The golden age
a romance of the far future
by John C. Wright · first published 2002
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Dense, idea-heavy far-future sci-fi set in a post-scarcity solar system with ubiquitous computing, AR and godlike AIs; suits readers who want challenging, thought-provoking worldbuilding about society and outcasts.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"The Golden Age takes place 10,000 years in the future in our solar system, an interplanetary utopian society filled with immortal humans. Within the frame of a traditional tale - the one rebel who is unhappy in utopia - Wright spins an elaborate plot web filled with suspense and passion." "Phaethon, of Radamanthus House, is attending a glorious party at his family mansion to celebrate the thousand-year anniversary of the High Transcendence. There he meets first an old man who accuses him of being an impostor and then a being from Neptune who claims to be an old friend. The Neptunian tells him
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…like in any mix at any time. But we can also consider that having machine-memory allows us to be very specific with the characteristics we want to advertise. e.g. from one of my favorite sci-fi books The Golden Age, the main character's full name is "Phaethon Prime Rhadamanth Humodified (augment) Uncomposed, Indepconsciousness, Base Neuroformed, Silver-Gray Manorial Schola, Era 7043". We won't lose labels, and objective…
on “Sex redefined: the idea of two sexes is simplistic” ↗My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy). I hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh,…
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?” ↗"The Golden Age" by John C. Wright - just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character "Chronicles of Amber" by Roger Zelazny - for imagination and badassery Favorite short story is "Understand" by Ted…
on “Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?” ↗Has anyone else read "The Golden Age" by John C. Wright? I'm really fascinated by the idea of the College of Hortation. I think Wright actually sees it as sinister, but I thought it was a good idea. Rough idea: Make all laws extremely…
on “Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals” ↗Note that The Golden Age is book 1 of "The Golden Oecumene" trilogy [0]. (FWIW, I read the trilogy years ago and enjoyed it; also by Wright, but not about AR/VR/etc., is the six-book "Count to the Eschaton Sequence". I enjoyed…
on “Transhumanism and Augmented Reality – A brave new augmented world” ↗The Golden Age by John C. Wright is the start of a trilogy that deep dives into a post-scarcity solar system. It doesn't directly analyze the economy, but a big theme is what happens when someone is outcast from society,…
on “Sam Altman: AI will generate enough wealth to pay each adult $13.5K a year” ↗If you like that premise, you'd like to read "The Golden Age" by John C. Wright. It's hard scifi.
on “What ever happened to the first cryogenically frozen humans?” ↗The Golden Age trilogy by John C. Wright. I read one of his later works and it was horrid, but Golden Age was incredible. The first several chapters were hard to get into, I quit several times and the people I loaned…
on “Vice website is shutting down” ↗…Space by Alastair Reynolds. * The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. * Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky * Eon, by Greg Bear * A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge * The Golden Age, by John C. Wright.
on “Five of the best science fiction books of 2024” ↗How about more modern science fiction? I loved the Golden Age series by John C. Wright, published around 2004. It's refreshing to read sci-fi where computers and connectivity are ubiquitous, rather than the old masters who didn't foresee the internet. (Stranger…
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗Pleasepleaseplease someone make "Daemon" and "Freedom™" by Daniel Suarez. And also "The Golden Age" by John C. Wright. Oh, and the Honor Harrington series. And pleasepleaseplease make a mini-series (NOT A MOVIE) out of "Project Hail Mary." Actually, yeah, these are all series, not movies. Pleasepleaseplease.
on “Apple TV+ to adapt William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer” ↗…Donaldson is really worth a read (though walking around in Donaldson's head for 5 books can make you want to take a shower later). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_R._Donaldson#The_Gap_C... The Golden Age trilogy by John C. Wright also makes lots of interesting and thought provoking predictions. It's an astonishingly dense read though, but the ideas will continue to unfold in your mind for a long time…
on “The Predictions of Robert A. Heinlein” ↗Good list, there were a few I hadn't heard of. Most notable omission, and among my favorite fictional computers: the Sophotechs from the Golden Age trilogy by John C. Wright.
on “List of fictional computers” ↗The best description of the AR-based future that I've seen is in The Golden Age by John C. Wright.
on “How to Topple a Statue Using Science” ↗I love the Golden Age and the entire trilogy from John C Wright. I can’t imagine how anyone could possibly adapt it with any success. So many fantastic, dense, and challenging subjects are explored in those books.
on “Apple TV+ to adapt William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer” ↗