Blindsight

By: Peter Watts

Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in 2082, Peter Watts' Blindsight is fast-moving, hard SF that pulls readers into a futuristic world where a mind-bending alien encounter is about to unfold.

After the Firefall, all eyes are locked heavenward as a team of specialists aboard the self-piloted spaceship Theseus hurtles outbound to intercept an unknown intelligence.

©2006 Peter Watts (P)2008 Recorded Books LLC

I don't claim to understand it...

This is a terrific exploration of intelligence/sentience, or what humankind understands intelligence to be, and the potentiality of meeting/becoming aliens that exist in a manner inconceivable to us.

The concepts are DEEP. Are we really human if we're hitched to computers. Can our brains hold more than one functional personality? Are there aliens so smart and fast that to them we'd look like imbeciles? If there are aliens, what are the chances that we'd ever find them, ever understand them, ever "know" them?

The vampire component is sort of beside the point - it's just one more alien (meaning foreign to human) in a book that is exploring the nature of being alien. (Even those characters that are human are explored for their "alien" characteristics).

Don't read this if you're expecting action (there is little action) or if you're not in the mood to explore the nature of alien-ness because you'll be disappointed. That being said - the narration is very good and the story is engaging and very hard to put down once you get started.

(Though I'm not making any promises that it makes sense in the end... I'm still not sure I understand.)

I won't give it one star. but ...

I can't believe I just wasted that much time. it's as if the writer is so smart that his writing jumped around. the narrator was fine. it was the sloppy cohesiveness.

good luck.

Challenging story

Any additional comments?

If you have some understanding of human neurophysiology this is a great story. That said, there is quite a bit of technical jargon. This is not your average "humans meet aliens" space opera. Instead it's an examination of the nature of consciousness and how humans would be able to understand beings that have a totally different way of existing and communicating.
The reader was adequate, but his tendency to have very similar voices for all the characters sometimes left me confused as to who was speaking and when transitions were happening.

How can i even put my feelings to words?!!!

I’m tearful at the moment. Absolutely gutted and in love. What a phenomenal story. It mixed all of my favorite ideas; Do androids dream of electric sheep, Prometheus, ALIEN, cyberpunk universe. It’s perfect. i’m blown away. please read and read again!!!

promising Thriller that Fizzles out

perhaps I'm missing a deeper meaning, but after the stage was set it didn't really go anywhere.

a lot of interesting concepts are presented but never developed.

No one knows where this going

I had high hopes for this and the writer could definitely turn a phrase, but the story just got lost. There was decent scifi and reasonable world building but the big parts of the plot just never came together. I was especially mystified by the ending, which rambled and never coalesced. Closure was unavailable and I'm not interested in where a sequel might go.

Incredibly intelligent and well written

Loved this book and listened through it in 2 days. Going to start the sequel immediately.

I'm not intelligent enough to fully comprehend every concept that was described but still enjoyed listening to it.

The narrator was fine but sometimes didn't differentiate between different characters' voice well enough.

The big payoff wasn't very exciting at the end of the book and the most interesting character was underutilized.

The journey to arrive to the conclusion was fascinating and full of mystery. Kept me engaged throughout.

Definitely recommend to fans of hard sci-fi.

So good!

This book requires your attention while listening but is so very worth it. So richly full of humanity and whatever may be its opposite, without and within. My favorite!

Confusing as hell

Too highbrow for me!! I’m sure more intelligent readers can discern complex narrative and insight…….I just kept wondering what the jell was happening the entire book. All the way to the end. There is no satisfying conclusion. No bow on the package to wrap things all together. Very strange POV story telling….which I think is kinda the point ? But just made it difficult to follow and understand.

Not for me.

My favorite science fiction book ever!

Occasionally hard to follow, but that’s part of the immersion. Don’t miss out on this one!