I’ve never read anything like this book and I’m fairly certain I never will again. Not for lack of trying but because books like Permutation City simply do not come around very often. Its reflections on artificial intelligence and the way humans interact with technology were well ahead of its original 1995 publication, and Egan paints a bleak and haunting potential version of our future.

The novel’s protagonists are not human; they are a form of artificial intelligence created by ‘scanning’ physical humans and uploading their consciousness, thoughts, memories, personality and emotions onto a computer. This digital copy of a person is fully aware of itself and can create new thought processes that differ from the those of the physical human. Suddenly, virtual reality becomes an actual reality, with real implications and real consequences for society. This raises some deep questions about what it means to be human, and asks the reader, among other things, whether we are more than just the body we inhabit.

To discuss these questions, which have been the focus of philosophical debate since Ancient Greece, Egan needed superhuman characterisation. He does not disappoint. The protagonists are complex and fascinating and manage to reduce the effects of the sometimes heavy-handed scientific and technical details. Egan’s characters aren’t the heroes of this book, though. The heroes are his brilliant ideas.

The novel’s weakest moment is its beginning, where cumbersome yet crucial world building occurs, but the bulk of the narrative is well and truly strong enough to make this an excellent novel overall. It can be a challenging read at times, though I urge you to persevere, and while certain plot points are almost too absurd, try to bear with them. Also, as a whole, the novel does not appear outdated, as Egan makes reference to now-common concepts like cloud computing.

Permutation City is a hugely entertaining story with poignant and provocative ideas that ask the reader big questions about the human condition. It is entirely unique, and if you enjoy abstract and philosophical stories from authors with ambitious and well-executed visions, it is not to be missed.

Tonile Wortley lives in Sydney, blogs and reviews at My Cup and Chaucer, and is the voice behind the Dymocks social media accounts.