SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Modifications to your body and brain and personality, and add-ons to temporarily boost your knowledge.

Would you get wired? And if so what would you get wired for?

Currently I think a brain upgrade would be nice, but I'm not too far into the book

If I could learn kung fu that way, i'd be down.

I wrote down that question too. I think a lot of people would do it to get a better job (insta-lawyer!) but would you really take the risk if it wouldn't get you rich? I thought it was interesting that the author presented it as major surgery, not just a quick procedure like in a lot of similar books that I've read. Being in the hospital for weeks puts a damper on the idea of doing it just for fun. I don't know, the idea of surgery scares me, but the daddies seem useful and in that world you might need them to be able to compete. And it would be fun to learn a new language or play piano or be able to dance without all of the work. But I'm with Marîd, the personality moddies are scary.

They are scary, but if everyone around you is getting modified, how can a normal human brain even keep up? Especially if you're like Marîd and kill off all your cells with drugs and alcohol.

I don't think I'd do it. I love my brain the way it is. Though if peer pressure were high enough, I don't think I could keep away.

I find it interesting that Marid was so apprehensive about getting wired, but was so open to mind altering drugs.

Same, Jim. The amount of drugs he took seemed like they were crazy outrageous, and yet he didn't want brain surgery. Those drugs were like a tiny bit of surgery each time...

The thing that bugged me a little bit about Marid was that he didn't want to get wired, but he was happy to make use of other people who were wired, so he could pretend he was boffing Honey Pilar or find out what a particular chip did without plugging it into his own head.

Was anyone who's read The Dervish House reminded of this? Probably it was just the alternate identities and Middle Eastern setting that made me see a connection, but I'd have to do a re-read of TDH to be sure.

The whole Honey Pilar made no sense. It's not VR, it's still the body of the person you normally know. Just their behavior changes. I mean would the guys here be all excited over having sex with a 400lb woman with the mod making her think she's a famous Victoria Secret model?