I read the PDF version of this, which you can access here, should you be so inclined.
Here are my thoughts. The book is definitely worth reading. It brims with tension, both of the psychological type, as well as imminent violence and other space-faring action. This is not a pink-fuzzy, feel-good story. Some spots are rather bleak and provide a dark vision of the future, but it is overall a compelling tale. None of the characters are entirely in the “good” or “bad” camp. Some you’ll like more than others (or maybe “sympathize” is a better term) while others you’ll be morbidly fascinated with, and will read to the end just to see how they fall apart.
Here’s the basic plot: The earth has been hit by a sudden shower of alien artifacts that burn up in the atmosphere and broadcast some sort of message to an object outside our solar system. A specially gathered and trained team is sent on a mission to intercept this object and figure out what it’s doing and whether it’s hostile to humanity.
The characters are a strange bunch, and their many unique qualities, backgrounds and perspectives on life provided much of the conflict that kept me reading.
You’ve got a “zombie” observer, who had half his brain surgically removed so he is better able to tap into his mathematical and pattern-matching abilities. However, this leaves him unable to comprehend the motives, emotions and actions of everyone else, and so he more or less “fakes” it through life, building algorithms to determine what he should do and say in response to the world around him. He actually provides most of the point of view for the story, and so we are inside his head as he tries to figure out why people are doing what they do. It is a difficult perspective to write, and I think Watts succeeds somewhat, but there are times where the “zombieness” slips away and I had the feeling this was just a maladjusted guy who needed a some group therapy. Anyways…
You have a genetically engineered vampire who captains the ship, and may not be fully in control of his primeval hunger. His prey/predator philosophy provides a constant undercurrent to the chapters.
You have a linguistics expert who has self-induced multiple personalities, who is also romantically involved with the cyborg who runs many of the ships functions. And lastly, a military officer responsible for all their safety during the mission, but who feels entirely irrelevant.
They are quite the dysfunctional family, and their interactions are full of dark humor and the struggle to understand each other as they fight to survive and comprehend the mystery they are forced to confront in the alien artifact.
Watts has a keen eye for squeamish detail, and even though this adventure takes place in a sterile spaceship, far in the void of space, it retains an organic feel to it that reminds you this is a story about humanity, however it has been altered throughout the centuries, and whatever its fate through the years to come.
This story is a reflection and pondering on the nature of consciousness, and asks whether intelligence automatically assumes sentience of an organism. I.e., can something be smarter than us, but not have any true awareness of its own existence? And is our self-awareness actually an advantage as we go out and explore our universe? I found the ideas put forward in the book to be fascinating, and the way the larger issues end up affecting each character in their smaller schemes was brilliant, including some of the slight character and plot twists towards the end. It is thought-provoking, even if you don’t end up agreeing with some of the core ideas and concepts it puts forward.
Does his offering this as a free online text make me want to go out and buy the book? Not really. If I somehow acquired it for free, I’d keep it on my bookshelf, but I tend not to purchase stories I’ve already read. However, I am anxious to see what his next novel will be, and there is a high possibility that I will buy that one. So if his goal was less making a sale on Blindsight and more gaining a fan of his writing who will follow his future works, then his effort has succeeded. And if you aren’t one to do much reading on a computer screen, then I would entirely recommend buying this book of Amazon or wherever you prefer.
Anyone else have a chance to read this? I’m always interested in your thoughts and opinions.
I see that smile.