revenge of the nerds by cory doctorow and charles stross . must read. I know you said Egan. But I gotta say: EGAN!!. I also recommend my paper Metaphysical Daring as a Posthuman Survival Strategy if you’d rather read an academic blabberer blabber about Egan than read Egan
Another couple of books that I read recently that very effectively centre on this trope are The Stone Canal and The Cassini Division by Ken MacLeod, part of his Fall Revolution quartet. I might disagree with his take on it on a philosophical level, but he's a great storyteller.
I've heard the Nanotech Succession series is really good. I made the mistake of starting with the prequel (book #0), "Tech-Heaven", which apparently is by far the least liked of the series. I read that and was turned off of the series/author but I should give it another go
I actually haven't read Tech Heaven. She initially resisted re-releasing it but relented based on fan requests. I strongly recommend starting with The Bohr Maker, which is pretty good. (If you don't like it, then her writing probably isn't your cup.)
Blindsight by Peter Watts plays with mind upload toward the beginning but focuses more on the nature of consciousness. It’s a gripping read and super dark.
On the (much) lighter end of things is the Sector General series by James White. It kind of walks the line between mind upload and memory transfer. Experiences of top physicians from multiple spacefaring civilizations are recorded for implantation into other minds so that the receiving physician may treat patients from other species. It is emphasized that the recordings themselves are not conscious but you wouldn’t know it since they come with personas that chime in as the receiving mind goes about their day. Kind of like an AI chatbot in your head which was trained on the donor mind and then whatever subsequent experiences you have post implantation.
Thanks Tommy, this is a fantastic little collection. Read every Greg Egan book you listed and still waiting for more— the man is prolific, to say the least, and we're blessed to have him as an author.
Let me throw another one into the mix: much more esoteric and less about mind replication per se, but for a strange deep dive into consciousness and identity (and is just a lot of warped fun), Nick Harkaway's novel _Gnomon_ is stellar.
Thanks Tommy for great reading list! For an Altered Carbon - light, I think John Scalzi’s The Dispatcher series explores many similar themes, in Scalzi’s signature tough guy voice, touched by irony. Perhaps add a category or explicitly highlight cli-fi themes, the “ future” is embedded in what humans are doing here, now.
reading the qntm book on your recommendation and LOVING it so far. thanks!
do you have other recommendations for speculative fiction short story collections? I like those by Ted Chiang, Ken Liu, Octavia Butler and Greg Egan (and now qntm)
Thanks so much for this! Will check out your piece.
We tried the Netflix "Altered Carbon" but thought it was too violent. Is it worth revisiting? (The one scene in the opening episode of "Devs" turned us off, but luckily we went back to it.
The "We Are Bob" ones are really great. A wonderful sense of fun, IMO.
I liked the Altered Carbon show, but it definitely is violent and dark so if that's not your thing I don't think it gets any better in that sense.
I really can't disagree with you more on the Dennett issue. I think being so angry and dismissive towards a massively influential figure in philosophy of mind based on an out of context 7-word quote from a critic is not a great way to engage with philosophy.
revenge of the nerds by cory doctorow and charles stross . must read. I know you said Egan. But I gotta say: EGAN!!. I also recommend my paper Metaphysical Daring as a Posthuman Survival Strategy if you’d rather read an academic blabberer blabber about Egan than read Egan
Yeah Egan is amazing, thanks for pointing me to your paper, that sounds super up my alley.
I'll have to check out Revenge of the Nerds and After Life!
More books to add to my TBR list! 🥳
Another couple of books that I read recently that very effectively centre on this trope are The Stone Canal and The Cassini Division by Ken MacLeod, part of his Fall Revolution quartet. I might disagree with his take on it on a philosophical level, but he's a great storyteller.
Awesome, thanks for these recommendations!
Some good recommendations here, some of which I need to check out.
I'd also recommend Linda Nagata's Nanotech Succession series, along with its sequel, Inverted Frontier. Thoughtful mind bending stuff.
I've heard the Nanotech Succession series is really good. I made the mistake of starting with the prequel (book #0), "Tech-Heaven", which apparently is by far the least liked of the series. I read that and was turned off of the series/author but I should give it another go
I actually haven't read Tech Heaven. She initially resisted re-releasing it but relented based on fan requests. I strongly recommend starting with The Bohr Maker, which is pretty good. (If you don't like it, then her writing probably isn't your cup.)
100% agree with Linda Nagata. You can start with the Inverted Frontier series if you want to pick it up later in the timeline. Well with reading
Blindsight by Peter Watts plays with mind upload toward the beginning but focuses more on the nature of consciousness. It’s a gripping read and super dark.
On the (much) lighter end of things is the Sector General series by James White. It kind of walks the line between mind upload and memory transfer. Experiences of top physicians from multiple spacefaring civilizations are recorded for implantation into other minds so that the receiving physician may treat patients from other species. It is emphasized that the recordings themselves are not conscious but you wouldn’t know it since they come with personas that chime in as the receiving mind goes about their day. Kind of like an AI chatbot in your head which was trained on the donor mind and then whatever subsequent experiences you have post implantation.
I loved Blindsight! Great suggestion. I hadn't heard of Sector General, I'll have to check it out
Yay! The older stuff is a little dated in some respects but that’s part of the fun.
Thanks Tommy, this is a fantastic little collection. Read every Greg Egan book you listed and still waiting for more— the man is prolific, to say the least, and we're blessed to have him as an author.
Let me throw another one into the mix: much more esoteric and less about mind replication per se, but for a strange deep dive into consciousness and identity (and is just a lot of warped fun), Nick Harkaway's novel _Gnomon_ is stellar.
Interesting, I'll have to check Gnomon out, thanks!
After Life by Simon Funk. Excellent novella on mind uploading.
One of Us by Michael Marshall Smith
Thanks, I hadn't heard of it, I'll have to check it out!
Thanks Tommy for great reading list! For an Altered Carbon - light, I think John Scalzi’s The Dispatcher series explores many similar themes, in Scalzi’s signature tough guy voice, touched by irony. Perhaps add a category or explicitly highlight cli-fi themes, the “ future” is embedded in what humans are doing here, now.
Thanks, I hadn't come across Scalzi's Dispatcher series before!
Let me know what you think!
reading the qntm book on your recommendation and LOVING it so far. thanks!
do you have other recommendations for speculative fiction short story collections? I like those by Ted Chiang, Ken Liu, Octavia Butler and Greg Egan (and now qntm)
Glad you're enjoying it!
In a similar vein to qntm, Chiang, and Egan, I really liked Peter Watts's collection, "Beyond the Rift"
Quite a bit different from those but one I still enjoyed immensely is Mary Robinette Kowal's Word Puppets
I haven't read any of these books, but I enjoyed your short stories. I'm glad mind upload is science *fiction*.
Thank you!
Awesome Read, as a Sci-Fi writer, I enjoy seeing others in the community that have the same taste!
Thanks so much for this! Will check out your piece.
We tried the Netflix "Altered Carbon" but thought it was too violent. Is it worth revisiting? (The one scene in the opening episode of "Devs" turned us off, but luckily we went back to it.
The "We Are Bob" ones are really great. A wonderful sense of fun, IMO.
I really don't understand why there is any debate about, say, the transporter. https://www.mattball.org/2022/07/cut-section-star-treks-transporter-is.html
Also, I couldn't stand Dennett for this reason: https://www.mattball.org/2023/12/dan-dennett-is-arrogant-asshole-also.html
Take care and stay safe.
I liked the Altered Carbon show, but it definitely is violent and dark so if that's not your thing I don't think it gets any better in that sense.
I really can't disagree with you more on the Dennett issue. I think being so angry and dismissive towards a massively influential figure in philosophy of mind based on an out of context 7-word quote from a critic is not a great way to engage with philosophy.