[bksvol-discuss] Next Meeting of the Science Fiction Club, Thursday, June 9, 2011

  • From: "Evan Reese" <mentat1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <scifi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 13 May 2011 19:50:51 -0400

Hello Folks,

We had another good discussion last night withjust about everyone liking our 
book, Starfarers by Poul Anderson,  but not a whole lot. Only one of us really 
loved the book, and noone actually disliked it. Those of us who've read other 
Anderson agreed that it wasn't his best work.

The next meeting of the Science Fiction club will be on Thursday, June 9, 2011.

Time: 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific, and 01:00 UTC.

Place:

Book Nook at:

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e

The book we'll be reading this month is WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer. This is 
the sequel to his book WWW: Wake. Some of us felt that it was not necessary to 
have read the first book to understand and enjoy the second, but for those who 
would like to start the series at the beginning, links and synopses to both 
books are below. We will discuss both books at the meeting.

Both books are available on Bookshare, as digital downloads from BARD, and from 
Audible.

The link to the Bookshare version of WWW: Wake is:

http://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/111612?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9rZXl3b3JkPXd3dyY%3D

The link to the BARD version of WWW: Wake is:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.69237

Here's the NLS synopsis:

When a Japanese researcher proposes another eye operation to the tech-savvy, 
mathematical genius and blind
fifteen-year-old Caitlin, she jumps at the chance to have an experimental 
signal-processing implant inserted behind her eye. But instead of sight, 
Caitlin's mind visualizes the Internet and detects an enigmatic entity within.

The Link to the BARD version of WWW: Watch is:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.71135 

Here's the NLS synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Caitlin, from WWW: Wake (DB 69237, BR 18658), uses her retinal 
implant to visualize the Internet and befriends the entity Webmind. While she 
helps Webmind learn more about the world, the government's Web Activity Threat 
Containment division views it as a security risk and plans to eradicate it.

Here's a bit more about WWW: Wake from Publisher's Weekly taken from Amazon's 
page for this book:

The wildly thought-provoking first installment of Sawyer's WWW trilogy, 
serialized in Analog in 2008 and 2009, explores the origins and emergence of 
consciousness. Blind teen Caitlin Decter gets an experimental signal-processing 
implant that inexplicably opens up her vision to the wondrous infrastructure of 
the World Wide Web. Inside the Web is a newborn webmind, a globe-spanning 
self-contained consciousness that is just
becoming aware of the outside world. Secondary plot threads about a highly 
intelligent hybrid primate and Chinese bloggers battling a repressive 
government extend the motif of expanding awareness. The thematic diversity-and 
profundity-makes this one of Sawyer's
strongest works to date. Numerous dangling plot threads are an unnecessary 
pointer to the forthcoming books; readers will keep coming back for the ideas.

And Here's some more about WWW: Watch from Bookshare's long synopsis:

Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer continues his "wildly thought- provoking" 
science
fiction saga of a sentient World Wide Web. Webmind is an emerging consciousness 
that has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. 
But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH--the secret government 
agency that monitors
the Internet for any threat to the United States--and they're fully aware of 
Caitlin's
involvement in its awakening. WATCH is convinced that Webmind represents a risk 
to national security and wants it purged from cyberspace. But Caitlin believes 
in Webmind's capacity for compassion, and she will do anything and everything 
necessary to protect her friend.

Robert J. Sawyer is one of the most respected, thoughtful, and popular  writers 
around, so hope to see lots of you at the next meeting to talk about these 
books.

Evan

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