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Charles Stross

Accelerando (Singularity) Mass Market Paperback – June 27, 2006

by Charles Stross (Author)

418 ratings

Book 3 of 3: Singularity

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The Singularity. It is the era of the posthuman. Artificial intelligences have surpassed the limits of human intellect. Biotechnological beings have rendered people all but extinct. Molecular nanotechnology runs rampant, replicating and reprogramming at will. Contact with extraterrestrial life grows more imminent with each new day.

Struggling to survive and thrive in this accelerated world are three generations of the Macx clan: Manfred, an entrepreneur dealing in intelligence amplification technology whose mind is divided between his physical environment and the Internet; his daughter, Amber, on the run from her domineering mother, seeking her fortune in the outer system as an indentured astronaut; and Sirhan, Amber’s son, who finds his destiny linked to the fate of all of humanity.

For something is systematically dismantling the nine planets of the solar system. Something beyond human comprehension. Something that has no use for biological life in any form...

Print length

415 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ace
Publication date

June 27, 2006
Dimensions

4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
ISBN-10

0441014151
ISBN-13

978-0441014156
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A cornucopia of notions and neat writing.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune“Makes hallucinogens obsolete.”—Cory Doctorow
“Stross sizzles with ideas…whimsical and funny as well as challenging and thoughtful.”—The Denver Post
“Like Bruce Sterling or William Gibson at their best, Stross surfs a wave of ideas and information that seems always on the brink of collapsing into incomprehensibility, but never does—a careening plunge through strangeness in which every page contains something to mess with your head.”—SF Site

About the Author

Charles Stross was born in Leeds, England in 1964. He holds degrees in pharmacy and computer science, and has worked in a variety of jobs including pharmacist, technical author, software engineer, and freelance journalist. He is now a full-time writer.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ace; Reprint edition (June 27, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 415 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0441014151
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0441014156
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #328,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,407 in Technothrillers (Books)
- #1,695 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #1,827 in Cyberpunk Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
418 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		51%
4 star		25%
3 star		11%
2 star		6%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Amazon Customer

There is no "Singularity Series"

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

I got this as part of a trilogy, which Amazon called the "Singularity Series". I love all of these books, and knew exactly what I was buying (I own the physical books of all three) but I just wanted to point out that the listing is misleading, for those who may not be familiar. Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise are the entirety of the Eschaton series, which Stross unfortunately decided not to continue, due to internal consistency issues. Accelerando is about the Singularity, but is unrelated to those two books (Glasshouse may take place later on in the Accelerando universe, but I can't say for sure, and it's definitely not a sequel). I mainly just wanted to give a heads up to fans of Singularity Sky and/or Iron Sunrise who might see the "Singularity Book 3" descriptor and think Accelerando was a third Eschaton book, which it is not. That being said, I totally recommend all of these books.

42 people found this helpful

Helpful

DonL2507

A Disappointing Take on a Trans-Human, Super-Computational World. Lacks Coherence.

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Why can't I find good science fiction in my older years. This was the third science fiction novel recently recommended to me that proved to be markedly disappointing. Where are the provocative and educational sci fi authors of my youth....the Isaac Asimov's, the Arthur C. Clarke's, the Ray Bradbury's? Even actual scientists could write better science fiction than "Accelerando", e.g., Fred Hoyle's "The Black Cloud" or Carl Sagan's "Contact." Oh well, I guess I'll keep searching. But anyway, despite some flashes of imagination (thinly) scattered throughout Charles Stross's "Accelerando", the book, at least to me, is a conglomeration, more accurately a disjointed jumble, of connected and disconnected plots enlivened, or more precisely obscured, by a fertile multitude of scientific labels and terms throughout the book. He just tosses off stuff left and right without even deigning to explore and explain the mechanisms and "the hows" of the various post-human and super-intelligent scenarios he describes. In my view, I think he tries to do too much in this book, by virtue of his multi-faceted scientific fantasizing, to lead to any semblance of coherence. The many positive reviews on this site mystify me. There must be a book out there that deals with a world characterized by, say, 10 million MIPS per gram of matter, i.e., almost a totally computational world, that's both coherent AND imaginative, but in my view this isn't it.

On a silly note, it is noted in the early stages of the acceleration to the Singularity that Manfred, the genius inventor and innovator, has developed a set of "algorithms" that enables the "non-coercive" central planning of an economy. Of course, toward the end of the book after much more accelerating technical progress, the same Manfred, in order to explore an extra-galactic world, says (P. 370): "If we win the election, we'll have the resources we need to do that." Apparently, the non-voters for his scheme somehow will not be coerced into giving up those resources, or perhaps Manfred (and Stross) have a different definition of coercive.

On a final note, this book attempts to explore the power, and potential malevolence, of trans-human (accelerated AI) intelligence. Perhaps we humans should be fearful of all-powerful trans-human intelligence. I've read that there's a cult in California (where else!) that pre-emptively worships super-AI, so that "we (humans) will be treated as pets and not livestock."

12 people found this helpful

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Eat This Pile of Steaming Fresh Matrioshka Brain

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2021

Verified Purchase

I have not finished "Accelerando" (currently on chapter 7 out of 9) but hope to finish it in the next few days. I was totally polarized about what to say about it here. At first I hated it, then I loved it enough to promise to send it to my librarian ex, who loves science fiction.

The one thing you can't deny is that "Accelerando" is an assault on your imagination. I'm glad I can't physically sense, only read about, the things that are happening in this book, because they would certainly be an assault on the senses. Modern life in general would probably seem that way to people living a hundred years ago, but certainly the next hundred years will see the human condition change more than in all previous human history.

How much SHOULD the human condition change? "Accelerando" is ultimately a DYSTOPIAN novel because humans are essentially FORCED to give up their humanity, not in order to join some ill-defined universal consciousness but in order to remain relevant to the economy (which by part 3 of the book has morphed into "Economics 2.0" and produced "Vile Offspring," an ideal name for a metal band). I far prefer utopian stories where the economy not only accommodates but to some extent celebrates our human limitations and meets them halfway, like the United Federation of Planets. "Accelerando" was conceived by a Scotsman writing during the Blair ministry, so you get some idea of where neoliberalism will eventually take us if we don't CLEARLY CHOOSE OUR HUMANITY instead. Four stars.

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James R Petrarca

Unsatisfying Singularity Back-Story

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

If readability were the only factor I considered in rating this book, I'd have given it only two stars. Frequent naps were needed to get through the book because it kept making me drowsy. But the author did try to imagine the unimaginable - that is, to conjure up a picture of the post-singularity future. So I'll give him credit for taking a stab at the impossible. That vision, unfortunately, lacks even the tiniest smidgen of credibility. It's just out-of-control imagination, and it's very tedious to read.

Iron Sunrise was by far the best book of the series. Its plot line and characters were intriguing, and it hinted that some race (the Remastered or perhaps their "gods") was able to hide events from the Eschaton and maybe even threaten or destroy them. This turned out to be a major, dangling plot thread that was never addressed in Accelerando. The lack of follow-up was very disappointing.

So Accelerando is the back-story for books 1 and 2. Pre and post singularity events play out, starting on Earth and spreading out vastly, that presumably lead to the rise of the Eschaton. But that eventuality is only very loosely implied by the ending, and the Eschaton is never actually encountered in book 3.

8 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

J. N. Smith

Singularity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

There is a pervasive thought in current philosophy that as our (humanity's) mental efforts change the world about us, then that itself creates a change. This comprises an unstable feedback process, that accelerates and accelerates and then - well we don't know really. Weakly God-like beings?
This book covers the stage from after when the acceleration has become noticeable, to -um- later.
There are other books out there that approach the topic through a slice in time, or after the signularity has occurred. This is one of very few that climbs the curve.
I have always liked Stross's works. They cover a wide variety of themes. One of the best books I have read since the lockdown. Quite enthusiastically recommended.

VonRichtoven

I liked you before

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

This author has very respectable fantasy and sci-fi credentials but this is a masterpiece for a Radical Thinker and Futuroloigist; no simple sci-fi this.

What does A.I REALLY mean? What does acceleration of technological change actually offer? Now biological evolution seems to have been arrested by our control of the environment, what will deliberate evolution do to our future?

These are questions explored through following one man from a recognisable near future through to near-transcendence. The necessary legal and ethical challenges are covered in the authors well practiced engaging credible entertaining narrative manner. Family and dynastic issues illustrate some points. But this is a likely future, no 'warp' bypass reality cheats; this really could be where our grandchildren end up. And it is a NEW Unexpected but perfectly logical vision. For that reason alone 5* but it is entertaining, well written and gripping.

Mr Stross, I liked you before, but this is not your run of the mill. It is a departure from your other work. It is a thoughtful MASTERPIECE: I salute you.

2 people found this helpful

Ygraine

I don't have time to tell you how wonderful charles Stross's books are

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

I don't have time to tell you how wonderful charles Stross's books are. They are funny, they are erudite, they are well written, the physics jokes are hillarious and you've never laughed till you've choked over a vampire taking his alien girlfreind to tea with his tax inspector parents only to find his sister is coming out as gay and introducing her trans partner. Another book but evidence of why anyone can enjoy a charles stross book. Unless you have something against maths that is.

docnelson

Diamond-hard Sci Fi

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

I read all the Laundry Files novels and thought I'd give this a go. On the plus side, it's well-written and plotted. On the negative side (and why I only gave it 4 stars) it doesn't so much end as just stop. It seems to me that it needs a sequel - though why modern Sci Fi writers never seem to be able to write self-contained novels any more is beyond me... It's always: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, etc just putting off the inevitable anticlimax of an ending. However, this book is worth reading if only for the best explanation of the Fermi Paradox I've come across. Detailed descriptions of transhumanism makes for uncomfortable reading at times.

Whitehatter

Just buy or download it. You won't be sorry with this brilliant piece of near-future sci-fi!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2014

Verified Purchase

Bought this from Amazon a while ago and haven't as yet done a review. My bad. This is epic and ranks as one of my favourite Charlie Stross books.

Accelerando represents near-future science fiction at its very best. Charles Stross takes an idea, and like a prop forward in a rugby game he holds tight and runs forward with it. Only an author completely at home with his genre can write a book like this, and the way in which Charlie takes the idea of the increasing power of computing and information technology and basically lights a fire under it is gripping. From the beginning with an always-connected genius spinning off new ideas and patents right through to a solar system that is almost all converted to smart, computing matter, the scope of this book explodes from page to page.

I won't spoil it by giving a synopsis of who did what and when as that'll spoil it. However if I could give this book six stars I would. it's simply epic.

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