Feedback on "The NanoTech Network" (English version) from readers outside the Former Soviet Union.

July 30, 1998

From J.A.Hoye (UK):

Just a quick message to congratulate you on an excellent piece of science fiction.š Thoroughly enlightening, and quite plausible.

Regards,

August 4, 1998

From Rafael Fernandez (Spain):

I have just read Lazarevich's "The NanoTech Network" and I think it is a good novel that can make the people think in a different way of the normal one. I recommend it to all the open minded n-sf readers

August 4, 1998

From JohnE (US):

I read the story and loved it.š The politics near the end was a little drawn out but that's just my taste.š It kind of ended suddenly,š I know this is just the preliminary English translation, but is there more?š Such as the adaptees come down from the arctic cirle and tell people how wonderfull it is, or just off into space

Ciao,
JohnE

A.Lazarevich's reply:

Thanks for your kind words about the story.

> It kind of ended suddenly,š [...] is there more?š Such
>as the adaptees come down from the arctic cirle and tell people how
>wonderfull it is, or just off into space

No, there's no sequel to this story, although originally I did contemplate writing about Levshov's "Siberian experiment" in detail. All the problems he encountered, all his wrestlings with the unyielding human nature, that kind of thing. But eventually I thought better of it. Such a down-to-earth sequel would destroy the fairy-tale quality of the story. Each really good fairy-tale should end with an "and-they-lived-happily-evereafter" (although in reality they rarely did ;-).

And there is one more reason why I can't write such a sequel. Such a sequel would be about people, rather than about technology, and I'm no good at creating life-like, full-blooded, fleshed-out characters. I know for sure that if I wrote such a sequel it would be a disaster from the literary standpoint.

I like writing about technology, but it so happens that I've run out of technical ideas for the moment. Actually, the NanoTech Network ends exactly where I ran out of technical ideas, that's why it ends so suddenly. If I happen to have some more technical ideas, I'll start writing again, but I'm not sure whether this will be a sequel or something entirely new (the latter is more likely).

As for the "adaptees" going off into space, I don't want to repeat myself, because I have already used that idea back in 1992, when I wrote the sequel to the "Worm" story. (Unfortunately, I did not have time to translate the sequel to the "Worm", because it's so large, larger than the NanoTech Network. But I hope that eventually I translate that one too.

Best Regards,
Alexander Lazarevich.

August 5, 1998

From JohnE

On Tue, 4 Aug 1998, Alexander Lazarevich wrote:

> because I have already used that idea back in 1992, when I wrote the sequel
> to the "Worm" story. (Unfortunately, I did not have time to translate the
> sequel to the "Worm", because it's so large, larger than the NanoTech
> Network. But I hope that eventually I translate that one too.)

The sequel sounds like an interesting story.š If I could add to the convincing it might take for you to translate it, it's so hard to find new talent that mixes Nanotechnology into their tales.š Your unique perspective gives a refreshing look at American society.š I can't remember ever reading a non-US writer.

Keep it up!!!

Ciao,
JohnE

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