The Light of Other Days

This book was extremely thought provoking and well written, and I'm sure many of the other reviewers can tell you that. However, a big complaint I've seen on here is that some people were offended by Mr. Clarke's speculations that their religion is fictitious. This move by the author does, in fact, add a lot to the story. If you had this technology, would you want to use it as it was used in the book, or would you be afraid of what you would find out? Take the story for what it is. And remember, it is only a story. It's obviously a powerful one if people find it so offensive

The is a book which is the colloboroation between Grandmaster Sir Arthur C. Clarke and hard science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. I am a big fan of both authors and let me tell you, this book was no disappointment. I am sure that there will be comparisons between Baxter's stand along book, Manifold:Time and Clarke's previous novel, The Trigger. The existance of a device called the Wormcam transforms mankind into a kind of collective conciousness. A very plausible invention, sparked by good scientific backup makes this story not only believable but chilling to say the least. The characters were well drawn out and the plot moved along quickly. I am hoping for a sequel of this book. Overall, a very satisfying reading experience.

I've been a fan of Sir Arthur Clarke's science fiction for most of my life. I haven't read anything by Stephen Baxter before, but after this I will. They've produced a real winner here.As they say in the afterword, the idea of a machine that can see into the past and through walls is an old one (I especially recommend "E for Effort," by T. L. Sherrard, if you can find an old copy of the ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGY). Clarke and Baxter managed to make it new and different.The key to their achievement was to anchor it to a rigorously imagined physics. The "wormhole camera" turns out to have uses and implications that its inventors don't expect, and it leads off in many strange directions. I don't want to give away surprises, but I started this book expecting to be able to predict everything that would happen, and I was repeatedly taken by surprise.There are a few flaws in this novel (for instance, the POW camp scene, which apparently has no purpose whatsoever), but almost everything is topnotch. The characters are mostly believable, the future world is interesting, and the ending was a delight. Highly recommended.

There aren't many books that will make me put my life on hold to finish it, and this was one of them. It's not just the great writing technique, it's not just the highly-creditialed authors, and it's not just the interesting action. Like all Arthur Clarke books, this one makes you think. In this case, you're left in a deep state of distraction about the sociological consequences of a radically invasive and dangerous technology. Did anyone see the articles about Bill Joy, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems who said, "We are dealing now with technologies that are so transformatively powerful that they threaten our species"? (Washington Post, 4/16/00) This book is right on the money; it could easily be the grist for a hundred serious PhD dissertations. BUY IT! You're not often going to read such a well thought-out and relevant work of science fiction.