The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful: # Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404) ## Adrian Tchaikovsky - *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time) ## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series - *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane - *Wizardry Series (overview)* https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz ## James P. Hogan - *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars - *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker) - *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow) ## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy - *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller…

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect Most terrifying book I've ever read, and it is very much fit for a programmer to read. I can't recommend it enough. Especially if you are into AI and / or systems programming. I know those two seem very far apart and have no correlation, but you'll get it once you read it.

A few lesser known but great sci-if books: -Permutation City -Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect -The Egg (Andy Weir short story)

Really good story. I didn't really agree with the eco-primitivistic moral when I read it but I finished it all the same which should say something about how fundamentally good it is.

Yes, I also thought of this and wondered if it was hard... But it is great!

The metamorphosis of prime intellect: http://localroger.com/prime-intellect/ Not sure whether it’s hard, it has quite an unexpected but plausible plot. There’s much love in me for this weird, twisted, brutal and captivating story — I think it’s much underappreciated.

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect - Roger Williams As someone who seems themselves as a technologist (all this stuff we're working on will eventually work out for the best, warts be damned), this story was an existential-crisis-inducing wake-up call. Basically, what happens if tech progresses to the point that humanity becomes a species of bored gods? This is a trope that I've grown to really enjoy, and one that doesn't get played with near as much as it should. The next closest thing I can think of is the movie Zardoz, but that one is so abstruse that it turns people off unless they really think about it. If you go check it out, keep in mind the story gets rather grotesque in places. Imagine what depravity people would get into if death were impossible, and you're on the right track.

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64341.The_Metamorphosis_o... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64341.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)

I misread your question as sci-fi novellas, but I still think you'll enjoy these (Three Worlds and Prime Intellect are both quite long, anyway). Three Worlds Collide http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pd... (http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pdf) The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect http://localroger.com/prime-intellect/mopiall.html The next few are short stories: The Last Question http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-question/ The Last Answer http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/ Let's Help Germinate This Seed http://www.thrivenotes.com/lets-help-germinate-this-seed/ The Egg http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html

Two of my favorite books that are freely available online, both in the genre of post-singularity utopian science fiction: http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/ http://craphound.com/down/download.php

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect -- Read it free online! http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/mopiidx.html