Rating: 
Summary: Quantum Computers - A Real Possibility
Review: Mr. Sawyer does a remarkable job of communicating the basics of quantum mechanics and quantum computers in this novel. While many "experts" believe that quantum computers will always remain science fiction, there are many scientists around the world working to make the quantum computer a reality. Sawyer points out the most obvious application of such a computer - the ability to factor large numbers quickly, thus making it possible to break "hard" encryption. His "what if" scenario is worthy of serious consideration as we become ever more dependent on electronic banking and Internet commerce. Sawyer's analogous quantum leap from quantum computer factoring to factoring the human collective consciousness using Heather's Tesseract is nothing short of brilliant. Placing the story in the near future and using allusions to late 20th century culture is actually a trademark practice of his which makes his novels much more entertaining in my opinion. The rewards of education and entertainment - "edutainment" if you will - make this work a must read. If you only have time to read one of this year's SF novels, make sure it is FACTORING HUMANITY. It gets my vote for the best SF novel of 1998.
Rating:
Summary: Transformational journey into humanity's subconscious
Review: Robert J. Sawyer has created a mind-bending work of near future fiction that combines the search for meaning in alien signals with the search into the human condition and the collective subconscious. It is a positive, uplifting story that gives hope for humanity in Sawyer's unique voice. The scientific aspects of the tale are so convincingly expressed that the plot moves along quickly and provides for a most fascinating read. Sawyer has a fascinating way of weaving elements from popular culture (references to Monty Python, Khan of Star Trek fame, etc...) to liven up serious subjects and demonstrate aspects of psychology, theoretical computer science, complex mathematical constructs (tesseracts and folded hypercubes). I found myself seeing lessons to be learned or fascinating revelations in every chapter -- whether they be of the connection between Dali's paintings and complex mathematics -- or the work of Alan Turing, Jung or so many others. Truly this is a novel not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: Contact-lite
Review: This is the third R.J. Sawyer book I've read recently (the others were Calculating God and End of an Era). Obviously I liked the others enough to keep going. And this was my favorite of the lot. I rated them all at 3 stars, but this one is really more like 3.5 or 3.75, but the rating scale is of limited resolution.
So too is the science in his fiction. Sawyer does not write "hard SF". It's more like hard SF-lite. This one borrowed heavily from Sagan's "Contact" (which was hard SF, par exemplar, and also had great character development and deep philosophical implications on several levels, but I digress..) and dabbles a bit in 4 dimensional geometry, quantum computing and cosmic consciousness. The characters are sort of ill-defined (except for the AI who seemed deeper and more human than the homo sapiens), which seems a hallmark of the 3 Sawyer books I have read, but the plot keeps things moving, also a Sawyer hallmark. I think if you expect Sawyer to be the next great writer in hard SF you are in for a disappointment. But if you want an enjoyable light read that has just a bit of science in the fiction, Sawyer is your guy for plot-driven page-turners. I will try at least a few more of his.
Rating:
Summary: Sawyer at his best!
Review: Each Sawyer book I have read seems to outdo the previous one. This is no exception. It has a little of everything including family drama, unethical medical practices, alien messages, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, the collective human "overmind," with a few consortiums of individuals that are trying to "buy off" scientific discoveries, being thrown into the mix. . Sawyer has a talent for presenting complex scientific theories in an interesting fashion. Each book seems to hint at answers to the most perplexing human questions such as what is the meaning of life, do we have a soul, how did the universe start, and are there extraterrestrials?
I remember the Arthur C. Clarke book "Light of Other Days" in which humans are able to view any event in history, therefore eliminating secrecy and privacy. This book shows another way of accomplishing the same thing. However, Sawyer's tale seems a lot more probable.
The book begins a little bit slow, but once you have read about 50 pages you will read the last 300 in possibly one sitting. Sawyer is starting to convince me that he is the best scifi writer out there!
Rating: 
Summary: Very, very good but not great
Review: I read a lot of SF (which is the correct term, not "sci-fi") between the ages of 11 and 15. Then I got away from it for decades. Recently I've been reading it again, and I have been pleasantly surprised at the quality. This is the first novel by Sawyer than I have read, and I find it impressive. It's about religion, even mysticism, which Sawyer postulates can be explained by physics and math--there are some people who have gained access to a fourth-dimensional "oversoul." There's a lot more to the book which I won't go into, since the other reviewers have covered it thoroughly. Let's just say it's a very good book, and
a mind-stretcher. What else can you ask from good SF?
Rating:
Summary: Contact Again?
Review: This Sawyer book could have been the result of a writing contest. I have a mental image of him pulling two pieces of paper out of a bag, and he must write a novel about these two things. One paper says [Man unjustly accused of molesting his daughters] and the other says [Earth receives message from outer space]. I found the novel very enjoyable, a quick read, but not dumbed-down like a lot of fiction these days. I couldn't help but notice the similarities to Carl Sagan's CONTACT: a message from an extraterrestrial civilization with instructions for a machine to be built. In fact, this is the fourth or fifth Sawyer book I've read and I dimly recall him mentioning Sagan several times. I must agree with other reviewers that the characters were flat and cliched. Sitting here now the only character I can remember with any distinction is Cheetah, the artificial intelligence computer.
Rating:
Summary: L.A. Johnson for Midwest Book Review
Review: Sci fi writer Robert J. Sawyer has won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and is nominated again this year. Factoring Humanity is the fourth book I've reviewed by this author, and each one is exceptional. Sawyer excels at putting a human face on technology and breathing soul into scientific data. This sci fi thriller is a prime example.
Heather Davis is a Psychology professor at the University of Toronto. Her husband, Kyle Graves, experiments with Artificial Intelligence and quantum mechanics at the same university. Their marriage has been strained by tragedy, and shattered with their youngest daughter's allegations of sexual abuse. Both are devastated by loss and throw themselves into their work. Heather's project is particularly intriguing.
Every 31 hours and 51 minutes like clockwork, a new data message is received from space. Its origin, a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Heather and her colleagues around the world work at translating the messages without success, until one day she stumbles onto the key. Quantum physcs, mathematical equations, and parallel universes play a part in the mystery. First Heather and then Kyle is drawn into the conundrum with world changing results. Will the messages from space unlock the mysteries of the human mind? And will they be a path to healing or total annihilation of the human race?
As in every novel by this author, the underlying technology is first rate and the characters well defined. Long time fans of Sawyer will love Factoring Humanity, and new readers of his work will understand why he wins Hugo and Nebula Awards.
Rating:
Summary: Inner space .... outer space .... psychospace!
Review: Sawyer won his first Hugo for Hominids, but this was one of his earlier nominees for that award .... and it's every bit as good. A stand-alone (unlike Hominids) about a married pair of researchers at the Univesity of Toronto (Sawyer lives in that city) .... one a pscychologist and the other an artificial intelligence researcher .... and the alien technology that lets them explore the truths about the universe and in their rocky marriage. Fascinating .... literarlly mind expanding .... first rate!
Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down!
Review: I have not read a Robert Sawyer book before, so I took a chance and tried this out. He did an excellent job at immediately immersing the reader into the plot right from the beginning and I had a hard time putting this book down. Literally a page turner, I went through this book much faster than I usually do.
Sawyer touches on a wide assortment of issues: AI, quantum computers, the meaning of being human, and many more - all tied together with suspense and intrigue.
At times, the book gets a bit too "new-agey" perhaps, and I found the drama to reach points of corniness. Moreover, it was several times suggested that Cheetah was to clearly an Ai and not human, yet "he" acted with such feeling and apparent emotion that Sawyer seemed wildly inconsistent on this point.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this novel. I may be biased since it is located not only in the city in which I live, but at the University of Toronto, where I study. So it is fun to read a book where I can identify all the locations (though he forgot about the Catholic seminary also being associated with the University). A fun read!
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