Monday, March 2, 2015

Science Fiction: Nexus By Ramez Naam

(Drivebycuriosity) - Imagine a drug which works like software and turns your brain into a kind of computer. Imagine also that this "software drug" connects your brain with the minds of others, creating a kind of "mind Internet". The science fiction novel "Nexus" by Ramez Naam, set around the year 2040, spins around such a really brain-enhancing drug, called "Nexus" (amazon). The story is based on a slight extrapolation of today´s trends and contains a lot of plausible speculation about the implications of such a drug.

The US government declares a massive war against "Nexus", because such a powerful drug can easily be abused. Samantha, a government agent with a dark history, is set on "Kaden", a hacker & developer of Nexus, which starts a chain reaction of dramatical events (this is a spoiler free blog).

Naam constructed a wild & exotic adventure story about advances in technology - especially neuroscience - and the paranoid fears it creates. The plot accelerates and becomes very militaristic and violent. I think Naam overdid some of the violence but otherwise the story is thrilling and spiced with believable speculation how virtual reality, social networks, cloning, Buddhist meditation and sexual adventures could have developed by the year 2040.

"Nexus" is cool near time science fiction, almost believable and thought provoking.

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