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

Refreshing and cerebral!

Many sci-fi novels treat the communication barrier between aliens and humans as a minor inconvenience, to be hastily patched by something like a 'universal translator' so that we can get on with the plot. Refreshingly, in Blindsight, the communication barrier between the aliens and humans IS the plot.

Watts imagines an alien species so unlike us, evolving in such different conditions, that it is unclear whether the humans are communicating with a consciousness or an elaborate stimulus/response system like a computer program. The narrator, Siri Keeton, has seemingly been chosen for the mission because his bizarre personality is well-suited to dealing with this problem. A childhood brain hemispherectomy has removed Siri's ability to empathize with people, so he negotiates social situations as an elaborate computer program would, calculating and adapting responses that result in successful interactions.

The other characters are as interesting and bizarre as Siri, but his (understandably) emotionless narration style does keeps the reader from knowing their motivations and feelings very well. Aside from a stupid bit about vampires and crosses, this book avoids almost every sci-fi cliche and keeps the reader thinking at every step.

Needlessly overblown with metaphors...

Poses some interesting theories and follows them down pretty deep rabbit holes. This was presented to me as scifi space-horror in many reviews. It's more existential and thought provoking. Some of the story presented uncomfortable biological truths and portents of impending doom on an intellectual level but never does it really give a good ceepy. I would say that it left a feeling reminiscent to the first book in the Rama series with a much darker view of sentience, life and our place in the universe. i would recommend that outlook when considering reading this book my enjoyment was slightly diffused by the anticipation of a more traditional stab at horror.

fairly well written, early chapters have an abundance of additional flowery expressions and descriptions that try way to hard to convince you of a depth not yet established in the characters personalities. only later upon reflection do they make a bit more sense.

good hard sci-fi

there's a tremendous amount of detail and the story reflects the narrator's unique personality type.
this makes it a little hard to follow and I found myself having to rewind many many times in order to get a grasp on the various and intertwined concepts.

Very, very imaginative work

I struggled to finish this one for months. It was very dense, and conjured some very realistic, possible future technologies. But its density has mostly to do with intelligence, consciousness, and its role among the stars.

meh

was a highly recommend book for xenoarcheology, but I really wasn't satisfied by it much.

First contact story asking why consciousness?

While the book reads like a biology textbook at certain moments, it never felt out of place or expositionary. The ideas explored give me chills as I mull over the implications for humanity.

The most alien aliens.

This is the most interesting first contact story I have read. The biology is so interesting and unique and leaves you thinking.

profound commentary on life

this book will make you see the world I'm a new way. mind-blowing and engaging.

Amazing story, absolutely amazing.

I could have listened to this tale for a thousand years. It is an incredible story with more depth than the oceans on Europa. Fantastic, will listen to it again.

Incredible, even at its most opaque.

The first act betrays the magnificence of this book. An enjoyable, and even scary, mind fuck that will definitely warrant subsequent listenings.