Imitation

Name: Imitation
ISBN: 9787547742532

彼得·沃茨 / 姚向辉Beijing Daily Press · ChinaJun 2022

4.3

Word count: 226K words
Chapters: 10
ISBN: 9787547742532

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Summary

It is the eve of the twenty-second century: the dead send postcards from heaven, preachers induce trances to find breakthroughs in science, genetically engineered vampires can solve problems that baseline humans cannot, and soldiers carry a zombie switch that shuts off their self-awareness in combat... and all of this unfolds under the watch of an alien that refuses to show itself.

In a world where biology has become a computational science, a research finding by field biologist Daniel Brüks becomes a terrorist's murder weapon. He retreats into the Oregon desert, refusing to join a human society that is splitting into different subspecies. But one night he wakes to find himself at the center of a storm. Caught in a chase and a fight for survival he cannot explain, he is swept aboard the Crown of Thorns, a starship bound for the center of the solar system, together with Valerie, a vampire who has escaped from a laboratory; Colonel Jim, searching for his missing son; and a band of monks who claim to have received a revelation of evolution.

At the end of this pilgrimage, Brüks must confront the greatest evolutionary break in human thought since humans first began to think.

Editor's review

In this work Peter Watts fuses biology, computational science, and space opera into a 22nd-century world both strange and self-consistent: postcards arrive from the dead, trances become a research method, vampires are genetically modified to solve problems, and all of it unfolds under the shadow of an alien watcher that refuses to appear. What truly fascinates is not the accumulation of worldbuilding but the way the novel, through field biologist Brüks's flight and pilgrimage, probes fundamental questions of consciousness, selfhood, and the breaks in evolution—a soldier's zombie switch that shuts off self-awareness and humanity's divergence into subspecies both push philosophical propositions into extreme situations for testing. The narrative is dense and information-rich, demanding the reader's concentration, but once the rhythm takes hold, the cold intellectual pleasure and sense of endings keep pulling you along. Suited to immersive reading in solid blocks of time, and to later discussion; also suited to science fiction writers and speculative readers who want to revisit key passages.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy hard SF and biological worldbuilding and accept high-information-density narrative
Science fiction fans with a speculative interest in consciousness, selfhood, and evolution
Mature genre readers comfortable with cold style and complex worldviews
Readers who hope to find philosophical inquiry in genre literature

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light, fast-paced novels driven by plot thrills
Beginners impatient with large amounts of scientific concepts and unfamiliar terminology
Readers expecting traditional heroic narrative and clear emotional resolution

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to establish the worldview; do not stop at terminology—let context carry you forward
Keep pen and paper or a digital note to record character relationships and key concepts for easy reference
Slow down after Brüks boards the ship and watch for clues about consciousness and evolution in the dialogue
After finishing, revisit the opening worldbuilding to see how seemingly background details echo the themes

About the publisher

Beijing Daily Press China · Founded in 1981

Beijing Daily Press takes world history, historical reading and foreign literary translations as important publishing directions, alongside science fiction and prose. Its catalogue includes Edward Gibbon's unabridged The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gu Cheng's Southern Ming History and his works on Ming history, reflecting a balance between general and dynastic history; in literature there are Fu Lei's translations of Balzac and of world classics, as well as science fiction and prose such as The Universe Omnipotent Detective Agency, A Canticle for Leibowitz and The Peregrine, with authors ranging from Gibbon, Gu Cheng and Balzac to Fu Lei, Romain Rolland and Douglas Adams. Building on current affairs, history and culture, Beijing-flavoured culture and children's books, the press combines classic translation with original historical writing, emphasising complete editions and translation quality. Public information is limited, so other details are omitted.

版权信息
序章
原始
寄生虫
猎物
猎食者
先知
尾声孤独的终结
致谢
笔记与参考文献

FAQ

Do I need to read the author's other works first?

No. This is a standalone novel; the worldview unfolds gradually through the narrative, with no prior reading required. If you have read other works by Peter Watts, however, you will be more familiar with his style of scientific speculation and cold narration.

Are the scientific concepts in the book hard to understand?

The worldbuilding is indeed dense, involving biology, computational science, and questions of consciousness, but the author usually provides enough contextual clues within the plot that you can follow the story without grasping every term. If you get stuck, skip ahead; things often become clearer after finishing the book and looking back.

Is this novel better for plot or for ideas?

Both, but the emphasis leans toward ideas. It has the momentum of pursuit, starships, and a pilgrimage, yet its real appeal lies in using extreme worldbuilding to probe selfhood and evolution. If you only want plot thrills you may find it slow; if you are willing to think, you will gain more.

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About the author

彼得·沃茨 Author

Peter Watts is a science fiction author represented in our catalog by three works: Blindsight, Echopraxia, and the two-volume set Blindsight & Echopraxia. Beyond this, public information about his nationality, dates of birth and death, education, and awards is limited, so no inferences are made here. Within the catalog his works are classified under science fiction and foreign literature, and his writing tends to use scientific premises as a framework for speculative thought, focusing on issues such as consciousness, cognition, and intelligence, with narratives that move between rigorous technical detail and cold, intense psychological portrayal. This style gives him a recognizable presence among Chinese-language science fiction readers and invites discussion within contemporary hard science fiction and philosophical science fiction. Readers seeking a fuller picture of his work may judge for themselves by reading the three titles mentioned above.

姚向辉 Author

Yao Xianghui is a prolific Chinese translator, with 63 translated works held in the library's collection, focusing mainly on foreign literature and science fiction. His translations span a range of styles: classic novels driven by character and narrative, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Godfather and its trilogy; science fiction including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Illustrated Collector's Edition, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Neuromancer: Count Zero, and the Blindsight & Echopraxia set; works exploring technology and consciousness such as Mind Uploading; and popular science titles. His translations are commonly categorized under foreign literature, science fiction, classics and quality fiction, showing that he works across both genre fiction and serious literature. Public information about Yao Xianghui's personal background, education and awards is limited; he is known to readers mainly through his abundant body of translation work.