Once again, I have been both thoroughly captivated and mesmerized by a Robert Sawyer novel! Entering the world of a Sawyer creation, the reader experiences total immersion and universal wonder. Sawyer draws on his intelligent, compelling and comprehensive research to cover every facet and angle concerning his subject matter. I find it hard not to continue pondering the labyrinth of ideas, thoughts, and suggestions long after finishing one of his novels. So, let us look at the latest novel that our Order of Canada, Nebula, Hugo and John W. Campbell Memorial Award-winning Canadian Science Fiction author has to offer on the subject of quantum physics and its relationship to the philosophy of the human mind.We begin our journey at the University of Manitoba's psychology department deep within the embedded thoughts of Professor Jim Marchuk, during a third-year lecture entitled: The Neuroscience of Morality. What I enjoy about RJS' approach is that his choice of locations is geographically familiar, he acknowledges Manitoba's Ukrainian ethnic origins and sets the pace within the first few pages. We learn right from the start (based on a students conclusion) that: "You can not change human nature." And so, the premise is cast for the duration of the novel. From this point forward, Quantum Night accelerates at a quantum speed no doubt under the influence of a synchrotron. In the book, we are introduced to a formidable piece of technology known as the synchrotron housed at the CLS (Canadian Light Source) and that in fact, it exists in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada and that London, Ontario Canada lost its bid to the synchrotron: why? Saskatoon is known as the sunshine capital of Canada and London was just not bright enough! Ouch! The author of this review resides in London, Ontario! No hard feelings.
Quantum Night explores what the experimental psychologist Dr. Marchuk has stumbled upon: a technique used to identify psychopaths. This technique involves microsaccades. Microsaccades are small jerky rapid movements of the eye as it tries to fixate and focus from one point to another. In a nutshell, psychopaths lack Microsaccades; the rest of us do not. This discovery makes Marchuk the resident expert in the field of Microsaccade application and interpretation. As an expert, he is invariably asked to appear as the voice of experience for the defence. What follows is a beautifully executed courtroom drama full of thrust and parries the likes of which we have not seen since Illegal Alien. Marchuk's cross-examination alerts us to a dark familial past, gaps in memory and missing time. Sawyer now has peppered the protagonist with a questionable history, piqued our curiosity and flawlessly established the essence of a thriller; all expertly executed!
As the story builds, we are introduced to a host of characters that constitute the scaffolding of Marchuk's life. His sister, university professors, friends, acquaintances and most importantly, a love interest from his past. As Marchuk's ghosts from the past are laid out as a series of jigsaw puzzles, they slowly unfolded like a pre-GPS glove box roadmap.
A sudden spark of riots after a hockey game sets the stage for what is to become the nerve centre of the novel. It is here that Sawyer leads us into the uncharted seas of total neuron collective quantum inertia, the idea of three quantum states, utilitarianism, quantal entanglement, experimental statistics, and how they are interconnected. The world is in turmoil and has reached a boiling point; Marchuk has a solution.
My favourite activity when reading is to try to pick out the author's hints, clues, likes, trivia, and picadillo(s). RJS has blessed us with many. These are some that I was able to pick up: RJS' love of Coke Zero, bantering with the binomial Homo sapiens, the reference to Marvel and Stan Lee, Wilder Penfield, homage to Robert Charles Wilson's novel Darwin, Neo, Tommy Douglas, CBC radio, Dr. Zaius, and Spock.
RJS has written a fascinating account of the parameters of the human mind. Layer upon layer of possibilities always exists when contemplating the future of human psychology. His foray into the marriage of quantum physics and psychology, philosophical zombies, the collective form of one quantum system are all points worthy of consideration (be it in the form of fact or fiction). I think that this is Sawyer's most ambitious work to date and worth more than just a cursory glance. Pick it up and read it: you won't regret it.
Oh, by the way, 2.9
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