Review material offline for more work.Summary1. Excellent book with an interesting premise of a world in which a simulation (like what now is called virtual reality) has been developed and the developers of the simulation discover in the process that their own world is a simulation run from a higher reality in the same way, thus they themselves are not any more real than the simulated people they invented. The 3 in Simulacron-3 might be regarded as a pun, in that in the main character world, it is the third model after two that did not quite work out, and that there are three layers of reality in the overall work, the higher reality, the main character reality where most of the story is told that is a simulation run from above, and the simulation invented by the simulated people of the main character's reality inside Simulacron-3. 2. Has many characteristics prized in Philip K. Dick of the same era. In particular, an uncertain and shifting view of reality and relentless paranoia. This goes beyond the constant action flow that is characteristic of genre SF of the period. That basic style is plainly on display in this book.3. Manages a happy ending without the dreadful "Hollywood Ending" or a Deus Ex Machina. There is a sort of Rabbit out of the Hat quality but it is well motivated by the story premise and development. The story is first person, the resolution depends on the actions of a second person who, for sufficient reason, is not sharing the plan with the narrator.4. The movie made from it, The Thirteenth Floor, is a very faithful adaptation of the story line and main characters, better in that respect than Blade Runner, for example, that was inflicted with one of the most blatant "Hollywood Endings" I have ever seen inflicted on a good book. Most of the sociological premises having to do with opinion polling, the reason for the simulations, have been trimmed. This is comparable to, but actually less severe than, the omission of Mercerism in Blade Runner, that few complain about. It was the movie that brought this book to my attention. The book is not well known, at least not outside the world of genre connoisseurs, and not readily obtained except at collector prices (at least since the movie came out) of $40 or more (except French language editions). For that reason I bought my first Kindle book (using Kindle on PC, a free download) to get it for about $5. 4a. There is also an even more faithful and much longer adaptation by Werner Fassbinder for German TV (2 parts, 205 minutes total) Welt am Draht (World on a Wire).5. Galouye is a first rate author in this field but with few works. He died in his fifties, but so did Philip K. Dick would produced more work in about the same life span. He was working similar ground in this work as Dick was in stories like Eye in the Sky (but without as tart a social point as McCarthyism underneath, but rather in this case a critique of pervasive and increasingly invasive opinion polling.) Neither Galouye or Dick have the gift for satirical humor of their contemporary Robert Sheckley or of the later Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
I found out about this novel after watching The Thirteenth Floor, one of my favorite sci-fi films from the 90s, but a film little known or given much fanfare (probably because it was out around the time of The Matrix). Based on the film The Thirteenth Floor, Simulacron 3 is very Matrix-like, a book that deals with the possibilities of dual realities. Galouye’s novel is a rare gem of a science fiction in many ways. Innovative, creative, and profound, it is a novel that clearly was before its time, a landmark for the “virtual reality” story. In the novel, Douglas Hall is employed with a company that helps produce artificial environments through simulation. Part of the work helps to project what human behavior would be like in a real-life situation; in a sense, the simulation is geared towards creating a more utopia-driven society. The simulation also allows someone to experience a social environment outside of reality. When Hannon Fuller, one of the heads of the company, dies under mysterious circumstances, it is a red flag to Hall that many things are not as they seem; corruption may exist in the company. Things get more puzzling and foreboding when Hall’s associates begin to “disappear.” As Hall probes further into the workings of this simulator project within the company, he begins to question the elements of illusion and reality, those lines becoming seemingly linked together. To make matters worse for Hall , he becomes a person of interest in the murder of Fuller. Jinx Fuller, Fuller’s daughter, enters the scene, and Hall suspects that she may hold the key to understanding what is taking place. Admittedly, the story, much like The Matrix or The Thirteenth Floor, becomes murky, convoluted and confusing at points, as we shift from time and place quite often. The story has a way of getting “lost” in itself sometimes. Some of the technological jargon and vocabulary are a bit of a chore to navigate through also, but this becomes easier as the novel progresses. The mystery aspect to the novel is quite fascinating, though, and it builds as Hall discovers more and more clues about his world. The themes explored in Simulacron 3 are thought-provoking and deep. One such idea explored is the infiniteness of time. At the heart and core of the novel is the question of what life, being human and existence really are. What constitutes being human? Is artificial reality a form of life? As other reviewers have attested to, there is a paranoid feeling or atmosphere as we discover more answers as the novel progresses. Simulacron 3 is a novel that really makes you think about possibilities of existence, and it is recommended for any sci-fi fans.
Do You like book Simulacron 3 (1999)?
I've always been fascinated with The Matrix films, because the philosophy or theory behind it is essentially strong and applicable, not in reality of course but in storytelling. The Cartesian possibility of an illusive existence is hardly original, but it gives rise to a fictional world that technology encourages, like Asimov's robot laws. There was a second film that came out around the same time, called The Thirteenth Floor, with a similar concept. Recently, my friend Erik lent me the made-for-tv movie World on a Wire. Both films originate from Simulacron-3. World on a Wire aired on German television in '73 and follows the book closely, with obvious concessions made for budget (no hovering cars, etc) and stylization. The theme is existential and for many readers probably disconcerting. More than just the standard deistic angst, Simulacron-3 questions the meaning of existence on a universal and literal scale. Jinx says on p155 "There's no assurance whatever … that material things are actually material, substantial. And as for a soul, who ever said the spirit of a person had to be associated, in degree, with something physical?"It's not all doom and gloom. It also introduces a few hopeful concepts. One is the idea that a pair of identical people can develop quite differently, even in identical environments. This theme of choice is crucial to the plot of The Matrix in the sequels. In a world of illusion, choice becomes the only individual control, and Hall's choices keep him from becoming like his other self. In this way, Sim3 is really a 'sins of the father' type of story, but with fate and technology playing the bad guys. Which brings up the fact that this sort of story is not far from being a time travel tale. Jinx is traveling back to a pre-evil Hall, and succeeds in her quest, but in this sense is doomed to repeat history… One more theme that's common is the doubling of characters, or parallels. Some of the parallels are blatant, since there are mirrored worlds. But one that may not be obvious is Dorothy and Siskin as paralleling the Operator and Jinx. At least on a political level, Dorothy is doomed to chase Siskin into his simulacra as well.There are some little problems with the story. It reads as if it was forced into a novella size. The scene in the woods with the animals seems ridiculous and fantastical, as does the masochistic behavior of the Operator. But overall, this book, written when computers were essentially calculators, is astoundingly prescient.
—Frankie
Ce livre (ou du moins l'édition que j'avais en main) avait tout pour que je ne le lise pas :1. Une couverture très laide.2. Une odeur de vieux livre J'ai Lu avec du rouge sur le bout des pages.3. Une apparence de mauvaise réputation dans mon groupe d'amis ou, à tout le moins, des sous-entendus inexpliqués.Malgré tout, j'ai décidé de m'entêter à la lire, en le plaçant dans la boîte de livres auxquels j'ai décidé d'accorder une chance, même s'ils ne me semblent pas excitants à première vue.Bon, je
—Ghoule
Two months after The Matrix hit theaters, a low budget sci-fi movie called The Thirteenth Floor came out with similar themes but less kung-fu. It was of course immediately dismissed as a knockoff even though (A) Hollywood doesn't work that fast and (B) the movie was based upon a book published a quarter century earlier. (view spoiler)[Something similar happened with Groundhog Day and the little-known TV movie 12:01 based upon a Richard Lupoff story from 1973. (hide spoiler)]
—Sean O'Hara
