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Permutation City

A Novel
By Greg Egan
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.06 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 12,458 ratings, 965 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Permutation City by Greg Egan explores a future where consciousness can be digitised and uploaded into virtual realities. The story delves into philosophical questions about identity, reality, and immortality, as uploaded inhabitants navigate infinite simulated worlds. It challenges the boundaries of what is considered real and the essence of self in a digital universe.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5600

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are intrigued by thought-provoking sci-fi that delves deep into the nature of reality and consciousness. The story presents a fascinating blend of technology and philosophy, exploring virtual realities and the implications of digital consciousness. Fans of speculative fiction that challenges the boundaries of identity and existence may find this a compelling read.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Permutation City , first published in 1994, comes a world of wonder that makes you ask if you are you, or is the Copy of you the real you?

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

What happens when your digital self overpowers your physical self? A life in Permutation City is unlike any life to which you're accustomed. You have Eternal Life, the power to live forever. Immortality is a real thing, just not the thing you'd expect.

Life is just electronic code. You have been digitised, scanned, and downloaded into a virtual reality programme—a Copy of a Copy. For Paul Durham, he keeps making Copies of himself, but the issue is that his Copies keep changing their minds and shutting themselves down.

You also have Maria Deluca, who is nothing but an Autoverse addict. She spends every waking minute with the cellular automaton known as the Autoverse, a world that lives by the mathematical "laws of physics."

Paul makes Maria an offer to design and drop a seed into the Autoverse that will allow her to indulge in her obsession. There is, however, one catch: you can no longer terminate, bail out, and remove yourself. You will never be your normal flesh-and-blood life again.

The question then becomes: Is this what she really wants? Is this what we really want?

From the brilliant mind of Greg Egan, Permutation City, first published in 1994, comes a world of wonder that makes you ask if you are you, or is the Copy of you the real you?

Reviewed at Just A Guy That Likes to Read

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Permutation City by Greg Egan has been praised for its complex and thought-provoking exploration of virtual reality and consciousness. Reviewers appreciate its innovative approach to the themes of identity and existence, though some find the dense scientific concepts challenging. Overall, it’s recognised as a compelling read for those interested in philosophical science fiction.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781597805391

Publisher: Night Shade Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 October 2014

Country: United States

Imprint: Night Shade Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 386g

Pages: 336

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Greg Egan Sci-Fi & Fantasy Science Fiction

About the Author

Greg Egan is a computer programmer, and the author of the acclaimed SF novels The Arrows of Time, Distress, Diaspora, Quarantine, Permutation City, and Teranesia. He has won the Hugo Award as well as the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. His short fiction has been published in a variety of places, including Interzone, Asimov's, and Nature. He lives in Perth, Australia.

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