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Title	:	Aristoi
Author	:	Walter Jon Williams
Book Format	:	Mass Market Paperback
Book Edition	:	Special Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 448 pages
Published	:	September 7th 1993 by Tom Doherty Associates (first published 1992)
Categories	:	Science Fiction. Fiction. Cyberpunk. Space. Space Opera. Fantasy. LGBT

Aristoi

Walter Jon Williams

Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 448 pages

Rating: 3.98 | 1204 Users | 70 Reviews

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Read this one recently on the strength of a friend's recommendation, and was rather glad I did; it's one of the more unusual SF novels I've had the pleasure of reading. Aristoi is set in the far future, when humanity has unlocked the ability to manipulate matter at the molecular level and has spread out into the stars. Those who have mastered the ability to reshape matter in physical and virtual reality alike are the Aristoi, the kindly absolute rulers of their various individual domains, and under their leadership humanity is enjoying an enlightened peace...

Only, since this is a novel and you know this has to be coming, not so much. One of the Aristoi has secretly built an entire solar system filled with planets and even people of their own design, and whoever they are, they're willing to kill other Aristoi to keep their secret. The Aristos Gabriel, who up till now has let a fairly lightweight life pursuing operatic composition, avoiding the cult that worships him under his mother's guidance, and romancing his various lovers, is moved to investigate what's happening--and finds that not only is his own life threatened, but so are the lives of those he holds dear, and indeed, the galactic society at large.

There's a lot to like in this book, and the plot's not all of it. Williams' worldbuilding (aheh) is solid indeed, full of all sorts of little flourishes and details about how a society that's mastered nanotechnology and virtual reality is not limited by lifespan, gender, sickness, or even original physical forms. I quite liked that one of Gabriel's lovers, a man, starts off the story being implanted with their genetically engineered child, and that Marcus didn't elect to become female for the duration of the pregnancy; I quite liked, even, that such was even an option, described so seamlessly that it was clear that in that society, such choices were commonplace.

And I very, very much liked that part of the process of becoming an Aristos or Ariste involved the creation of "daemons" running in one's head. This amused me from a computer geek perspective, but it also provided an excellent way to present Gabriel as essentially a highly functional multiple person. Many of his daemons are themselves characters, and one even is a significant plot point. Their participation in the action makes for several sequences as well where dual tracks of action are described on the page--a challenge to read through, and very adroitly done.

The book's not perfect; I took a bit of issue with the open-ended and somewhat too convenient nature of the ending. But all in all I found this a very strong read. Four stars.

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Original Title:	Aristoi
ISBN:	0812514092 (ISBN13: 9780812514094)
Edition Language:	English

Rating About Books Aristoi

Ratings: 3.98 From 1204 Users | 70 Reviews

Commentary About Books Aristoi

Mixed review. I had a hard time getting into this book, as the start was mostly a long introduction of imaginary names and inventions. I put the book down for several months before coming back to it and giving it another try. Ultimately I found it very rewarding. A good science fiction thriller. I think Aristoi will appeal most to programmers and engineers, as the Aristoi are the most advanced of programmers/engineers/thinkers/artists and are effectively gods. While not among my favorite books,

I loved this in a very particular way, such that it has taken me some time to review it because I wanted to get my thoughts thoroughly in order. This is a work of speculative fiction from 1992, and not just from any 1992, it is from *my* 1992, by which I mean that the things is speculates about, the things it takes deeply for granted, the aesthetic it uses -- all of this is what I was absolutely devotedly in love with at the time it was written, so much so I might not have appreciated the book

This is my favorite book. Trying to describe this book makes it sound so cheesy, but it is far from it. This book is delightfully original. There are layers to the realities in this book: what happens in the real world and what happens in the virtual world. Occasionally, Walter Jon Williams writes both parts simultaneously by splitting the page, a truly riveting idea! The rest of the book is just as unique.

The Martial Arts scenes in this book are the best fighting scenes ive ever read.

Read this one recently on the strength of a friend's recommendation, and was rather glad I did; it's one of the more unusual SF novels I've had the pleasure of reading. Aristoi is set in the far future, when humanity has unlocked the ability to manipulate matter at the molecular level and has spread out into the stars. Those who have mastered the ability to reshape matter in physical and virtual reality alike are the Aristoi, the kindly absolute rulers of their various individual domains, and



I have recently been reading reviews of fantasy and YA novels where people complain the author dumbs things down for the audience, but isn't any smarter than his or her readers. I frequently feel the opposite about science fiction, the most extreme case being "Probability Moon," by Nancy Kress. I was feeling that way about this intricate novel, until I got to the tango scene. I was blaming the story's emotional emptiness on my inability to understand the action. Williams says "The fascination of