Quarantine

Greg Egan
1999

Quarantine is a book set in the near future, much of the culture is the same, but there have been improvements in some technology that make life a bit different. Neural mods can be used to carry software in the brain, instead of on computer, from simple calculators to complex analysis. They can be used to control the body’s responses and hormone levels, to induce sleep, wake at certain times, even to slow or raise metabolism.

Quarantine is an amazing exploration of complex physics, with a touch of psychology and philosophy thrown in. Through the main character, Nick, we explore quantum theory, and the question of how much influence humans have on the universe by collapsing the wave function through observation. How much of the universe is defined by our observation? How many possibilities are we destroying?

The solar system has been quarantined by an unknown agent, there is a giant bubble around us. It cuts us off from the rest of the universe, from seeing the stars. No one understands why or how it was done, although there is plenty of speculation.

Nick is like a futuristic gumshoe detective. He is hired to investigate the disappearance of Laura, a retarded woman, from a locked institution. There are no apparent motives for kidnapping, and she cannot even open a door by herself. Yet she had apparently been found outside before.

The investigation brings Nick into contact with people and concepts that change the way he views reality. He becomes involved with an organisation that is trying to create a neural mod that will allow conscious collapse of a wave function. This will mean that the observer can choose which possible version of reality will become true.

This raises the question of what happens to those other realities, and the other versions of the chooser that didn’t choose the reality that becomes extant, and would they change reality to preserve themselves if they could?

The loyalty and motivations of those who populate the story have the potential to change the very nature of reality itself, and even Nick’s motivations may not be clear to himself. It becomes clear that the mystery of the quarantine bubble is related to quantum theory by the end of the book anything is possible.

As with all Greg Egan’s work, this book challenges you while it entertains, and is a perfect marriage of science and speculation. One of his strengths is the ability to explain complex scientific concepts clearly, simply and without detracting from the cadence of the story, weaving it seemlessly into the character’s own experiences.

The characters themselves are not merely vehicles for either the story or the science, but have a clear personality with background, experience and faults of their own which drive them forward through the situations they encounter.

Those who enjoy strong science, lots of twists and the kind of book that opens your mind in new ways won’t be disappointed by this novel.