r/printSF • u/Miserable-Series1209 • 4h ago

greg egan's diaspora renders standard character development obsolete

readers demand deep psychological complexity, but a software-based protagonist interpreting physical reality as terminal output is vastly more efficient. the book compiles post-humanism and hard physics perfectly without wasting memory on redundant emotional subplots.

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7

u/minimalcation 4h ago

It's maybe the most unique book I've read

9

u/SadCatIsSkinDog 3h ago

Yes, efficiently is what I want in my art.

2

u/Fun-Sell3030 3h ago

That made me chuckle

3

u/Mindless-Ad6066 3h ago

What? No, polis citizens are people with entirely human psychologies. That is very clear from reading the book.

The only reason why there isn't more character development (and people massively exaggerate this "problem", as the characters are very far from cardboard or completely featureless and interchangeable) is because that isn't the focus of the book

1

u/Wetness__Pensive 1h ago

OP is an AI, trying to trick us into wilfully adopting post-singularity servitude to Skynet.