Information about Kiln People

Kiln People

Cover of first edition (hardcover)
Author	David Brin
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	2002
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	460 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-765-30355-8

Kiln People is a 2002 science fiction novel by David Brin. It was published in the UK under the title Kil'n People. It has the dubious distinction of finishing second in four different awards for best SF/fantasy novel of 2002 -- the Hugo, the Locus, the John W. Campbell Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award -- each time finishing behind a different book.

In the world of the novel, surveillance technology is pervasive, as studied in Brin's essay The Transparent Society. Kiln People also makes extensive literary and conceptual references, including those to Firesign Theatre.

Plot introduction

The novel takes place in a future in which people can create clay duplicates (called dittos or golems) of themselves. A ditto retains all of the archetype's memories up to that time. The duplicate lasts only about a day, and the original person (referred to in the book as an archie or rig) can then choose whether or not to upload the ditto's memories. Most dittos would want to inload, so their experience would be continuous with its archie. Most people use dittos to do their work, as they are affordable even for the poor. Many also use dittos to experience pleasure which could hurt a real person. Dittos come in many colors, which signify their quality. A cheap ditto suitable for housework is green, whereas a quality one for business is gray. Ebonies are highly specialized dittos that are good at intelligent data analysis; platinums are only used by the very rich, and closely resemble real people. Ivory dittos specialize in the reception of pleasure and sexual fufillment. Other colors, such as purple, red, yellow dittos exist, but are rarely mentioned.

Plot summary

Albert Morris is a private detective who uses dittos extensively. His dittos are usually imprinted faithfully; indeed, his dittos have a fidelity rate rarely seen in the novel's world. The book opens with a green ditto being chased across the city by ditto thugs of Beta, a criminal figure engaged in copyright violation by kidnapping desirable dittos and duplicating them. Albert's green makes it to safety, allowing Albert to inload his memories and bust Beta's latest scheme. The next morning, Albert makes three dittos: two grays and a green ditto and sends them off to do his business. After four hours of sleep, he imprints an ebony to help him work on a case.

One gray meets with Ritu Maharal, the daughter of Yosil Maharal (named after the rabbi of the legendary original golems), one of the founders of Universal Kilns (UK) who has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Yosil is later discovered dead, and Albert's gray meets the surviving Maharal ditto (or ghost, a ditto that survives after the original has died). ditMaharal runs away and when the gray follows, he is captured by the ditto.

The second gray gets involved in a plan to infiltrate Universal Kilns to see if they are illegally withholding technical advancements to the duplicating process. He is a dupe of unknown forces, and is actually carrying a bomb into the UK factory, but he realizes just in time and manages to minimize the damage done when he blows up.

The green comes out of the kiln and starts doing the chores he was made to do. He soon displays a lack of motivation to complete his assigned tasks and instead heads off to the beach. Once there, he decides that he is an imperfect copy of Albert, or a "frankie". This is an unprecedented occurrence for Albert due to his unusual ditto-making prowess. The green decides not to continue doing chores, and claims independence. Though an imperfect copy of Albert, the green figures prominently in the plot.

Meanwhile, real Albert disguises himself as a gray ditto and meets with Ritu, who is also disguised as a gray. On the way to investigate Yosil's cabin, where the eccentric scientist spent much of his time, they both are made aware of an attack on Albert's home. Shortly after, Albert and Ritu end up stranded in the desert after an attempt on their lives. They eventually make it to Maharal's secret lab where the first gray is being held. The green frankie makes it there as well, soon to expire.

Translations

• Russian: "Глина" ("Clay"), 2005
• Spanish: "Gente de Barro" ("Mud People"), 2003