Observer: A Novel

Incredible book! My wife bought Observer for me based on a friend's recommendation and it didn't disappoint. I thought I'd amuse her by pretending to open it up Friday after work, but instead, I spent the entire weekend glued to its pages. Couldn't put it down ‘til the very end.Being interested in the nature of reality myself, it was a total homerun. The book kicks off with a hospital drama that spills onto the internet, ruining a doctor’s career. It has complex characters that completely draw you into their lives. It has a ton of information and insights into the real-world implications of quantum theory that pushes well past the horizons of modern science. And when that technology is stolen and misused by gamers on the black market, danger and intrigue ensue. This book is filled with incredible characters, cutting edge science, and a story that takes you on a roller coaster ride to places you never thought possible. In my opinion, Crichton and Weir have to make room at the top for Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress. This book was great!.To start with, the main character Caro is very relatable. She's smart and tough but the authors manage to show her softer side too. You can't help but get behind Caro and hope the journey she sets out on will end well for her. That makes her mysterious uncle, his unexpected job offer, and the controversial, cutting edge work she's asked to do all the more intriguing. Should she do it? Should she run for the hills? Combined with the compound in the Caymans and her introduction to a mind-bending concept that would make anyone question their beliefs (including me), she has to weigh the risk of accepting the job which will save her career and steady her financially against the unknown moral and ethical dilemmas it presents. But you know how it goes - a sister with a disabled child that needs help, a career that's been destroyed, all your other options are gone... What other choice does she really have?In addition, as the story proceeds, you inadvertently learn a lot about the science behind the book. Fortunately, it’s presented in such a simple and elegant way, you don’t even realize you’re grasping advanced physics concepts while sipping your tea. I think this passage says it best:“You, Caroline, are young in one ‘now’, and you will experience wrinkles and graying hair in another ‘now.’ But in reality, they all exist in superposition. Think of it like one of those old phonographs. Listening to the music doesn’t alter the record itself. Depending on where the needle is, you hear a certain song. This is the present – the music before and after the song is the past and the future. In like manner, every moment endures in nature always. The record doesn’t go away. All ‘nows.’ Like all songs on the record, exist simultaneously, although we can only experience it piece by piece. That superposition is why Einstein said ‘the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.’”Based on that, what do you think is going to happen? I won't give anything away but it's one thing for a science fiction novel to present impossible events or concepts as fact. That's why it's called fiction or fantasy. It's a totally different ballgame though when you realize this book is hard science based on real experiments which show how the quantum world entangles itself with ours - not just in a theoretical way or at the microscopic level, but on our level, in our everyday lives shaping reality, even affecting our concept of death as described in the passage above. I looked stuff up online and found strong scientific support for the claims made in this book. Honestly, I still haven't gotten my head around it. If it were philosophical or make believe, I'd take it with a grain of salt, but if the implications of modern science are true and we can learn to manipulate them one day, I hope it’s soon because I’d love to experience it myself!Through the twists and turns that keep you perched on the edge of your seat, I loved every second (well, almost every second lol) of this book. I feel like I've been inspired by science all over again. How this book managed to capture all the science in a way that makes you forget you're actually learning about quantum physics and the nature of reality and how it works is truly a testament to the authors. The combination of a great storyteller (Kress) and a great scientist (Lanza) delivers nothing less than a stellar piece of literature that works for a popular audience too.Observer is truly amazing. I loved it. Can’t wait for the movie. Do yourself a big favor and read it!

I found the science very intriguing! It certainly gives you a lot to think about. I felt that the first 2/3 of the book was captivating. I was a bit disappointed in that there was a build up of certain characters and events that resulted in a wrap up in only a few sentences. It felt rushed. The focus then moved to other characters and events. I felt that this book could have been a bit longer in order to fully conclude some of the characters and events. Overall though a very good read!

I just spent the past day or two flying through the pages of Observer. And now that I'm done, I'm going to spend my entire week reading it all over again very carefully!I pre-ordered the book a while ago and put the release date on my calendar. As soon as I got it and read the first 65 pages, I knew I was in for a wild ride. The pace picked up to a “cannot put it down level.” Brilliant scientists, conflicted neurosurgeons, a mysterious compound in the Cayman Islands, love, betrayal, and murder, and oh yes, earth shattering scientific breakthroughs that will blow your mind! What else could you possibly want from a novel?When I first saw the ad for Observer back in November, I suspected that if this book were anything like the other works by Lanza (the biocentrism series) and Nancy Kress' award winning novels (Beggars in Spain, Tomorrow's Kin, etc.), this would be a really great read. And it doesn't disappoint. It's jam packed with cool science, suspense, and characters who come to life in the pages of the book. I really felt like I was in the Cayman Islands with all of them living the story and reveling in the ideas.At least right now, I think the thing I liked the most is the main character's reluctance (like my own) to believe the compound’s scientific mission at first. Just like Dana Scully on the "X" Files or Ranae Holland on Finding Bigfoot, Caro is cautious, skeptical, even suspicious of what she's being asked to do. I mean who would just step right in and automatically assume performing surgeries on the brain of a healthy patient was an ethical thing to do? But by experiencing it step-by-step alongside Caro, having my views of reality turned inside out, and learning about lots of new cutting-edge science (especially quantum physics, which never made sense to me until now), made for an amazing ride. When do I get my implant?I also liked the parts about Caro's sister and her two nieces, one of which has cystic fibrosis. Unless you've had a close friend who's been through that, or you've been through it yourself, you can't imagine what it's like. You're a 24/7 caretaker with no life and no end of it in sight, and it effects everyone around you until they fall away one by one over time. Caro is a hero for being Ellen's champion and it gives her the fuel she needs to be part of the greatest scientific achievement in the history of mankind - to solve the mystery of the soul. And to find out what life and reality is really all about—not some lame bit of science fantasy, but for real!I'm not going to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn't read it yet - but in short - it's so good I'm reading it again now. If you like this kind of book, you should buy it and read it too! All I can say is "wow!"

Great new book by Robert Lanza! This is a fiction book, a novel, which gives an easy-to- read and enjoyable way to understand how modern science looks at cautiousness as a creator of the world that we live in - his idea of biocentrism. To get more data on science side, one need to read his previous books on biocentrism. This book is great for bringing these ideas to the attention of more people, who don't necessarily have science background. At the end of the day, these ideas will change the way how people think about themselves and the world that they live in.

Ich habe schon seit längerem kein Buch mehr so schnell ausgelesen.Es ist einfach sehr gut und spannend geschrieben, wodurch man richtig in der Handlung und den Charakteren versinkt.

I couldn’t put this book down, and recommend anyone who is looking for an alternate view of the universe and self, to read this book. It maybe science fiction in parts but I believe the truth is in those words too.

Habiendo leído otro libro de R. Lanza este es mucho más que una novela. Es un nido de información científica real que verdaderamente emociona.

A epic story that is perfectly suited for adaption into a movie.Explores the deepest of human questions with quality and references.