In the footsteps of Cory Doctorow, Peter Watts is one of the few authors who release their novels under a Creative Commons license. His latest work,
Blindsight (available as PDF and HTML) deals with the familiar theme of alien first contact and has a current Amazon star rating of 4-1/2 out of 5. From Publishers Weekly:
Quote:
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In the late 21st century, when something alien is discovered beyond the edge of the solar system, the spaceship Theseus sets out to make contact. Led by an enigmatic AI and a genetically engineered vampire, the crew includes a biologist who's more machine than human, a linguist with surgically induced multiple personality disorder, a professional soldier who's a pacifist, and Siri Keeton, a man with only half a brain. Keeton is virtually incapable of empathy, but he has a savant's ability to model and predict the actions of others without understanding them. Once the Theseus arrives at the gigantic and hideously dangerous alien artifact (which has tellingly self-named itself Rorschach), the crew must deal with beings who speak English fluently but who may, paradoxically, not even be sentient, at least as we understand the term. Watts puts a terrifying and original spin on the familiar alien contact story.
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Other stories by Peter Watts under CC include:
Thanks to
Michele for the heads-up!