The Golden Age by John C. Wright is a book packed with 4-star ideas, yet it is held back by a 3-star plot and 1-star author opinions. If you are looking for a deep dive into sci-fi, this book review will help you decide if it’s worth the read. The book starts off in a confusing manner and stays that way for quite a while, though as with any new world, once you get your bearings, it becomes easier to follow. The writing is a mess of ideas, loaded with endless info-dumps, and not much really happ...

The Golden Age by John C. Wright offers a fully realized vision of life 10,000 years in the future, set within a setting called the “Golden Oecumene.” Our solar system has become a utopian society bursting with a vast array of humans, artificial intelligences, nearly immortal tech-enhanced post-humans, and everything in between, including collective minds and AI networks. They live in a densely populated solar system that has been re-engineered on a planetary scale. This book review wouldn't be ...

I'm skipping anything written by this author. The Golden Age by John C. Wright is a hard pass for me. Yikes.

Wow. This was genuinely one of the strangest books I have ever picked up. Set in the distant future where everyone is immortal and godlike, it brought to mind the themes of Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light." However, this wasn't the sixties New Wave style; it was a brand of modern sci-fi that I have yet to fully wrap my head around. I understood and somewhat enjoyed the story, but man, it was such a chore to get through—it is incredibly wordy, which is my biggest gripe with newer releases. I thoug...

5 Stars The Golden Age is an absolute gem of a sci-fi novel. It doesn’t even matter that it’s the first book in a trilogy; it is worth the read regardless. I want to say a huge thank you to all my friends here on Goodreads who reviewed this book and warned me that, while the beginning is incredibly difficult to get through, the persistent reader is rewarded with a remarkably written hard science fiction mystery. This was my first exposure to John C. Wright as an author, but now I’ll definitely...

John C. Wright's The Golden Age is a truly worthy read. Set in the far future—10,000 years from now—it depicts a world where the transhuman 'singularity' has long since occurred. The solar system is populated by humans possessing massive, varied intellects and powers, alongside the 'sophotechs,' gargantuan supercomputers with intellectual capacities that dwarf their own superhuman creators. These machines ensure that humanity lacks nothing, save perhaps for risk and adventure—those "deeds of ren...

During a masquerade leading up to the celebration of the High Transcendence, Phaethon realizes he is being shunned and discovers that a significant portion of his memory has been erased. As he slowly pieces together the truth, he learns that regaining his past means facing exile from the Oecumene and the paradise it offers. But what does this have to do with his father, Helion, and the other six Peers? The Golden Age by John C. Wright is a total mind-bender of a sci-fi book. While it wears the ...

6.0 stars. An absolutely mind-blowing science fiction debut. I honestly don’t know the best way to describe this book. In tone, The Golden Age by John C. Wright reminds me of golden age sci-fi classics like The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov. However, the prose feels incredibly contemporary and tech-savvy—almost cyberpunk—in a way that recalls William Gibson. It is truly unique and masterfully written. I can’t wait to dive into the sequel. This is m...

When reality is only perceived through multiple layers of filters, what is truth?When memories are readable, writable, and editable, what is an individual?When superintelligences are capable of predicting the vast majority of our decisions, what is free will?When biochemistry and emotional states are hackable (and therefore suppressible), what is discipline?When every human has the option to plug in to their own custom virtual world, what is humanity?If these questions sound like philosophical m...

Man. This is one of those books that, for the first 60 pages, is so dense it’s genuinely frustrating. I was reading it thinking, this guy is a decent writer, but this whole "murky and mysterious" vibe is driving me crazy. It felt a bit like trying to read Greg Bear, or anyone who leans into obscure prose because they lack confidence in their story or characters. That was the vibe for the first chunk of The Golden Age, and my friend Tim kept reading it on the sly until he eventually overtook me—a...