ISBN: 0-06-105727-4
Author: Greg Egan
Title: Distress
Edition Year: 1998
This story references the short story "Chaff" which may be found in the collection "Luminous"
The two principle themes the story is attracted to are "Can/do humans actually understand each other" and, to a lesser degree, "When explaining the entire universe, what are legitimate grounds upon which to base the explanation, and are there necessary foundations?"
I'd rate Distress as subpar relative to Egan's other efforts to explore a theme... it doesn't strike me as spectacular SF. It is still a fun read, and I enjoyed it my second time as well as my first, but I'd keep the recommendations limited to those who like how Egan writes, rather than how he (can) induce thought.
For those familiar with the general sweep of Egan's universe, Distress is a bit of an alternate history. It does explicitly include the short story "Chaff" (collected in "Luminous") in its past, but any stories that involve transhuman life out among the stars is not, I believe, in Distress' future.
