Factoring Humanity

By: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In the near future, a signal is detected coming from the Alpha Centauri system. Mysterious, unintelligible data streams in for ten years. Heather Davis, a professor in the University of Toronto psychology department, has devoted her career to deciphering the message. Her estranged husband, Kyle, is working on the development of artificial intelligence systems and new computer technology utilizing quantum effects to produce a near-infinite number of calculations simultaneously.

When Heather achieves a breakthrough, the message reveals a startling new technology that rips the barriers of space and time, holding the promise of a new stage of human evolution. In concert with Kyle's discoveries of the nature of consciousness, the key to limitless exploration - or the end of the human race - appears close at hand.Sawyer has created a gripping thriller, a pulse-pounding tour of the farthest reaches of technology. Factoring Humanity is a 1999 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.

©2003 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[T]his is exciting, readable science fiction that will take you where no one has gone before - and you'll never forget the ending." (Amazon.com review)
"An intelligent and absorbing double-stranded narrative." ( Kirkus)

soap ie science

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

A Great SciFi Story - It Just Doesn't Deliver

I've read other Sawyer books and I was always impressed with his imagination of other star systems and species. Unfortunately, this book just doesn't delivery on either. It's mostly based here on Earth, and it's a really interesting idea but only in the academic sense. Try as he did to make a good story out of it, but it left me a bit disappointed overall.

The narrator, Katherine Kellgren, did a fabulous job with the material she was given. She has a good range of voices and does a nice job of acting out the scenes. Kudos to her.

Not fast enough

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm quick on the delete key. However, I strung along with this one until I was almost half-way through, then realized that, although I cared a bit about the main characters, I didn't have the patience to stick around until the author got to the point.
A lot of blue pencil editing might have made this an enjoyable book, but, alas, that didn't happen.

It's not as good as Sawyer's later novels

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

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.

What was most disappointing about Robert J. Sawyer’s story?

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

What three words best describe Katherine Kellgren’s performance?

Good, Sufficient, Melodramatic

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

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

Any additional comments?

Melodramatic...

A different type of encounter with alien beings

Thoroughly enjoyable and intriguing account of an alien encounter with human beings circa the present. If it doesn't get five stars it's because much of the excitement of this type of novel is the mystery of figuring out what the aliens' communication means. After the meaning is revealed, there is inevitably a bit of a let down, even if the reveal is novel and well executed, as it is here.

Interesting Book on First Contact

Despite being the writer of “Wake”, which I hated because it was boring, I enjoyed Robert Sawyer’s “Factoring Humanity”. The book begins with the emotional struggles between a husband and wife in dealing with the suicide of their 20 year old daughter. Then their younger daughter drops a bomb on their lives. Very real, things are bad and then go to worse.

While the book takes place in the near future, the science fiction sneaks up on the listener. Before I realized it, I was listening to an in-depth discussion on the possible uses for a quantum computer. My Physics professor would be proud of me.

I enjoyed the 1st 80% of the book. The ending is sugary and utopian. Birds are singing and children dancing. Boring dribble with no surprises.

ok

It's a nice story. Some strong themes, which were awkward. Ok performance. In my humble opinion Katherine sounds quite "preachy" at times when I don't think it fitted the characters. I will be looking for more by both Sawyer and Kellgren.

Well conceived

Sawyer wove a wonderful tale. The setup led smoothly into the plot. The main "what if" leap did not appeal to me but once I accepted it, I enjoyed the story. Fun to have a story set in Canada. The atheist character seemed shallow, but it was a more realistic portrayal of a non-believer than you usually see. The main character of Heather was very well written. I recommend the book.

Slow with a weak end

Felt like it contained quite a bit of filler, and had a somewhat wishywashy conclusion.

great story, narrator not so great

I love the story. but, the narrator's nasal voice made some of it frustrating to listen to, but I could get over that if not for some reason the dialogue , while narrated well enough, was interspersed with very flat "he said, said Kyle, she shrugged" so flat and distinct from the words of the dialogue that I can only guess she read the dialogue by itself and recorded separately the "actions" surrounding the dialogue. as if reading it off a list to be pasted in later in multiple areas (maybe reducing the number of words she has to "say"). it was unpleasant and distracting from the story and detracts from the feel of the dialogue and flow of the emotions
I wish the narrator had done better by the author, as he and his stories deserve more.