"This book explores the possibility of storing human minds in computer hardware..."The book was published by Bantam in 1991 as a Spectra Special Edition, received some good reviews, was shortlisted for the John W.Campbell award, and selected by The New York Times as one of the three best science-fiction novels of the year." --Charles Platt (in the introduction, US hbk, 1993).
"A renegade team of scientists has been working for twenty years on the LifeScan project, ultimately hoping to download human intelligence into a vast array of computer memory. They've squandered billions of dollars, and have achieved nothing -- so they claim.
"James Bayley doesn't believe it. Bayley works for the High Technology Crime division of the FBI, and he senses something sinister in LifeScan. Soon he finds himself pitted against the project leader, Rosalind Finch, who will kill to protect her research; and Leo Gottbaum, a one-time hacker who went on to win a Nobel prize and now has grandiose plans to control a new world of his own design.
"The action moves from California, in the near future, to cyberspace, where life can be eternal but death can be as instant as a power failure or a system crash. This computerized reality, populated with 'infomorphs', is described with unprecedented realism and meticulous detail.
"At the same time, this is a very human story of real people in search of love, meaning, and justice. It's a warning from a future that may soon come true if we don't guard against it; but it also offers a message of hope to anyone who dreams of transcending the limits of life." [jacket blurb, US hbk, 1993]
"A plausible, well-crafted narrative exploring cyberspace in a wholly new and very refreshing way." --William Gibson.
"For the first time, a trip into the Heart of Virtual Reality with a Conrad who actually knows the territory. This fast-paced thriller set on the interface between Life and Immortality sends real chills down real spines". --Terry Bisson.
Recommended.
