Aristoi [Hardcover]

Walter Jon Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1992

Successful in its efforts to create a glittering interstellar empire, founded on the use of an ultra-advanced computer and bioengineering technology, humankind becomes the prey of its own creation, the Aristoi.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this complex and rewarding novel, Williams (Days of Atonement) has created a future which features many of the wonders SF has been promising us for years: virtual reality, genetic engineering, faster-than-light travel, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, telepathic links with computers, and more. Perhaps most interesting is that people have control of their daimones, different aspects of personality that are given specific names. The class system remains: the aristoi are the seemingly perfect humans who wield power and influence; in fact, some worship them as gods. An aristos named Gabriel discovers a conspiracy among three others of his class, who have created several worlds that are barbaric, with little technology and rampant disease and sickness. They have also killed other aristoi to cover their tracks and violated the sanctity of the Logarchy, the massive, open computer network that links all humans. In a nice touch, Williams renders several scenes in two columns of text on the page, the left describing the action, the right Gabriel's internal dialogue with his daimones. And in one delicious scene Gabriel has sex with two different women at the same time--one in virtual reality, one in real space.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In the far future, an elite class of individuals--called aristoi--rules an interstellar empire through the benign, disciplined mastery of advanced technologies. Beneath the facade of universal prosperity, however, lurks a tide of dissension and madness that can only be fought from within. Williams ( Voice of the Whirlwind , LJ 5/15/87; Days of Atonement , LJ 3/15/91) tests the borders of imagination in a novel that combines brilliant hard science and speculative vision with a firm grip on the central humanity of his characters. A priority purchase for sf collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312851723
• ISBN-13: 978-0312851729
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,517,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Evolution of Mankind Challenged, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aristoi (Paperback)

I first read Aristoi not long after it's original release in Hardcover, and have re-read it three times since then.

When I first read the book, I thought it was a work of art that created a world and culture as it someday might come to pass and still remained realistic enough to be believable. I was very impressed, and have since read most of the authors other works.

After re-reading the book a couple times, some of the magic I originally experienced faded but the underlining principles that made it a great book remained. It remains a classic on my bookshelf, and to this day I hope to see a sequal.

The book touches upon the evolution of mankind, and focus' on one individual, Gabriel, who is one of the cultural elite. With god-like authority, Gabriel can create worlds of great beauty while at the same time compose poetry and music and still hold a conversation on medical science.

Gabriel is restless though, and in his desire to solve a mystery he sets off on an adventure that ultimately challenges his beliefs, and the foundation of his culture. In the end he discovers that the aura of arrogance and power that came naturally to him before is now a difficult matter, and for the first time in his life knows fear and what it is to be "just human".

As a cultural analyst, I found the book rich in depth and, despite a couple raw points, very well done. The nuances that make a culture, and which I find lacking in many science-fiction books that attempt to create new or alien cultures, were very well done. I hope the author will someday write a sequal and continue the saga as Gabriel explores the universe in search of what he lost.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intriguing essay on dealing with power and consequences..., March 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Aristoi (Paperback)

This is one of those books that can be curled up with and enjoyed for hours on end...like a good Heinlein novel, it keeps one engrossed in the details of the society at view. Set in the far, far, future, after nanotechnology and interstellar travel have become commonplace, it tells the story of the few who have the ability/responsibility to manage these awesome technologies. These "Aristoi" are absolute rulers of their domain, charged with the task of preserving and protecting lesser human beings.

Problem is, how do you cope with that kind of stress? Not everyone is content to simply stay at home and putter about in a garden...

Most interesting to me was the concept of "daimones" : semi-autonomous parts of the self which are conciously developed to "handle" events while the primary personality is otherwise engaged. The protagonist is posessed of an entire stable of such beings, each of which has distinct, but very limited, personalities. Mataglap is vengeful, Augenblick is diplomatic, etc. Any of them is capable of assuming control of bodily or netbourne functions when asked to do so...at other times, they simply remain as permanent voices in ones' head.

Interaction with daimones forms a large part of the book and is handled well. Particularly effective was the technique of splitting the narrative into columns, with one conversation on the right, another on the left. The confusion created by trying to follow both threads at once brings home the multiple 'presences' of the character in a way impossible with a normal linear stream. I wish I could do that on IRC or in chat...

At one point, we see a novice undergoing intense pain to summon and control his own fledgling daimones. The ceremony is portrayed as a means of gaining mastery over the self, but it also raises questions about the sanity of the Aristoi lifestyle. What does it say about society when a rite of passage involves creating multiple personalities?

The protagonist, naturally, feels that concious control of the mind's aspects is a noble goal, even at the cost of exaggerating/alienating them into separate entities; he looks down on people who 'allow their daimones to control them.' Ironically, this emphasis on control is his undoing, as his own training/conditioning is used against him. What finally saves him is an untapped, uncontrolled, and previously unknown daimon, who resists all his attempts to name and identify it after his escape.

The questions this raises are intriguing : what effect does power and control have on the human mind, and where can they go too far? What's the line between rationalism and hubris?
The society described in Aristoi is very much influenced by "eastern" thought - traditionalist, deference to elders, status based on examniation, etc., but the book ends on a decidely expansive/activist note, with the surviving Aristoi roused to action.

Wish I'd thought of more of this while actually reading the book... :-)

Social pseudo-analysis aside, this is one of those books that will simply force you to finish once started. It's thick enough to keep one occupied for a day or so, but the time is well spent. The more I read of Walter Jon Williams, the more impressed I become. If all his books are like Aristoi, I think I'm going to be busy for a good long while...

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating speculations, deep thoughts, and a good story!, May 16, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Aristoi (Paperback)

What happens after The Diamond Age? Will nanotechnology
run amok and melt down everything it touches? (The
concept of "rogue nano" is one good reason to read this book!)
Williams explores a fascinating future in which access to the
immense power of nanotechnology is permitted only to
the aristoi. But how do you become one of "the best"?
Why not employ nanomachinery to enhance your brain capacities,
then develop and express multiple personalities, each
gifted with specific abilities and skills? But will your emerging personalities
work together? What surprises lurk in the depths of the mind?
And who will watch the watchers? This is one of my all-time
favorites -- fascinating, subtle, thought-provoking and a
good read!