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New Science-Fiction Novel Features Julian Jaynes

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:26 pm
by RobertJSawyer
I thought my fellow Julian Jaynes Society members might be interested in the following.

My eighteenth science-fiction novel, Wake, has just been published by Ace Books in hardcover New York (Penguin USA) [April 2009, lead title]. It deals with the World Wide Web gaining consciousness after the Great Firewall of China comes down, allowing the Web's components to be fully integrated. The comparison with Julian Jaynes is quite explicit in the book, and discussed at great length.

The Acknowledgments for the book include this plug: "For those interested in learning more about Julian Jaynes, author of The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, in addition to reading his book please also visit the Julian Jaynes Society (of which I'm a member) at julianjaynes.org."

In its starred review, denoting a book of exceptional merit, Publishers Weekly said, "The wildly thought-provoking first installment of Sawyer's WWW trilogy explores the origins and emergence of consciousness. The thematic diversity -- and profundity -- makes this one of Sawyer's strongest works to date."

And the American Library Association's Booklist says, "Sawyer's take on theories about the origin of consciousness, generated within the framework of an engaging story, is fascinating, and his approach to machine consciousness and the Internet is surprisingly fresh."

Oodles about Wake is here, and the Amazon.com page for the book is here. (In addition to the print edition, the book is available electronically for the Kindle, Sony Reader, and other devices, and as an unabridged and (how appropriate!) multi-voiced audio book from Audible. com; Wake is also a Main Selection of the Science Fiction Book Club.)

All best wishes!

Rob (in Toronto)

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ROBERT J. SAWYER, Science Fiction Writer
* Hugo winner for Hominids
* Nebula winner for The Terminal Experiment
* Campbell Memorial winner for Mindscan

http://sfwriter.com

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Re: New science-fiction novel features Julian Jaynes

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:45 pm
by Moderator
Thanks Robert, for helping to spread the word. I'll check out your book!

Re: New Science-Fiction Novel Features Julian Jaynes

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 6:07 pm
by selfreplicate
When I read the title 'The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind' in Sawyer's Wake, it sounded so cool that it made me go out and get an alumni library card at my old university, just so I could check it out, and my life hasn't been the same since...(true story).

Re: New Science-Fiction Novel Features Julian Jaynes

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 6:54 pm
by RobertJSawyer
Glad to have inspired another person to pick up Julian Jaynes's work. WAKE did well for itself -- was nominated for the Hugo Award, the world's top prize in science fiction, and won the Aurora Award, Canada's highest SF honour. Two sequels have been published: WATCH and WONDER, completing what I call the WWW trilogy. More info on my website at http://sfwriter.com.

All best wishes!

Rob

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ROBERT J. SAWYER, Science Fiction writer
Author of WWW:Wake and FlashForward
http://sfwriter.com * [email protected]