A conversation with a talented creator (I would call her a Kwisatz Haderach) lead me to this book- Aristoi. I haven’t read it it yet, and was warned it was not for neophytes. It makes Neuromancer and Ender’s Game pale in comparison with regard to discussions about the “The Grid” or upcoming Grids if you will…if you have read it, please chime in. I am wondering if “control of their daimones” is related to the Alexandrian, Greecian, concept of the daimone and the possible rise of post-humanism or the digital self becoming more important than the physical? In her view our current status in the 3D is hardly nascent, and barely infantile. Where does this leave our influencer networks?

From Publishers Weekly
In this complex and rewarding novel, Williams (Days of Atonement) has created a future which features many of the wonders SF has been promising us for years: virtual reality, genetic engineering, faster-than-light travel, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, telepathic links with computers, and more. Perhaps most interesting is that people have control of their daimones, different aspects of personality that are given specific names. The class system remains: the aristoi are the seemingly perfect humans who wield power and influence; in fact, some worship them as gods. An aristos named Gabriel discovers a conspiracy among three others of his class, who have created several worlds that are barbaric, with little technology and rampant disease and sickness. They have also killed other aristoi to cover their tracks and violated the sanctity of the Logarchy, the massive, open computer network that links all humans. In a nice touch, Williams renders several scenes in two columns of text on the page, the left describing the action, the right Gabriel’s internal dialogue with his daimones. And in one delicious scene Gabriel has sex with two different women at the same time–one in virtual reality, one in real space.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In the far future, an elite class of individuals–called aristoi–rules an interstellar empire through the benign, disciplined mastery of advanced technologies. Beneath the facade of universal prosperity, however, lurks a tide of dissension and madness that can only be fought from within. Williams ( Voice of the Whirlwind , LJ 5/15/87; Days of Atonement , LJ 3/15/91) tests the borders of imagination in a novel that combines brilliant hard science and speculative vision with a firm grip on the central humanity of his characters. A priority purchase for sf collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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