'Kiln People' by David Brin is a science fiction novel set in a future where individuals can create temporary clay clones of themselves, known as dittos, to carry out tasks and experiences that are then uploaded back to the original at the end of the day. The story follows protagonist Albert Morris, a detective, as he delves into a complex murder mystery involving a scientist from Universal Kilns, the company behind the technology. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, exploring themes of identity, consciousness, and morality in a society where technology has advanced to the point of post-singularity.
The writing style of 'Kiln People' balances fast-paced action with philosophical musings and personal narratives, creating a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. The plot is intricately woven, incorporating elements of mystery, suspense, and humor as the characters navigate a world where clay clones and technological advancements shape their daily lives.
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Content warnings include themes such as existentialism, ethics surrounding cloning, and potential violence.
From The Publisher:
In a perilous future where disposable duplicate bodies fulfill every legal and illicit whim of their decadent masters, life is cheap. No one knows that better than Albert Morris, a brash investigator with a knack for trouble, who has sent his own duplicates into deadly peril more times than he cares to remember.
But when Morris takes on a ring of bootleggers making illegal copies of a famous actress, he stumbles upon a secret so explosive it has incited open warfare on the streets of Dittotown.
Dr. Yosil Maharal, a brilliant researcher in artificial intelligence, has suddenly vanished, just as he is on the verge of a revolutionary scientific breakthrough. Maharal's daughter, Ritu, believes he has been kidnapped-or worse. Aeneas Polom, a reclusive trillionaire who appears in public only through his high-priced platinum duplicates, offers Morris unlimited resources to locate Maharal before his awesome discovery falls into the wrong hands.
To uncover the truth, Morris must enter a shadowy, nightmare world of ghosts and golems where nothing -and no one-is what they seem, memory itself is suspect, and the line between life and death may no longer exist.
David Brin's Kiln People is a 2003 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.
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About the Author:
David Brin is the author of more than a dozen novels, including six volumes in his award-winning Uplift saga, as well as two short story collections and a nonfiction work, The Transparent Society, about privacy in the electronic age. His New York Times bestseller The Postman was the basis for a major motion picture starring Kevin Costner. Brin was a fellow at the California Space Institute and at the Jet Propulsion Lab, studying spacecraft design, cometary physics, and analyses of the likelihood of life in the universe. He now lives in southern California.
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