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Brain Wave
Brain Wave
Author: Poul Anderson
For millions of years, the part of the galaxy containing our solar system has been moving through a vast force field whose effect has been to inhibit "certain electromagnetic and electrochemical processes" and thus certain neurotic functions. When Earth escapes the inhibiting field, synapse speed immediately increases, causing a rise in intellig...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780345236685
ISBN-10: 0345236688
Publication Date: 12/12/1973
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 4

3.9 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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misterbill avatar reviewed Brain Wave on + 25 more book reviews
Great book and worth a read if you can get your hands on it. I'll let you read the summaries but here's the bottom line:

Short, well written, and VERY much worth reading for handlingly of the main premise! Not a "shoot 'em up, bang, bang" by any means, but certainly a book that will stay with you for a long time.
nrlymrtl avatar reviewed Brain Wave on + 297 more book reviews
Brain Wave was my first Poul Anderson book, and it was quite good. Poul Anderson did a masterful job of capturing the issues that could arise if everyone, humans and animals, all had a sudden increase in intelligence. How would governments and societies reform themselves? How would we learn to cohabitate with other intelligent species, like cows, horses, and pigs? How would we convince people to take care of menial, laborious tasks, such as garbage collection? How soon would we populate the stars? And the book ends with a sweet and hopeful scene.