The Terminal Experiment is a terrific science fiction thriller set in what was the author’s near future. It was written in 1995 and set in 2011. The novel has a prologue, so the reader knows that a murder is going to happen and a police officer is also going to be poisoned.
The plot starts with a scientist, Dr Peter Hobson, accidentally discovering the electrical signature of a soul leaving a body. This discovery has all sorts of implications for society. Some people commit suicide so their souls can go to a better place. Some go on health kicks as they fear where their soul might end up. But this is only the beginning of Hobson’s experiments with the human mind.
Hobson then teams up with another scientist to conduct an experiment where copies of his mind are uploaded onto a computer. He alters two of the copies in different ways, and a third is a control copy. The experiments don’t go as expected, with Hobson’s marital problems having an effect on them.
As mentioned, the novel was written in 1995, so it is interesting to see what technology Sawyer has people using in 2011. Obviously, no one uploaded human minds that functioned as such in 2011. And no one had tracked the human soul in 2011. But, for the most part, the technology is what it was like in 2011. Sawyer had an excellent grasp of what the internet might be like. The one major missing technology is mobile phones, with characters often having to find a phone to use. However, many of the phones did have video screens.
The novel has some wonderful speculations on what uploaded minds might get up to. It also has fascinating insights into how police can manipulate the people they investigate. Sawyer seems to have a keen interest in police procedures due to the nature of his novels, like Flash Forward.
I have not read many “crime” novels set in the future, so reading The Terminal Experiment was enjoyably different. It may be the type of novel that introduces readers of crime fiction to science fiction. It is very much a page-turner.
4 Responses
Sounds like fun. I've never read a Sawyer I haven't enjoyed, so I need to add this one to my list of things to get round to one day. Thanks for the review.
By the way, if you haven't read Asimov's Caves of Steel (and sequels), you might like those, too. They feature Detective Elijah Baley and his robot assistant R. Daneel Olivaw – two of my favourite characters in all of Asimov's writing.
I've been finding his novels hard to get in paperback form. Ordered one from an Amazon supplier and it never turned up so I had to get a refund. Enjoyed his Flash Forward series. I am one of his Facebook friends and enjoy his comments on science fiction. He's a big fan of the original Star Trek series.
Graham, I have a few Asimovs in my to-read bookcase, but unfortunately not Caves of Steel. Will have to see if I can get it.