Quarantine by Greg Egan

 

Quarantine - Greg Egan's imagination ablaze. There's so, so much going on in this hard SF novel. Below are seven hits of futuristic stuff contained in its pages. Incidentally, I was warned by Goodreads friend Manny Rayner that Greg has created a universe with a different quantum mechanics from our own, a universe where men and women can "control the collapse of the wavefunction and select which branch will be left." Anyway, here goes. I hope what I've noted will encourage readers, even liberal arts types like myself, to pick up a copy of Quarantine and blast off to the year 2067 with Greg Egan. What a fabulous adventure.

THE BUBBLE
On November 15, 2034, our solar system was enclosed by a perfect sphere. Along with every other sensible person on the planet, the tale's narrator, a private investigator named Nick Stavrianos, recognizes there is only one plausible explanation: vastly superior aliens constructed a colossal bubble to seal off our solar system from the rest of the universe, effectively putting us in quarantine. The looming question that has remained unanswered for more than three decades is: why?

APOCALYPSE SOON
Nick tells us there have been all sorts of conjectures and theories put forth. “A few intellectually rigorous killjoys argued that any explanation to which humans could relate was probably anthropomorphic nonsense, but nobody invited them onto talk shows.” As perhaps expected, fundamentalists cash in on one more sign portending the end of the world. However, the most extreme group, Children of the Abyss, formed by young men and women born after Nov 15, 2034 and proclaiming “this is the Age of Mayhem” pose the most serious problems. To date, by things like poisoning water supplies and blowing up buildings, they've killed nearly 100,000 people. And, gulp, these radicals are active in forty-seven counties.

LAURA
An anonymous client hires Nick to find Laura Andrews, age thirty-two, who has suffered brain damage since birth. Although Laura can walk clumsily, her ability to understand the world and communicate has always been on the level of a six-month-old baby. Therefore, doctors, staff, security at the Hilgemann Institute, the police, and everyone else are baffled as to how Laura could have disappeared from the institute, where she has been an inpatient since the age of five. She surely couldn't have escaped by herself – Laura could barely turn a doorknob to open a door. Was Laura possibly kidnapped? Nick utilizes sophisticated technology to explore all the possibilities without much success. But when Nick connects the fact that Laura Andrews was conceived on or close to November 15, 2034, the infamous Bubble Day, this astonishing futuristic SF plot torques, twirls, and thickens.

PROGRAMMING MODS
Men and women can purchase various neural modifications (mods) that interact with their thoughts. For example, Nick has a mod that functions as a kind of internal smartphone and another mod that generates a hallucination of his dead wife, Karen, allowing Nick to carry on a conversation and receive advice from her. The mods are tiny; some mods are microscopic. All mods can easily be placed on the side of the head.

PERSONALITY MODS
A darker aspect of neural modification can be seen in those that alter behavior and identity. During his time on the police force, Nick used six standard "Priming mods," which he admits made him less human but a more effective officer. One mod even numbs his grief over his wife's death, reflecting his struggle with genuine human emotions. In another scene, Nick fumes, "Why put up with four more hours of boredom and anxiety? For the masochistic thrill of enduring real human emotions? Fuck that; I had my dose of that this morning, and nearly walked away from the case." These instances raise important questions about humanity and technology.

Then there are mods that are forced on individuals, like the Puppet mod, which makes a person simply repeat what an organization or group wants them to say. Or the Loyalty mod, whereby a person offers unflinching allegiance to whatever the group desires. Now, does all this neural modification sound a tad sinister? You bet it does. In this way, Greg Egan has given us a cautionary tale prompting serious philosophic reflection.

A DETECTIVE'S HELPERS
Prior to entering a top-secret building at night, Nick sends out a computerized scanning system in the form of a mosquito that, in turn, is equipped with a dozen minuscule chameleons. Nick receives the information he needs. “Finally, it checked back with the chameleons, who'd cracked the security system's signal validation protocol, and reported that, after sampling all thirty-five cables, they'd identified twelve by means of which a useful set of contiguous blind spots could be created.” If such surveillance can be conducted on a top-secret facility, just think of the average person's right to privacy. Obliterated!

MIGHTY MULTIVERSE
All of the above is from the first half of the novel and sets the framework for Greg Egan's version of a mind-boggling expansion of quantum mechanics and the eigenstate (please see Note below). And, yes, at the end, Greg ties all the physics fireworks in with Laura, The Children of the Abyss, and The Bubble. Phenomenal accomplishment. I encourage all readers to accept the challenge and tackle Quarantine.


Australian author Greg Egan, born 1961 - Greg takes pride in not having any photos of himself available on the web. This photo is the way I picture the outstanding SF novelist writing at his computer. 

 

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NOTE:  I asked ChatGTP - What is the eigenstate mod in this Greg Egan novel. Chat replied:

In Greg Egan's novel Quarantine, the eigenstate mod is a speculative technology that allows people to control their own quantum states. In the context of the novel, this mod enables individuals to consciously manipulate the probabilities associated with their personal quantum states, thereby influencing outcomes in their favor.

The technology is based on the idea that at the quantum level, particles exist in a superposition of states until they are observed, at which point they collapse into a single state. The eigenstate mod essentially gives individuals the ability to choose which state their particles collapse into, allowing them to achieve desired results in situations that would normally be left to chance.

For instance, a character with the eigenstate mod might be able to "choose" the outcome of a dice roll or ensure that they always make the right decision in a critical moment by collapsing their quantum state into the most favorable outcome. This ability fundamentally alters the nature of reality for those who possess the mod, giving them a kind of probabilistic control over their lives and the events around them.

Egan uses this concept to explore themes related to free will, determinism, and the nature of reality, creating a rich and thought-provoking narrative that challenges traditional understandings of physics and human agency.