Factoring Humanity

I can't help but think that Robert J. Sawyer has a really tight grip on humankind's foibles. In "Factoring Humanity," we step into a world where, in 2007, a signal has finally been coming back from the stars. This signal, which has been coming for years, has become so commonplace, and is still undeciphered after so long, therefore humanity is pretty much bored with it. How very human. Strong view of humanity's short attention span aside, in "Factoring Humanity" the signal is finally deciphered by one Heather Davis, whose family life is falling to pieces (one of her daughters has committed suicide, and her marriage is nearly destroyed). When she discovers what this signal means, she is left with a knowledge that allows her to do some extraordinary thigns - and yet, in a very human way, this heroine doesn't go save the world, she takes a step inward to try and save her family.This is Sawyer at his best: his usual multiple-level story, with an exceptional character base, some good philosophy (Carl Jung's collective unconscious features in "Factoring Humanity" quite centrally), a potential murder, the troubles of advanced technology, and above it all, looming, the notion that we're not alone after all - and are we about to meet friends, or enemies?I reccommend Sawyer regardless of which title you pick up, but if one of those titles happens to be "Factoring Humanity," "Flashforward" or "Calculating God," then you're in the top-three of his calibre. Whatever few foibles are in this particular novel, they're just that: few, and not enough to derail the story. There's some great in-character exploration of the alien knowledge, and the story itself makes one think.'Nathan

I read this book in one night. I could not put it down, nor sleep. Every chapter drew me into the next and I was hopelessly lost to the real world for a fabulous evening. I felt that the family issues added a level of realism that often sci-fi lacks in its concern for high minded ideals and ultra big pictures.My only qualm with this book was that Heather (the main character) seemed to have an unrealistically uncanny ability to make intuitive discovery after discovery that no single human likely would be capable of making by themselves, let alone in a matter of mere hours or days. In that sense it seemed forced, although if one is willing to forgive Mr Sawyer that one transgression, this book can easily be included amongst the best of the genre.Something I found particularly satisfying was the breadth of future hard-scientific inquiry touched on. Everything from Quantum theory, Jungian overmind concepts, the nature of morality and god, defining characteristics of humanity, the future of AI's, and many other topics are addressed and add well to the plot. I heartily recommend this book to all sci-fi fans!

Sawyer seems to like writing about the near future --- say, 10 to 20 years down the road. The effect is to ground his work in the everyday, in settings people can easily grasp. The setting of this novel, at the University of Toronto, should be familiar to anyone who has ever attended (or taught!) at a big city university. The details of academic life ring true ... but even more so do the details of Sawyer's characters personal lives, despite the horrific things that happen to them. Of course, this is SCIENCE fiction, and there's plenty of science, too: quantum computing, artificial intelligence, SETI (indeed, the SETI subplot, really relatively minor, is quite wonderful, especially for any fan of Alan Turing), and more. And the ending has that "sense of wonder" that is the hallmark of the best SF from the classic age. I've also read Sawyer's FLASHFORWARD, and gave that five stars, too, but between the two, this is my favourite, although both are excellent novels. Enjoy!

Another reader, below, makes the incredible comment that he was wondering when the "sci-fi" would begin. For Pete's sake, it begins on page 1, line 1, with "The messages from space had been arriving for ten years now." By the end of chapter two, we're introduced to one of the best AI characters I've ever encountered. Not SF? Ridiculous -- this is PURE SF. New Age? Quite the contrary -- it's an ANTIDOTE to New Age thinking. This is a truly excellent read.

Mr. Sawyer does a remarkable job of communicating the basics of quantum mechanics and quantum computers in this novel. While many "experts" believe that quantum computers will always remain science fiction, there are many scientists around the world working to make the quantum computer a reality. Sawyer points out the most obvious application of such a computer - the ability to factor large numbers quickly, thus making it possible to break "hard" encryption. His "what if" scenario is worthy of serious consideration as we become ever more dependent on electronic banking and Internet commerce. Sawyer's analogous quantum leap from quantum computer factoring to factoring the human collective consciousness using Heather's Tesseract is nothing short of brilliant. Placing the story in the near future and using allusions to late 20th century culture is actually a trademark practice of his which makes his novels much more entertaining in my opinion. The rewards of education and entertainment - "edutainment" if you will - make this work a must read. If you only have time to read one of this year's SF novels, make sure it is FACTORING HUMANITY. It gets my vote for the best SF novel of 1998.