Kiln People (The Kiln Books) (Hardcover)

by David Brin (Author) "It's hard to stay cordial while fighting for your life, even when your life doesn't amount to much..." (more)
Key Phrases: gray golem, ditto blanks, salmon reflex, Universal Kilns, Yosil Maharal, Albert Morris (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Just about everyone's had a day when they've wished it were possible to send an alternate self to take care of unpleasant or tedious errands while the real self takes it easy. In Kiln People, David Brin's sci-fi-meets-noir novel, this wish has come true. In Brin's imagined future, folks are able to make inexpensive, disposable clay copies of themselves. These golems or "dittos" live for a single day to serve their creator, who can then choose whether or not to "inload" the memories of the ditto's brief life. But private investigator Albert Morris gets more than he, or his "ditective" copies, bargain for when he signs on to help solve the mysterious disappearance of Universal Kilns' co-founder Yasil Maharal--the father of dittotech.

Brin successfully interweaves plot lines as numerous as our hero's ditectives and doggedly sticks to the rules of his created dittotech while Morris's "realflesh" and clay manifestations slowly unravel the dangerous secret behind Maharal's disappearance. As Brin juggles his multiple protagonists and antagonists, he urges the reader to question notions of memory, individualism, and technology, and to answer the schizoid question "which 'you' is 'you?'" Brin's enjoyment is evident as he plays with his terracotta creations' existential angst and simultaneously deconstructs the familiar streetwise detective meme--complete with a multilayered ending. Overall, Kiln People is a fun read, with a good balance of hard science fiction and pop sensibility. --Jeremy Pugh

From Publishers Weekly
Bestselling novelist Brin (Startide Rising; The Postman; etc.) restricts the action to planet Earth, but still allows his imagination to roam the cosmos in this ambitious SF/mystery hybrid whose grasp occasionally exceeds its reach. Thanks to the new technology of imprinting, people in a near-future America can copy their personalities into animated clay bodies (called "dittos" or "golems"), which last a single day. Albert Morris, private investigator, is his own sidekick as he attempts to uncover the murderer of a prominent imprinting research scientist, capture a criminal mastermind specializing in ditto the major ditto manufacturer and pinning the blame on several Alberts. Brin deftly explores the issues of identity, privacy and work in a world where everyone is supported with a living wage and has ready access to duplication technology. The book features the author's usual style, with a lighter touch and punnish humor abounding amid the hard SF speculation. The duplication of the "ditective" makes for a challenging twist on the standard private eye narrative, allowing Morris to simultaneously lead the reader through three separate (and interacting) plot lines. The hardboiled framework and the humor mix a bit uneasily, as does the social background of a libertarian/socialist U.S.A. The book's major fault lies in the diffusion of most of the tension as expendable dittos replace vulnerable humans for much of the action. Still, the work is brightened by Brin's trademark hardheaded optimism.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (January 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765303558
• ISBN-13: 978-0765303554
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #813,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindbender Deluxe, January 1, 2002

By	Chris Lee Mullins (Highlands Ranch, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

David Brin has always been an author I can count on. First with his "Uplift" series, then with the novel "Earth" (and man, what a book that was). I started to wonder about him when he wrote some Star Trek comic book fiction and a series of books for kids about time travel. But it looks like he was cooking up something good in the interim. "Kiln People" (in my humble opinion) is by far his best.

To me, Brin is always best when he remains grounded. Like someone said about his novel "Earth", extrapolating 1000 years into the future is easy. You have no reference point and who knows what scientific breakthroughs will take place over the next millenium. Extrapolating 50 to 100 or so years into the future, a future you may conceivably live in....that's hard to do. Hard to make fantastic and believable at the same time. He succeeded admirably in "Earth".

"Kiln People" takes place a couple of centuries from now. Society is a vastly different place, but the people in it are very familiar. The major difference? A technology which allows the user to create short-lived duplicates of oneself. These duplicates, called "dittos", made of clay, with a one-day life span, are infused with the personality and memories of it's archetype. The duplicates are assigned a variety of tasks, depending on it's original. Going to work for the day. Fighting prearranged wars that decide national issues. Sleuthing for missing persons.

And once the ditto has reached the end of it's useful lifespan, it's memories can be reinfused with the original user.

The main character, Albert, becomes embroiled with a case involving a possible advance in Kiln technology, something that could completely change the way Dittos are made, and their prospective longevity.

Giving away any more would do you a possible disservice.

I was struck by the ease with which Brin switched perspectives from one Ditto to the other, all originally from the same user. How their thoughts after initially waking into this world were all the same, and how they grew into their own personalities by the end of their life span. Each time a ditto expired...well, you're a little saddened by it, and a bit surprised by how haphazardly they are treated by both their users and by other "real people".

That thought is the major "meat" of this novel.

Anyway, I enjoyed "Kiln People". Another book that shall remain on my shelf for years to come.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great and Interesting Story, Dissatisfying Ending, February 18, 2002

By	D. S. Hagan (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a huge fan of Brin, and have read everything he has put to print, including many of his scientific and social papers. He has always been one of the most imaginiative and creative SF writers out there. Kiln People starts out like a good old fashioned mystery novel. It reminded me early on of the Old "Gil The ARM" series of novellas by Larry Niven, which I think are among some of the best SF mysteries to be found. Unfortunately, by the time that I had reached the end of Kiln People, I just didn't care about the resolution anymore, even struggling to finish the last three chapters!

Overall, this effort is interesting in it's central idea, but flawed in it's execution. The departure to some "super soul plane" dimension didn't seem to serve any purpose, and certainly didn't manage to solve any mysteries, spritual or otherwise.

Brin seems to be trying to send some sort of message about where technology is taking us on the spirtual level, but sorry, I just didn't get it! If you really liked "Earth" by Brin, with it's myriad of characters and somewhat contrived finish, then you will probably enjoy Kiln People. On the other hand, if you prefer his Uplift series or maybe the Practice Effect, you are going to find yourself little bit irriated at Brin for this one!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brin at his best and his worst, February 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Kiln People (The Kiln Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

I found "Kiln People" to a great example of both David Brin's best and worst qualities as a writer.

First, the best: Brin comes up with some of the most novel, intriguing, and well-developed ideas in SF. In "Kiln People", Brin describes a futuristic society based on "ditto" technology, which allows everyone to create short-lived clay clones of themselves. Brin's exploration of this concept is truly compelling, and for that alone I'm glad I read the book.

Now, the worst: Brin has shackled these ideas to a confusing plot that is at times frustratingly lightweight and at others is maddeningly incomprehensible. Like "Sundiver", the novel unfolds as a detective story, and one that's not particularly interesting. The story then meanders from one bizarre episode to the next, without seeming to head much of anywhere. Towards the end, it spirals nearly out of control, echoing the pretentious incoherence of the end of the New Uplift Trilogy. When I finished, I couldn't honestly tell you what happened or why, or whether I cared or not.

Despite those criticisms, "Kiln People" is worth a read to savor in Brin's exploration of the "ditto" concept. Just don't expect much from the story, and you won't be disappointed.