Fascinating. At first I expected the title quote to refer to moral behavior, as in we change how we behave based on who is around. I imagine that’s not wholly incorrect, but the fuller quote gives a different perspective more about identity. We are shaped by those who see us, know us, and care about us. And if there is no one in that category... Much to ponder there, it seems.
Thanks very much Joel, for this wonderful review. As the author I couldn’t have summed it up better.
It’s worth reiterating Ruth’s point, in one of the other comments here, that the novel is also appropriate for teen readers.
I love the quote you chose for your title. Often we worry about the Big Brother aspect of tech, i.e., how it might be used to control us politically or socially, which is of course a risk. But less often do we think about how the mere fact of being observed, whether by AI or some other set of “Eyes”, distorts our perception of ourselves.
Yes! Your juxtaposing the gaze of the drone with that of the parent drew that beautifully. Identity is socially constructed—realized with reference to a wider community. Who we allow into that role matters immensely for who we become.
That’s possible. There is definitely some influence of Brave New World here as well. But it’s a fully realized world with its own philosophies and trajectories. I was impressed by how the well knit together the themes are and how well the characters display/embody them.
I know this might sound surprising, but I hadn’t yet read Brave New World when I wrote Exogenesis. I decided to include artificial wombs in the novel after I saw a news story about scientists today working on this technology. The idea of selecting embryos based on their genetic profiles does appear in Gattaca and probably many other stories, but my actual inspiration was again real science, and our rapidly increasing knowledge of how gene variants (esp single nucleotide polymorphisms) contribute to complex human traits like intelligence.
Ultimately, the premise of the story doesn’t actually rest on the technologies, but on the question of what it means to be human, and who we see as our moral authority or implicit God.
Hi, Peco. I'm a regular reader of your substack and I devoured your novel in a little over a day. It was very well written, and I was especially pleased at how nuanced and complex the individual characters and the various groups were. It added immensely to the realism. In fact, I see the failure to do so as a major weakness of one of my favorite authors, Michael Crichton. The extreme simplicity and one-sidedness of many of his characters allows him to bring the ideas into sharp relief, but at the expense of a sense of realism. You managed to pull off both nearly flawlessly.
I am surprised that you had not read Brave New World before writing Exogenesis, simply because of the many overlaps. Not only the artificial birthing, but also the manner drugs to ease oneself are used in the story, but also the general theme of how our pleasures, taken too far, can be just as enslaving, if not more so, than having them externally restricted, is very reminiscent of Brave New World.
I’m glad you enjoyed the novel, Zach! Thanks for your encouraging feedback. If you haven’t already, perhaps consider giving a star rating on Amazon or goodreads.
In terms of the overlaps with BNW, yes, they’re clearly there. The artificial birthing was, as I mentioned in another comment above, inspired by actual emerging technology in our own world – as was the idea of using psychedelics and brain-stim devices to “transport” people (a bit like soma, I suppose, though not exactly). Of course, I can’t rule out unconscious influences, as Huxley is a major figure in our culture, so some of his thinking could have seeped in in other ways.
Another reviewer, this one on Amazon, commented there were influences from A Canticle for Leibowitz, a book I read long ago in high school but have zero memory of now. I intend to re-read it soon. There might have been subterranean influences seeping in from there as well.
Glad the characters and story conveyed realism. Sci-fi can be challenging in that way. It’s tempting to go overboard on the technology, when the real story is in the human relationships.
Joel, thanks so much for this review! You provide a succinct and compelling distillate of the story, and a thoughtful focus question. Being intimately familiar with the novel (as the first reader of the initial manuscript), it is utterly gratifying to read such a thoughtful review of Exogenesis, and I hope that it will encourage readers to give this new release a try. For those concerned about the direction of society in our current Machine age, Exogenesis will certainly strike a chord. At the core, the novel lays bare the choice that we face in a divided world. In the words of Wendell Berry:
“It is easy for me to imagine that the next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines.”
Finally, I would add the book is also appropriate for teenage readers, and can serve as an excellent starting point for discussion on technology, family, state control, procreation, and faith. For readers interested in the background story to the novel see, Exogenesis: Blade Runner Meets the Benedict Option https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/exogenesis-bladerunner-meets-the
Ruth, I’m so glad you recommended it. I don’t think I would have picked it up without your suggestion. But I read it over the weekend in a couple of sprints; it’s hard to put down. Utterly captivating.
Fascinating. At first I expected the title quote to refer to moral behavior, as in we change how we behave based on who is around. I imagine that’s not wholly incorrect, but the fuller quote gives a different perspective more about identity. We are shaped by those who see us, know us, and care about us. And if there is no one in that category... Much to ponder there, it seems.
Exactly. It’s a powerful observation in the context of the novel—and prompts a fair bit of thinking outside the novel as well.
Sounds interesting, I will certainly add it to my to-read list!
I bet you’ll dig it.
Thanks very much Joel, for this wonderful review. As the author I couldn’t have summed it up better.
It’s worth reiterating Ruth’s point, in one of the other comments here, that the novel is also appropriate for teen readers.
I love the quote you chose for your title. Often we worry about the Big Brother aspect of tech, i.e., how it might be used to control us politically or socially, which is of course a risk. But less often do we think about how the mere fact of being observed, whether by AI or some other set of “Eyes”, distorts our perception of ourselves.
Yes! Your juxtaposing the gaze of the drone with that of the parent drew that beautifully. Identity is socially constructed—realized with reference to a wider community. Who we allow into that role matters immensely for who we become.
Sounds groovy.
It is!
This sounds a lot like the premise of Gattaca.
That’s possible. There is definitely some influence of Brave New World here as well. But it’s a fully realized world with its own philosophies and trajectories. I was impressed by how the well knit together the themes are and how well the characters display/embody them.
I know this might sound surprising, but I hadn’t yet read Brave New World when I wrote Exogenesis. I decided to include artificial wombs in the novel after I saw a news story about scientists today working on this technology. The idea of selecting embryos based on their genetic profiles does appear in Gattaca and probably many other stories, but my actual inspiration was again real science, and our rapidly increasing knowledge of how gene variants (esp single nucleotide polymorphisms) contribute to complex human traits like intelligence.
Ultimately, the premise of the story doesn’t actually rest on the technologies, but on the question of what it means to be human, and who we see as our moral authority or implicit God.
I agree. The tech is just part of the stage upon which the action unfolds.
Hi, Peco. I'm a regular reader of your substack and I devoured your novel in a little over a day. It was very well written, and I was especially pleased at how nuanced and complex the individual characters and the various groups were. It added immensely to the realism. In fact, I see the failure to do so as a major weakness of one of my favorite authors, Michael Crichton. The extreme simplicity and one-sidedness of many of his characters allows him to bring the ideas into sharp relief, but at the expense of a sense of realism. You managed to pull off both nearly flawlessly.
I am surprised that you had not read Brave New World before writing Exogenesis, simply because of the many overlaps. Not only the artificial birthing, but also the manner drugs to ease oneself are used in the story, but also the general theme of how our pleasures, taken too far, can be just as enslaving, if not more so, than having them externally restricted, is very reminiscent of Brave New World.
I’m glad you enjoyed the novel, Zach! Thanks for your encouraging feedback. If you haven’t already, perhaps consider giving a star rating on Amazon or goodreads.
In terms of the overlaps with BNW, yes, they’re clearly there. The artificial birthing was, as I mentioned in another comment above, inspired by actual emerging technology in our own world – as was the idea of using psychedelics and brain-stim devices to “transport” people (a bit like soma, I suppose, though not exactly). Of course, I can’t rule out unconscious influences, as Huxley is a major figure in our culture, so some of his thinking could have seeped in in other ways.
Another reviewer, this one on Amazon, commented there were influences from A Canticle for Leibowitz, a book I read long ago in high school but have zero memory of now. I intend to re-read it soon. There might have been subterranean influences seeping in from there as well.
Glad the characters and story conveyed realism. Sci-fi can be challenging in that way. It’s tempting to go overboard on the technology, when the real story is in the human relationships.
The law of observation ❤️
That’s a good name for it!
Joel, thanks so much for this review! You provide a succinct and compelling distillate of the story, and a thoughtful focus question. Being intimately familiar with the novel (as the first reader of the initial manuscript), it is utterly gratifying to read such a thoughtful review of Exogenesis, and I hope that it will encourage readers to give this new release a try. For those concerned about the direction of society in our current Machine age, Exogenesis will certainly strike a chord. At the core, the novel lays bare the choice that we face in a divided world. In the words of Wendell Berry:
“It is easy for me to imagine that the next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines.”
Finally, I would add the book is also appropriate for teenage readers, and can serve as an excellent starting point for discussion on technology, family, state control, procreation, and faith. For readers interested in the background story to the novel see, Exogenesis: Blade Runner Meets the Benedict Option https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/exogenesis-bladerunner-meets-the
Ruth, I’m so glad you recommended it. I don’t think I would have picked it up without your suggestion. But I read it over the weekend in a couple of sprints; it’s hard to put down. Utterly captivating.