Girish's Reviews > The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

This novella is the shining example of a work that, well, no one in their right mind would publish. It's a text that comments on the fragile thinking around superintelligence in the same sentence as depictions of violent sexual sadism.

I'm grateful that Roger Williams found the time to publish this online. If nothing else, it shows the one of N ways that weak, ill thought out moral laws are turned to fodder. I was pleasantly surprised by the story -- it's still really interesting after the climax, and there's enough food for thought there to chew on for a while.

I'm reminded of this famous quote by Derek Parfit:

"We live during the hinge of history. [..] We shall soon have even greater powers to transform, not only our surroundings, but ourselves and our successors. If we act wisely in the next few centuries, humanity will survive its most dangerous and decisive period."

The way the human story surrounding the protagonists unfolds is subtle and endearing. I didn't even guess who the actual protagonists really truly were until well into the novella. This is one of those quick reads that'll stayed glued to your hands, and don't expect to find your eyes straying from the page for hours. (it's addicting).