the meaning of life in socratic dialog. a total outer limits episode. ( )

This novella would have worked as either a short story or a novel, but this manifestation was not a success. The premise was interesting, but the exploration of the main themes was superficial and juvenile. After finishing, I felt as though I'd seen more interesting, thoughtful episodes of "Twilight Zone." ( )

Well, to review this book would give too much away. The ending is totally unexpected, and tells something of humans being egocentric. Wonderfully written, and rather short (I read the book on cd in 1 day on a long trip.) ( )

More like 3.5 Stars!

This book was a good bit of escapism, it's a short read.. I did it in two days easily (you could read it in one if you have the free time). It pulled me in right away, I like a dystopic future society.

The narrative device was interesting, told from the perspective of a history student during a gruelling four hour exam on her chosen topic - The Life of Adam. I won't bother telling you about the plot too much. It has a lot of discussion of philosophical themes around identity, individuality, ideas and consciousness.

There is a twist at the end, the more astute reader will probably see it coming about half way through.. still it's a good one! I just found out it is a children's book, ha! So that I suppose accounts of the slight lack of sophistication and it's short length.

I wouldn't say it's highly original, it feels like something I have read (or seen) before.

It's worth a read though, it's got some fuel for though. ( )

This book was more philosophy than dystopia or science-fiction. I found it strange, though intriguing for the most part.

This entire book takes place through an interview, which was a novel approach. Anaximander is interviewing for the Academy, which isn't just a place of study. People prepare for these interviews by becoming experts in one particular subject area. As such, Anax talks, prompted by the examiners, about Adam Forde and one of the first artificially intelligent machines, this one called Art.

I really enjoyed this set up. In a way, it felt like a podcast or a lecture, and it heightened the tension as Anax was under so much pressure. The examiners prodded her to get more complex answers from her and to encourage her to explain her reasoning.

Anax had supposedly different views on the series of events Adam Forde had been part of, radically different views, and she supported these through making holograms based on real dialogue transcriptions from Adam and Art.

Though we didn't see much directly about Anax, I felt like I got to know her through seeing how she interpreted events differently from those who came before her. She was also the type of person to watch the sunset every day, which makes her a kindred spirit. Her relationship with her mentor was additionally fun.

I loved the ideas presented in this book, especially when Beckett talked about the idea of Ideas being as much a force as humanity. The ending was a lovely plot twist that added dimensions to this book.

For those looking for something philosophical, this book will get you thinking about humanity and how we perceive the world. ( )