Greg Egan’s “Diaspora”

This week I want to review a fiction book that makes you sit down and really think about some of life’s grander questions: Greg Egan’s Diaspora. Diaspora is a book that follows three separate civilizations, each of which were directly created by humans. The Fleshers, as the first species is commonly known, is a coalition of biological organisms that are directly descended from Homo sapiens, as well as a group of biologicals that are genetically modified humans. The Fleshers revere their biological roots, and many have modified themselves to be so primitive that they lose higher brain function. Naturally, they live on Earth. The second species, Gleisner robots, are artificially intelligent machines that have created their own civilization. Gleisners (named after the software company that developed them) primarily live in space, and seek greater colonization of the physical universe. Lastly, there are the Citizens. The Citizens form the vast majority of humanity in the distant future, but exist entirely in virtual reality nexuses called polises. Citizens have completely shed their biological identity and necessity, and utilize virtual reality in order to exist in mass quantities, all while maintaining excessive longevity and minimizing resource use. Even concepts like gender are considered useless, and it is seen as eccentric to be a Citizen who has an avatar with a specific gender. Yatima, the protagonist, is a Citizen born through the conceptory mechanic, which eliminates the need for parents (many Citizens are the result of a Flesher uploading himself via nanomachine dis-assembly). Born into the Konishi polis, a polis centered on philosophical thought, Yatima one day finds himself a messenger. A cosmic event of colossal proportions is approaching, and Yatima must become the bridge between three species that are as different philosophically as they are biologically.

Let’s handle the more technical aspect of the review first. Diaspora is written well, but suffers in writing from one of its greatest strengths. The book is extremely technical in regards to the world Egan has created. Humanity has leapt forward, and our vocabulary had to leap in a similar manner. Naturally, to we simple humans who are actually reading the book, this can become incredibly confusing. Thankfully, Egan has included a glossary for bewildered readers. Also, there are times where the book becomes excessively wordy, a problem that is heightened when it occurs due to the heavy use of fabricated words (though, aren’t they all just made up?). Nevertheless, I didn’t find that any of these issues really detracted from the messages being sent (at best, you may have to read a particular sentence an extra time). The real wonder in this book comes from the philosophical implications and interactions with each of the species. Yatima’s journey will raise questions to the value of life, the nature of human consciousness, and permissibility of using extremely invasive technology. Is there something inherently wrong with living entirely in a virtual world where time is 800x faster than in the physical world? If the purpose of consciousness is to assist in life, and the purpose of life is biological (reproduction, ect.: a popular theory), then what remains? Is physical interaction only inherently useful in a social context? These are a tiny fraction of the questions this book raises. Above all else, even if you find the premise strange or uninteresting, Greg Egan’s Diaspora will make you think, and that is just about the best thing I can say about any book.