This is a really interesting point. I agree with you saying that it makes the plot more interesting because it goes deeper with the characters with all of their connected lines. And at times, it's confusing, like when Gwendolyn just shows up out of nowhere or (spoiler) when Meredith randomly has a sister on Grey's Anatomy. All those lines are connected for a better experience for the reader or viewer because it's not just some basic, straight forward book. or TV show. Instead, it's a complicated, suspenseful story where the reader and viewer don't really know what's coming next. I do agree that this is probably one of the main reasons the author does this but maybe another one is to create many different interpretations or understandings of the same story.

I thought this was a really great blog post and an interesting point. I also really enjoyed all the graphics in this post and thought they made great visuals. I've never really thought about our actions in the past having a reaction. I'm sure the characters never thought the decisions they made 5 months ago, or 5 years ago, or even longer would affect them in some way. I think about my actions from five years ago and fear for my future. The actions and reactions though show a great point in describing the entanglements of Saga. The Will would have never met Gwendolyn if he hadn't given up chasing Marko and Alana when he heard the Stalk was on their trail too. And maybe he would've died instead of the Stalk if he didn't give up. I also really enjoyed tying Saga and Newton's third law into the real world, it made a really interesting viewpoint of the entanglements.

This is actually a really interesting point. We never know what Lilith looks like (plus, does she know what she looks like?). Are the changes Nikanj give Lilith actually changing her appearance too, not just her genes? Is that why so many of the humans question if she's human: is Lilith starting to look "unearthly" because of the genes altered in her body? To answer your question, I think it's both. Even today, if a gene mutates, our appearance changes, we just don't say that person isn't human. So I think appearance and genes are a weird combination into what makes us human.

But do the humans have respect for them too? It doesn't seem like they do in the book so how can humans expect respect from the Oankali if they don't respect them? And then, do the Oankali even respect Lilith? Does Lilith respect them? It almost seems like they have a different idea of respect in society that goes along with their form of hierarchy. How are they testing the humans? Are they testing them to see if they will destroy the Earth again? Or are they testing them to see if they are the right people to breed with?

I also thought this aspect of the book was really interesting. How can the Oankali not have a hierarchy? It's not like humans are the only species on Earth have a hierarchy, it's something that just seems to happen. I understand why the Oankali were critical of our species for having a hierarchical society but it could be argued that the Oankali have a similar society without the enforcement and clear cut lines of humans' hierarchical society. But how does individuality affect our hierarchy? Most, if not all, species have individuality and we are given certain abilities to have certain tasks to lead society in a certain way so I find it more strange that the Oankali didn't have a hierarchy in their society, not that they criticized the human species for having one.

I think this is a really interesting blog post about Lilith's fight to stay alive. But this last statement you made about her preserving who humans were and are. But did she really preserve anything? In order to stay alive with the other humans not trusting her, she was given special enhancements to fight them off. So is she still preserving the human race even though she's becoming something other than one? Her fight is also interesting because she's trying to preserve the human race with humans she doesn't even enjoy, humans who don't even believe that she is a human.

This is an interesting point. I didn't think that people who had a pacemaker or a prosthetic limb were considered "transhuman". They, in my mind, were just given a piece of technology that would help them continue on with a normal life. To me, transhuman meant someone or something that was above being a human, they had a piece of technology that made them above average. I think transhuman is one of those definitions everyone has a different opinion on but I think in the coming years, that definition could be closer to solidity.

This statement is so true, it's almost frightening. I bring my laptop or cell phone everywhere I go because it holds everything I need. If I didn't have those photos, my e-mails, my Google calendar, any of the apps on my phone, I would be lost. Like you, three years ago I would not have cared if I lost my phone. But now it's a part of me. It reminds me of Transhuman with the hand extension with tools. Our iPhones/Androids are extensions of our hands that come with tools. Where will we be in ten years or even five? Will our machines no longer be extensions of us but actually a part of us like in Blindsight?

I like the point you are making. How do we even begin to define "human voice"? A voice communicating in the languages that we are aware of on Earth? Because then we could say a parrot has a human voice because it mimics what humans say. But we know that other animals, like dolphins, don't have a human voice but use their own language to communicate with their species. I agree with you, saying that having an identifiable voice is a big part in making us human. While parrots or aliens could mimic our language and sound like us, only humans have this voice and it's really interesting that Watts plays with that idea.

Wow, this is a fantastic observation. We focus on so much about how technology is changing our lives, with new phones and computers, but we fail to realize that we are changing technology too. I think Siri, the iPhone one that is, is a great representative of that. We talk about how helpful Siri is, asking it questions to Google for us and texting our friends for us, but we don't talk about how it is programmed with jokes and human responses. When you ask Siri what their favorite (blank) team is, they will answer the losing team because they say that they like to root for the underdog. Rooting for the underdog is a strong human emotion and we don't even realize that connection, just that it can talk back to us with a real answer.

This is a really good point. I had forgotten that was the entire reason he had come down from the mountain until reading this blog. It got me wondering then, who originally called him and how come we don't hear from him again? We know why he is writing articles (to provide an income to write books) but he becomes so involved with the transients, he doesn't even begin to write. Maybe he writes a book later on in the series but it is strange that the author forgot the main basis to plot and I'm doubtful there's a reason for it.

I'm curious as to why you mentioned this. What is the importance that Spider hasn't had sex in five years? Why didn't he elaborate more on that fact in the book? Do you think it's important because it has influenced how he interacts with others? I also find it interesting how you put it in the sentence of how he goes back to his love and passion of journalism. Is journalism his sex and his form of pleasure? That one sentence had me rethinking the rest of his actions throughout the book and how he treats his assistant later in the series.