Is Humanity Worth Saving?

"All These Worlds" by Dennis E. Taylor is the topic of discussion for episode 003 of Sci-Fi Book Pod.

The Bobiverse is expanding—tenfold. In this episode, we confront what it means to live forever, meddle with alien civilizations, and still get dumped by someone aging in real time. (Ouch.)

In "All These Worlds," digital immortality meets moral ambiguity. The Bobs are multiplying, humanity is migrating, and emotional baggage is going galactic.

We're talking ten generations of digital clones, ethical interference in alien development (sorry, Starfleet), and one very awkward dinner date between an ageless Bob and a gray-haired ex-girlfriend. If you've ever wondered what happens when you upload your brain and stick around long enough to watch everyone you love die—this one's for you.

Key Takeaways

• The Bobiverse explores the cost of immortality and the persistence of grief
• Ethical dilemmas abound: should digital gods interfere with alien civilizations?
• The Prime Directive gets bent (and broken) in service of progress—or hubris
• Individual rights vs. collective control create courtroom fireworks
• Narrator Ray Porter gives each Bob a unique voice—bad accents and all

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Digital clones challenge concepts of consciousness, identity, and morality
• 00:26 – All These Worlds — Book 3 of the Bobiverse (but not the last)
• 01:20 – Ten generations of Bobs relocate humanity and confront alien life
• 01:45 – Immortality comes with emotional baggage
• 03:34 – Bob watches Bridget age, while he stays eternally 31
• 08:59 – "Ephemerals" and the growing human-Bob disconnect
• 09:54 – Bob tosses the Prime Directive out the airlock
• 12:46 – The grief of outliving everyone
• 20:37 – Courtroom drama explores autonomy vs. collective control
• 24:36 – Ray Porter's masterful narration (with a side of sketchy accents)
• 27:04 – Uncertain next read—check our bookshop to see what's brewing

Buy "All These Worlds" by Dennis E. Taylor:

• Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/111345/9781680680607
• ⁠Amazon: https://amzn.to/446gRbW

Shop Speculative Ficion on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/sci-fi-book-pod

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Listen Next:

Paul Heitsch Interview on Gratitude Geek Podcast: https://kandasrodarte.com/277