Grade: A
Review: Blindsight by Peter Watts packs some serious punch. Normally I prefer lighter reading and I view science fiction as an opportunity for some escapist reading. Watts has written a novel that focuses on a number of issues: what it means to be human, what is language/communication, what is the purpose of emotion, what is artificial intelligence, etc. I could go on and on - this book really stakes out a number of interesting concepts and creates a thought provoking novel that leaves the reader questioning many things that are taken for granted.
Plot: Siri Keeton is a synthesist whose specialty is understanding a system from observation. The analogy would be someone predicting what shots a pool player would make next without an understanding of any of the rules or the physics of the game and merely by observing what has been happening in the pool system. Siri is our narrator but is himself brain-damaged (as are all the human characters in the novel) and does not feel human emotion. Instead, he fakes it through observing how others behave and deducing what he should do next. Narration alternates between events at the point of first contact with an alien vessel and between his past interactions with his few friends.
Siri and his fellow crew members approach an alien vessel and attempt communication with a truly alien species. How do you interpret alien communication? If the alien speaks your language, does it understand its meaning or is it merely deducing appropriate responses without the actual content? What is the meaning of language? How can we ever understand an alien, who may have no concept of human emotions? Watts explores all of these concepts in his books and it is truly a fascinating and thought provoking read. His articulation of first contact with an alien species does not impose any human aspects to the alien, which fundamentally changes the perspective. Is it possible to understand a truly alien species? I don't want to give away any plot spoilers and highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a thought-provoking read.
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