Mindscan

Mindscan is the latest from Mississauga author Robert J. Sawyer, and continues with his tradition of using cutting-edge science to deal with contemporary moral issues.[return]Telling the story of a near-future where a process is discovered that can ‘scan' a person's brain and download a perfect copy of it into an artificial body. The artificial body then takes over the person's life, and the ‘shed skin' of the original person is sent off to a retirement community on the far side of the moon.[return]As always, Sawyer writes a tale here that uses science to further its plot and resolve some of the central issues of the book; however, at the same time, he does it in a way that remains accessible to people who aren't fans of science fiction. Much in the same way that George R.R. Martin is said to “write fantasy for people who aren't fantasy fans”, Sawyer writes for the mainstream reader as much as he does for the science fiction fan.

This is not quite what I expected from the title. I found the idea in the book of being able to put your consciousness into an artificial body compelling. I appreciate the near-future where we might actually have a moon base. The social aspects of the artificial beings was something I didn't consider and the book really did a great job of conveying the issues.

Really enjoyed the discussion of consciousness, and thought the whole thing was an interesting novel. Reading I actually wondered to myself how I would feel about undergoing the process of Mindscan. It's a very complex topic in regards to whether or not a copy of a person, when submitted to by the biological predecessor, should receive the name and rights of their former self.