Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Mindscan by Robert Sawyer
In Mindscan Jake Sullivan, heir to a Canadian brewing empire, has a birth defect that could leave him a vegetable at any time. He's seen the horror that can ensue; his father is a vegetable from the same defect. Jake uses a new technology to copy his consciousness into an android body. The birthed and doomed Jake heads off to the moon to live in Eden intil his physical death while the new Jake takes over his life on Earth.
New Jake has some difficult moments. His dog doesn't accept him, his mother rejects him, and his lover can't look him in the eyes. He finds friendship and solace with the New copy of a famous scifi writer, Karen. It looks like Jake is getting together a good life when things start to go wrong (doesn't something ALWAYS happen?).
Karen's son sues her claiming that his mother is dead (her body on the moon has died) and a cure is found for the original Jake Sullivans physical defect. On the moon Jake now is healthy and realizes that he could return to Earth and claim his love and life. When the PTB declare that he has signed away his rights to an earth life, Jake takes matters into his own hands.
Much of the questions and thinking about consciousness and what makes a person (along with debate about souls) is set in the courtroom with testimony by experts. The political world in the US in this novel is shockingly repressive - Buchanan has been President! Yes, Pat Buchanan. Think of a slightly less obvious Handmaid Tale with a sharp line between Canada and the US.
New Jake has some difficult moments. His dog doesn't accept him, his mother rejects him, and his lover can't look him in the eyes. He finds friendship and solace with the New copy of a famous scifi writer, Karen. It looks like Jake is getting together a good life when things start to go wrong (doesn't something ALWAYS happen?).
Karen's son sues her claiming that his mother is dead (her body on the moon has died) and a cure is found for the original Jake Sullivans physical defect. On the moon Jake now is healthy and realizes that he could return to Earth and claim his love and life. When the PTB declare that he has signed away his rights to an earth life, Jake takes matters into his own hands.
Much of the questions and thinking about consciousness and what makes a person (along with debate about souls) is set in the courtroom with testimony by experts. The political world in the US in this novel is shockingly repressive - Buchanan has been President! Yes, Pat Buchanan. Think of a slightly less obvious Handmaid Tale with a sharp line between Canada and the US.
# posted by JJ @ 6:38 PM 
