The novel “Ghosts in the Machine” by Robert J. Sawyer was published for the first time in 2025 as an audiobook and in 2026 as a book. It’s the second book of the Downloaded series and follows “The Downloaded“.
Some of the surviving Earthlings are about to embark on a journey to Mars, while another group is traveling to the stars. The astronauts uploaded their consciousnesses again, but suddenly find themselves confronted by their younger selves.
A check of the state of the quantum system that allows the astronauts’ minds to exist inside it shows that it has entered a crisis. Two versions of the same person can’t coexist without disrupting the system, but which version should be sacrificed? An accident on Earth changes the situation even more.
“Ghosts in the Machine” picks up the story more or less where it left off in “The Downloaded.” Robert J. Sawyer ended the first novel with a complex situation in which various groups among the survivors of humanity made very different choices for the future.
One of the underlying concepts of the first novel was the possibility of uploading a human mind, also as a way to preserve it when a body is placed in cryostasis. In this sequel, Robert J. Sawyer makes this even more central and seems intent on exploring possible variations on the theme. Perhaps even too much, considering that the story initially focused on the survival of humanity and the reactions of very different people, with strong introspective elements.
The author retained the different points of view of important characters, but they’re no longer told through interviews. For this reason, in this sequel, the action is followed directly and not told as a subsequent account of events. This is a crucial change, especially since Roscoe Koudoulian reacts to what happens to him very emotionally. My impression is that Robert J. Sawyer played on the emotional side to cover up the plot’s problems.
For Roscoe Koudoulian, life had already become something of a roller coaster, and things seem to get worse in the first part of this sequel. It’s human to react to adversity by seeking the first solution that seems to make sense, without reflecting. However, certain negative consequences should be obvious to the people around him, but no one seems to object to his choices.
I found the subplot related to the “split” of the characters’ consciousnesses in the virtual system problematic as well. Letitia Garvey is the one who has to make the most difficult decisions, and at least in this case, I would have expected greater development of the ethical and moral issues connected to mind-uploading and identity, especially since they’re typically interesting themes in Robert J. Sawyer’s stories that include this type of plot.
In the end, the problems of the characters, who are caught between past and future, seem more like an excuse to advance the plot than a way to develop important themes. Consequently, personal issues like Valentina’s seem wasted, and parts like the one connected to the Martian colony too often remain in the background, used only when useful to advance the plot.
“Ghosts in the Machine” has its own ending, but some parts of the plot remain open for a possible third novel. If Robert J. Sawyer completes what will then be a trilogy, I hope the final part of the story will have greater depth in developing the themes. The first novel offered some food for thought, especially about the future of humanity with various choices made by different groups, while this sequel is poor from that point of view. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
