Kiln People

Kiln People is a 2002 science fiction novel by David Brin. It was published in the UK under the title Kil'n People. It has the distinction of finishing second in four different awards for best SF/fantasy novel of 2002 -- the Hugo, the Locus, the John W. Campbell Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award -- each time finishing behind a different book. In the world of the novel, surveillance technology is pervasive, as studied in Brin's essay The Trans... more

Kiln People is a 2002 science fiction novel by David Brin. It was published in the UK under the title Kil'n People. It has the distinction of finishing second in four different awards for best SF/fantasy novel of 2002 -- the Hugo, the Locus, the John W. Campbell Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award -- each time finishing behind a different book. In the world of the novel, surveillance technology is pervasive, as studied in Brin's essay The Transparent Society. Kiln People also makes extensive literary and conceptual references, including those to Firesign Theatre. The novel takes place in a future in which people can create clay duplicates (called "dittos" or golems) of themselves. A ditto retains all of the archetype's memories up until the time of duplication. The duplicate lasts only about a day, and the original person (referred to in the book as an archie, from "archetype", or "rig", from "original") can then choose whether or not to upload the ditto's memories. Most dittos want... less