I Read Books: Lumious

Luminous

A short story collection by science fiction writer Greg Egan. Egan is very high concept by which I mean his stories are driven by the scientific ideas, which include genetics, neurology, mathematical proofs and black holes. Yet in every case he’s always linking them back to other aspects of human behaviour. So for example his strange and esoteric title-story Luminous, which combines a cool light-based quantum computer and speculation into the nature of mathematics has a thriller plot as the scientist’s sponsors want to use the results to make money. The lightest-hearted (perhaps) Mitochondrial Eve is about using results of genetics to unite people, except that people refuse to be united, causing yet another violent division.

Although all the stories date from the 90s, many of the themes continue to be relevant; pre-natal intervention, queerness, plague, irrationality and conspiracy come up. Maybe Egan was something of an oracle or perhaps he was just paying attention.

Read This: If not quite up to date, very modern classic science fiction stories putting science first
Don’t Read This: Even with the moral, ethical and social questions being posed, you’re not interested in scientific thought experiments