Sum: Tales from the Afterlives in Ask David Eagleman

Jan 06, 2010 Dave Cullen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was my favorite book I read in 2009.

Here's what I wrote in a piece for Salon:

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/20...

I loved the idea of "Sum: 40 Tales From the Afterlives," but did I actually want to slog through 40 of them? How many novel conceptions of the afterlife are there -- wouldn’t this be about 35 too many? No, actually. David Eagleman has got a million of them.

Eagleman did his undergrad in literature and his Ph.D. in neuroscience. He runs a brain lab by day and writes fiction at ...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Adi Alsaid rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Re-read update: Still incredible and imaginative and about forty other adjectives.

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I read this book in a sitting. Granted, I was exclusively writing at the time, so my day wasn’t full of things to do. But it’s a short book, one which is extremely easy to read. It’s imaginative and funny and heartbreaking, and at its end I found myself wishing there were more stories. I already talked about this boo Re-read update: Still incredible and imaginative and about forty other adjectives.

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I read this book in a sitting. Granted, I was exclusively writing at the time, so my day wasn’t full of things to do. But it’s a short book, one which is extremely easy to read. It’s imaginative and funny and heartbreaking, and at its end I found myself wishing there were more stories. I already talked about this book in an open letter I wrote to the author, who then took the time to graciously respond. I wanted to expand a bit on the book in this formal review.

The title of the book gives readers a pretty clear idea of what to expect: forty short stories of different versions of the afterlife. I usually prefer to go into a book without knowing a thing about it; an adventure without a map. And whenever I recommend books to other people, I try to keep them as much in the dark as will be possible while still urging them to read. I hope you can trust me enough to quit reading this review and just go buy/read this fantastic book.

In case that didn’t work, here’s a little more to go off of. Each story is between 2-5 pages, which is perfect for today’s reduced-attention audience. Every new story you read is somehow better than the last, somehow more imaginative. If you like having awesome ideas, this book is a collection of forty awesome ideas that someone else had before you did, and it’ll make you shake your head with envious appreciation.

Among these different afterlives are: God’s a married couple with problems; we’re an experiment for a god that wants to know what keeps human beings together; you’re split into different ages, and all of you live simultaneously; you get to choose what to reincarnate into. And so on and so forth. Yeah, there are forty of these. The craziest thing is that they’re not just the work of a creative, unorganized mind throwing out ideas and hoping something sticks. They’re incredibly well-written and heartfelt, and every single one of them evoked an emotional response, even if it was anxiety once or twice (like the one where you stay in limbo until no one remembers you).

Somehow, the book manages to speak of the afterlife without being overtly for or against religion. I can’t imagine anyone but extreme zealots being offended by it, and I’m saddened by the thought that someone might not instantly see the beautiful fiction David Eagleman has put on display in this book.

Like I mentioned before, I read this in a sitting, which isn’t a comment on the length of the book but rather a testament to its quality. Then I bought it, texted all my friends telling them to buy it, then went home and read parts of it to my girlfriend at the time. By parts of it I mean at least ten full stories. “Ooh! This one was really good,” I’d say and keep reading, ignoring the fact that it was late and she had to get up early to work a fraction of her 50-hour work-week.

This is one of those books that reminds you of the power of books. The written word can inspire joy, heartbreak, fear…all of which you’ll express out loud for the whole bookstore/coffee shop/wherever it is you like to read to witness. ...more

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Aug 09, 2009 dirt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

David Eagleman mixes science and philosophy and concocts 40 tales concerning what happens to us when we die.

I first heard about this book when Radiolab explored the After Life in 11+ meditations. Jeffery Tambor's voice was an excellent choice and it resonated through my head during the entire reading.

All of the vignettes are original and thought provoking as they explore death from the grand scale to the minute. Each tale leaves the reader thinking that it is a completely plausible portrayal of ...more

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Aug 09, 2009 Diana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this book. What a ride Eagleman takes you on to discover 40 alternatives to the afterlife. His bio says he is also a neuroscientist, which explains a lot! I mean, how could you NOT like a book that starts off describing 7 months of nonstop sex! Seriously, though, my favorite tales were Circle of Friends (which talked about your openness to possibilities), Metamorphosis (how we remember those who pass on), Adhesions (an interesting look at our relationships), Oz (my favorite of ...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Skip (David) Everling rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Brilliantly imaginative. Reminded me of Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams. Full of real insights.

Listened to the audiobook version featuring a cast of great narrators, especially fitting for these creative short stories (including Stephen Fry and author David Eagleman). ...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Beth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book contains 40 short stories, or vignettes that each describe a different possible afterlife. The style is similar to "Einstein's Dreams". "Sum" isn't quite that good, but it's really an interesting read. The stories each basically deal with a different story of what could possibly happen to you when you die, what God is, what Heaven is like, etc.

For instance, in one story, you find out that your entire life was faked. There are Actors who portray many of the people in your life, and whe ...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Roseanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love to collect examples of people who have disparate careers. I've heard of an airline steward/dentist and an opera singer/graphic designer. David Eagleman is a new entry to my list. A neuroscientist, he also writes fiction. So the shortness of the this volume can be excused by the fact that he has an incredibly busy day job.
The stories bring to mind Italo Calvino and Jorge Luis Borges. They are fascinating examples of possible afterlives. And sometimes, as in Borges' The Lottery in Babylon, ...more

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Nov 17, 2010 NBB rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Better than the bible and, for me, more believable. Pure imagination and thought...I LOVE it. Each tale of the afterlife forces you to critically analyze real life. This is my favorite book.

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Oct 07, 2009 Heron rated it liked it · review of another edition

Nice little collection of tales about the afterlife.

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Aug 12, 2009 Paula rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hilarious and sad and completely original. My favorite story was "Mary". The author suggests that Mary Shelley "is cared for and protected by a covey of angels," because Frankenstein is God's favorite book. It supposedly "relieved Him a little of the lonliness of his position" when he read it as it addressed "the challenges of creation." Brilliant. Now I need to buy my own copy as I hated returning this to the library..... ...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Eric Meyers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

After reading a story once in a while for a few months, finally finished it. I knew from the start that this was a book to be savored, and if I read it all at once, it would have blended together. Thanks for 40 great stories, and I'm excited to read it again. ...more

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Mar 24, 2009 David added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

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Jan 18, 2010 Steven Pattison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"Sum" is the first fictional book by writer and neuroscientist David Eagleman, it's made up of 40 speculative scenarios of the human afterlife. They range from the bizarre to the downright believable but each afterlife is very profound. I loved this book - the hypothetical afterlife.

Just reading the book flap description as well as other book reviews of "Sum" might slightly alienate some people but I would encourage most people to read this - I believe the overall message is positive but we are ...more

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