Blindsight (Firefall, #1) - books.rollnotice.com

No cover — Peter Watts: Blindsight (Firefall, #1) (2006)

384 pages

English language

Published March 19, 2006

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-1218-1
Goodreads:: 48484

(1 review)

It's been two months since a myriad of alien objects clenched about the Earth, screaming as they burned. The heavens have been silent since - until a derelict space probe hears whispers from a distant comet. Something talks out there: but not to us. Who to send to meet the alien, when the alien doesn't want to meet? Send a linguist with multiple-personality disorder, and a biologist so spliced to machinery he can't feel his own flesh. Send a pacifist warrior, and a vampire recalled from the grave by the voodoo of paleogenetics. Send a man with half his mind gone since childhood. Send them to the edge of the solar system, praying you can trust such freaks and monsters with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they've been sent to find - but you'd give anything for that to be …

It's been two months since a myriad of alien objects clenched about the Earth, screaming as they burned. The heavens have been silent since - until a derelict space probe hears whispers from a distant comet. Something talks out there: but not to us. Who to send to meet the alien, when the alien doesn't want to meet? Send a linguist with multiple-personality disorder, and a biologist so spliced to machinery he can't feel his own flesh. Send a pacifist warrior, and a vampire recalled from the grave by the voodoo of paleogenetics. Send a man with half his mind gone since childhood. Send them to the edge of the solar system, praying you can trust such freaks and monsters with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they've been sent to find - but you'd give anything for that to be true, if you knew what was waiting for them.

3 editions

David H reviewed Blindsight (Firefall, #1) by Peter Watts

One of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time

5 stars

As someone on Peter Watts' own site is quoted, "Whenever I find my will to live becoming too strong, I read Peter Watts." Reader beware.

I re-read it just recently. This book fundamentally shifted my perspective on my own humanity, and maybe not in a good way. But it did a really good job! I think it took me a few reads to really get a handle on what was happening in the story and that only made the hammer blows of its conclusion stronger.

Has a permanent space on my shelf, except my copy keeps walking out of my house because I lend it out so much.

The author has started giving away this book, available here for free on his own site: www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

But you might want to consider donating: www.rifters.com/real/donation.htm

Once you've read the book, check out this gorgeous fan-made film: blindsight.space/