Wonder
(WWW #3)
by Robert J. Sawyer
science fiction, subadult
copyright 2011
read in December 2015
rated 6/10: read to pass the time
This book is light, packed with interesting ideas, and very Enid Blyton.
Enid Blyton wrote for children. Some of the stories -- especially the short stories -- have a moral, a message... a lesson. Sawyer has written for tweens and teens. And Wonder contains several morals and messages.
Some of the messages fit firmly within the story. Equality of all creatures including conscious artificial intelligences, for example. First teen sex though... Yes, the teen heroine has her first sex. But her mother's pre-sex discussion goes beyond plot into preaching.
There's a lot of that preaching in the book. Love and respect one another, people power, freedom for all... It's all very positive, all in the spirit of good triumphing over -- and converting -- evil. All a bit overly optimistic, but I'm always in favour of over-optimism, it's much better than unrelenting gloom :-)
It's all a lot of fun ! Nice people, enormous possibilities with AI, excitement with no real threat. Plus important issues discussed -- or at least presented -- to open the reader's mind.
Enjoyable, readable, mostly harmless.
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Einstein's Theory of Intelligence: "It's very easy to be smart. Just think of something really dumb to say, then say the exact opposite." … per Pardon my Planet
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