The Kiln books David Brin Tor Fiction, Sci-Fi Themes: Clones ****
Description
Two generations ago, scientists finally cracked the secret of the Standing Wave, the individual resonant frequency that was once quaintly referred to as the "soul."
Now, copying one's soul into clay "dittos" is a mundane part of everyday life. Sure, they only last 24 hours, but that's plenty of time to go to work or indulge other
interests... and, if you don't like the day they've had, you don't even have to inload their memories. Guilt-free extra lives, fully recyclable, cheap enough for the
masses... and, of course, the criminal element.
Albert Morris, a first-rate copier and a talented investigator, has been pursuing the counterfeit-ditto manufacturer Beta for years. Countless clay Morrises have crossed
proverbial swords with Beta's forces, many of whom never came home to inload their findings. After striking another blow to the mysterious man's criminal empire, Morris
finds himself entangled in a plot that cuts to the very heart of ditto technology and may bring the modern world as a whole to its knees.
Review
This is why I read sci-fi. Brin takes a fascinating idea - the ability to create copies of oneself, self-aware and identical in thoughts and memories yet inherently
considered disposable property - and fully explores the technological, legal, social, and moral implications while still delivering a good story. Brin's future is full
of both optimism (a cleaner planet and an end to "realwar," as staged battles between ditto-soldiers settle international disputes) and cynicism (massive unemployment,
a new breed of discrimination, and skyrocketing interest in violence and other perverse pleasures, made "safe" and socially acceptable so long as only clay bodies are
involved), instead of the clear-cut utopia or dystopia some people prefer. A clever sense of humor underlies Albert's narration, and the plot moves along nicely with
plenty of action. The tale splits into multiple threads as Morris and his clay dittos head out on their own investigations, each learning pieces of information which
contribute to the whole puzzle. I clipped it a point because some elements of the ending came a little out of the blue, and the climax felt drawn out. Otherwise, an
enjoyable and thought-provoking tale that read surprisingly fast. If this is typical of Brin's efforts, I'll have to read more of his books.
In the 21st century, the bleeding edge of science is embodied in the zievatron, a device that - in theory - could allow instantaneous travel across space from the
comfort of a laboratory. The first working model, however, seems to have developed a peculiar glitch: nothing sent through returns anymore. When physicist Dennis Nuel
steps through to investigate, he finds himself trapped on an alien world, where technology seems like a haywire mishmash of Neolithic and industrial. As he struggles to
figure out what's going on and how to repair the zievatron, he finds himself swept up in a ruthless baron's battle for dominance - and enchanted by the captured princess
of a rival tribe.
Review
I've read and enjoyed Brin's work previously, so I figured I might like this older title, even if it clearly had a pulpy theme. The cover promised "rich
characterization" and emphasized Brin's credentials as a real live scientist writing real live science fiction. While I can't speak for the theories (at least, theories
as of the 1984 publication), I can speak for the rest of the story, which was anything but "rich." Dennis may be a genius, but he's also a world-class (or interworld-class)
moron, prone to fits of absolute stupidity whenever the plot demands it. The story tries to brush off this habit as "tunnel vision" induced by his excessive intelligence
and "stress," but it conveniently doesn't kick in under far more stressful situations than when it does occur. If this is "rich characterization," I must not understand the
term. Everyone else comes straight out of the stock bin: the petty lab rival Brady, the greedy warlord Kremer, the scrawny comic-relief thief Arth, the glamorous (and
utterly helpless, not to mention prone to swooning and oddly immune to human failings like stinking of sweat after several days' hard travel away from baths,) Princess
Linnora, and so forth. Gender roles, even in Dennis's "future" Earth, come straight out of the Stone Age; the only lady scientist in the zievatron program exists for her
fellow scientists to lust over, and seems to enjoy pitting would-be suitors against each other despite risk of compromising the program itself and her fellow scientists
- which her behavior does. Indeed, in reading this, I began to suspect that the entire "portal adventure" subgenre of Earth-man-going-to-strange-primitive-worlds specfic was
(or is, as some of these still appear) entirely about guys, particularly nerdy guys, getting laid by conveniently defanged and objectified women... a theme very blatantly at
play here. (I found it especially hilarious/aggravating when Dennis keeps referring to the natives as simple, unsophisticated "cavemen" even when he - Mr. Evolved Modern Man
- couldn't stop drooling over the pretty girl whom he'd only glimpsed at a distance... and I don't believe it was intended to be a humorous juxtaposition.) The story hits
more than its share of subgenre clichés as Dennis is mistaken for a wizard and ordinary Earth ideas fill the natives with superstitious wonder and awe... even to the
point of cowering in terror from a wheeled cart. No, it's not the old gunpowder trick that strikes terror into the naive locals, but the wheel. (Well, the wheel and almost
everything else the guy does - which goes back to my hypothesis of the purpose behind this subgenre, as the nerd scientist finds himself celebrated as a demigod simply for
existing among a populace of morons... possibly a very real fantasy for scientists, but I digress.) I honestly started wondering if Brin was writing a parody - and, if so,
why I was cringing instead of laughing. Though there were some intriguing uses of the main gimmick of this other world's peculiar physics, by the time it finished - with a
lengthy explanation that didn't really explain much - I was just glad it was over. While I'd considered reading other works by Brin, particularly his much-vaunted
Uplift series, I'm significantly more gunshy if this is an indication of the writing I'll find there. If I do read more by him, I think I'll stick to later
works.
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