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The Golden Transcendence (Mass Market Paperback)

by John C Wright (Author) "Personality and memory download in progress ..." (more)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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4 new from CDN$ 11.89 8 used from CDN$ 1.85

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition edition (May 27 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765349086
ISBN-13: 978-0765349088
Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.4 x 3.4 cm
Shipping Weight: 200 g

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #200,730 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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This is item 3 in The Golden Age Series.

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

A movie based on Wright's modernized space opera could easily appeal to fans of The Matrix: both contain a charming bulletproof last-best-hope-of-mankind protagonist, sociological philosophy debated by hyperintelligent computers and fanatically purposeful people, and exciting (but relatively unimportant) action scenes. Many of the flatter descriptions might translate well to the screen, and the long, meandering discussions would be more tolerable with the addition of body language and vocal inflection. Such a film would, however, lack the grand polysyllabism that sets the tone of this volume and its predecessors, The Golden Age (2002) and The Phoenix Exultant (2003)-language both deeply literary and deeply essential. Wright's fondness for a well-turned phrase is genuine-he never repeats himself-and he's clearly taken the time to study the science and mythology that underlie his tale of a visionary wanderer returning to the utopia that has rejected him. Unfortunately, the author is so excited by his ideas that he pours torrents of them onto the head of the unsuspecting reader, a shower that leaves one more bedraggled and bewildered than refreshed. Once Wright starts parceling out his fascinating concepts a bit more stingily and decides whether he's writing fast-paced space opera or sociopsychological treatises, his work will really shine. Until then, most readers will have to take notes just to keep track of everything that's going on.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The third Phaethon Radamanthus vehicle (after The Golden Age [2002] and The Phoenix Exultant [BKL Ap 15 03]) starts with a battle for control of the starship Phoenix Exultant and ranges from the outer planets to the heart of the sun as Phaeton struggles to comprehend what's right and why and to prevent the destruction of the Golden Oecumene and his own near-utopian way of life. Meanwhile, the Golden Oecumene-Silent Oecumene face-off begins a war between the highly logical Sophotechs of the former and the machine minds of the latter, which are equipped to kill other AIs as a result of the refusal of self-aware machines to act as servants only, which makes them also capable of irrational behavior. The machine minds continue in some ways to be the most interesting characters in Wright's series, which is crammed with everything from bizarre high-tech space battles to the mental battles of obscure future philosophies. With this book, the first of Phaethon's trilogies concludes, freeing him to gallivant through the galaxy, spreading the Golden Oecumene. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Personality and memory download in progress. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

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4 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Conclusion to a Hidden Gem of a Trilogy, Jul 13 2004

By	Jon M Altbergs (Epping, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Transcendence: Or, The Last of the Masquerade (Hardcover)

Wright's "Golden Age" trilogy is one of the best series I've ever read. It compares favorably to William Gibson, Iain M. Banks, and Frank Herbert ... yes, it's THAT good! It has the big ideas, engrossing plot, and richly crafted universe that evoke the best of sci-fi. The book can be heavy at times as Wright explores the philosphical ramifications of the plot he lays out, but never so much so that the book bogs down. As with the earlier installments, I was so engaged that I read this over the course of a single weekend--and immediately put in my pre-order for Wrigth's next novel!

This book is not a stand-alone; you definately need to read parts 1 and 2 of the trilogy to understand the story. However, the time invested is well worth the pay off here.

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4.0 out of 5 stars "Atkins strikes back!", Jul 12 2004

By	Brian Niehaus (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Plot Summary: Phaethon has his ship and must now determine who the true enemy is, and what needs to be done about it. The Golden Oecumene is about to enter into its millennial Transcendence celebration where all minds are joined as one to pass judgement on the human and transhuman events of the last millennium and to set a direction of development for the next 1000 years. Also at this time, humanity (encompassing humans and all other recognized mind forms that participate in the Transcendence) is vulnerable to attacks from the recently rediscovered threat of the "lost" Silent Oecumene. The same Silent Oecumene that has been the apparent enemy of Phaethon throughout his trials to get his memory back and reclaim his ship.

Opinion: There is alot of debate to plow through in this book. Philisophical differences as to the nature of reason and morality as well as varying economic systems are covered in this dense conclusion to a great trilogy. I thought the dialog could have been a little more spaced out with more in Phoenix to clear up some room in this book. Other than that, I loved it. As a whole, the series was really good. I was especially engrossed in the universe of this series. I am not usually one to read descriptions of settings and such, but I couldn't get enough of the world and technology of the Golden Oecumene. This book in particular was more character and dialog driven though. There are books that leave questions unanswered, and there are book that answer everything. All of the events in the first 2 books are explained and/or answered in this book (if they haven't been already). There is an appendix that explains the economy and even the naming conventions of the series.

Recommendation: If you like sci-fi in general and hard sci-fi in richy imagined universes in particular, then read this series. The conclusion does not dissappoint. 4.5 out of 5 stars because I thought it was a little too philosophy heavy. I would read future works by Wright whether set in this universe or a completely different one, I like this series that much.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Should be up for a Hugo/Nebula, May 24 2004

By	Emperor Norton (Interstellar Suburbia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Transcendence: Or, The Last of the Masquerade (Hardcover)

It's a bit of a sin that this book hasn't been nominated while a book like Singularity Sky is, but the Golden Transcendence series really should get wider exposure. It is a truly original series with very memorable characters (especially Atkins, the one-man military force of the Golden Oecumene) and some truly funny scenes, yet also manages to have a sense of grandeur and scope by this, the last volume of the series, My only complaint about the series is that it is obvious in hindsight that it was meant to be two books, as The Phoenix Exultant was a little longer than necessary and felt too drawn out.

The hyper-libertarian future portrayed in these books is an interesting contrast to the quasi-socialist futures seen in books by Ken MacLeod or Charles Stross, quite a cultural commentary on American writers like Wright versus UK writers.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Plain and Simple...
Pretty heady stuff, but a must read for those interested in hard- and literary sci-fi. Makes up for the hump that was "The Phoenix Exultant". A lot to think about in this one...

Published on April 22 2004 by moss ryder

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing
"The Golden Transcendence" is a book of ideas that works--a rare bird indeed. Wright weaves philosophy, action, and character skillfully into a wildly creative novel... Read more

Published on April 20 2004 by Brian A. Schar

5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying conclusion to a great series
I recently finished reading The Golden Transcendence by John C. Wright. A great novel that serious science fiction readers should pick up. Read more

Published on Jan 11 2004 by Michael Pusateri

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonders, insights, deep thought
Rarely does the thoughtful sci-fi connoisseur find such a treat as the Golden Transcendence (and its preceding volumes). Read more

Published on Dec 22 2003 by Rafal Smigrodzki