WWW: Watch (WWW Trilogy Series #2)

by Robert J. Sawyer

Overview

It calls itself Webmind. An emerging consciousness within the World Wide Web, it has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH, the secret United States government agency that monitors the Internet for any potential threats-and wants it purged from cyberspace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780441020164
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/29/2011
Series:	The WWW Trilogy , #2
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert J. Sawyer has been called “the dean of Canadian science fiction” by The Ottawa Citizen.

He is one of only seven writers in history—and the only Canadian—to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo (which he won in 2003 for Hominids), the Nebula (which he won in 1995 for The Terminal Experiment), and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (which he won in 2005 for Mindscan).

In total, Rob has authored over 18 science-fiction novels and won forty-one national and international awards for his fiction, including a record-setting ten Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”) and the Toronto Public Library Celebrates Reading Award, one of Canada’s most significant literary honors. In 2008, he received his tenth Hugo Award nomination for his novel Rollback.

His novels have been translated into 14 languages. They are top-ten national mainstream bestsellers in Canada and have hit number one on the Locus bestsellers’ list.

Born in Ottawa in 1960, Rob grew up in Toronto and now lives in Mississauga (just west of Toronto), with poet Carolyn Clink, his wife of twenty-four years.

He was the first science-fiction writer to have a website, and that site now contains more than one million words of material.

Editorial Reviews

Born blind, 16-year-old Caitlin Decter is able to see thanks to a computerized retinal implant that also makes her able to "see" the data streams that flow along the Internet. Her gift enables her to awaken a conscious entity that calls itself Webmind. Even as her bond with her new friend strengthens, government agencies seek to eliminate what they perceive as a security threat. The sequel to WWW: Wake contrasts the innocence of developing friendship with the cynical approach of governments and corporate technology even as it develops the Decter family and their human (and digital) friends. VERDICT This page-turning thriller by the author of Flashforward and the "Neanderthal Parallax" trilogy is a top-notch choice for sf fans and AI fiction in particular.

Library Journal

In the first book in this trilogy, Caitlin, who spent the first 16 years of her life blind, gained the ability to see through an implant. Now in the second book, she also has the ability to see the World Wide Web, and, as a result, makes first contact with “webmind,” an emergent consciousness, influences the development of its morality, and stands firm against a secret U.S. watch group. The various story lines hang together better if the listener is familiar with the first book. Cast members complement one another and are effective in differentiating the various characters and story threads. They drive forward the momentum of the plot and flesh out the novel’s distinct personalities. J.E.M. 2011 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

MAY 2011 - AudioFile