WWW: Watch

By: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Marc Vietor, Oliver Wyman, Jennifer Van Dyck, Robert J. Sawyer

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

Webmind is an emerging consciousness that has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH - the secret government agency that monitors the Internet for any threat to the United States - and they're fully aware of Caitlin's involvement in its awakening. WATCH is convinced that Webmind represents a risk to national security and wants it purged from cyberspace. But Caitlin believes in Webmind's capacity for compassion - and she will do anything and everything necessary to protect her friend.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Robert J. Sawyer.

©2010 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee - Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Audiobook, 2011

"Original and intriguing. Sawyer makes complex sci-fi understandable and thoroughly entertaining." (Romantic Times BOOKReviews)

"Watch is a helluva fun read and an excellent science fiction book." (SF Signal)

"Cast members complement one another and are effective in differentiating the various characters and story threads. They drive forward the momentum of the plot and flesh out the novel’s distinct personalities." (AudioFile)

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! Kaitlin herself is a fascinating character. I just love the way he wrote her. I'd love for my teenagers to be like her. She is just so REAL. 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!

Didactic

Great story marred by heavy handed didacticism. The story and the points could've been made by having Webmind experiencing the points that Sawyer wants to make. Instead, Sawyer puts words into the mouths of Webmind and Caitlyn, reducing them to mere mouthpieces, embarrassingly obvious plot devices to parrot Sawyer's points of view.

INevertheless, enjoyed the story: it was a good way to pass the time while I knit.

well worth the credit or money

This is a great book very interesting. If you like sci fi and stuff about artificial intelligence you will like this. It reminds me of Crichton so if you like his stuff you will like this.

Can't wait for the next one!

These not only are intelligent with quirky humor, but have a captivating story line. I blew through the first two books and already downloaded the third.

Also, an amazing performance by the multiple narrators.

A great book all the way around!

Fantastic!

I love it! Even after almost seven years after reading the first book, the moment I started this audio book, I remembered the wonder and curiosity that filled my mind all those years ago. I will track down a hardcover copy of this book, so that I will always have it. I would recommend this series to anyone and everyone!

I'm off to listen to the last book! Thank you Robert J. Sawyer for a fantastic series!

a great book and a great audible production

read this book or listen to it. it's book two of three the 1st was good but this is the better if the two. I'll be listening to the 3rd next.

Surprise of the year trilogy!

This was a total suprise. I can't find the words to praise this masterpiece! It was a long time since I found a recently written book so exciting. Not only the topic focusing on blindness is fresh, the story is exciting, full of fresh innovative ideas. Of course the singularity idea is not new per se but it doesn't hinder the story at all, it enriches the thema. I couldn't wait for every next chapter. Jessica Almasy's narration is excellent, you can't wish for any better. It perfectly fits to the character. Her voice is also very easily comprehensible and pleasure to listen to. I can't recommend this book high enough to anybody who would like to see one of the possible outcomes of the inevitable singularity phenomenon.

Good until the very end

This is the second in a proposed trilogy (last book WWW.Wonder) and Sawyer believes it to be better than the first book. Here Caitlin and Webmind grow together as Webmind gains more cognitive awareness and Caitlin gains more visual awareness. I must said that Sawyer's handling of Caitlin's adjustment to sight is excellent. He has done his homework on how a mind accustomed to no vision has to adjust to a world of depth and color. The threats from the various governments were a tad over the top and the incorporation of the apes was completely unnecessary to the plot, although I can see a dotted line connection. The end, however, was completely ridiculous. It was forced and contrived and very outside of Sawyer's style. It does not, however, detract from the fact that the other 98% of the book is excellent. It held my interest and kept me turning pages. The narration was good, but there were some technical flaws in editing the volume. The narrators were inconsistent in this and I had to keep adjusting my volume to make up for it.

belongs in the teenage angst bin

Interesting ideas, lame presentation/story. If I wanted a teenage love romance novel I'd read Twilight. Such a shame that Audible has such few good Scifi titles. I go to the bookstore and there are whole shelves of good scifi.

Almost Ruined

I completely enjoyed "WWW: Wake" and was really looking forward to this book. However, the author almost ruined the story by wandering off on pro gay and anti God tirades in the book. I am in no way against an author putting what they want into a story to make a point as long as it has something to do with the story, which these tirades didn't. It was very obvious that they were put in for the authors own agenda. In fact he seemed to go out of his way to insult and belittle people who have a belief in God. The reason I really liked the first book was to see the growth of Caitlin and Webmind, as they discovered the world around them. So I was looking forward to seeing them in this book overcome the close-minded and bigoted attitudes of a society afraid of them, not to being bombarded by those same attitudes from the author. As to gay lifestyles and belief in God I leave that up to the individual, and find it very disappointing that the author chose to use this wonderful and potentially great story to promote his own agenda. But like I said He almost ruined the story. The story survived,barely. I got through this one despite it's short comings and have started the third book, hoping the author used more self control than in this book, because I really do want to know what happens to Caitlin and Webmind.

Moving on to book 3 crossing my fingers