Six Wakes

A crew of six clones operates a generation ship carrying thousands of sleeping colonists to Tau Ceti. As criminals given a chance at redemption, they maintain the vessel through multiple clone cycles, with their memories continuously updated between iterations. The crew awakens to find their previous bodies murdered, their backup memories erased, and the ship's AI severely damaged. With no records of the past 25 years and the cloning system sabotaged, they must solve their own murders while keeping the ship operational. Six Wakes combines classic locked-room mystery elements with hard science fiction concepts of cloning and space travel. The narrative explores both the immediate crisis and the complex histories of the crew members. The novel examines questions of identity, memory, and redemption while challenging assumptions about human consciousness and the nature of self.

Readers appreciate the novel's combination of murder mystery and sci-fi elements in a closed-ship setting. Many note the compelling exploration of cloning ethics and personal identity. Liked: - Complex moral questions about consciousness and memory - Multiple unreliable narrators keeping tension high - Diverse cast of characters with detailed backstories - Clear scientific explanations of cloning technology Disliked: - Pacing issues in the middle section - Some plot threads left unresolved - Character development feels rushed in final chapters - Technical details occasionally slow the narrative Several readers mentioned difficulty keeping track of multiple timelines and character histories. One reviewer noted: "The premise hooked me but the execution got muddled." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (17,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (850+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (300+ ratings) The book received the 2018 Philip K. Dick Award nomination and won multiple science fiction reading group awards.

Lock In by John Scalzi A murder investigation unfolds in a world where human consciousness can transfer between artificial bodies.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton A man must solve a murder by inhabiting the bodies of eight different witnesses throughout the same day.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells A security robot with human consciousness investigates deaths on a distant planet while grappling with its own identity.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie An artificial intelligence that once controlled multiple bodies seeks revenge for the destruction of its ship and crew.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch A scientist awakens in a world not his own and must navigate through multiple realities to return to his family.

🧬 The book tackles real scientific concepts of human cloning, drawing from current debates about the ethics and implications of genetic engineering and reproductive technology. 🏆 "Six Wakes" won the Philip K. Dick Award Special Citation in 2018 and was nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel. 🎮 Author Mur Lafferty has deep ties to the gaming industry, having written for various video games and served as editor of Escape Pod, the premier science fiction podcast magazine. 🚀 The concept of generation ships, like the Dormire in the novel, was first proposed by physicist Robert Goddard in 1918 as a way for humanity to reach distant stars. 🔄 The novel's exploration of "mindmaps" - backed-up memories that can be loaded into clone bodies - parallels real-world discussions about consciousness uploading and digital immortality.