moni_r's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Blindsight is a book I had to actively interact with. It can’t simply be read. Don’t expect to be entertained. Go into it knowing you are a non-edited human of average or above-average intelligence, resurrected or reanimated in a time when almost all intimate encounters take place in virtual reality, and that while you understand the language and 70% of the vocabulary, you only comprehend about 7% of the context and meaning. It is a book that needs Cliff notes. And a dictionary. Do not expect any of your fellow crew to take pity and provide explanation or subtitles. The science thrown around is hard, and if you want to experience any true appreciation of the author’s work, be prepared to do a lot of Google searches just to understand the gist of a situation or conversation. And to really appreciate the book, dive into Reddit or Wikipedia for explanations and a better understanding of the plot, then do a second read.
elusivity's review against another edition
4.0
Some exceedingly interesting ideas, set amongst the claustrophobic tension of deep space. Great atmosphere, below-average characterization. Some conjectures do not extend to their logical conclusion. The girlfriend subplot also does not fit well with the events at hand...except to drive home the narrator Siri's supposed absolute autism.
Unfortunately, Watts fails to really captured the narrator's POV as a high-functioning austistic, beyond having he and other characters repeatedly tell us outright that he was so. In fact, this is the level of characterization throughout the novel. We are told: the vampire is sociopathic and scares everyone on-board by his very presence. Beyond that, despite his position as the expedition leader and mastermind, we know nothing. A vampire in Space, man, whose mind cannot handle Euclidean angles! Tell me more! We are told: the scientist has four deliberately grafted, fully-functioning personalities. Ok, how does she deal with this condition? Throw me a freakin' bone here!
But none of this matters, and we are thrown head-first into the First Contact storyline. It all matters so little that, even though I stayed late into the wee hours to finish this... when the ending came, all I can think of was, "Huh. Well, that's that, then."
All in all, a typical Big Idea science-fiction nove. However, a truly excellent conceptualization of non-humanoid alien. Definitely worth a read.
Unfortunately, Watts fails to really captured the narrator's POV as a high-functioning austistic, beyond having he and other characters repeatedly tell us outright that he was so. In fact, this is the level of characterization throughout the novel. We are told: the vampire is sociopathic and scares everyone on-board by his very presence. Beyond that, despite his position as the expedition leader and mastermind, we know nothing. A vampire in Space, man, whose mind cannot handle Euclidean angles! Tell me more! We are told: the scientist has four deliberately grafted, fully-functioning personalities. Ok, how does she deal with this condition? Throw me a freakin' bone here!
But none of this matters, and we are thrown head-first into the First Contact storyline. It all matters so little that, even though I stayed late into the wee hours to finish this... when the ending came, all I can think of was, "Huh. Well, that's that, then."
All in all, a typical Big Idea science-fiction nove. However, a truly excellent conceptualization of non-humanoid alien. Definitely worth a read.
wadeypie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
irongold's review against another edition
1.0
Uber boring with lots of language. Didn’t even finish it.
dop928's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
Blindsight is a heavily detailed and very ambitious novel about a "first contact" --- in this case, humanity's first experience with aliens in the late twenty-first century. Watts is interested not just in the aliens, but what the contact says about intelligence, self-awareness, and communication. Our protagonists are a crew of the mentally different, including our main character who had a hemisphere of his brain removed in his youth and has built up routines and analysis to compensate for his emotional detachment. We also have a linguist who has five personalities and a hyper-analytical vampire as captain. (In the context of the novel, Watt posits that vampires existed as a subspecies during humanity's prehistory and have been resurrected through genetic technology.)
The result is a complex work about what it might mean to be post-human with a heavy emphasis on mental honing and the lack of empathy that may follow. It's not a fun read (little to no humor), but Watts doesn't spoon feed anything and still ratchets up the tension nicely. I haven't mentioned the aliens, primarily not to spoil anything, but they too feed into Watts' commentary.
It's a strange novel that sometimes feels more like a thought experiment than a narrative, but I found it well worth the read.
The result is a complex work about what it might mean to be post-human with a heavy emphasis on mental honing and the lack of empathy that may follow. It's not a fun read (little to no humor), but Watts doesn't spoon feed anything and still ratchets up the tension nicely. I haven't mentioned the aliens, primarily not to spoil anything, but they too feed into Watts' commentary.
It's a strange novel that sometimes feels more like a thought experiment than a narrative, but I found it well worth the read.
randomprogrammer's review against another edition
3.0
i struggled to stay engaged in this one. yea, there was some interesting stuff about non-conscious intelligence and evolution, but for some reason the plot just didn't keep me hooked. I see why people like it i guess
qwedsa123's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
vita's review against another edition
4.0
Насправді книжці я ставлю 3.5 зірки.
Очікування які я мала стосовно цього твору не справдилися, а розчарування неймовірно велике.
Світ толком не описаний:
- ні устрій на нашій планеті,
- ні про "Роршах" і шифраторів (навіть ті невеликі описи, які автор дав не дозволили, особисто мені, в повній мірі усвідомити, хто вони такі)
- ні причини атаки Сарасті на Кітона...
І загалом лишилося забагато запитань по прочитанню.
Очікування які я мала стосовно цього твору не справдилися, а розчарування неймовірно велике.
Світ толком не описаний:
- ні устрій на нашій планеті,
- ні про "Роршах" і шифраторів (навіть ті невеликі описи, які автор дав не дозволили, особисто мені, в повній мірі усвідомити, хто вони такі)
- ні причини атаки Сарасті на Кітона...
І загалом лишилося забагато запитань по прочитанню.