Human .4 (science fiction, computers)

Book Title: Human .4 by Mike A. Lancaster

Topic: science fiction, computers, being forgotten

Thoughts:  After reading this novel, you will understand the meaning behind the front cover.

This novel takes place somewhere in Britain but could occur anywhere.  This is like Asher's 13 Reasons Why in which the story is told through a series of tapes a person listens to.  While Hannah makes sure the entire story is on the tapes, Kyle doesn't know about the blank part at the beginning and ending of tapes, so part of his narrative is cut off from the readers.  Then "editor" Mike Lancaster fills us in on what the experts think happened or the significance of those missing parts.

Kyle and three other people volunteered to be hypnotized by Danny at the annual talent show.  When they come out of the trance, everyone is "frozen" like a freeze frame.  This freaks them out, and they try to find out what is going on.  Kyle keeps thinking aliens have taken over by controlling technology instead of trying to fight us with weapons.  According to all the movies we watch (Independence Day, Skyline, Battlefield Earth, Battleship, etc.), earthlings will be able to outfight the invaders.  This does not happen in this novel.  No major battles occur, but Kyle, Lilly, Mr. Peterson, and Kate, run from human zombies and vestigivore to try to survive. 

Lancaster made me think about the possibility of this change happening when Danny explains what is happening to the group: "The human mind filters out all sorts of useless detail. . . . It's how you get through the day without being driven mad.  You don't register the things that aren't, for whatever reason, important to you. . . . Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye, but when you looked there was nothing there?  Or felt like you're being watched, when there's no one around?. . . . Things you have been programmed not to see" (192-193).  Spooky....This explains why when I am getting ready in the morning, I think I see a fly on the wall but when I flick my eyes there nothing appears.  Scary thought......

The human brain is the largest and most sophisticated computer in the word;  do we only use .4 of it and something else uses the other six tenths?