Soulminder

Title:

Soulminder

Author:

Zahn, Timothy author.

ISBN:

9781497646209

Personal Author:

Zahn, Timothy author.

Physical Description:

326 pages ; 21 cm

Abstract:

"For Dr. Adrian Sommers, a split second of driving while distracted leads to tragedy--and obsession. His family destroyed, he devotes his entire being to developing Soulminder, a technology that might have saved his son as he wavered on the edge of death. Sommers's vision is to capture a dying person's life essence and hold it safely in stasis while physicians heal the body from injury or disease. Years of experimentation finally end in success--but those who recognize Soulminder's possibilities almost immediately corrupt its original concept to pursue dangerous new frontiers: body-swapping, obstruction of justice, extortion, and perhaps even immortality"--Publisher's description.

Subject Term:

Medical innovations -- Fiction.

Genre:

Science fiction.

Available:*

Format	Library	Call Number	Status
Book	Searching... Main Library	Zah	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Science redefines life and death in this novel by the #1 New York Times -bestselling, Hugo Award-winning author.

Dr. Adrian Sommers's world was destroyed in a split second of distracted driving. The accident left his son wavering between life and death. When the end came, Sommers's family was torn apart, but the tragedy gave him hope and an obsessive mission: to forestall death through science and technology.

Years of experimentation lead Sommers to develop Soulminder, a device capable of capturing a dying person's life essence and holding it safely in stasis while physicians heal the body from injury or disease. But there are those who recognize Soulminder's true potential: body-swapping, obstruction of justice, extortion, and perhaps even immortality.

As Sommers struggles to retain control over the use of his invention against corrupt and dangerous factions, he must question his own moral judgment and motives in creating Soulminder and determine if humanity has earned the right to harness the power of life and death. From the author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire , this is not only a tale of a father's desperate love for his son but also "an intriguing thought experiment. . . . Those who enjoy deep philosophical questions will appreciate being left with much to ponder" ( Publishers Weekly ).

Author Notes

Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 1, 1951. He received a B.S. degree in physics from Michigan State University in East Lansing in 1973 and a M.S. degree in physics from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1975. In 1975, Zahn began writing science fiction as a hobby. When his thesis advisor died in 1979, effectively wiping out three years of work, he decided to try making a living at writing. Since then, Zahn has published short stories, novelettes, novels, and short fiction collections. He is best known for writing the Star Wars the Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. The novella, Cascade Point (1984) won a Hugo Award. He also writes numerous series including Cobra, Blackcollar, Dragonback, and Conquerors' Trilogy.

Zahn co-authored with David Weber A Call To Duty, the first book in the Manticore Ascendant Series, which made the New York Times bestseller list in October 2014.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Zahn, best known for his Star Wars tie-in novels, weaves a near-future narrative about a machine that can trap the souls of patients hovering at death's door. According to Dr. Sommer, the soul definitely exists, and it can be made to obey the will of science. Implications of this proposition mount up in interlocking stories, which make for an intriguing thought experiment. Each chapter looks at the ramifications of Sommer's process, with his own opinions weaving in and out of the narrative. His work is used for both good and evil, which gives rise to some great ethical debates. Unfortunately, the contemporary setting is stereotypical (populated by South American dictators and ranting televangelists) and it's hard to believe that no one else manages to develop rival technology. There are also times when Sommer's security chief, Everly, is able to save the day too easily. The choice to skip from one moral issue to the next does hurt the narrative flow, but those who enjoy deep philosophical questions will appreciate being left with much to ponder. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Starred Review. After an accident kills his son, Dr. Adrian Sommers develops a machine that can preserve the human life force while the body is being repaired. Although Sommers thinks of it as the next logical medical step after the heart-lung machine, others see darker uses, from body swapping to immortality. Sommers's partner just wants to get rich and live forever. Religious leaders accuse Sommers of preventing souls from moving to the afterlife. The government wants to control the technology to protect its senior officials while allowing criminals to trade bodies and get away with murder. Meanwhile the indulged rich use others' bodies for thrills and worse. VERDICT First begun as a series of stories in Analog magazine and now published as a complete novel for the first time, Zahn's ("Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy") work follows in the tradition of the best thought-provoking sf, reflecting on the negative consequences of immortality and the way that our society indulges itself and distributes medical breakthroughs. Highly recommended for readers of smart speculative fiction.-Marlene Harris, Seattle P.L. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.