Dear Mr. Stross,

You are a godlike being, though the ending left me a little disappointed. However, you are still a freaking godlike being.

That is all.

Sincerely,
Mr. Gord

Seriously, I think this is the best recent treatment of the Singularity I’ve seen anywhere except in Egan (though I have some more Vinge reading to do) and Stross’s melding of wacko Economics and AI, and his answer to the Fermi Paradox, and all kinds of other things are just fascinating.

If you haven’t read it, and if you like SF at all, you absolutely should. I won’t say more, because saying more will just spoil it for you. But have a dictionary (or wikipedia link) handy. And keep some Tylenol on hand… because unless you’ve crosstrained by reading tons of science-popularizations, and some Greg Egan, you’re probably gonna have a hurtin’ head on your shoulders before the end. Not from boredom, just because your brain and mind will be swelled up and expanded from all the new, insane ideas.