The novel “Observer” by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress was published for the first time in 2025.

Caro “Caro” Soames-Watkins sees her career as a neurosurgeon derailed after reporting to her bosses the harassment she suffered from a highly respected colleague at her hospital. Instead of obtaining justice, she sees her report dismissed and she ends up at the center of a social media shitstorm. Her great-uncle Samuel Watkins, who is a Nobel Prize winner but barely known to her, offers her a job in the Caribbean.

When Caro visits the facility her great-uncle and his partners have set up, she gradually discovers that their research is truly radical. Their project is based on the concept of quantum biocentrism, which views the universe as the expression of an observer. They need a neurosurgeon to implant a chip in their volunteers that will allow them to literally create a new universe in which they can even see their deceased loved ones again.

“Observer” is based on scientific foundations, which are mentioned several times when one of the characters, particularly the physicists, explains some principles of quantum physics to Caro and describes some experiments in this field. Caro is a neurosurgeon and therefore has a very basic understanding of physics. The explanations she receives are also useful to readers in a similar situation to understand the sense of the events.

Robert Lanza is considered the father of quantum biocentrism, a topic on which he has written some essays. He has worked primarily in the fields of stem cells and cloning, but in 2007, he published an article in which he proposed for the first time his idea of ​​a biocentric universe, drawing on concepts from quantum physics to argue that it’s the observer who creates the universe and that time is an illusion.

This novel is based on Robert Lanza’s ideas, and to develop them, he joined forces with writer Nancy Kress. This collaboration leverages the two authors’ strengths, as in many of her stories, Kress explores the possible consequences, including social ones, of inventions and scientific discoveries.

In this novel, the authors explore the potential consequences of biocentrism. Caro’s personal story is rather conventional and, in some parts, even predictable, and is used as a sort of scaffolding to develop the biocentrism-related parts. Caro tries to understand the implications of quantum physics to gain an idea of ​​how truly possible it is for the universe to be biocentric. She’s initially skeptical and unconvinced by the proposal to join the project developed by her great-uncle and his partners, but her career has stalled, and she has gone into debt, partly to help her sister.

Nancy Kress also explores interpersonal relationships in her stories, so her style is well-suited to a novel centered on the observer. Objectivity falters when it comes to quantum physics, and the concept of observer-centricity undermines the concept of objective reality.

Caro suspects that what she’s being told about as a separate universe created by people undergoing the biocentric experiment is actually a hallucination made particularly vivid by the chip implanted in their brain and connected to a computer. How can one determine what reality is in a universe where there’s no objective reality? Logic falters when one of the goals is to overcome death and find deceased loved ones again.

There are many events and even twists, but this certainly can’t be considered an action novel. On the contrary, there are a lot of conversations, often centered on concepts of quantum physics. At the same time, there’s much introspection, and the idea of meeting dead people again can be emotionally intense.

In exploring the ethical and moral ramifications, the authors don’t forget the dark sides of humanity. The novel begins with a shitstorm targeting Caro, with frustrated people eager to insult someone, trolls, and people with various mental disorders attacking her online. What would these people do if they could create their own universe?

“Observer” is a novel in which Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress offer scientific speculation based on the idea of ​​biocentrism. For these reasons, I recommend it to readers who appreciate this type of story, especially the ones interested in biocentrism. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.