Otherland

Well, I've finally finished the Otherland Quadrilogy. It was the best 4000 pages I've ever read.

It's shocking how it was written back in the late 90s. So many concepts addressed were way, way ahead of their time. In my article "Virtual Unreality", I touched on a few of these before I had heard of the Otherland books, but these books go into more depth that I could have imagined.

Second Life, which was only released in 2003, a couple of years after the last Otherland book, appears to be our closest manifestation of the books. Concepts that have originated in Second Life were predicted in Otherland, whether the users of Second Life were aware of Otherland or not. The books are a fascinating forward look at metaverses, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.

At the start of every chapter there is a newsfeed, giving a snippet of what is going on in the late 21st century world. Everything from politics to entertainment is reported on, giving the book even more depth and atmosphere.

Special note must be made for the ending. Even after 4000 pages, it doesn't disappoint, in fact it blew me away. Several times during the book I actually thought I had just read the best chapter I'd ever read in my life. The ending took those experiences to a new level.

What really makes these books stand out, to me, is the quality of the writing. Every word of every paragraph seems to be picked to perfection. The writing is some of the best I've ever read. The quality is consistent for the entire 4000 pages, and the styles are varied. The story is exciting, full of deep, complex twists, emotional rides, and profound imagery. I've been inspired by the storytelling, the character development, and the stunning scene description. I don't think I've ever felt so immersed in a story. You might say I was "Totally Immersed."

I can't recommend these books highly enough. They go into profound topics such as immortality, the morality of artificial intelligence, mind uploading and the importance of self, and much, much more.If you haven't read them yet, please buy them now! In the words of the books: "Prepare to change your world."

Comments

Alvis Brigis said…
Glad you enjoyed the end.

Spoiler comment alert:

A huge brain up in orbit. 10 years ago I thought that was insane, but now it seems a bit more plausible. ;)
4 November 2008 at 01:33
Stu said…
Another Spoiler:

Absolutely loved the stuff about the AIs being sent into space and how it links in with Xabbu's stories about the first people.
4 November 2008 at 02:07
Hy Falutin said…
Will definitely look into the Otherland books.

The Second Life crew have (I believe) named Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash as a powerful influence. Have you read that one? Mighty, mighty good.
20 November 2008 at 11:54
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