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The Terminal Experiment

Robert J. Sawyer
Nebula 1995

Though based on future medical science, more of a murder mystery than typical science fiction. Hard to reccommend - it was hard to keep reading and lacked the creative, mind-expanding vistas I tend to expect or at least hope for in Hugo and Nebula winning stories.

Poses the basis for some interesting speculations about how belief in an afterlife influences moral attitudes but the conclusions fall flat and the insights seem shallow. Some suspense builds but events unfold in predictable patterns and conclude in expected, obvious ways.

Orson Scott Card gives high praise, "Damn good. Buy two copies­one to read and keep, and one to shove at your friends, saying, 'Read this! Now!" This makes me question my impressions but I still have to disagree. On one level it's could have come out of a future psychology experimental program and it's interesting and believable from that point of view. One of the nice things about science fiction though is to wrap the learning experience up in an entertaining package. Here we have a good dose of the first but not quite enough of the latter.

Parental discression: nothing too objectionable for teenagers though I expect most would be somewhat bored.

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