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Brain Wave by Poul Anderson
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Brain Wave

$12.56

Retail price: $13.95

Discount: 9%

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Narrator Tom Weiner

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Length 6 hours
Language English
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What if we were all designed to be smarter than we actually are?

Unbeknown to its inhabitants, the solar system has, for millions of years, been caught in a force field that effectively suppresses intelligence. When in the course of normal galactic movement the solar system breaks free of the force field, gone are the inhibiting effects, and a remarkable change begins to sweep across the earth—a change with sometimes surprising, sometimes chilling aftereffects.

Human life is dramatically transformed, as people with IQs of 400 find themselves living within social structures and institutions designed for people of considerably lower intelligence. Others refuse to accept what has happened and band together in a rebellion against the new order. Human relationships with other creatures on the planet are likewise thrown into upheaval, as animals rediscover their native intelligence. Soon the transfigured humanity is reaching for the stars, leaving behind our earth to the less intelligent humans and animal lifeforms. Brain Wave is a fascinating “what if” novel, as well as an exploration into the ways in which human society is organized and the assumptions that are made about how we value life. It is also a novel about equality and what happens when the hierarchical structures we know and trust finally disappear.

Poul Anderson (1926–2001) was one of the most prolific and popular writers in science fiction. He won the Hugo Award seven times and the Nebula Award three times, as well as many other awards, including the Grand Master Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America for a lifetime of distinguished achievement. With a degree in physics and a wide knowledge of other fields of science, he was noted for building stories on a solid foundation of real science, as well as for being one of the most skilled creators of fast-paced adventure stories. He was author of over one hundred novels and story collections, several hundred short stories, and several mysteries and nonfiction books.

Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

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Reviews

“An unforgettable novel, with a cast as big as mankind and an adventure that charts the course of time. Read it, enjoy it, savor it.”

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Celebrate indie bookstores with our limited-time sale! Shop the sale