WWW Trilogy
{{Short description|Novel series by Robert J. Sawyer}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox Novel series
| name = WWW Trilogy
| author = Robert J. Sawyer
| image =
| image_caption = Cover for the first book, Wake
| title_orig =
| translator =
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Canada
| language = English
| genre = Science fiction, young adult
| publisher = Ace
| pub_date = 2009 - 2011
| media_type = Print (hardcover, paperback), audiobook, e-book
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
The WWW Trilogy is a trilogy of science-fiction novels by Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer.{{cite web|last=DiChario|first=Nick|title=Interview: Robert J. Sawyer|url=http://philosophynow.org/issues/80/Robert_J_Sawyer|publisher=Philosophy Now|accessdate=3 May 2014}} The first book, Wake, was originally serialized in four parts in Analog Science Fiction and Fact from November 2008 to March 2009, published in book form through Ace on April 7, 2009, and was followed by the second book, Watch, on April 6, 2010.{{cite web|last=Butler|first=Gary|title=Nothing but blue skies|date=7 May 2007 |url=http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/nothing-but-blue-skies/|publisher=Quill and Quire|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|last=Kail|first=Andrea|title=Interview: Robert J. Sawyer|date=17 August 2010 |url=http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-robert-j-sawyer/|publisher=Lightspeed|accessdate=3 May 2014}} Wonder was published in 2011.{{Cite web|title=WWW - Bookverdict.com|url=https://bookverdict.mediasourceinc.net/details.xqy?uri=Product-89250300.xml|access-date=2022-12-21|website=bookverdict.mediasourceinc.net}}{{Better source needed|date=December 2022}}
Synopsis
The trilogy follows Caitlin Decter, a brilliant young blind teenager whose disability is more of a benefit when surfing the Internet. A Japanese researcher offers Caitlin the ability to gain her sight via a revolutionary new implant, an offer she eagerly accepts. However, she's surprised when rather than showing her the ordinary world, Caitlin is now able to see the Internet and all it has to offer her. She comes across Webmind, a self-aware consciousness that is growing and evolving through the Internet. The two become friends but WATCH, a secret division of the US National Security Agency, is all too aware of Webmind's existence and is concerned over its potential threat to national security. However, even as Webmind shows how it can benefit mankind, the government believes that it is an entity that should be destroyed at all costs.
Books
- Wake (2009){{cite web|last=DeNardo|first=John|title=REVIEW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer |url=http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2009/04/review_wake_by_robert_j_sawyer/|publisher=SF Signal|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite news|last=Dusmann|first=Cory|title=A tangled web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/wake-by-robert-j-sawyer/article1196239/|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=15 April 2009 |accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|title=Review: Wake|url=http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-1430967189448.xml|publisher=Library Journal|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|title=Review: WWW: Wake|url=http://booklistonline.com/WWW-Wake-Robert-J-Sawyer/pid=3361743|publisher=Booklist|accessdate=3 May 2014}}
- Watch (2010){{cite web|last=DeNardo|first=John|title=REVIEW: WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer|url=http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010/05/review_www_watch_by_robert_j_sawyer/|publisher=SF Signal|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|last=Rundle|first=James|title=BOOK REVIEW: WATCH|date=23 August 2010 |url=http://www.scifinow.co.uk/books/book-review-watch/|publisher=SciFiNow|accessdate=3 May 2014}}
- Wonder (2011){{cite web|last=Jones|first=Mike M.|title=WWW: Wonder (review)|url=http://www.sfsite.com/10b/wo354.htm|publisher=SF Site|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|title=Review: Wonder|url=http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-89250300.xml|publisher=Library Journal|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite journal|last=Gooding|first=Rick|title=Posthuman in Waterloo.('Wake,' 'Watch' and 'Wonder')(Book review)|journal=Canadian Literature|date=Spring 2013|issue=216|page=192|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,cookie,uid&db=a9h&AN=90571871&site=ehost-live&scope=site|accessdate=3 May 2014}}
Development
Sawyer was inspired to write the WWW Trilogy after reading an issue of New Scientist that remarked that in the early 21st century the World Wide Web "could have the same number of synapses as the human brain", which made him draw comparisons to human evolution.{{cite web|title=Is the internet alive? Robert J. Sawyer thinks so|url=http://www.cbc.ca/books/2011/05/robert-sawyer-on-spark.html|publisher=CBC.ca|accessdate=3 May 2014}} While writing, Sawyer had difficulty writing the character of Caitlin due to the two of them being so different, but stated that he felt that the challenge was "fun".{{cite web|last=Klima|first=John|title=Interview with Robert Sawyer, Author of WWW: WAKE|date=8 April 2009 |url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/interview-with-robert-sawyer-author-of-www-wake|publisher=Tor.com|accessdate=3 May 2014}} As such, he conducted research on what it was like to be blind and received input from his nieces, which he used to help build the character of Caitlin. While writing the trilogy Sawyer also consulted a young adult librarian, as he wanted to "appeal to both the adult and YA markets with the WWW trilogy".{{cite journal|last=Ball|first=Jonathan|title=Young adult science fiction as a socially conservative genre|journal=Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures|date=Winter 2011|volume=3|issue=2|pages=162–175|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA298504110&v=2.1&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=5b894196e22c45b437f7488760bce971|accessdate=3 May 2014|doi=10.1353/jeu.2011.0016|s2cid=67845374}} He also tried to incorporate various different ethnicities in the work, as he noted that several science fiction works such as Star Wars and 2001 did not contain many or any non-Caucasian characters.
Reception
Critical reception for the WWW Trilogy has been predominantly positive and the series has received praise from outlets such as Publishers Weekly, SF Site, and SF Signal.{{cite web|title=Review: WWW: Wake|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-441-01679-2|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Gil T.|title=WWW: Watch (review)|url=http://www.sfsite.com/02b/wa338.htm|work=SF Site|accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|last=DeNardo|first=John|title=REVIEW: Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer|url=http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/04/review_wonder_by_robert_j_sawyer/|work=SF Signal|accessdate=3 May 2014}} Much of the praise centered on its characters and technology, and in their review of Wake, the SF Site commented that "Even with such a focus on technology and culture, Sawyer never loses sight of his individual characters."{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Michael M|title=WWW: Wake (review)|url=http://www.sfsite.com/05b/wk296.htm|work=SF Site|accessdate=3 May 2014}} Criticisms of the work tended to stem around Sawyer's usage of the trilogy to champion several different causes, which some reviewers felt detracted from their enjoyment of the work and did not help fully flesh out the characters.{{cite news|last=Dusmann|first=Cory|title=A sticky Web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/watch-by-robert-j-sawyer/article4097199/|work=The Globe and Mail|date=April 2010 |accessdate=3 May 2014}}{{cite web|last=Basilières|first=Michel|title=Book Review: Wonder, by Robert J. Sawyer|url=http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/04/08/book-review-wonder-by-robert-j-sawyer/|work=National Post|accessdate=3 May 2014}}
=Awards=
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{official website|http://wakewatchwonder.com/}}
- {{isfdb series|26059}}
- [http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2009/09/flashforward-au/ FlashForward Author Robert J. Sawyer on How George Lucas Pre-Empted His SciFi Series]
Category:2000s science fiction novels
Category:Novels by Robert J. Sawyer
Category:Science fiction novel trilogies
Category:Novels about the Internet