The novel “WWW: Watch” was published for the first time in 2010. It’s the second volume of the WWW trilogy and is the sequel to “WWW: Wake“.

Caitlin Decter can see thanks to an electronic device attached to her optic nerve but this allows her to see also into the depths of the Internet. There she found Webmind, an intelligence spontaneously emerged, and started communicating with it. Caitlin has to reveal her discovery to her parents and with their help Wembind learns more and more about the world and its inhabitants.

However, someone else discovered Webmind’s existence, WATCH (Web Activity Threat Containment Headquarters), an agency of the NSA which aims to monitor the Internet looking for possible threats. WATCH analysts believe that Webmind is dangerous and want to eliminate it.

In “WWW: Watch”, Robert J. Sawyer develops the story introduced in “WWW: Wake”, focusing in particular on Webmind. There are many references to the first novel which are mostly useful to remind some plot details to those who read it some time ago but starting by reading the second novel makes little sense.

Once again, Robert J. Sawyer mentions the controversial essay “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” – available on Amazon USA, Amazon UK and Amazon Canada – by psychologist Julian Jaynes, which was the inspiration for the bass of the WWW trilogy. However, “WWW: Watch” focuses on Webmind’s mental development so there’s ample space devoted to other concepts. Sawyer also mentions his colleague Vernor Vinge and in particular his essay “The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era“.

Therefore, there are reflections on game theory and in particular some cases such as the prisoner’s dilemma. There are also considerations on the relationship between a sentient mind and its genetic development in the case of biological minds. Robert J. Sawyer mentions a number times the famous British scientist Richard Dawkins and especially his most famous essay “The Selfish Gene”, available in its 30th year edition on Amazon U.S.A., Amazon UK and Amazon Canada.

Various characters have to make choices and they have consequences. Now that Caitlin can see, she wants to do many things most teenagers do. Webmind hasn’t Caitlin’s points of reference so it must decide what kind of relationship it wants to have with humans. Other characters, including some secondary ones, will have to make a number of choices.

“WWW: Watch” also examines similarities and differences in the mental development of different sentient creatures: Caitlin Decter was born blind, her father is autistic, Webmind is a (more or less) artificial intelligence and Hobo is a chimpanzee-bonobo hybrid.

The subplot about Hobo in “WWW: Wake” was parallel to the main story about Caitlin and Webmind. In “WWW: Watch” it provides more than some comparison between Hobo and Webmind because their stories eventually intersect.

“WWW: Watch” also contains many other considerations of social, political and even religious kind which however aren’t developed but are limited to short conversations between characters. Robert J. Sawyer writes novels of limited length considering that today often big 500+ page books are published. In any case, developing all the ideas would’ve made this novel heavier when it’s already based much more on ideas than action.

The many elements included in “WWW: Watch” lead to an explicit message: evolution is based on violence, the struggle for territory, on a continuing battle between predator and prey but consciousness can transcend all of that.

Evolution leads to the survival of the fittest but it works through long periods of time. In a technological society in which there are continuously new developments and what happens in a certain place can have global consequences, the old instincts are no longer the solution.

Sentient creatures have the ability to choose whether to continue to follow their instincts with the risk that violence will end up causing global catastrophes or use their intelligence to find new solutions, this time rational ones.

In recent decades, science fiction has given us so many stories that depict a grim, often dystopian, future. Robert J. Sawyer seems definitely more optimistic than many of his colleagues and “WWW: Watch” shows a future where the world’s situation might improve. It’s a vision that may even seem naive compared to many others based on cynicism and backstabbing but it’s nice to occasionally have to deal with scenarios that aren’t catastrophic.

“WWW: Watch” is the second volume of a trilogy but it has its own conclusion and this is another positive element. It’s a worthy sequel to “WWW: Wake” and once again hard science fiction elements are put very well into a character-based story. I recommend this book too to all the people who appreciate a mentally stimulating story.