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Leila

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Leila is Currently Reading

Leila is currently reading

The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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Aug 08, 2015 06:01PM

Leila is currently reading

Semmant

by Vadim Babenko (Goodreads Author)

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Leila said: " I was immensely fortunate in winning this new sci-fi novel in a Goodreads give-away. Not so lucky: the postman marked it for return to sender. Because I live near the end of a hard-to-find cul-de-sac [whoa! a festival of hypens!], our substitute post I was immensely fortunate in winning this new sci-fi novel in a Goodreads give-away. Not so lucky: the postman marked it for return to sender. Because I live near the end of a hard-to-find cul-de-sac [whoa! a festival of hypens!], our substitute postal people work assiduously to keep me on my toes. This year, I have learned to order well before, or well after, the holidays. But it took me ONLY six weeks to clean up the mess and get a replacement for the printer that a well-known delivery company gave to my one-street-over neighbors. I do hope they are enjoying the first one.

Vadim Babenko kindly e-mailed me and sent the book again after verifying my address. I'm in the middle of it now--blame the holidays for the slow pace--and I'll have much more to say about it after I've finished it. For now, the story is well-written, as well as very well translated. That is a must, of course, for works originally presented in another language, but we are all aware that some translations are better than others. I am conflicted about the protagonist-narrator. It appears that that is the author's intention. This adds an element of suspense to the reading that I wasn't expecting.

If you are a dedicated techie or someone fascinated by artificial intelligence, you should run out and buy this book immediately. While I have not reached the end--the point at which judgments are appropriate and even desired--the book has already raised legions of questions for me: how does the creation of artificial intelligence in a mobile and independent being compare to Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' concept? Is madness sometimes merely the verdict of a society of more 'normal' individuals--and is genius, perhaps, somehow allied with madness? Do we owe our creations (robot or child) a sound moral code in which to swim bouyantly for a lifetime? If not, what DO we owe those we mentor? And are sentient beings created with so-called artificial intelligence to be treated as servants and possessions of those who created them, or set free to pursue the fulfillment of their potential?

It may be a fussy and old-fashioned habit to have and to honor a moral code. Yet most of us do, on both counts. I find that very good fiction always involves me on a moral as well as sympathetic level. With these questions and concerns in mind, I am eager to finish the novel. Will keep you posted. ...more "

Jan 25, 2014 01:42PM · see review