Baxter, Stephen

Last Name

Baxter

Stephen

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Open Access
The Light of Other Days
2000 - Baxter, Stephen; Clarke, Arthur C.
The history revolves around the invention of the WormCam in a near future; this is a camera that is able to be placed anywhere in the universe, since it can see through wormholes, following the development of technology that allows information to be passed continually and instantaneously between different points in the spacetime continuum. Eventually, the WormCam becomes available to the general public and privacy becomes non-existent. Further advancements also allow the connection of wormholes to the past, so that anyone can view events that have previously happened, and thus mankind comes to discover that, for instance, Moses was not a real person and Jesus Christ was the illegitimate son of a Roman centurion. The novel also follows four particular characters that are somehow involved in these technological advancements, and that face personal and existential crises, especially since mankind is now facing the possibility of extinction, with low resources, imminent conflicts, and an incoming asteroid that can produce a mass extinction event. The Light of Other Days explores themes such as surveillance, (the lack of) privacy, technological and scientific innovation, and the impact of these innovations on society and history.