How did the post Darwinian invasion that ended corporeal humanity begin? By a slow and insidious infusion of innocent augmentations Charles Darwin could hardly have foreseen... (pg. 312)
Charles Darwin proclaimed that the survival of the fittest would determine which individuals and species flourished upon the earth. As mankind
advances in technology with such things as the use of stem cells, cloning, youth cocktails, and even bio-electronic devices, Darwin's theories may no longer apply to those in the future who can afford to effect their own natural origin to extend their lives.
In his book, Beyond Future Shock, physicist Alex Alaniz not only envisions a world of life-extending capabilities, but shows us a realistic view of what may lie in store for us in the way of life-enhancing technologies. He paints a world where medical advances come in the form of small computer chips (nanochips) that learn to mimic the
brain’s functions to end the debilitating effects of such diseases as Alzheimer’s. From there, we are given a practical plot of how such medical advances would be sought after and used by the general populace to boost their own brain capacities and abilities far beyond the average level of 10%.
These computer chips not only serve an individual’s ability to recall their own memories, but connected to a wireless world wide web, they provide access to an endless amount of information and
eventually some people begin to store much of their consciousness on mindspace servers. Suddenly, surfing the web is a whole new experience.
The protagonists of the book are two young lovers, Heinreich von Onsager, the son of a German Baron, and Lise Reber, the daughter of a Jewish doctor. The
story begins in the years prior to World
War II, and as it unfolds and the Nazi’s rise in power, we witness the couple and their families experience the upheaval and horror of war. Characters such as Adolph Hitler and family members of Albert Einstein, make memorable appearances within the storyline. As the war comes to a close, we are observers of how the Allied powers acquired some of the best German minds to further their own technological advances, and the subsequent race for knowledge the ensued.
Had the book ended in the post World War II era, Alex Alaniz could easily be hailed as one of the best historical
fiction writers today. The story is detailed, accurate, and truly enjoyable. It is a passionate romance mixed with the believable drama of war. It is an interesting story about how lives and events can intermingle and be forever changed. However, this book is not historical fiction, nor is it
science fiction. It is a well written fictional account of science, engineering, and eventually humanity itself. It is a story of where we’ve been, and quite possibly, given today’s exponential growth of technology, where we may be heading.
~Brian Douthit
author of Perfectly Said: when words become art