Caroline "Caro" Soames-Watkins is a talented neurosurgeon and after an accusation of sexual assault against another respected surgeon, she finds herself jobless, maxed out on her credit cards, and desperate to continue to support her sister, a single mother with two young daughters, one of whom is severely disabled.

Meanwhile, in the Caymans, Noble prize-winning scientist Sam Watkins, Caro's great uncle, has set up a research centre which delves into esoteric research into consciousness, time, reality, and immortality.

Sam extends Caro a job offer when he needs a neurosurgeon and after hesitation as she has never met the man, Caro accepts, and discovers that the research is soon to test the hypothesis of multiverses, which ties into Sam's search for immortality, which is particularly pertinent to him as he's in late stage cancer.

Soon it becomes clear that someone has leaked the proprietary research when the outside world collides with the secrecy of the research compound.


So, basically, I did not enjoy this book. While I initially found the characters interesting, pretty soon the book was turned into a long description of one of the author's hypotheses, "the primacy of the observer" where nothing exists until someone observes it. This idea extends to the objects around us, and even to the universe itself.

Just as the book started to get interesting because of the character interactions, I just lost interest thanks to all the physics exposition and the story dragged itself to its not very interesting end.

Thank you to Netgalley and to The Story Plant for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Dr. Carolyn “Caro” Soames-Watkins is a promising neurosurgeon whose career is derailed when she reports a superior for sexual harassment. Unsure if there is a future for her in her chosen profession, she accepts an offer from her estranged great-uncle, the Nobel Prize winner Samuel Watkins, to join him at his institute in the Cayman Islands and to work on an exciting scientific breakthrough with himself and his partner, quantum physicist George Weigert.
Caro is at first shocked by what she is being asked to do. The entire project revolves around Weigert’s theory of the “primacy of the observer”, which posits that consciousness is the author of reality, not the other way around as has long been assumed. Watkins and Weigert have created a microchip that, when implanted in the brain, can supposedly allow the recipient to enter an alternate reality of their own creation. They want Caro to implant them into several willing volunteers. Caro is unsure if – despite Weigert’s very detailed explanation of the theory and technology – she believes the implants can do what they claim or if they just offer the recipients a very detailed hallucination. She also has some ethical concerns about the primary purpose of the project: she learns her great-uncle is dying of pancreatic cancer and wants to enter an alternate reality where he is young and healthy again, but where his consciousness retains the lifetime of knowledge he acquired. Caro has few career options at the moment, and when her sister Ellen finds herself strapped with legal and financial problems, Caro agrees to stay with the project in exchange for direct assistance to Ellen.
Nancy Kress has always had a gift for making cutting edge science both believable and digestible to readers, and this novel is no exception. Whether or not you believe the novel’s explanation of the primacy of the observer, authors Lanza and Kress continually find ways draw the reader into the emotional discoveries the characters make as they journey into uncharted scientific territory. This is the novel’s most commendable achievement. But Observer isn’t just a novel about the wonders of quantum physics; it is also a family drama, a romance, and a Crichton-esque technothriller complete with theft and murder and dangerous special interests willing to commit heinous acts to misuse, or destroy, the technology Watkins and Weigert have created. The pacing can get a little uneven at times as it skips uncomfortably from one mode to another, but this is a minor quibble. Observer will leave you better than it found you, and there are few better reasons to read a book than that.

Drawn by the idea and premise of this book, I was excited when I was approved for the ARC.
As I was reading it, it was becoming clear to me that the idea of this novel was not only the sci-fi part of it but the morality and ethics behind the developed technology. And I'm incredibly sorry that that part fell flat for me. Simply put, I wasn't feeling it. The sci-fi part of the novel was credible and gripping. Given everything I said, it's a 3-star read for me.

While it took me a minute to get into this very physics heavy book, I ended up liking it a lot. A very interesting book combining quantum physics with a pondering on the nature of our reality. I do think it'll appeal to only a certain type of reader, but I was gladly one of them.

“The conscious observer is primary. It creates everything else.”

When I originally saw this book on my Facebook feed I was intrigued. And when I got a pre release copy I was overwhelmed ( hence the late review). I'd start it, then stop, then start it again and this time I read it all the way through. I could see what Lanza and Kress were getting at. As a theologian I was glad to see that "no stone was left unturned", that not only is this a physics fed fiction book, but philosophy and science also figure heavily.

Now, before you turn away saying this is too much, it's also about the wanting, the deep needing to be together. What George and Sam ( and Julian, Caroline, Trevor and Ellen) develop is a way we can be with those who are no longer with us; a presentation so phenomenal you'll shake your head.

Might this really happen someday? Could it? Should it? You get a copy and see for yourself. Someday, when I can better afford it, I'd love to own a physical copy so I could bod to it on my shelf and share what is so far in my top 3 for 2023. Highly recommended 5/5

A lot of science fiction ideas coming out of quantum mechanics are to be found in this story. Ideas that I have ahd thoughts of concerning the nature of reality and experiments like Scroedinger’s cat. Along the way we are taken on a journey through some intense personal lives and a lot of thought about how this technology might affect the world. The book could have gone farther with the changes to the world, but I think it is wisely somewhat restrained. But everything necessary for a great science fiction novel are here - excellent writing, great characters, fast paced narrative, a story that keeps you turning pages and a gonzo idea. This is why I love the genre. Highly recommended!

Mind-bending science fiction that blends physics and biology into an incredible tale of what could be the future.

Or, should I say, what I wish would be the future. This novel was completely absorbing, and it took me longer than usual to read because it required a lot of thinking as I tried to make sense of the science and the concept that is called, in the book, The Primacy of the Observer. This theory focuses on the suggestion that "instead of matter and evolution giving rise to consciousness, the truth is the other way around." Yeah, this is deep and heavy stuff, but the authors did an incredible job turning all this into a story that is relatable and easier to understand.

When Dr. Caroline Soames-Watkins is forced from her job as a neurosurgeon after she reports an incidence of sexual harassment to the hospital board, she's invited to work for a distant relative she has never met -- the famous Nobel Prize winning scientist, Dr. Samuel Watkins, her great uncle. He and two other brilliant men have set up a medical compound in the Cayman Islands where they are doing groundbreaking research and experiments that involve deep brain stimulation. Their goal is to discover the nature of consciousness, reality, and possibly, life after death.

Read this if you want to expand your mind and if you enjoy entertaining science fiction that seems plausible. I liked the characters, the science, the writing style, and the story itself. I only wish that new discoveries and inventions were not deemed so scary that they invite the attention of hate groups or the cancel culture. This would make a great film.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Story Plant for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

I really enjoyed the science aspect of the book! I thought it was interesting to think about the concepts and it was explained in a way that was understandable for the reader. However, I didn't connect with the story as well. I wanted to relate more to the characters and I thought some of the plot was a bit abrupt. With the abrupt plot points, especially with the ending, I would have liked more explanation and details about it. Overall, it was an enjoyable read!

Dr. Caroline Soames-Watkins, a neurosurgeon, runs into trouble at work. While she is considering her future, she is offered a position at a small institution on the Cayman Islands where brain research (ostensibly) is being carried out.

This is an interesting novel of stimulating ideas about quantum theory, reality, consciousness, and the nature of death. I felt it was fairly uneven, but it was very readable, even while dealing with what felt like quite high-level physics. I grew to like one of the characters, George, very much; he was the most human, and also a dotty and lovable scientist.

Thank you to The Story Plant and to NetGalley for this advance reader’s copy.

This was a good book, though I found at times the description of what they were trying to do very scientific in nature and a lot of it was way over my head. 'Caro' (Caroline) is a neurosurgeon who, while at a function, is groped by a senior surgeon. She complains to the hospital board and is promptly fired and an online harassment campaign makes it impossible for her to find another job. Then she is offered a job in the Cayman islands, at a new facility doing cutting edge research. She agrees to visit and is eventually persuaded to stay and work on the project. The project involves implanting a computer chip in the brain of a subject which enables that person to enter a multiverse, a world where they can interact with anyone or anything, one of the subjects uses it to see and communicate with his wife who had passed away from cancer several years ago. There is a lot of discussion on how this process works and if it's even possible and once it gets known to the greater world, literally tons of people want to have the chip implanted so they too can communicate and visit long lost family/friends. If you are a science type person you would probably like this book, and I would recommend if you are that person. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Story Plant for the ARC.

This review was tricky for me to write. Reviews are inherently subjective, but I try to bring a shred of objectivity to them by asking myself “does this book achieve what it sets out to do?” Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure what exactly this book is trying to accomplish (more on that later), so this review will be mired in subjectivity.
First, things I liked:
The prose was efficient and served the tone of the story too well. It never intruded on the narrative but was also not too bland.
Caro, the protagonist, was the standout character of the cast. Too often, women with high-powered careers, such as neurosurgeons, are written as cold, calculating “boss babes,” a stereotype that I, a PhD student, deeply resent. Caro had a lot of heart. I rooted for her, related to her, and found her arc believable. I also loved her romance with Trevor — I wasn’t expecting romance in this book, but it was actually one of the highlights.
While I don’t conflate hard science with good science fiction, I have to applaud the detail and level of realism brought to the speculative technology in the book. This isn’t surprising considering Robert Lanza’s background, but for me in particular, it’s still a breath of fresh air. I have a background in biology, specifically genetic engineering, and you can imagine the amount of times I scream “it doesn’t work that way” at books featuring speculative biotechnology. This is very much a “me” thing, but I like it when my suspension of disbelief remains unbroken.
Things I didn’t like:
The book got very physics-heavy, to the point where I, who slept through my one required year of college physics, had trouble following. In a similar vein, I worry that someone without a neuroscience background might be thrown off by all the medical terms in the book.
A bit of a double-edged sword: the physics explanations are repeated multiple times throughout the book. It’s clear the authors REALLY want to get their point across, but ensuring audience understanding comes at a price…
The combination of repeat, in-depth explanations of how the speculative tech works, in combination with what amounts to a definitive proof of it working as described makes this book veer into manifesto territory for me. I prefer my speculative tech with a side of wonder and ambiguity, and this book was very unambiguous in its approach. This makes me wonder if the book is really an exploration of the space between consciousness and biology, as the blurb advertises, or if it is a fictional wrapper for the author’s nearly nonfictional ideas. Note that I haven’t read any of Lanza’s nonfiction, so I can’t be 100% sure here.
The ending did a thing that annoys me and probably me specifically.
All in all, it isn’t a bad book. There are some things it does excellently and some things I, but not necessarily everyone, dislike. I would recommend Observer to people who like grounded, near-future science fiction and don’t mind dense blocks of physics, particularly fans of the Black Mirror episode San Junipero.

It's very difficult to know what genres to attach to this novel, based on research by a renowned scientist with high accolades and credential, and brought to life by an award winning author.

If you're a science geek, this book is for you. If you've ever wondered about the possibility of multiple universes, this book is for you. If you have a curious mind, like to be introduced to, or play with the thoughts surrounding new-to-you ideas, this book is for you.

Worth the read for the ideas which will certainly have you thinking and wondering about all you think you know about reality.

My thanks to Story Press for allowing me to read this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Observer by Nancy Kress and Robert Lanza

I can’t stop thinking about this book since I finished it. I really can’t.

I first (re)discovered Nancy Kress a few years ago when I was in an reading dry spell. I was listlessly perusing the library shelves feeling like I had nothing to read when I came across a copy of her then-just published novella After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall. I recognized her name from having read Beggars in Spain years before so I picked it up.

It blew me away. The book was a masterpiece. The author created a fully realized world, She didn’t need a thousand pages to do it. Up until that point I had been disdainful of shorter works; Nancy Kress made me realize just how much hard work and talent was needed to excecise economy when world building.

When I saw a new title by Nancy Kress on NetGalley, I mashed the request button ASAP. It was only later that I realized that she co-wrote it with someone else.

Nancy Kress writes hard sf. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Just because the hard science she’s basing her work on is usually biology instead of physics doesn’t make it any less hard. Which made her an excellent fit for partnering up with Robert Lanza, a scientist who wanted to get his ideas into a novel.

There is alot of awkwardness in the novel. I almost stopped reading halfway through the prologue- it was boring and dull and every character’s name started with a W and I couldn’t tell them apart and I didn’t care about any of them.

Am I glad I pushed through that! Even though some parts of the book read like a dry, poorly written physics textbook (during which I kept muttering to myself that Lanza should’ve let Kress write this alone) those dull clunky sections were massively overpowered by the well drawn characters and the very real emotions that jumped off the page down my throat and lodged in my sternum.

I wish the book had had content warnings for child disability and child death.

I understand from some cursory internetting that Lanza may believe in the observer-created reality that the characters believe in in the novel. I can’t say that I’m convinced myself. It sounds a lot like wish fulfillment to me. But it sure has given me a lot to think about . . .

Thank you to The Story Plant and NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Observers was a wild story that breached the theories of a world beyond our known consciousness. At times it was hard to understand, using physics jargon to relay the theory in question: what if there were other universes in which to create existence by simply observing it?

It was clear a lot of research and care was put into this novel as information was packed into this novel. Following a disgraced neurosurgeon, Dr. Caroline Soames-Watkins, on her hunt for a new job after coming forward with a sexual assault allegation against an esteem doctor. In her search, Caro is offered a job by her recluse Nobel prize winning great-uncle, working in a rural mystery facility in the Caribbean.

An eclectic group of scientists and tech analysts work to research the known and unknown consciousness whilst Caro combats her personal issues as well as struggling to grasp the concept of her great-uncle’s theory in order to commit to her role.

Observer was an interesting ride of science and what the advancement of technology could mean in the wrong hands. At times it was difficult and borderline impossible to understand without prior knowledge of physics, but it proved for an captivating story. I was very disappointed with the ending as it felt rushed as thought Lanza and Kress attempted to nip everything in the bud without full closure. Another issue is the writing of Caro’s character, whilst carrying many traumatic responses from her childhood, her constant need and attraction from every man in the novel reads a very ‘written by a man’.

Overall, I rate this novel 2.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 3)

Observer by Robert Lanza is a book that toys with philosophical ideas surrounding the nature of reality and the human mind. Our main character is confronted with questions revolving around if we are an observer existing within reality or if our entire reality is actually manifested by the very act of observation. That if the later were true, then is there some way to hack reality itself by hacking the mind of the observer, modifying the human brain using computer implants, to change reality itself. That if one were to change the reality observed by the mind of the observer, does it actually mean reality itself was changed or is this change only in the mind of the observer?

There were decent subplots surrounding class, the struggles surrounding raising a severely disabled child, and some of the darker sides of workplace politics. The main character and other characters in the story were fully flushed out. The overall plot was compelling enough but I did find the conclusion of the story to be a bit unsatisfying.

It's a well enough written book and not one I regret reading. If you are looking for an "airport book" to bide time while waiting or something to read while on vacation, Observer by Robert Lanza is in fact worth grabbing and giving a read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Kress does a great job at distilling many hard science concepts and theories into understandable prose. the characters can feel a bit stiff at times but they grow and interact organically. the core concept of the story blew my mind in fantastic ways and how it is used throughout the story. the world building is also top level Kress. the novel does start off slowly and it feels like too many current topic social issues into the novel.
This is a book of philosophy or metaphysics FYI so be prepared and have an open mind. If you are remotely monotheistic in your religious believes you will probably want to pass on this book unless you like your views challenged in interesting way.

A sf novel of ideas: if consciousness/observation creates the universe, does that imply that we can create different universes by observing differently? I wasn’t super persuaded about the science, but then again I don’t have the scientific chops to evaluate the claims about uncertainty/observers at the macro level. The story involves a neurosurgeon struggling against a vicious online campaign against her after she reported being groped by a more senior surgeon, who joins an out-there project in a lightly regulated jurisdiction in order to get enough money to take care of her sister and her sister’s children. She doesn’t believe that the brain implants she’s working on actually allow recipients to create new universes, but it’s interesting work anyway. The plot point where they really want to go on 60 Minutes to create a successful counternarrative to various online theories about what they’re doing seemed a bit dated, and “online” was just shorthand for trolls, racists, and abusers, but if you like novels of ideas then this one might work for you.

Ugh, this was bad, I couldn't keep slogging through. The narration was scattershot, with the wrong amount of detail in the wrong places. This also kept the plot from establishing, keeping it herky-jerky. The language was clunky and often repetitive, both in the narration and the dialogue. A very (very) unpolished feel, with a storyline not promising enough to make it worth the effort. Readers who pick this up based solely or predominantly because of the coauthor would do well to put it right back down.

eARC from NetGalley.

This is a book of philosophy or metaphysics dressed up as science fiction. That's not a bad thing. Some of the genre's very best works, from Egan's Permutation City to Zindell's Neverness, are much the same in that respect. But the story here is thin, and the philosophical points are repeated too many times without sufficient variation.

What I really don't like is the "protagonist." The story tracks a young neurosurgeon who was forced out of her position at a hospital, and then "forced" to take a much higher-paying position working on a special moonshot project with a fantastically wealthy Nobel Prize winning chemist and his team of tech whiz-kids and genius physicists. This gig is also in a private Caribbean enclave, and the demands of the job are absolutely minimal.

Yet this "protagonist" does nothing but complain! "O-oh, I'm not comfortable with this." "Umm... look... I just want to get back into doing REAL surgery." "I touched a plant like poison ivy while tramping around in the jungle, this sucks." "B-but muh ethics!"

This novel's entire plot consists of the "protagonist" angling to leave the Enclave, while the Nobelist and his team stop at nothing to get her to remain at her position. I mean this perfectly literally -- at one point, they're even forced to blackmail her.

What's realistic is that the protagonist has no friends, has never had any serious relationships, and totally lacks human concepts of "gratitude" and "adaptability." Unpleasant people do exist in this world, after all.

What's unrealistic is that the Enclave didn't get rid of her in five minutes flat. Realistic would be: "You're just not a good cultural fit. You can go back to your sister and her family. Here's some severance."

Because here's the kicker: This "protagonist" has no special skills whatsoever. There are, conservatively, ten thousand other people who can do her job.

Anyway, that's the plot. Wasn't much to it.

The philosophical angle is pretty much the standard Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum physics, dialed up to 11. (Not only do observers collapse the wave function -- they are integral to a participatory, somewhat subjective, reality.) I disagree with this interpretation on a fundamental level; I think that a deterministic (superdeterministic) framework is infinitely more reasonable, more parsimonious, and matches all measurements and observations just as well. (As Bell himself and many others were well aware!)

This book would be 100x more interesting if it were less straightforward. e.g., if the "protagonist" (I use the word very loosely) was revealed to be an unreliable narrator, if there were a good reason for the Enclave to try so hard to keep her around, or if the authors threw us a curveball in the closing chapters. As things stand, not only is the plot thin, it's altogether too neat.

Two stars for an interesting concept, but the execution could have been better.

This one is easy to rate highly. It has interesting characters, an engaging plot, and compelling ideas. All that plus the authors' reputation will help this sell well. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!