Observer

A Novel

By: Robert Lanza, Nancy Kress

Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Observer, by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress is a slick modern, hard sf, standalone, medical thriller combining classic Robin Cook with the hard edge of Black Mirror and Altered Carbon.

After neurosurgeon Caro Soames-Watkins’ career has gone down in flames, she receives a strange job offer from Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sam Watkins, a great uncle she barely knows, and desperation overcomes any suspicions.

Watkins’ mysterious medical facility conducts research into the nature of consciousness, reality, and life after death. Two obstacles stand in his way: an intel leak and his failing body may not last long enough for the tech to be ready.

As danger mounts, Caro finds more than she bargained for: murder, love, and a deep disturbing look into the nature of reality.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

Critic reviews

<p><b>Praise for <i>Observer</i>:</b><br><br>“Robert Lanza is one of the most exciting thinkers of our time, and his novel, <i>Observer</i>, is a thrilling exploration of his most daring theories, <b>a thought-provoking page-turner </b>that asks the most profound question of our existence—<b>what is our role in the true nature of reality</b>?”—Blake Crouch, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author, and Executive Producer of the Apple TV series <i>Dark Matter</i><br><br> “The viewpoint character is a brilliant neurosurgeon unwillingly drawn into a secret scientific project designed to prove that the generally accepted view of reality is completely wrong ... <b>a compelling story filled with believable characters.</b>”―<i>The Guardian<br></i><br>“<b>The cutting-edge of science tipping into something new and marvelous ... a startling, fascinating novel.</b>”―Kim Stanley Robinson, <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author<br><br>“<b>Mind-bending</b> ... A novel full of life-affirming ideas.”—<i>Kirkus Reviews</i> (Starred Review)<br><br> “Real science and limitless imagination combine in <b>a thrilling story you won't soon forget</b>.”―Robin Cook, <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author of <i>Coma</i><br><br> “<b>Brilliant</b> ... A <b>riveting</b> and moving story.”―Rhonda Byrne, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Secret</i><br><br> “Nancy Kress is a master storyteller, and her trademark empathy is on every page. Even as we venture into the heady territory of quantum physics and the nature of reality that Robert Lanza is known for, we never lose track of Caro, the brilliant surgeon who'll do anything to save the people she loves. <b><i>Observer</i> is the best of science and fiction—an intellectual adventure with real heart</b>.”—Daryl Gregory, award-winning author of <i>Spoonbenders</i><br><br> “<b>Fantastical</b> ... Do we each create our own reality? Debates about the fundamental nature of reality go back centuries. More recently, special relativity and quantum mechanics have provided solid grounding for the idea that the act of observation has an effect on external phenomena ... <b><i>Observer</i> includes plot twists that are ripped from the headlines</b>, including social-media shaming, drone technology and dark-web villainy.”—<i>GeekWire</i>/Alan Boyle, former NBC News & MSNBC Science Editor</p>

anything quantum physics is amazing

Is this an enjoyable book I feel like the romance was a bit forced in it and they should have just stuck with the science and the experiences and I could have had more about the experiences. But overall definitely worth listening to and mind expanding.

Why all the romance?

While the premise of this story is quite good, the telling of the tale was really hamstrung by the writers desire to jam in a lot of interpersonal family drama and romance. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I don’t read SF for the romance. I read it for the science.