Kiln People
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 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | David Brin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Released | 2002 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 460 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-765-30355-8 |
Kiln People is a 2002 science fiction novel by David Brin. It was published in the UK under the title Kil'n People. It has the dubious distinction of finishing second in four different awards for best SF/fantasy novel of 2002 -- the Hugo, the Locus, the John W. Campbell Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award -- each time finishing behind a different book.
In the world of the novel, surveillance technology is pervasive, as studied in Brin's essay The Transparent Society. Kiln People also makes extensive literary and conceptual references, including those to Firesign Theatre.
[edit] Plot introduction
The novel takes place in a future in which people can create clay duplicates (called dittos or golems) of themselves. A ditto retains all of the archetype's memories up to that time. The duplicate lasts only about a day, and the original person (referred to in the book as an archie or rig) can then choose whether or not to upload the ditto's memories. Most dittos would want to inload, so their experience would be continuous with its archie. Most people use dittos to do their work, as they are affordable even for the poor. Many also use dittos to experience pleasure which could hurt a real person. Dittos come in many colors, which signify their quality. A cheap ditto suitable for housework is green, whereas a quality one for business is gray. Ebonies are highly specialized dittos that are good at intelligent data analysis; platinums are only used by the very rich, and closely resemble real people. Ivory dittos specialize in the reception of pleasure and sexual fufillment. Other colors, such as purple, red, yellow dittos exist, but are rarely mentioned.
[edit] Plot summary
Albert Morris is a private detective who uses dittos extensively. His dittos are usually imprinted faithfully; indeed, his dittos have a fidelity rate rarely seen in the novel's world. The book opens with a green ditto being chased across the city by the enemy's dittos. He makes it home, and Albert uses his memories to bust the enemy's illegal scheme. The next morning, Albert makes three dittos: two grays and a green ditto and sends them off to do his business. After four hours of sleep, he imprints an ebony to help him work on a case.
One gray meets with Ritu Maharal, the daughter of Yosil Maharal, one of the founders of Universal Kilns (named after the rabbi of the legendary original golems), who has died under suspicious circumstances. The gray meets the surviving Maharal ditto (or ghost, meaning a ditto that survives after the original has died) of the founder, but ditMaharal runs away and when the gray follows, he is captured by the ditto.
The second gray gets involved in a plan to infiltrate Universal Kilns to see if they are using illegal technology. He is a dupe of unknown forces, and is actually carrying a bomb into the UK factory, but he realizes just in time and manages to minimize the damage done when he blows up.
The green comes out of the kiln and starts doing some of the chores he was made to do. He soon tires of this, however, and heads off to the beach. Once there, he realizes that he is an imperfect copy of Albert, or a "frankie". This is an unprecedented occurrence for Albert due to his unusual ditto-making prowess. The green decides not to continue doing chores, and claims independence. Though an imperfect copy of Albert, the green figures prominently in the plot.
Meanwhile, real Albert disguises himself as a gray ditto and meets with Ritu, who is also disguised as a gray. They are almost killed by another founder of UK, but make it to Maharal's secret lab where the first gray is being held. The green frankie makes it there as well, soon to expire.
