Customer Reviews

WWW: Watch (WWW Trilogy)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

WWW: Watch is the second novel of a trilogy about an artificial intelligence, or consciousness that emerges from the World Wide Web.

In the previous novel , WWW: Wake, Catlin Decter, a brilliant 15 year old blind girl is given sight through experimental technology in the form of an implant that interprets visual signals correctly and allows her to see (in her left eye at least). Through this device she discovers a presence in the Web that starts to gain greater and greater cognitive abilities, which grows as the second novel progresses. She dubs it Webmind.

In Watch, we watch as Webmind not only develops cognitive abilities exponentially, but through the help of Catlin begins to develop its sense of ethics and, without being too maudlin, an understanding of "the meaning of life." This novel is primarily about this development, along with government agencies trying to figure out how to shut Webmind down, fearing it will become so powerful it will destroy mankind.

While I have greatly enjoyed these novels so far, and the second one is even better than the first, which is unusual for a middle novel of a trilogy, sometimes I find the interactions between the characters to be a bit unbelievable. They seem scripted more for a Grade B movie than the way people really interact with each other. And when the characters are mouthpieces for the author to pontificate a point of view on consciousness, ethics and other scientific theories, the interactions just don't ring true, even though the characters are supposed to be geniuses at math and physics.

And I wonder a bit about the lost thread about the Chinese hacker that appears in Wake. I wonder if Sawyer had abandoned that tread, or if it will somehow reappear in the next novel.

This is a good and interesting trilogy so far and very much worth reading.

The best thing about Robert J. Sawyer's books are that they are truly about something. This book isn't just some excuse to have the internet gain self-awareness ... instead, it's a deep analysis of what makes people (be they geek, bully, computer, or chimpanzee-bonobo hybrid) choose an ethical course over the alternative.

WWW: WATCH is a middle book in the trilogy. In WWW: WAKE (the first book), blind teenager Caitlin Decter gained sight and discovered the existence of a developing consciousness in the World Wide Web. This Webmind, as she calls it, begins communicating with her ... and that's where the second book picks up. Caitlin has to come to terms with suddenly seeing a world that she's only known through touch while also dealling with the fallout from Webmind. Fortunately, she has help from her friends and family.

Less fortunate is the fact that the American government perceives Webmind as a potential threat, especially when it gains the ability to almost effortlessly bypass password security. The government decides that it needs to be terminated, a task that is far easier said than done.

This isn't an unreasonable decision, because it is clear that Webmind (at least initially) lacks any sort of morality at all ... but this, it turns out, is a good thing, because that means it gets to choose how to behave, instead of being guided by instincts which may sway it toward bad behavior. And, as the book makes clear, we all, as conscious beings, have the ability to make this choice. The subjects of morality and ethics, in contexts as varied as teenage relationships, suicide prevention, and personal privacy are explored from the perspectives of game theory, evolution, and religion.

And if you're not interested in any of that brainy stuff about human nature, the story itself stands out as a great read in its own right. I, for one, will definitely make the choice to read the third installment when it comes out ... and look forward to it!

Let me preface this review by saying that Sawyer is my favorite scifi writer today and that I found the first book in this trilogy to be excellent. However, much to my dismay this book was difficult to get through. Caitlin has recently gained site through an implant behind one of her eyes. Her new friend, the Webmind is starting to evolve. Meanwhile a group of government scientists have detected the Webmind and want to destroy it before it becomes too powerful to be destroyed.

Caitlin eventually lets her parents know about the Webmind and they are convinced that it is someone on the Internet pulling a prank until Caitlin's father tests it out. Eventually they are convinced and are fascinated with the Webmind like it is an additional child.

Overlayed on this tale is the story about Hobo, the intelligent chimp/bonabo crossbreed. Hobo starts to get violent towards the woman who is responsible for him and the scientists have to decide what to do with him.

Meanwhile, through Dr. Kuroda, the Webmind is able to view more than text files on the internet and branches out to sound and video files. Eventually, the Webmind witnesses a teen suicide through the net. Caitlin becomes furious at it because it didn't intervene.

There comes a point where Sawyer hints that the Webmind will be to Caitlin like the computer implant that he introduced in the Hominid series.

Some of the drawbacks to this book are that you really needed to read the first book to understand what is going on and that the book drags. The deep feelings that the reader developed for Caitlin in the first book seem to be lacking here.

I've read almost every book by Sawyer and have loved many. This one, though, reads like a 70's bad film with smart AI's who (for some reason) suddenly attain consciousness and begin to act like kids. I mean, how logical is it that a new lifeform will communicate to a viewer who then tells him to go and learn English. A web AI would have at his/her/its beck and call all the knowledge of the web. It would not need sensory outputs since it could simply read about the inner workings of the senses.

The conversations struck me as incredibly hokey (the stilted English, the dumb questions, the whole thing reeking of phoniness). Perhaps this was to be another Singularity novel but of course, it's not, since its creation never evolves beyond the "Help Desk" phase. It never hits that it can/has absorbed the world's knowledge. There is one further problem. If consciousness is obtained on the Web (and revealed to a teen who tells mom & dad before all run off to dinner) how can it speak simultaneously to millions of users? A machine that processes sequentially can appear to address everyone simultaneously but a "mind" whose development is depending on its decisions cannot afford to make decisions that might affect its "brain". Maybe this is one for a beach read after several mojitas. My Grade: C-

When I finished Wake, Sawyer's first book in this series, there was no question that I would be reading Watch as soon as I could get my hands on it. As fascinated as I had been with the premise of the first book (the emergence of consciousness on the World Wide Web) the second was even more chocked full of really esoteric but readily accessible and interesting real world science and technology. One of the things I appreciate about Sawyer's fiction is that there is an awful lot of real math and science for every science fiction conceit for which he asks you to suspend belief. He is definitely a big concept guy and in Watch he brings together ideas as widely ranging as game theory, evolution, ethics and the survival of our species in a page-turning tale that is dramatically driven with sympathetic characters and opposing forces without having to demonize any of the principal actors. Beyond that, it culminates in a plausible inspirational vision for cultivating humanity's highest potentials. After this I may actually read Teilhard de Chardin.

John Gallagher, Ph.D.
Indianapolis, IN

The second novel in Sawyer's WWW trilogy is aptly named. It is indeed about watching. The newly emerged Webmind `comes out' and is greeted by humanity with some scepticism but mostly with enthusiasm. He (yes, it's a he) is watching us, learning more and more about us and trying to be helpful. However, the government watchers are a lot less enamoured than most. Big Brother finds that he now has an even Bigger Brother, and that worries him. A lot.

There are three stories happening in Watch - the story of Caitlin Decter, the once blind teenager who is the first to meet Webmind; the story of the intelligence agency trying to come to terms with the implications of such a seemingly omniscient entity, and the story of Hobo the ape who can communicate using sign language. The three strings begin to converge in Watch, but obviously we'll have to wait for the final instalment to see exactly how they come together.

As always, Sawyer's storytelling is masterful, combining big themes with authentic characters that we can all understand and identify with. The main character, Caitlin, though amazingly intelligent and perceptive for a sixteen year old (perhaps a little too much so), is also delightfully adolescent, and Sawyer manages to wrap her extraordinarily brainy thoughts and words in convincing and often charming teen-speak. He like totally does! There are also lots of popular cultural references, including one to the recent TV adaptation of Sawyer's earlier novel Flashforward, and a good deal of wit. I also learned a lot about game theory, how the worldwide web works, the differences between bonobos and chimps, Unitarianism and government paranoia (actually, I already knew about that).

My only criticism is that the final chapter is a tad overwritten and a bit melodramatic. Otherwise, Watch is a great read that sets up what should be a fascinating third volume. The big question for me is whether or not Webmind can remain uncorrupted either by power or by the powerful.

With Wake, and now, Watch, of what is obviously going to be at least a trilogy, Robert Sawyer seems to be creating something that is sure to go down as some of his best writing yet. And that is saying something, because he is nearly always excellent. I like how he has used the experience of raising his own daughter to create a believable heroine. I hope she is even half as smart as the story's Caitlin. Other writers use action to create tension, and Sawyer can do this too, but he can create tension from an intellectual situation. Not many can. No wonder he has won so many awards in his field. A thought just struck me... the possible title of the third book, "Wonder". Let's see if I'm right.

Mathematical prodigy Caitlin Decter was born blind. When she was fifteen years old she underwent an experimental treatment of an implant inside her brain enabling her to see the world for the first time. However an unexpected consequence of the procedure is her uncanny ability to also see World Wide Web space. Thus a new sentient entity is born inside her head, of whom Caitlin calls Webmind (see WWW.WAKE).

As Webmind relishes learning all about Caitlin's physical world, top secret government watchdog agency Watch learns about Webmind as part of their scrutiny of Internet terrorist threats. They want Webmind removed from the Net because they fear it is a security risk. Whereas Caitlin feels protective of Webmind, her parents fear the intelligent being could lead to an unintended harming of their daughter from a public already concerned that Big Brother is watching.

This is a great middle book due to the powerful characterizations especially Webmind who provides first entity perspective. Caitlin is a superb teenager trying to keep her friend safe while her parents have always been protective of her. In fact protectiveness of others is the overarching theme as even the Watch contains individuals trying to keep the public safe. Readers will fully appreciate Robert J. Sawyer's brilliant WWW tale, but should read Wake first to better understand how far Webmind has come and potentially could go; that explains the fears of the Watch group.

Harriet Klausner

When the WWW series was introduced to me, I admit I wasn't sure what I expected. The first book intrigued me enough to pick up the second, but I feel that this is where the series lost a bit of the appeal to me.

The portrayal of the characters doesn't seem as strong in this book as the first. At times, this made some of the characters that most appealed to me downright unlikeable. One example is Caitlin's father, revealed to be autistic in the previous book, who has moments where he absolutely shines. Then, as if to derail this, the character reveals to Webmind that he 'apes' human emotions for the sake of others, which leads me to doubt anything that he has said or done previously in regards to his family. As someone who has known autistics and worked with autistic support groups, his portrayal seems stereotyped at best.

Even the main character falls into this. Bright, intelligent, and generally likable, Caitlin seems to become a raging ball of hormones ready to jump down a boy's pants on the second date. It's such a stark contrast to the character as she had been portrayed before. Really, do we need more sixteen year old girls thinking 'Oh, the average American girl has sex at 16.4, I better make sure I'm above average!' Seriously?

In addition, there are inserts of political/religious viewpoints that seem to just be inserts rather than actual parts of the main story. Unlike many who might point this out, I do agree with them, but I feel as if these are not part of the story, but just the author's opinions shoved in when they didn't really need to be there. In general, I don't like to be preached to, and there are points in this book where the characters /preach/ about the non-existence of god, or the need for gay marriage acceptance, and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the main story.

Also, I must warn prospective readers that there is a quite graphic scene of teen suicide in this book that I feel may upset some readers. It came as a shock to me, and I admit that I almost put the book down when the scene happened and then the issue wasn't addressed for another few chapters. Even when it is addressed, it is done so in a way of saying 'this is wrong' rather than explaining to Webmind about how life is precious, or giving some good moral reasoning for it. For such a graphic scene, the response comes off flat.

Even taking these things into consideration, the story still was engaging enough for me to push through the awkward moments. The examinations of things such as morality, and governmental responses to threats like Webmind make up an interesting story. Like many middle books, it seems more like a set-up for some larger conflict, building up for a climax that never really seems to happen. Story threads from the first book are left untouched, and while Webmind remains the most intriguing character, the other characters all seemed to have 'lost' something for me while reading this novel.

In this sequel to Wake, Robert Sawyer continues Caitlin Decter's adventure. In this book we also see two of the threads in Wake coming together and the appearance of a new thread. We also learn more background of the Decter family. But this only scratches the surface of this story that will have you enthralled from cover to cover. Again, Sawyer's pop culture references made me feel closer to the characters in the book, but I can see why some people might object to them. If you liked Wake, then there is no question you must read this book. If you stumbled onto this review and haven't read Wake, read my review of it and then buy both books.