"A writer of boundless confidence and bold scientific extrapolation" (New York Times) concludes his mindbending trilogy.
Webmind - the vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged from the infrastructure of the World Wide Web - has proven its worth to humanity by aiding in everything from curing cancer to easing international tensions. But the brass at the Pentagon see Webmind as a threat that needs to be eliminated. Caitlin Decter - the once-blind 16-year-old math genius who discovered, and bonded with, Webmind - wants desperately to protect her friend. And if she doesn't act, everything - Webmind included - may come crashing down.
BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and read by author Robert J. Sawyer.
Listen to the rest of the WWW Trilogy.
©2011 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
"Sawyer shows mastery in his ability to move between complex scientific concepts and genuine and realistic characters....Wonder...is fast-paced and immediately engaging." (The Globe and Mail)
"The shining star of this near-perfect production is Jessica Almasy as the sweet teenager who introduces WebMind to the world. Her equal is Marc Vietor, the voice selected by the machine because of his brilliant work reading audiobooks. (Good inside joke there.) This story, the audiobook equivalent of a page-turner, challenges the listener to pick a side: human or machine. The answer is surprising." (Audiofile)
"such an amazing book."
wake started slow and interesting. Watch was full of new things and understanding of webmind. And Wonder, was the best thing, full of twists and great things happening in it. The given ending is great, and a bit sad at the same time. But this ending makes you think what happened afterwards.
its such an amazing trilogy, and i wish if there could be such a biography for Webmind :) i really want to know what happens in the world with webmind in the future.... very interesting.
highly recommended. :)
"Wonder"
Sawyer is original, exciting, and good at creating new plausibilities often in a contemporary setting. A bloody good story teller who unashamedly and genuinely tackles the pivotal issues that have and will define what it means to be a conscious human being living on a planet teeming with other life forms. Great trilogy and definitely worth the five stars
"Unmissable"
I've been captivated by the www series since the first novel and Jessica Almasy blew my head off with her first rendition of "Calculass!" I'm a SF/AI freak, so the book was made for me anyway. What is wonderful is how Sawyer creates this band of flawed characters who then go on to fight the good fight with charm, courage and heart.
All three of the books are heart-warming and exhilarating. I didn't find the concepts at all hard to believe, except maybe for the rather stereotyped Government bad guys. That's probably personal, I used to be a Government bad guy and I was, er--good:)
While all of the readers(Mark Vietor, Oliver Wyman, Anthony Haden Salerno) play their part, and do so well, Jessica Almasy, as Caitlin Decter is perfect. When you hear actors talk about "creating a role," this is it. Writ large. She IS Caitlin Decter, you believe, and you dance and whirl as the teenager she is. Wildly excited as she works her way through crisis and wonder and the difficulties of the teen years. It is a simply stunning performance and I can't listen to it without a smile or a tear.
There are no grim bodies stacking up for the hero/ine, (blessedly) no Vampires, just normal-ish folks dealing with a somewhat extraordinary dilemma. I loved the front cover, I can see that girl. Wonderful, and for me, best of year.
I loved this series, and I've now read them through time after time. Kindle, Audible and Print. They are that good, but Almasy makes the Audible version UNMISSABLE.
brendan
"Very Enjoyable"
An odd combination this 16 year old blind girl and her first crush crossed with the philosophical and incredibly intelligent Webmind. I think I would have chosen a more mature human central figure but it works out just fine. There is plenty of material here to inspire thought. An interesting take on artificial intelligence. This one was a lot of fun.
"Good Guy AI"
Fun series that presents a lot of good ideas. It's nice to have a story about a Artificial Intellegence that is not evil. Story is a bit Utopianish but still lots of fun. Readers are also great. Usually I hate multiple readers but it works for this series. This is not a good stand alone book. Start with the first in the series.
"Great conclusion to great series"
I loved listening to this entire series and can say that the author has a fun way of opening your imagination up to fun concepts even if they are a bit out there, the only negative thing about the entire series was at the very end you truly realize just how lonely an existence for Webmind would be with the way the author puts it, and I guess that also was his point he wanted to make so hence the books were all well written and hard to stop when started before finished.
"Freaking AWESOME - as www's Kaitlin would say!"
I don't even know how to express my own personal "WONDER" in relation to my experience listening to these books. All three of them are fantastic. I want a WebMind! I want him for me and for "us". This author is a genius. The way his mind works is unimaginable to me. His messages, his politics, his humanity, his creativity, his complexity and his talent are beyond compare. The story is wonderful. I absolutely love the narrators on this book. Kaitlin’s narrator is sooooooooo talented! I have read Mr. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax (NP) series and Calculating God (CG). They are great stories also. I knew I'd like NP, and after I finished those three books, I was pretty sure I'd like CG but I wasn't sure at all I'd like the WWW series. I'm just not technically inclined and the topic as described was a little bit intimidating. BOY WAS I WRONG. It's just such a great story. I hope the Chinese government reads it.
Now, my hardest decision is which one of Robert Sawyer's books to download next. :-)
PS - I think it is so smart for him to include references to Audible in WWW. What a great plug for a great service!
"Great Series!"
I just finished listening to Wonder having previously listened to Wake and Watch. I thoroughly enjoyed each book. These books are not only good story-telling, but the best audio productions I have ever heard. The readers were perfect for each part they played and totally believable. Jessica Almasy in particular nailed the part of Caitlin. Thank you to everyone involved!
I read all the time, or nearly. I always have, I guess, since I was very young ... and now, getting older, more audio than any other medium.
"Very creative and original"
It is so rare these days to encounter new ideas in science fiction. Okay, it isn't a brand new idea, but the care and thought Robert Sawyer has put into crafting the concept into a story is remarkable. Although I felt that it was aimed at a younger audience, it was nonetheless highly listenable. This isn't the same old same old. Refreshing and most entertaining.