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Greg Egan is one of the "hardest" hard science fiction writers of the last two decades. Contemporary mathematics, physics and computer science inspire his work, which extends from the near future to times millions of years hence and from distant galaxies to particle physics. Egan is perhaps best known for his novels in which some or all of the main characters are software constructs. In Permutation City (1992), Diaspora (1999) and Schild's Ladder (2002), Egan presses hard on questions of consciousness and self-identity by presuming that computers can successfully replicate all the parts and functions of a human brain, but without all the messy biology. Persons can then "copy" themselves, diverge and if necessary, reboot. Even flesh-and-blood humans have a "qusp" in their skull, a quantum computer that encodes themselves. If something happens to their bodies, the qusp is used to transfer them into a new one. The extent to which people choose to be physical or to exist in purely digital forms becomes a lifestyle choice. Questions of ethics are as fundamental to Egan's writing as questions of science. He has written a host of stories set in the relatively near future investigating questions of genetic engineering, immigration, government surveillance, drug control, implants, racism, media manipulation, corporate warfare, bioterrorism and the right to die. Egan is also famously reclusive. He does not allow photographs and takes extensive precautions to protect his privacy. This adds to interest in him and his work. He has won or been nominated for most of the awards available to science fiction writers.
Writing radical hard SF -- Ethical standards -- Identity and consciousness -- Scientific analysis -- Science and society.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
LITERARY CRITICISM / Science Fiction & Fantasy