisés à s'adresser à un Optimhomme doivent le regarder et s'adresser à lui en utilisant son prénom dans chaque phrase).
La Résistance des humains à la tyrannie parce que... même s'ils ont des vies parfaites équilibrées et paisibles, il leur faut la liberté et le libre arbitre. Fait important également, dans cette société ils sont coupés de leur passé (pas vraiment de parents, ni de patrimoine génétique, ni d'ancêtres... pas de racines).
Ce livre ne contient en tout et pour tout que 3 personnages féminin : Mrs Washington, l'assistante du chirurgien (qu'on n'évoquera plus après la page 18) ; Lisbeth Durant, cantonnée à son rôle de mère tout au long du roman (surprotectrice, à « l'instinct maternel surdéveloppé ») ; et Calipine, une Optimhomme, femme dirigeante aux côtés de Schruille et de Nourse.
La description du tyran : les Optimhommes
Une critique de l'immortalité et de la toute-puissance : les Optimhommes ont cela, et pourtant ils sont enfermés dans un carcan qui les condamne à la passivité, au rôle de spectateurs même dans leur propre vie, et à l'ennui.
Un contrôle absolu de la population à la Orwell (jusqu'à leur pensées et leurs sentiments « La culpabilité était interdite aux membres du corps médical, car la culpabilité conduisait immanquablement à la trahison » « La nuance critique impliquée dans cette pensée suscita une crainte éphémère chez Svengaard, qui avala sa salive et se força à se concentrer sur le répons que la Masse adressait aux Optimhommes : Eux nous dirigent, eux nous aiment, eux prennent soin de nous. » p8).
On retrouve également le culte de la personnalité (la Masse doit adorer les Optimhommes, c'est presque une religion planétaire et ils sont presque des dieux ; les individus ordinaires lorsqu'ils sont autorisés à s'adresser à un Optimhomme doivent le regarder et s'adresser à lui en utilisant son prénom dans chaque phrase).
La Résistance des humains à la tyrannie parce que... même s'ils ont des vies parfaites équilibrées et paisibles, il leur faut la liberté et le libre arbitre. Fait important également, dans cette société ils sont coupés de leur passé (pas vraiment de parents, ni de patrimoine génétique, ni d'ancêtres... pas de racines).
October 8, 2018
Heisenberg, as in uncertainty, starts this story off and becomes the rationale for all the subsequent actions.
In this far future society, there are grades or castes of people. They are arranged by their genetics: the top are immortals, next come, the almost immortal, at the bottom are the ordinary people. The story starts with some lab preparing to process a zygote for a couple who were lucky enough to be chosen for having a baby. The zygote is examined by the doctor and he sees some unexpected change happen that makes this little one special, even more special than the immortals. He and the technician silently agree to keep the knowledge secret so the zygote will be allowed to grow up. Thus starts the chase for growth and development in this stagnant society.
The immortals are forty thousand (40,000), or more, years old. This age is inconceivable to us, and for most of that time they have ruled and do not allow any change. Anything that reminds them of death or decay is not recognized or spoken of. They are separate from everyone else. They rule by fear and from their little Olympus encampment. They think very little of destroying everyone in an area, they can be replaced, even if it takes a thousand (1,000) years, it is only a little inconvenience to the immortals.
These immortals have a tribunal that rules daily life, and as they come to understand that the zygote is special and try to find it, etc., they bring about their own destruction. You never find out quite what is so special about the little one, but the parents and attending doctor protect it, and, in the end, implant it in the woman for carrying. This becomes the seed for the new society that will be born from all this destruction. (Puns are wonderful, eh?) Everyone has hormone treatments to help them live life to the optimum best. Carrying a baby to term is a natural way to adjust and control hormones in a human, so everyone gets to have a baby to this end.
This is an interesting story because you never know what causes all the commotion (the zygote change), but everything turns out for the better.
In this far future society, there are grades or castes of people. They are arranged by their genetics: the top are immortals, next come, the almost immortal, at the bottom are the ordinary people. The story starts with some lab preparing to process a zygote for a couple who were lucky enough to be chosen for having a baby. The zygote is examined by the doctor and he sees some unexpected change happen that makes this little one special, even more special than the immortals. He and the technician silently agree to keep the knowledge secret so the zygote will be allowed to grow up. Thus starts the chase for growth and development in this stagnant society.
The immortals are forty thousand (40,000), or more, years old. This age is inconceivable to us, and for most of that time they have ruled and do not allow any change. Anything that reminds them of death or decay is not recognized or spoken of. They are separate from everyone else. They rule by fear and from their little Olympus encampment. They think very little of destroying everyone in an area, they can be replaced, even if it takes a thousand (1,000) years, it is only a little inconvenience to the immortals.
These immortals have a tribunal that rules daily life, and as they come to understand that the zygote is special and try to find it, etc., they bring about their own destruction. You never find out quite what is so special about the little one, but the parents and attending doctor protect it, and, in the end, implant it in the woman for carrying. This becomes the seed for the new society that will be born from all this destruction. (Puns are wonderful, eh?) Everyone has hormone treatments to help them live life to the optimum best. Carrying a baby to term is a natural way to adjust and control hormones in a human, so everyone gets to have a baby to this end.
This is an interesting story because you never know what causes all the commotion (the zygote change), but everything turns out for the better.
February 18, 2023
For forty thousand years the immortal but sterile Optimen have ruled Earth’s billions of humans, divided into two groups - sterile non-breeders called Sterries, and those deemed genetically good enough to breed - Viables. When the Durants, a viable couple, insist on watching the stimulation of their embryo an external influence changes the enzymatic balance, producing a rare immortal Viable. Such embryos are destroyed by the Optimen as they fear the challenge to their supremacy such organisms represent. In the Durants’ case however, a conspiracy of humans and Cyborgs (thought extinct for millennia) spirit the altered embryo away. The Optimen are the result of genetic manipulation but mostly cloning and this has introduced stagnation - a cessation of evolution - and the current crop of Optimen are beset with boredom and hedonism. This makes them ripe for an insurrection, but the power of the ruling elite is phenomenal and only by dint of logic and appeals to submerged humanity can there be any hope of a human future. Frank Herbert has given us an interesting look into the consequences of immortality and absolute power, and the book is pretty enjoyable. One of those ideas that could probably have been expanded much further as the ending seemed a bit forced and/or rushed.
March 12, 2019
Uno de los libros más extraños que he leído. Al principio me ha parecido una especie de degeneración de Dune y el cuidado en encontrar a su Kwisatz Haderach, pero poco a poco se ha perfilando como una lucha entre la supervivencia de las diferentes especies sometida y clandestinas en un ecosistema controlado por seres casi inmortales.
Cuesta un poco arrancar con la cantidad abrumadora de datos técnicos que ofrece el autor en la modificación genéticas de los seres. Pero pasa esas páginas, que por otro lado para el lector lego resulta poco más que curiosas, se revela una historia con un futuro mucho más marcado y condensado en las pocas páginas que tiene el libro.
Herbert, no decepciona y aunque es un libro muy bajo en su biografía, es capaz de componer las desigualdades entre seres de la misma especie, con una filosofía evolutiva bastante concentrada. La parte genética queda poco después diluida por la propia historia y sólo al final, cuando encuentran la solución a los problemas de todos, vuelve a resurgir la esperanza de todo lo aprendido.
Libro corto, inquietante por el futuro apocalíptico, pero intrascendente para el que busque un poco más de profundidad.
Cuesta un poco arrancar con la cantidad abrumadora de datos técnicos que ofrece el autor en la modificación genéticas de los seres. Pero pasa esas páginas, que por otro lado para el lector lego resulta poco más que curiosas, se revela una historia con un futuro mucho más marcado y condensado en las pocas páginas que tiene el libro.
Herbert, no decepciona y aunque es un libro muy bajo en su biografía, es capaz de componer las desigualdades entre seres de la misma especie, con una filosofía evolutiva bastante concentrada. La parte genética queda poco después diluida por la propia historia y sólo al final, cuando encuentran la solución a los problemas de todos, vuelve a resurgir la esperanza de todo lo aprendido.
Libro corto, inquietante por el futuro apocalíptico, pero intrascendente para el que busque un poco más de profundidad.
April 16, 2025
The Earth in a far away future is lead by the Optimen, human beings who live for many thousands of years, compared to the Folk (the normal human beings, who also already have an extended life span), it's like they are immortal. There are Cyborgs as well who are opposed to the Optimen. Some of the Folks are allowed to have children but the embryo is kept in vitro (so not in the mother's womb) and is born in vitro. Genetic engineers make such changes to the genetic material of those embryos that they are possible Optimen. Most of human beings though, are sterile, among them the Optimen as well. And that's how the story begins, suddenly an embryo is capable of becoming an Optimen but the embryo is fertile. An underground movement of human beings and Cyborgs are trying to keep away the embryo from the Optimen who , of course, don't want a fertile Optiman.
To me the story was quite interesting cause I studied genetic engineering (in plants though) but still it's not a story that captivates you, nor do the characters but at least, I thought this story is the best so far of the sci-fi books (and not belonging to the Dune saga) written by Frank Herbert, that I have read.
To me the story was quite interesting cause I studied genetic engineering (in plants though) but still it's not a story that captivates you, nor do the characters but at least, I thought this story is the best so far of the sci-fi books (and not belonging to the Dune saga) written by Frank Herbert, that I have read.
December 31, 2018
A novel of the early understanding of the dangers of genetic manipulation, and the sterility of a fully eugenically controlled world. Echoes of the Those Above/ Those Below duology by Daniel Abrahams in the society of the Optimen, in that they have become entirely detached from and largely indifferent to the world.
Like much of Herbert's short fiction, you can see him testing out ideas which will be deployed in full form in his Dune masterwork. In this case, notions of genetic cloning, ability to read innermost thoughts through expression and bearing, and battle-language/ touch communication.
Any screenwriters looking for their next project, I have the feeling that this would make a tremendous movie...
Like much of Herbert's short fiction, you can see him testing out ideas which will be deployed in full form in his Dune masterwork. In this case, notions of genetic cloning, ability to read innermost thoughts through expression and bearing, and battle-language/ touch communication.
Any screenwriters looking for their next project, I have the feeling that this would make a tremendous movie...
August 6, 2019
A very slight novel for Herbert in marked contrast to Dune and sequels. Still, the musings on immortality and how it could corrupt mankind is interesting. Herbert does use some of these ideas in the later Dune novels, e.g. the Duncan Idaho gholas are similar to Max Allgood. The major flaw with the novel is Herbert's description of the genetic surgery--simply a word salad of biological terms often used very inaccurately. The idea of gene splicing a morula under the microscope is pretty absurd. I wish Herbert had delved deeper into the personalities of the Optimen and Cyborgs. I think Herbert could have crafted an excellent, but much longer, novel if he had delved deeper into how these groups came about. As it stands, the background is only hinted at.
December 20, 2021
I often wonder when thinking about Herbert's works whether he was intentionally writing science fiction or constructing extended essays that discuss his perceptions about the human race...
This is old school but still relevant speculative science fiction. All the more compelling because it offers its own look at class dichotomies and the possible evolution of our culture.
I find the speculation presented here kind of terrifying. Rather than three pyramids symbolizing power, we are showcased a world where three dominant races vie for dominance: the machines, the humans, and the enhanced humans, each ensuring their agendas with terrorism, genetics, and good old politicking.
The future might not so far fetched and futuristic after all.
This is old school but still relevant speculative science fiction. All the more compelling because it offers its own look at class dichotomies and the possible evolution of our culture.
I find the speculation presented here kind of terrifying. Rather than three pyramids symbolizing power, we are showcased a world where three dominant races vie for dominance: the machines, the humans, and the enhanced humans, each ensuring their agendas with terrorism, genetics, and good old politicking.
The future might not so far fetched and futuristic after all.
June 27, 2023
A short novel about a future where immortality is possible for all, but only allowed for a small percentage of the population whose genes exhibit certain qualities. The immortals are petty and bored. When a group of mortals and cyborgs seek a different life, the immortals brutally wipe out a huge portion of the population. These immortals discover they like fighting, but their violent behavior causes biochemical changes that sicken them. Eventually, the mortals and immortals work together to give each of them more of what they need.
The novel reflects how powerful people abuse power in ways that hurt everyone, and also makes the reader consider whether immortality would really be as great as we might think.
The novel reflects how powerful people abuse power in ways that hurt everyone, and also makes the reader consider whether immortality would really be as great as we might think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2018
A nice dystopian story. Once again humanity has made itself into multiple classes of elite and workers and poor. No one is happy and society is starting to break down. Along comes the trigger that blows all of the nicely set up structures and sends everything out of control. In this case its a baby who will be fully human and beyond the elite's control. In the end all the players come together triggering a distaster amoung the elites that results in them having to relise and rethink thier status and needs of the rest of humanity. A very good read, I enjoyed.
March 15, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Frank Herbert, known to most science fiction fans for his classic six book Dune sequence, published an extensive catalogue of other novels and short story collections. A trademark of so many works of Herbert’s corpus is his near immaculate world-building skills. As in Dune, the true extent of the world and all its hidden powerplays are slowly uncovered over the course of the narrative. Although the basic premise is standard for the genre [...]"
"Frank Herbert, known to most science fiction fans for his classic six book Dune sequence, published an extensive catalogue of other novels and short story collections. A trademark of so many works of Herbert’s corpus is his near immaculate world-building skills. As in Dune, the true extent of the world and all its hidden powerplays are slowly uncovered over the course of the narrative. Although the basic premise is standard for the genre [...]"
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