Bart's Reviews > Diaspora

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And even though parts of the physics are fictional, and Egan’s brand of advanced transhumanism is a science fictional pipe dream, Diaspora offers an overarching, fundamental lesson: our existence is shaped by our perception and processing of information. As such a certain degree of solipsism is inescapable, and our struggles with that very notion are one of life’s continuous calibrations. Plato has written about a cave too, but Egan explicitly adds the element of identity: getting additional data changes one’s personality. It’s obvious, but I hadn’t thought about it like that, and so Egan changed my perspective, yet again.

Diaspora won two awards, the 2006 Seiun, a Japanese award for best translated novel, and the 2010 Premio Ignotus – basically the Spanish Hugo – for best foreign novel. I myself am unsure about what to award this novel: there are 5-star parts, and 5-star ideas too, but some parts couldn’t grip me at all, having me skim too much to speak of a fully successful read. But even though I didn’t put in the full effort, the ending was somehow very emotional – no mean feat. I hope one day, if I can anticipate it, my own death will not feel as a death either, but rather as completion. What more can one wish for?

So let’s leave it at: ymmv.

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