Novel by R.M. Dolin
The Book of Darwin – SUMMARY
In the early Silicon Valley dot.com days, DARWIN’s startup adopts the mission statement science serving society, because Darwin sees with clear clairvoyance the catastrophic cliff technology is herding humanity toward as society irrevocably trades freedom for convenience. When he inadvertently sells his startup to the Chinese military, Darwin is overwrought with guilt. While visiting his brother VINCENT, whose wife ILENE, is about to have a son, ISSAC, Darwin decides to buy Marquez Mountain in Northern New Mexico to sequester himself from technology. VICTOR, a local whose ancestors go back four hundred years helps Darwin survive his first wilderness winter. Over the next several years, Darwin builds his off-grid self-sustainable life with a favorite pastime of going to his high mountain meadow to listen to Chicago Cubs baseball games. A herd of wild mustangs who summer in the meadow are led by a majestic appaloosa stallion who grants Darwin and his dog MURPHY watchful access. Darwin often returns to Chicago to be present in Issac’s life but when he’s ten, Vincent dies in a plane crash that Ilene blames on Darwin and denies him contact with his nephew. ANNA, who Darwin rescues from drunk Texans, helps Darwin deal with his double tragedy while trying to understand his need for atonement.
Darwin’s mostly forgotten his Silicon Valley life until his former protégé, TIEN, needs help fixing the mess she made trying to fix the mess he made. Helping Tien reunites Darwin’s old cohorts, forcing them to confront previous mistakes as they devise strategies for slaying dragons in the Age of Information Oligarchs. When Darwin organizes a rendezvous, he’s surprised BASIA arrives with her daughter, CAMILLE, a software engineer who’s similarly aligned with a group of French idealists called ‘l’Alliance Pour la Préservation de l’Humanité’. The rendezvous goes well with a tentative outline adopted for addressing the daunting challenges ahead, particularly threats from the coming AI revolution. Afterwards, Darwin visits his high mountain meadow where lightning from a fast-moving storm strikes a tree causing a heavy branch to fall on Darwin killing him.
AN UNSUSTAINABLE LIFE is one story told from two perspectives. THE BOOK OF Darwin is a journey of redemption as Darwin atones for his role in humanity’s demise while THE BOOK OF ISSAC is a journey of awakening as Darwin’s ne’er-do-well nephew Issac, reluctantly picks up his uncle’s mantel only to discover the burdens and obligations associated with leading a purpose-driven life. Dr. Dolin previously worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory with research in Truth & Trust; primarily as it relates to information and digitally controlled processes. In addition to publishing over 100 technical papers, Dr. Dolin has written five novels, two nonfiction books, one cookbook, and a plethora of poems. Dr. Dolin’s novel writing method is to use poems for character development and to springboard storytelling; as such, it’s possible to enjoy his stories in both novel and poetry form.
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