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tedolsen's review
2.0
About as didactic as old school Christian fiction, just with an alternate religion and eschatology. Most characters are cardboard, the dialogue wooden, the ideas half-baked other than the Primacy of the Observer idea the author is pushing. I should have quit it. Oh well.
justcait33's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
arhgee's review
4.0
Observer by Robert Lanza is a book that toys with philosophical ideas surrounding the nature of reality and the human mind. Our main character is confronted with questions revolving around if we are an observer existing within reality or if our entire reality is actually manifested by the very act of observation. That if the later were true, then is there some way to hack reality itself by hacking the mind of the observer, modifying the human brain using computer implants, to change reality itself. That if one were to change the reality observed by the mind of the observer, does it actually mean reality itself was changed or is this change only in the mind of the observer?
There were decent subplots surrounding class, the struggles surrounding raising a severely disabled child, and some of the darker sides of workplace politics. The main character and other characters in the story were fully flushed out. The overall plot was compelling enough but I did find the conclusion of the story to be a bit unsatisfying.
I received an eARC from NetGalley
It's a well enough written book and not one I regret reading. If you are looking for an "airport book" to bide time while waiting or something to read while on vacation, Observer by Robert Lanza is in fact worth grabbing and giving a read.
There were decent subplots surrounding class, the struggles surrounding raising a severely disabled child, and some of the darker sides of workplace politics. The main character and other characters in the story were fully flushed out. The overall plot was compelling enough but I did find the conclusion of the story to be a bit unsatisfying.
I received an eARC from NetGalley
It's a well enough written book and not one I regret reading. If you are looking for an "airport book" to bide time while waiting or something to read while on vacation, Observer by Robert Lanza is in fact worth grabbing and giving a read.
bmickal's review
1.0
so basically i didn’t understand most of this book, kept waiting for something interesting to happen and then read the most unsatisfying ending i’ve seen in a long time… loved the idea and up until the last maybe 10 % of the book i felt indifferent about it (a bit bored but still wanted to keep reading) but honestly what the fuck was that ending
davisek223's review
1.0
Good lord, this was awful. Nothing actually HAPPENS — it’s just a few hundred pages of brain surgery and people with chips in their heads (if I have to hear about one more titanium cover on somebody’s head . . .). Lots of telling rather than showing. Several mysteries that are never solved — who killed Ben? What did Lorraine experience that changed her so much? Why are Caro, Ellen, Trevor and the other guy whose name I’ve already forgotten so wooden and personality-less? Such an incredibly bad book. If you’re going to introduce the multiverse into your story, we should get to actually spend some time there. People arguing about the creation of a chair doesn’t count.
This book represents several hours of my life I’ll never get back. Save yourself.
This book represents several hours of my life I’ll never get back. Save yourself.
bfifield's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
paperbacksandpaws's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3/5 🌟
....................
"Consciousness does not simply observe the universe. We create it, and we do so not just singly but collectively. And as scientists explore this new line of research, it’s becoming increasingly clear how intimately we are all connected with the structure of the universe on every level. Including connections with each other."
....................
"Albert Einstein wrote, ‘Now Besso has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us … know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
....................
Observer is about a talented Neurosurgeon who, after losing her job and a tarnished reputation and seeing how much her sister needs her financial help, decides to join her uncle and his medical team in a remote island, working on a groundbreaking, totally unconventional and slightly illegal "research project" that she just can't truly believe is true.
Observer is a mind-bending science fiction novel telling a story of what could become true in the future. Where death only happens to the body and life lives on in other dimensions. Where time is irrelevant. Where people kill to get their hands on the technology. It's also a love story, a lost family reunited story, a goes to the ends of the earth for a sibling story.
I liked it, but I feel like it missed the mark. There were tons of science behind everything (a little too much if you asked me), but the story just lacked a bit for me. I feel like the characters could have had more to them. But they were(mostly all) likeable and as you went along you truly start to wonder if this technology could exist in the future. And the ending was such a twist.
....................
"Consciousness does not simply observe the universe. We create it, and we do so not just singly but collectively. And as scientists explore this new line of research, it’s becoming increasingly clear how intimately we are all connected with the structure of the universe on every level. Including connections with each other."
....................
"Albert Einstein wrote, ‘Now Besso has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us … know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
....................
Observer is about a talented Neurosurgeon who, after losing her job and a tarnished reputation and seeing how much her sister needs her financial help, decides to join her uncle and his medical team in a remote island, working on a groundbreaking, totally unconventional and slightly illegal "research project" that she just can't truly believe is true.
Observer is a mind-bending science fiction novel telling a story of what could become true in the future. Where death only happens to the body and life lives on in other dimensions. Where time is irrelevant. Where people kill to get their hands on the technology. It's also a love story, a lost family reunited story, a goes to the ends of the earth for a sibling story.
I liked it, but I feel like it missed the mark. There were tons of science behind everything (a little too much if you asked me), but the story just lacked a bit for me. I feel like the characters could have had more to them. But they were(mostly all) likeable and as you went along you truly start to wonder if this technology could exist in the future. And the ending was such a twist.
mike_word's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
krissylovesreading's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5