The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

This is to discuss joint poll winner, Nexus by Ramez Naam.

I'm 1/3 of the way through this one. It's terrific so far! Might be my favorite read of 2018 if the quality holds.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this one, I thought it would be all "techno-jargon" and I would immediately switch-off but no.

The idea of something to link minds together (in this case the Nexus) is nothing new but the plot itself seems well written so far. I just hope it doesn't turn into a generic plot later on.

I finished this one and gave it 5 stars. I'll post more thoughts in a few days.

I read it a year ago and I liked it very much, continued with the rest of the trilogy. While the ideas aren't new, they are quite novel for me because I missed most of the 1970s-2000s SF (long story why).

Well I must be enjoying this one, I was so engrossed it on the way home that I completely missed my tram stop tonight :-)

Whoops! Well, that's a good book, anyway.
:)

I'm surprised and saddened that there aren't more posts, which I assume not many of us are reading this book. This was a terrific and well researched book that was much more entertaining than I expected.

Wikipedia calls this book "post-cyberpunk" which is the first time I've heard the term, so I suppose this is the first "post-cyberpunk" book I have read. I very much enjoyed the cyberpunk books I read back in the day, especially Neuromancer by William Gibson (also the other books in the Sprawl and Bridge trilogies) and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. This book shared the idea of humans being enhanced via technology although Naam's idea is a drug "Nexus" that will help users attain superintelligence and other enhanced features through nanotechnology.

Naam's research really makes the ideas feel not only realistic but inevitable. I felt like I was reading one of Michael Crichton's better books which were always so well researched that they made me feel smarter for having read them. Naam also does a great job of exploring the potential uses and abuses of the technology byt all types of users including frat-boy party-ers, optimistic world-changers, evil corporations and governments, criminals, and even monks seeking transcendence. It's all stitched together with a plot that has enough action and intrigue to keep the pages turning.

There are a couple sequels and I mean to read them to see where this goes.

I'm not reading Nexus, though I'd like to based on the favorable reception it's gotten here. My library doesn't have it, and I already have so many on hold...
Post-cyberpunk? Neuromancer didn't do much for me, and I disliked Snow Crash so much I abandoned it early. I do like Chrichton.

Randy wrote: "I'm surprised and saddened that there aren't more posts, which I assume not many of us are reading this book. This was a terrific and well researched book that was much more entertaining than I expected. "

I fully agree with you that the book is great, as well and the other two volumes. It is well researched and the pace is smooth and without 'holes' other novels sometime have when they digress.
I see minor similarities to both Neuromancer (I wasn't impressed by it tbh) and Snow Crash (which I liked) but they are not too strong IMHO

Randy wrote: "I'm surprised and saddened that there aren't more posts, which I assume not many of us are reading this book. "
I started it, but I'm late, only at 15% now. I don't care too much about the subject though, so probably I will be the only one here who doesn't give it 5 stars...

The The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson is also considered a post-cyberpunk novel. While researching it it was the first time I heard the term.

*spoiler*

It does make sense as Stephenson kills a character early on in the novel and he incarnates cyberpunk. His daughter becomes the protagonist of the novel.

Randy wrote: "I'm surprised and saddened that there aren't more posts, which I assume not many of us are reading this book. This was a terrific and well researched book that was much more entertaining than I exp..."

Reading my post again it sounds kind of funny. I'm not trying to shame anyone into reading it, I just think it's a terrific book that might not be getting enough attention. I almost passed on reading it but now I'm glad I did read it.

Buck wrote: "I do like Chrichton."

It reads a lot like Crichton to me. The similarities to Gibson and Stephenson are more about content than writing style.

So I finally finished and I really enjoyed it. Cyberpunk is one of the genres I like least normally but not this time. I liked the idea, the writing and it had a good enough ending to make me want to continue to read the rest of the series. The moral questions made you think a lot and I can imagine something like this in the not to distant future.

I don't know if its me, but it seems any books related to enhancements or tech now have to have a part which takes place in South East Asia, so Thailand, Japan etc. Not sure for what reason, more exotic, wider appeal?

Hey all, I'm so happy to hear you guys liked the book so much! I recommended this because it quickly became my new favorite modern science fiction series. I think the rest of the series really held up, just a warning if you are a fan of audible the reading of Apex (Book 3) Is pretty bad a so avoid it. Thanks for reading my suggestion!

I just finished the book a little while ago, and really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if I would, because I had seen a number of reviews complaining about lack of character development, and Naam's writing style. I'm glad I did decide to read it-- I found the whole idea of the possibilities of a drug like Nexus to be very intriguing. I like the fact that the ethics and possible results (both good and bad) of releasing something like Nexus into the world were an important consideration for Kade. As far as lack of character development and writing style-- I thought it was well-written as a techno-thriller, and there was enough character development to keep the story moving along well, and that was enough for me. I'm looking forward to reading Crux and Apex, and seeing where the story goes.

I was not as happy with this book as the rest of the group here (and a vast majority of all readers). I'm not that interested in the drug and what it does to man or mankind. And when I leave that part out, remains an adventure story packed with lots of bullets, warships, jets, helicopters and eastern fighting techniques. Not much room for character development (indeed) or surprising turns in the story. It reads like an action movie. It's fast paced enough to have me reading it till the end with no problem. I am curious what Crux and Apex are about.

Leo wrote: "I was not as happy with this book as the rest of the group here (and a vast majority of all readers). I'm not that interested in the drug and what it does to man or mankind."

Pardon me for asking, but what exactly do you like in SF? I always thought it to a large extent 'what if', while I agree that the genre is more than just this question

I could say that I'm happy when the aliens come in, but that's far too simple. There are quite some SF-classified books I liked that don't have any alien or space ship in it. I recently really liked The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August for instance, The City & the City, Pattern Recognition, The Handmaid's Tale....
This mind-reading thing in Nexus just bored me. And why exactly, I can't tell you. I guess it's the writer that makes the difference.

Oleksandr wrote: "Pardon me for asking, but what exactly do you like in SF? I always thought it to a large extent 'what if', while I agree that the genre is more than just this question"

I think the best SF is a good idea (or more than one good idea) combined with some good writing. I enjoyed the ideas in Nexus but I admit it's not really great literature or anything. For me, the action plot was a great way to keep me interested while the author found ways to examine all the sides of his idea, potential uses and abuses alike. But I could see where someone wouldn't love it as much as I did. The books Leo named as some favorites seem to be slower paced and a bit more literate than the typical books in the genre.

And Leo I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale and The City & the City and gave them both 4 stars. Pattern Recognition however did nothing for me, and that trilogy put me off Gibson for good, until he goes back to writing about ninjas with detachable thumbs.

Randy wrote: "I think the best SF is a good idea (or more than one good idea) combined with some good writing."

The idea is what I've meant under 'what if'. As to good writing it is in the eye of beholder. I cannot be a good judge for English isn't my native language even despite my proficiency in it is quite high I guess.

Randy wrote: "books Leo named as some favorites seem to be slower paced and a bit more literate than the typical books in the genre."
I guess you are right about that. And as I still have to read Gibson's more famous work I' m not sure about him.

Oleksandr wrote: "The idea is what I've meant under 'what if'. As to good writing it is in the eye of beholder."

Right. I was just saying that it seems like Leo didn't like the idea much and also didn't care for the writing style.

Leo wrote: "And as I still have to read Gibson's more famous work I' m not sure about him."

I like Neuromancer a lot but not everyone does. It is very much a product of its age and some modern readers don't find it was fresh as it was 30+ years ago. If you're looking to dip your toe into Gibson's older work you might want to start with his short story collection Burning Chrome which has a variety of material including a couple stories from the Neuromancer universe.

I will try Burning chrome, thanks

I finished this novel earlier this month. It was an enjoyable read. Not enough to read the whole trilogy, but enjoyable none the less.

It made me think the Ghost in the Shell universe, but if that was the early stages the cyberbrains and hacking we get to see in the GitS universe.

I just finished the second one. It wasn't quite as good as the first one but still an enjoyable read. I thought a lot about the second Matrix film while I was reading it, with the same focus on "back doors." I'll read the final installment in a few months.