Helpful Score: 5
Its not bad. Its not great either, but its not bad. The premise is that a very intelligent game designer, Matthew Sobol, dies of cancer. Once his obituary hits the web, a daemon program rolls into action and things start happening. Funds transfer, e-mails are sent and people start dying - a couple of programmers at Sobol's company, a voice actor and then a whole bunch of cops and FBI agents when they try to raid Sobol's booby trapped mansion...
From there, the daemon is off and running. Its a narrowly focused form of AI, but very deep and resilient, and apparently with a really deep set of contingency plans to draw off of. The question becomes, are its goals (and Sobol's) a bad thing?
The viewpoint characters are a sheriff's deputy (sorry can't remember the county in Silicon Valley), a hacker and ID thief, a criminal freed by Daemon and a computer programmer with some secrets. The action focuses around them and their struggles with, or for, the Daemon.
And I'll admit it - its interesting. The technology is within reach - self driving vehicles, augmented reality, metal storm weapons and so on, which helps make it scarier. It verges on terrifying, but not quite. The weakest part of the book is that it feels, overlong (but I'll be damned if I could figure where to cut it) and tha characters are a bit, flat. I'll forgive that for the interesting ideas.
As I said, by the end of the book, there is some real confusion as to who the bad guys are, and whether Daemon's goals are malevolent. To me, this is not a bad thing, but it does lead the feeling that the 400+ page book is only a prologue to what comes ahead...
Overall, its a good fun read. Think of it as a SF techno-thriller and your not far off. I'd suggest it for fans of Halting State and other near future SF and thrillers.
From there, the daemon is off and running. Its a narrowly focused form of AI, but very deep and resilient, and apparently with a really deep set of contingency plans to draw off of. The question becomes, are its goals (and Sobol's) a bad thing?
The viewpoint characters are a sheriff's deputy (sorry can't remember the county in Silicon Valley), a hacker and ID thief, a criminal freed by Daemon and a computer programmer with some secrets. The action focuses around them and their struggles with, or for, the Daemon.
And I'll admit it - its interesting. The technology is within reach - self driving vehicles, augmented reality, metal storm weapons and so on, which helps make it scarier. It verges on terrifying, but not quite. The weakest part of the book is that it feels, overlong (but I'll be damned if I could figure where to cut it) and tha characters are a bit, flat. I'll forgive that for the interesting ideas.
As I said, by the end of the book, there is some real confusion as to who the bad guys are, and whether Daemon's goals are malevolent. To me, this is not a bad thing, but it does lead the feeling that the 400+ page book is only a prologue to what comes ahead...
Overall, its a good fun read. Think of it as a SF techno-thriller and your not far off. I'd suggest it for fans of Halting State and other near future SF and thrillers.
Helpful Score: 4
This is one GREAT book. The Chicago Sun-Times reviewer said, "Daemon does for surfing the web what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean." A very true statement. This is a brilliant book. He uses a lot of technical computer talk, (much of which, I must admit,I didn't know) but it doesn't take away from the experience of reading a great story. He has references in the back if knowing more about the technical terms is important to you. I couldn't put it down to bother. He keeps you always in suspense and I was never bored. I went straight to the library and got the sequel, and after I read it I will let you know whether I enjoy it as much as I enjoyed this book.
Helpful Score: 3
Honestly one of the best thrillers my husband and I have read in a long time. The sequel, Freedom, is equally worth reading, too. We originally checked them out from the library but wanted copies to own as we will be re-reading these books. People who have played RPGs or MMPORPGs will get an extra kick out this book but being a gamer is not necessary to enjoy this book.
This techno-thriller (and its sequel) is an inventive weave of politics, sociology, hubris, the predictability of human nature, the pervasiveness of technology in our lives, and what one man with unlimited resources, a high IQ, and a unique vision of what the world can become does to make that vision a reality. After he's dead.
It sounds like a lot of lofty territory to cover but Suarez does it in an engaging, propulsive manner grounded by characters that are flawed, human, and relatable. I wouldn't call it sci-fi since the technology is available today. It's more bleeding edge than science fiction and perhaps a bit more frightening because of that.
A word of (tongue in cheek) advice: the last page of the first book comes too soon and leaves you wanting more. For your own sanity's sake, don't start reading the first book until you have the second book already in hand. You'll want to crack it open immediately.
This techno-thriller (and its sequel) is an inventive weave of politics, sociology, hubris, the predictability of human nature, the pervasiveness of technology in our lives, and what one man with unlimited resources, a high IQ, and a unique vision of what the world can become does to make that vision a reality. After he's dead.
It sounds like a lot of lofty territory to cover but Suarez does it in an engaging, propulsive manner grounded by characters that are flawed, human, and relatable. I wouldn't call it sci-fi since the technology is available today. It's more bleeding edge than science fiction and perhaps a bit more frightening because of that.
A word of (tongue in cheek) advice: the last page of the first book comes too soon and leaves you wanting more. For your own sanity's sake, don't start reading the first book until you have the second book already in hand. You'll want to crack it open immediately.
Helpful Score: 3
I thought this was an interesting read. I had a hard time putting it down. It's full of accurate technical descriptions while being easy to read. It's thoroughly believable although I began to wonder what the Daemon had not done... it sounded a little too extensively planned for every contingency. Still, it makes you wonder whether or not we are too dependent on technology, or at least too vulnerable to technological malfeasance. I plan on reading the next book.
Terrific plot. Fast moving and frightening. We talk about this being the age of being "connected"! Throw in a dose of artificial intelligence and you have a truly scary story. The ending slightly disappointed but it is clearly set up for the sequel.
