From: quasar@ctt.bellcore.com (Laurence R. Brothers)
Subject: ARISTOI: Walter Jon Williams
Organization: Bellcore
Date: 14 Sep 92 12:42:59


I just finished Walter Jon Williams' new hardcover, "Aristoi". The
cover blurb says it is the logical extension of the "Hardwired"
universe, but really it has nothing whatsoever to do with it, so far
as I can tell.

The basic concept is that virtual reality tech, nanotech, and ftl tech
have together created a universe where almost anything is possible.
However, only the most talented individuals are capable of handling
the strain of manipulating artificially induced multiple personalities
to deal with the complexity of the combination of the virtual and the
realized worlds. These Aristoi (all the societal terms in the book
derive from the Greek) are the rulers of human society, living a life
which is sort of a cross between that of an absolute dictator and
creative artist. The Aristoi are very reminiscent of the denizens of
the End of Time according to Michael Moorcock, although on the whole
they are somewhat more responsible and serious.

The thing that really distinguishes the Aristoi from superhumans from
other works is their collection of "limited personalities" they spend
their lives cultivating. These LPs are exactly like unto the
characters in the Fox sitcom "Herman's Head", and I wonder if that
could have been one of the sources of inspiration for the book.

The first part of the book is very carefully done, introducing all the
elements of the virtual and realized worlds without stopping for
prolonged explanation. The world of the Aristoi brings to mind that of
an internet MUD more than any other kind of world I can think of. If
you want some effect, either in the virtual world or the realized
world, you have to code it up yourself, and the quality of the effect
you get is proportional to the care you put into it.

The book kind of bogs down in the middle though, and I found it rather
disappointing that the characters, with all their bizarre enhancements
and abilities, turn out all to be pretty much like ordinary humans in
their drives, motivations, and foibles. In fact as the book
progresses, the characters seem to get more and more ordinary, and
their technology seems to become more and more ephemeral, irrelevant
and contrived, along with the plot, which I found to be quite
implausible, even given the basic assumptions of the milieu. Those
mudra for example -- even given a lifetime of conditioning, I find
their effects hard to believe....

But perhaps I am being too harsh on the novel, which was, withal,
quite entertaining; I think my expectations were raised by the careful
detail given the first part of the novel; if it had been less
intricately thought out, I probably would have been less disappointed
with the rest.

Meanwhile, a couple of questions: can anyone give a plausible
explanation or etymology of the terms "mataglap" (destructive runaway
nanotech) and "reno" (an intelligent brain implant interface to the
network). "Mataglap" might translate, using some creative etymology,
as "Death Glop", but the source of "reno" escapes me. Just about all
the other neologisms in the book are either direct usages or learned
borrowing from Greek.

--
	         Laurence R. Brothers (quasar@bellcore.com)
      Bellcore -- Computer Technology Transfer -- Knowledge-Based Systems
       "There is no memory with less satisfaction in it than the memory
            of some temptation we resisted." -- James Branch Cabell
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written