Peter Watts 2006. Blindsight. New York:Tor Books. 384 pp.

Proper hard science fiction. A bleak vision of the future which revolves around a fully worked demonstration of the idea that intelligence (and evolutionary success) does not imply or require conscious self-awareness. Consciousness as a bug, not a feature. But did the author have to make it such a challenging read? I guess so, just to qualify for club membership.

As with Echopraxia, extensive notes with numerous further reading titles.

Great review by Elizabeth Bear.