''Memories with Maya'' is a

hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...

novel by the author Clyde Dsouza. It has been received well by the

transhumanism Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition. Transhuma ...

and the science community. The novel looks at how augmented reality and AI will merge to augment human beings in ways that will affect emotions, intimate human relationships, and our evolution as a species.

Plot

The story is a first person narrative told through the eyes of protagonist Daniel (Dan). Dan lives life on his own terms, convinced that he can hack his destiny through the use of technology to better his condition. He believes that prayer is panacea for the weak and he can steer the course of his life through the use of logic, technology and science. With his close friend Krish, they merge

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

and augmented reality technology to create the ''Wizer'', a wearable visor much like

Google Glass Google Glass, or simply Glass, is a brand of smart glasses developed and sold by Google. It was developed by X (previously Google X), with the mission of producing an ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information to the wearer using ...

but powered by

artificial general intelligence Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is the ability of an intelligent agent to understand or learn any intellectual task that a human being can. It is a primary goal of some artificial intelligence research and a common topic in science fictio ...

. The Wizer plays a key role in advancing the story and has uses in entertainment, sports, and even cyber sex via ''Dirrogates'' (a portmanteau of the words Digital and Surrogate, invented by the author) Mid way through the story a dark side of ''Wizer'' technology and augmented reality comes to the front, with a major tragedy occurring in a nightclub. It changes the course of Dan and Krish's life. Dan experiences a loss that challenges him in no uncertain terms to prove he is capable of hacking his destiny. He faces internal turmoil, battling moral and ethical issues to emerge a

transhuman Transhuman, or trans-human, is the concept of an intermediary form between human and posthuman. In other words, a transhuman is a being that resembles a human in most respects but who has powers and abilities beyond those of standard humans. Th ...

, both in mind and body.

Reception

The

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) is a technoprogressive think tank that seeks to "promote ideas about how technological progress can increase freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies."Joseph R. ...

has featured the novel on their list of publications A writer for the IEET wrote an essay titled: ''Till Death do us part - The ethics and evolution of human relationships'' that interprets the reach of the technology described in the book and its effect on human relationships, even after death.

References

External links

Dirrogate.com
the novel's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Memories with Maya 2013 American novels Books critical of religion Indian science fiction novels Hard science fiction Transhumanist books Augmented reality in fiction Novels about artificial intelligence Religion in science fiction Smartglasses in fiction Telepresence in fiction Drones in fiction Novels set in Mumbai 2013 science fiction novels Postcyberpunk novels Social science fiction Fiction about resurrection Novels about death Fiction about memory Self-published books