In the first part of the book, the plot revolves around Manfred Macx in the early decades of the 21st century. It’s hard to narrow down a central theme of this book, but one could say it is an exploration of how the human experience will be changed by the merger of biological and non-biological computational substrates. The novel explores several transhumanist ideas by following three generations of the Macx clan. The early internet was characterized by exponential growth,, and internet businesses struggled to keep their servers running and many people worked long hours to try to stay ahead of the curve. The fundamental changes the internet made to communication, socialization, economic exchange, gaming, and research all came about in a relatively short period of time. Nearly every aspect of human life was affected by the internet. Stross describes the novel as an an outcome of working during the heyday of the dot com bubble, when the internet frontier was opening up so quickly that everyone was caught in a rush into the future. I don’t consider myself one who is easily future shocked – the last time I recall such feelings while reading a novel was when I first read Neuromancer in high school. Like a roller coaster ride, this type of future shock is pleasurable, although it can get tiring if there is too much. This novel was a pleasure to read, but I have to admit I was in a state of future shock during almost the entire novel. Accelerando is notable as being perhaps the first novel to have a storyline which traverses directly through a technological singularity. I say “finally” because this book was first recommended to me in 2009 at the (now defunct) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute transhumanism club.

Accelerando lives up to its name, and is the most unflinching look into radical optimism I’ve seen.” – Vernor Vingeĭuring winter break I finally read Accelerando.

Most writers leave it safely offstage or invent reasons why it doesn’t happen. There is an intrinsic unknowability about the technological singularity.

Accelerando stross