book 47/48/49 – Schrödinger’s Cat Trilogy, Robert Anton Wilson
Confession: I bought this book years ago, thinking it was “In Search Of Schrodinger’s Cat” by John Gribbin, a book about quantum theory and reality that I keep lending to people and losing. When I realized it was definitely not the John Gribbin version, I decided to keep it and see if one day I might actually read it. Well, I finally picked it up as part of this year long reading challenge, and it actually turns out to be a science fiction trilogy, loosely based on 3 different models of quantum theory. (The fact that it’s actually a trilogy means I am counting it as three books, even though they’ve all been bound into a single volume. It’s a bit of a cheat, but I’m taking it. So there.)
- The Universe Next Door is based on the many worlds interpretation of quantum theory, where it seems the characters in the book occasionally “drift” between universes. Or not. It’s kind of hard to tell.
- The Trick Top Hat is a story in which the characters are connected through the principle of non-locality. When their cross paths they become joined in quantum entanglement. At least, this is what I read in a review. It is also moderately pornographic. In one scene, a character volunteers at a sex clinic where she gratifies herself using a machine that consists of the amputated penis of another character who underwent gender transformation surgery. I kid you not.
- The Homing Pigeons is based on the Copenhagen interpretation, wherein the observer causes the collapse of the quantum probability wave. At least, this must be what it’s about, because by process of elimination it’s the only remaining theory.
Seriously this pseudo-trilogy is one of the strangest books I have ever read. To be fair, The Universe Next Door was actually kind of intriguing, and I didn’t dislike it (which doesn’t mean that I understood it). But the other two … wow! Totally weird.
Rating: Skip it. Unless you absolutely have to “see for yourself”, in which case you can have my copy if you want it.
