The Original is an Audible original work by Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal.
In the distant future, injectable nanite technology has made sickness, hunger, and even aging a thing of the past. Every human experiences life through the themes of their own choosing, playing at whatever strikes their fancy. But even in paradise, some turn to wickedness.
A woman awakens in a hospital, with no memory of how she got there. She discovers that she is a Provisional Replica of Holly Windseed, a clone of Holly created to hunter her down for the gruesome murder of their husband. She has only four days to live, unless she can complete her task. Four days to discover the truth of what happened...
This work provides examples of:
- Augmented Reality: A major element of this setting. Every "check-in" sees a virtual-reality "theme" of their choosing overlaid over the real world. For a simple example, virtually everyone wears blank white clothing and people's theming causes them to instead see whatever clothing the wearer wishes to be wearing. One of the story's major conflicts is that the replica!Holly has no theming of her own (though if she touches someone she can see the world through their theme for a few seconds) allowing her to see just how much of her Original's life was an illusion.
- Explosive Leash: In order to keep them from going rogue and abusing their enhanced abilities and implanted combat skills, Provisional Replicas have to check in at a renewal station every twenty-four hours. If they don't, their nanites will turn septic and kill them.
- Improvised Weapon: Nanite-based makers can print almost everything — as long as it's not a weapon, which forces Provisional Replica Holly to improvise, using such unlikely things as a tent or a toy crossbow.
- Kill and Replace: Essentially the MO of a Provisional Replica. If they succeed at hunting down and killing their Original, their reward is being allowed to essentially take over the Original's life. Though it's implied that few actually stick with their Original's life, after what they had to see and do.
- The Needless: Though they still can eat and drink, check-ins don't seem to actually require food or water as long as they keep their nanites current.
- No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Apparently a common reason why people "check out". One checkout who is questioned on the matter mentions that she enjoys working on her community's gardens in large part because she genuinely risks going hungry without the food the garden produces.
- Resurrective Immortality: Anyone who has been "checked in" can be cloned and the clone implanted with memories of everything up to their last check-in.
- To Know Him, I Must Become Him: The reason why Provisional Replicas are created. They have the Original's memories and personality, meaning that they can guess what the Original is likely to do when nobody else can.
- Uncanny Valley: Provisional Replica Holly has this feeling upon entering a historic hotel, where almost everything is vintage and real, not just blank white background for everyone to put their theme on.
