John Currie

I began reading this book ahead of time, by accident. This allowed me to read it more like a book I chose to read, less like an assigned text. I was less pressured for time and insight (which was an insight in itself) so I was fully able to allow the ideas it presented to work on me. In some ways, aspects of this book reflect my opinion about how some basic biological ideas can be used to create a culture of less free individuals. In many instances, modern medicine, which I think the book speaks more to, has found ways to promote existence for some, but little health for many (which is a whole other rant).

In this delicate book, many issues of bodily control, and hence, the spiritual identity of the characters reflects this power. This has implications for current issues of consciousness and, indirectly, provokes the reader's sense of a collective consciousness, and how it is manifest for us, those reading the fiction, reflecting on its tense points of insight.

And while this book deals with a type of science fiction and makes references to some of the more iconic texts of these last years, it reads much more real, much more overarching in its message and accessible in its presentation. Having said that, I'm not a big reader in the genre so I'm sure there are newer texts to counter my ignorance.

I was concerned for these people and the sci-fi setting just enough to make it closer to me, more of a plausibility that it could happen. The language simple, to the point and textured. I could and did care for the characters, no matter they are from a world just a bit on the outer limits of our present consciousness.