Book 1 of the Silo trilogy. Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world where humans are confined underground in the 'Silo', a 144-floor self-sustaininBook 1 of the Silo trilogy. Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world where humans are confined underground in the 'Silo', a 144-floor self-sustaining city. Earth's atmosphere has become inhospitable, confining humans indoors and underground with a fear of the outdoors. I don't want to give too much away but it's an excellent story with lots of twists and turns, as well as great characters that you can relate to. It feels like one of those 'near future' sci-fi stories, a worst-case scenario if we don't get our own impact on the environment under control. As a sci-fan fan, I can be picky about this genre, but I loved this - already ordered book 2 Shift and book 3 Dust. ...more
I'm reading through the entire trilogy and it really sets the bar high for hard sci-fi. It's wildly imaginative and I find it hard to put down, I'm eaI'm reading through the entire trilogy and it really sets the bar high for hard sci-fi. It's wildly imaginative and I find it hard to put down, I'm eager to see how it all ends. You really must read the first book, Three-Body Problem, to be able to follow this second book.
The story follows a near-future scenario where the Earth is preparing for a coming alien invasion. The aliens are remarkably more advanced, technologically speaking, than humans and we know very little about them - they know almost everything about us. We have four centuries to prepare for their arrival as they make the interstellar journey. There is still hope but defeatism runs rampant through society. So what happens? The ending is a complete surprise!
The biggest challenge up against us? "..the sophons: super-smart subatomic machines sent from Trisolaris (the aliens) that see everything on Earth and block advances in fundamental physics, while communicating with Trisolaris in real-time through quantum entanglement." That's a mouthful, you'll only be able to follow if you read the trilogy!
The title Dark Forest for the 2nd book is wisely chosen. The dark forest hypothesis is a possible solution to the Fermi paradox. The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence. (~Wiki) The dark forest hypothesis states that civilizations exist in the universe but are both silent and hostile, remaining silent out of fear of being destroyed by other hostile civilizations....more
Wonderfully well-written, I really enjoyed this collection of short essays. What is the 'Anthropocene'? The proposed geological epoch that we're curreWonderfully well-written, I really enjoyed this collection of short essays. What is the 'Anthropocene'? The proposed geological epoch that we're currently living through, that kicked off when humans began dominating Earth and changing it (for better... or worse). These essays cover some of the most random topics: the QWERTY keyboard, Nathan's hot dogs on Connie Island, penguins in Madagascar, Canadian geese... all connecting back to the contradictions of contemporary humanity. We have the power to shape our world, but at the same time we are frail and temporary; this world can take us down in a moment's notice.
A highly-acclaimed book for a reason, well-deserving of 5 stars. Phenomenal sci-fi story and one of my new absolute favorites. It dives into humanity'A highly-acclaimed book for a reason, well-deserving of 5 stars. Phenomenal sci-fi story and one of my new absolute favorites. It dives into humanity's first journey out of the solar system, to terraform & colonize a new home many light years away. The story challenges you to consider issues with long-distance spacefaring as well as anthropomorphizing AI. It is mostly told through the point of view of the AI system that backs the ship, so it's quite interesting the way the story is told. Challenges pop up & struggles that many did not foresee, as the ship takes many generations to arrive at its destination....more
The moment I started this book, I couldn't put it down. I already had high expectations because I had received others recommendations for it and it diThe moment I started this book, I couldn't put it down. I already had high expectations because I had received others recommendations for it and it didn't let me down. This is the first of a 2-part series that explores a race for survival amongst the stars as Earth has become uninhabitable. The last survivors must sweep the galaxy for a new 'Earth', and what they find is far from expected. Highly recommended if you enjoy sci-fi!...more
LOVE this collection of sci-fi short stories, even more so than The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu. My favorite stories from the collection: --Real ArtistLOVE this collection of sci-fi short stories, even more so than The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu. My favorite stories from the collection: --Real Artists: When AI masters art, like film-making, and surpasses even human creativity. --Staying Behind and the 3-part set of The Gods will not be Chained, The Gods will not be Slain, and The Gods have not Died in Vain: All about uploading our consciousness to a simulated reality. --Thoughts & Prayers: My favorite. It impacted me as it explores gun control, mass shootings, online trolls and filtered content. Without giving too much away and related to my last point.. we already live in a filtered bubble, but what if content went to the next level and was filtered with a direct link to our emotional state? This may very well be possible in the future if/when we live an in augmented reality connected directly to the digital world. And what if trolls learned how to manipulate that link, blocking you from the content you most desire?...more
This book was hard to put down. Magical writing, out of this world (literally and figuratively) storytelling, sci-fi with a dive into deep science on This book was hard to put down. Magical writing, out of this world (literally and figuratively) storytelling, sci-fi with a dive into deep science on a micro and macro level. Climate change, ecological disasters, scientific discoveries like nuclear power - they all have a remarkable impact on humanity. But none will compare to the moment, if and when, humankind makes contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. This book explores that theme and what it could mean for our future.
The three-body problem, the title of the first book in this trilogy series and the concept as mentioned in the book, is a REAL math problem that is so complex, it's impossible to solve. It refers to the motion of three planetary bodies (planets or stars) trapped in each other's gravitational grip. The orbital path becomes impossible to predict over time, which eventually led to the development of chaos theory....more
Phenomenal story, very well-written. It takes you inside the heartbreaking journey of a Syrian refugee couple, Afra and Nuri, as they make their escapPhenomenal story, very well-written. It takes you inside the heartbreaking journey of a Syrian refugee couple, Afra and Nuri, as they make their escape from Syria to Turkey, Greece and finally to the UK. Although a work of historical fiction, it was written based on inspiration from all the stories that the author heard while volunteering at a refugee centre in Athens....more
SUCH a good book, one of my favorites of the year so far! Exhalation is a compilation of short stories at the intersection of sci-fi & philosophy. AutSUCH a good book, one of my favorites of the year so far! Exhalation is a compilation of short stories at the intersection of sci-fi & philosophy. Author Ted Chiang has won countless awards for his ingenious writing. Each of the stories really makes you think, challenging our understanding of the meaning of the universe, what it means to be human, our relationship with future AI & more. Highly recommend it....more
A classic! I loved this book when we had it as required reading in high school, and I just read it again for the first time as an adult. It is still aA classic! I loved this book when we had it as required reading in high school, and I just read it again for the first time as an adult. It is still as good as I remember and I've bought the entire quartet to read through for the first time. Arguably one of the most influential stories of our time, this dystopian novel explores an odd world of conformity & contentment built over dark, complex secrets....more
Eye-opening, educational, entertaining. I loved this read! It completely opened my eyes to all of the progression of China in the technology / AI spacEye-opening, educational, entertaining. I loved this read! It completely opened my eyes to all of the progression of China in the technology / AI space over the last years; it is like a whole nother world. The book covers an introduction to deep learning and different types of artificial intelligence, how the field has progressed in Silicon Valley vs. China, the different styles of business and startups in each geography, the tech scene in China, the future of AI and finally how we can build a synergy between humanity + AI for a better future. I would say that the book can be fairly understood by audiences from any background, but it does help to have a basic understanding of AI beforehand. Highly highly recommend this!...more
Loading...
