The Cambridge Geek

Proof of Concept
Gwyneth Jones - Proof of Concept

Not entirely sure what I think of this one. I was expecting to like it, but I didn't. The book has a number of interesting elements to it. There are lots of pieces that should all fit together to make a really cool story, but the overall effect is weirdly disparate. We have a protagonist, Kir, with an AI installed into the wetware of her brain. She is part of an experiment to create an enormous version of the Schrodinger's Cat experiment, in which a team of volunteers are placed in a box deep underground and isolated from the world. And we have a mysterious death.

It should be a snappy thriller, with a science fiction twist, but it meanders off into vague forays of identity and the occasional attempt at a bit of quantum physics. The central experiment is poorly explained and difficult to care about. Kir is shallow and the AI is wildly underutilised. The plot doesn't really make much sense and the climax is a letdown. It's possible that I'm too stupid for the book and the science at its core is actually sufficiently interesting to make up for the rest of its deficiencies, but I doubt it.

Not recommended.

Tagged: Book Science fiction Techno-thriller Novel Print