Customer Reviews

The Bohr Maker (The Nanotech Succession)

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4 star:		(1)
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It's too bad this novel is currently out of print, since it packages intricate and imaginative speculation about nanotechnology and its impacts on humanity with lively action, exotic local color, a social conscience *and* a charming heroine with an unbeatable combination of vulnerability and clout. Phousita is an impoverished and uneducated but gentle, clever and (by the way) "beautifully proportioned" ex-prostitute who stands less than four feet tall. Accidentally infected with the "Bohr maker," a new and awesomely powerful nanotechnological device, she acquires magical, superhuman powers of life and death. Her adventures take her from the slums of an unnamed city (apparently in Java or Malaya) to artificial habitats in outer space and back again, more or less. Along the way Nagata details a vivid series of technological wonders, from trees (and humans) genetically engineered to flourish in the near-vacuum of space, to organic self-sustaining space habitats that disperse through spores (call them spaceships). Nor does she neglect the political dynamics and cultural shifts that result from such technological developments. Significant weaknesses include rather flat rendering of most characters and occasional lags in the plot's pacing. Nagata's next two books (Tech Heaven and Deception Well) do not live up to the promise of this one, in my view, but I look forward to checking out Vast and Limit of Vision.

My favorite authors include Larry Niven, Neal Stephenson, and Linda Nagata. Actually, the last few books by Neal (and I have autographed copies) have been a distinct disappointments.

But in all the mass-market books that I have been able to locate, Linda Nagata has consistently written excellent work. This is the second in the Nanotech series (w/Tech Heaven, Deception Well, and Vast), and perhaps the best.

The thrust of the book centers on the attempt to access the Bohr Maker, a "maker" that can alter the (human) host's physiology at a cellular level, and more. The technological evolution is handled very well, and some ramifications of such a technology are presented as facets of the narrative. The social situation she presents is not as well framed, but that deficiency does little to reduce the joy in reading this book.

The last 3 books of this series would certainly make it on my list of top 50, proably top 25 books.

Find it, buy it and read it.

I really enjoyed this story -

Sci-Fi is at its best to me when it combines "real" people, a good story and lots of "it might happen sooner than you think" technologys/situations

I found the characters both otherworldy and understandable - I didnt understand thier motivation at all at the beginning, but by the end I had got "into thier heads" - I have thought about them a bit afterwards and wonder if they would seem more natural to a japanese reader, coming from a culture which emphasises self control and etiquette.

The story itself was a great yarn, but filled with many enriching observations/details - I have not felt this many times, but on closing the book I thought "This would make a great movie"

The ideas are also really intriguing - essentially a projection of how genetic engineering will manifest itselves in future generations. Since reading it (combined with a nearer-term vision presented in the movie "Gattaca") I find the subject fascinating - both in a happy "futuristic" way, but also with some sadness for my children that will have to navigate through a more complex world as these technologies increasingly influence our lives.

I dont think this book would be to everyones taste, but I loved it!!

This is an amazing book for any tech, sci-fi or action lover. A lot of sci-fi books stand only on the legs of techno speculation and can have a writing style that can lose the reader from time to time. This is not the case with this book. Linda Nagata has a style that is simply enthralling. there is a detailed immersive world of future tech all around but it is her writing style that draws you in and her multi layered action packed plot that makes this a hard book to put down. This is the first book of hers I have read but she has instantly made my top 10 list making it on par with, if not surpassing, some of the greats of the genre like Philip K. Dick and H. G. Wells. this is the second book of 4 in her nanotech succession yet they are all stand alone books with vast amounts of time in between installments in what seems to be a large overview of the effects of nanotech on human evolution. If you love action packed Sci-fi that asks heavy philosophical questions about the human condition then this is a MUST READ!

In the medium term future the combination of Nano technology and computers makes for some very interesting possibilities. The genie is being kept down by a highly suppressive society. This is the novel of several characters, ranging from extreme poverty to the lap of luxury beyond what is currently possible in todays society and the release of a suppressed technology item. The science is handled well and while it propels the storyline, the characters, with their understandable motives and rationals, bring you along an exciting adventure.

This novel was published in 1995, and is the author's first. Considering that novels may take years to write and that Windows 95 came out in, let me think, 1995, this is a very compelling and creative novel. First and foremost it never lags. Once started you not want to put it down. If you must put it down you can't wait to get back to it. It is driven by the story. Nevertheless, the science moves into biotechnology far ahead of most other science fiction of 1995, but it does not feel dated at all. It has elements of nanotechnology and computation as well. This novel is hard SF. However, it does not have the overwhelming and sometimes distracting jargon that can be the downfall of a poorly written hard SF novel. The characters are deftly drawn without a running commentary on their inner thoughts. The plot is complex, but not overly so and has sufficient levels of plot and subplot to engage your interest as you turn the page to find out what comes next. I want to emphasize that I just finished reading in 2010 and and it was not dated or "reverse derivative."

I just found this author. I am definitely going to look at your other books she has written since this first novel is next on my list for science fiction. I don't even like to read the blurbs on the jackets so if you find this review sparse on what the novel is about, well there you go. All I can say is read it. Unfortunately the publisher is dumb enough not to make the first couple of chapters available to Amazon to look inside. Most science fiction readers would find that enough to purchase the novel. I seriously do not understand the publisher's antithesis to e-books. They're always in print. There's no storage or transportation costs. It's easier to make enough of the content available that people will buy the books if they are any good. They can't be lent to friends (not like I think this is a good thing) so it means word-of-mouth is more likely to be translated into revenue instead of just passing the book around. And for that the publishers still insist on full hardbound prices (although admittedly, no longer the cover price) for brand-new e-books. You just scratch your head and wonder when they go under and their customers turn on them they will moan and groan, complain about technology, and act as if they understand nothing. Maybe they don't.