📚心得【Bobiverse #2：For We are Many】 by Dennis E. Taylor, 2017

#Space_Opera #第一次接觸 #simulation #Mind_Ships #replicants #宇戰

Bobiverse的第二集，主題討論聚焦於「AHI(Artificial Human Intelligence)與一般人在視角、感官與壽命上的差異」，從一個人類外的角度來看，人類思考緩慢、短視近利、難以全盤思考、壽命有限，認識的人類也一個個老去，即使AHI再如何改造、模擬感官，也很難以人類角度看事情，逐漸對人類感到厭倦、不耐煩與無法理解，但之後也找到了一個不錯的折衷解決辦法，讓自己仍然能回到人類觀點、保持部分人性，也擺明了Bobs們已經脫離人類了。

次一點的主題是，AHI的複製人之間，即使共享一樣的記憶，也會在分離為不同個體後，因為開始擁有不同的視角、逐漸累積不同的經歷，而變成完全不同的人，從一些地方也可以逐漸看出內部開始出現歧意…

劇情從上一次的第一次接觸，也衍生到「如何approach一個好戰且無法溝通的更高科技種族」。劇情上不雷太多，宇戰細節上還算硬核，沒偏離物理法則太多，但繼第一集違反了FTL通訊、無工質推進、能源無限僅受限於散熱，這次又違反了「在無掩護行星的情況下能隱蔽」的黑科技 😩 要說偽裝成流浪小行星之類的就算了，有工質加速的情況下也都看的到尾流，就算無工質推進也應該有散熱的紅外線輻射，畢竟不丟物質也得耗能量。不論如何挑剔，還是比《Star Wars》那般的軟科幻好非常多，光是光劍能拿在手上自己的毛髮、衣服和握著的手沒燒焦、熔化就很扯了。

都到第二集了，Dennis Taylor還是學不會怎麼結尾 🙄 每次都斷那麼突然，這樣不接著看怎行呢？ 🙃

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IMO總分：72分，推動劇情、更深一部討論重點議題的優秀續集。

核心思想：★★★★☆ 核心討論議題是否有趣*5

劇情細節：★★★☆☆ 綜觀整體劇情的質與量*4

角色刻畫：★★★★☆ 角色群的必要性與深度*3

科學軟硬：★★★☆☆ 是否符合現實物理現象*3

結局滿意：★★☆☆☆ 結局滿意度與有無餘韻*3

易讀程度：★★★★☆ 閱讀時章節是否難消化*2

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#Space_Opera #First_Contact #Simulation #Mind_Ships #replicants #Space_Battles

The second installment of Bobiverse delves into the differences between "AHI (Artificial Human Intelligence)" and ordinary humans regarding perspective, senses, and lifespan. From an AI's perspective, humans are slow thinkers, shortsighted, struggle to grasp the big picture, and have limited lifespans. As people age and pass away, AHI becomes increasingly disenchanted, frustrated, and unable to empathize with humanity despite its advanced and diverse sensory simulations. However, they eventually find compromises to retain human perspectives and some semblance of humanity, also making it clear that Bobs have distanced themselves from humans physically and mentally.

Another theme explored is the divergence between replicants with shared memories, called "replicative drift". After being copied and activated, despite having the exact same past memories, they start to develop unique perspectives and accumulate distinct experiences, thus becoming entirely different individuals. Some hints suggest internal disagreements beginning to surface...

The plot builds on the previous first contact, addressing how to approach a warlike, uncommunicative, and advanced species. The plot isn't too much of a stretch, but the space combat details are still hardcore and don't deviate too much from general physics. However, just like in the first book where they violated FTL communication, powerful propellant-less propulsion, unlimited energy only capped by cooling, this time they've also broken the rule of "being able to hide in plain sight without being in a body's shadow" 😩. Camouflaging as a rogue asteroid or something would be one thing, but with thrust from propellant, you'd still see the exhaust trail; even with propellant-less propulsion, there should still be infrared radiation from cooling, since not expelling mass still requires energy expenditure. However, no matter how picky I am about it, it's still way better than soft sci-fi like《Star Wars》. The fact that lightsabers can be held in your hand without burning your hair, clothes, or the skin you're holding with your grip is already mind-boggling enough.

Even in the second episode, Dennis still hasn't mastered how to wrap things up properly. The endings are always so abrupt that you feel compelled to keep reading 🙃.

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IMO Rating: 72. An excellent sequel that advances the plot and delves deeper into key themes.

Core Theme: ★★★★☆ (*5)

Plot Quality: ★★★☆☆ (*4)

Character Development: ★★★★☆ (*3)

Science Validity: ★★★☆☆ (*3)

Ending Satisfaction: ★★☆☆☆ (*3)

Readability: ★★★★☆ (*2)