Greg Egan's Permutation City


Permutation City is smart and delightful, and messes with the reader’s mind. This novel of virtual reality with multiple levels of simulated word is an example of great world-building.

1.      Start with basic science.
2.      Change a few principles and laws to create pseudo-science.
3.      Build a world based on this new pseudo-science.

Greg Egan creates the new world by laying down the new principles and laws, and challenges the reader to take the journey into the unknown. As a result, he gives credit to science and makes pseudo-science a key character in the story, rather than just using some fantastic science as the background, or as an excuse to a story that could happen in many other settings.

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