Factoring Humanity

I like science fiction that is just on the edge of being real. This whole story was very believable to me. After you are done, you pause and start to think what if ...I like those kind of stories.

The narration was well done. The narrator made it very easy and interesting to listen to.

Highly recommend it.

Sawyer has crafted a novel twist on a first contact theme. This near future tale has earth receiving for the past 10 years, alien messages (one every 30 hours). Beyond the initial set that contained formulas for chemicals, the remainder have been inscrutable.Our main characters are estranged husband and wife professors focused on quantum computing and psychology, respectively. The wife has been engaged with a world wide effort to decipher the messages and makes the seminal breakthrough after the messages mysteriously stop. While all of this is occurring, the couple is also dealing with accusations of sexual molestation by their only living daughter. What follows as a result of her "cracking" the alien messages would delight Freud and Jung, but at the same time will render her profession obsolete.

Conceptually, this work is ambitious and quite engrossing. Sawyer has identified a novel mechanism for an alien encounter that does not involve either warlike aggression on the part of the aliens, nor engender an equally militaristic defensive posture on the part of earth. Some of the actions of characters are downright petty when the full power of the alien message/gift is made clear, but then Sawyer keeps the focus on the individual. At the same time, Sawyer also glosses over the ramifications of alterations in societal organization as a result as well.

The narration is solid and inviting with a more than adequate range to handle the diversity of characters. Overall, this is well suited for a beach listen or transcontinental flight.

Factoring Humanity gets complex at times (those were my favorite parts!!) and the listener has to pay close attention-if he/she is not a theoretical physicist!

This book brings to mind several things--Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, Dr Seuss (dont want to spoil it--if you listen you will probably see where I am going with this!) and Greg Bear--along with themes that permeate all of Sawyers books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

I am sharing my serious geekie-ness with this next part...which is why I am changing my name once I submit this review (grin)...Robert Sawyer quotes the original Star Trek and the movie Wrath of Khan within the pages...and I had to dust off my copy and fast forward to the scene they discussed and see for myself what the author pointed out...which means to me that I was relating to this book on a personal (if seriously nerdy!) level...

My only complaint is that I have only one more Robert Sawyer novel to go...then I have to wait for him to publish something new next year...Would love if another reader who is a Sawyer fan could recommend another author who is similar. I have looked for ages and have been dissappointed in the choices I made.

I give Factoring Humanity 5 geeky stars and an honorable mention in Nerdy! Will definitely listen to this again and recommend it to my pocket protector adorned, duct-taped glass wearing, nerdy friends!!

I really enjoyed some of Sawyer's earlier work. The Neanderthal/Human/Hybrid series is brilliant - well developed characters and relationships with depth that we really came to care about, all mixed carefully balanced with clever, innovative and well developed scientific speculation and a plot that moves along very nicely and holds it all together. However, as time goes on his work becomes more and more like excerts from a science paper, and all the characters seem flat, everyone is so completely scientifically adept in the same exact way and always on the same page with each other and so quick to launch into a lecture/intense conversation about the ins and outs of the science involved. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of speculative science in my science fiction, but I like it worked into the story, not trumping the story. In this the story and characters seem more like a vehicle for a very long winded essay of some kind... or like some dream nerd scenario (and I use the word nerd with the utmost of respect) in which people sit around debate this stuff endlessly... That and the preoccupation with religion and the relentless preoccupation with Canadianism vs. Americanism (which is so prevalent in this one it becomes a bit embarassing at times) are really changing Sawyers work and style. Some might like that but it isn't my cup of tea and I really think his earlier work was much stronger and much more compelling and entertaining.

No, I would not recommend this book to a friend because it feels dated and the author has many better books after this one. This is near-future sci-fi. It was written in the mid-90's and it feels like that. The story incorporates the hot-button issues of that time, like theraphist implanting false memories, quantum computing, and the fourth dimension. The way these topics are presented in this book, they don't withstand the test of time. Additionally, Swayer doesn't presuade the reader that the technology he is describing is feasable. This gives the book a fantasy feel more than sci-fi. His later novels, describe some pretty fantastic events, however, in them it is more convincing that we're still in this universe. Comparing this story to Swayer's later work, like the Neanderthal Paralax, shows the maturation of his story telling ability.

The technology felt dated and the plot was perdictable and boring.

Good, Sufficient, Melodramatic

Yes, I would see a movie made about this book because I'd want to see a Tesserac on the big screen.

Melodramatic...

Brilliant story. Smart, entertaining. Narrator didnt get in the way of the story. Checking the reviews helped me make the decision to buy this. Always worth checking the reviews.

Have to say that Sawyer handles aliens better than he does humans. I loved his "Calculating God", but I found this one a bit difficult what with his trying to deal with a somewhat dysfunctional human family and the resolution of marital and familial discord.

So this seems to be typical for Sawyer, great idea, don't worry I won't spoil it here, but always ends up a little sugary sweet for me. The 'tension' in his books, and this one is typical of this, just doesn't quite 'wind up' enough for me. The resolution is somewhat 'easy'... Happy Happy joy joy... Maybe it's a Canadian thing, but I wish for a little more conflict and difficulty in resolution.

Well done on all levels. Perhaps a bit more far-fetched than I'd prefer but that's balanced by a nice study of personalities, particularly as involve marriage and family. Made me want to check out more by this author and performer.

If you have read other sawyer titles and enjoyed them its a safe bet you'll enjoy this one it is one of his best. if you have not read sawyer before then consider his works feel a bit like a science lesson, with a story of moral humanity woven through it.

This style is suprisingly easy to listen to even if you don't feel your a science geek. I find his characters both enjoyable and believable. and feel like they live on after the story is complete.

This particular story deals with people recieving a message from outer space and basically not giving a toss about it

then your hit with the sub plot which i found hits hard due to the excellent narration and subject matter. and so the dance begins, unable to put it down you soon find yourself taking sides and trying to second guess what will happen next. totally enjoyable give it a try