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.
It's a well plotted techno thriller that escalates in scope throughout the story. Very involved. I really want to see where it's going.
However, I didn't realize this ended in a cliff hanger. I don't usually expect 500+ page books to end in cliff hangers. It kind of put me off the book for a bit. Just know going in you won't get a resolution. The book really fires up in the final 150 pages or so.
However, I didn't realize this ended in a cliff hanger. I don't usually expect 500+ page books to end in cliff hangers. It kind of put me off the book for a bit. Just know going in you won't get a resolution. The book really fires up in the final 150 pages or so.
Great read this book takes your imagination and holds it you wont want to put it down
This is the story of a distributed (virus-like) daemon left behind by a genius, "mad scientist"-style video game designer. What is a "daemon", you ask? "Daemon" is a compute process that runs on a computer, usually to do things like monitor system state and report when things go wrong. They also form the core of on-demand services like email. Web servers are daemons.
In any event, our mad-scientist wrote a daemon that sat quietly, patiently watching news websites for his obituary. And when that finally appeared, things go berserk.
The book tells the story of the local police trying to figure out what the heck is going on, eventually getting into a lone cop who believes it's a computer program and the rest of the force thinking a computer program left behind by a dead guy couldn't possibly be making things happen.
It goes far beyond that, though, and gets quite crazy.
I loved this book. It's near-future IT suspense. It's crazy shenanigans that are just plausible enough to be believed. It also plays in the world of my expertise, and that's always fun.
5 of 5 stars.
In any event, our mad-scientist wrote a daemon that sat quietly, patiently watching news websites for his obituary. And when that finally appeared, things go berserk.
The book tells the story of the local police trying to figure out what the heck is going on, eventually getting into a lone cop who believes it's a computer program and the rest of the force thinking a computer program left behind by a dead guy couldn't possibly be making things happen.
It goes far beyond that, though, and gets quite crazy.
I loved this book. It's near-future IT suspense. It's crazy shenanigans that are just plausible enough to be believed. It also plays in the world of my expertise, and that's always fun.
5 of 5 stars.
Generally, I know if Im reading a good book when I look over at the alarm clock and it says its 2 am and Im still up wondering whats going to happen next, or in this case, angry with the author.
Daemon is a techno-thriller that asks the question: what would happen if a mad genius decided to overthrow the Internet? Matthew Sobol, a genius game designer, has apparently let loose a daemon (in computer parlance, a program running behind other programs) when his obituary is released on the Internet. Suddenly, two of his programmers are killed and a series of events commences that may change civilization forever.
The authors pacing is excellent; there are no scenes or dialogue that arent central to the plot. However, the book itself has a pessimistic tone, because no matter what the good guys do, the daemon continues running. Its interesting how the author notes that the AI engine Sobol invented doesnt just challenge players in his games, it manipulates them. Throughout the book, we see people being divided into those who work for the daemon (generally, the disenfranchised, disaffected) and those who want to stop it (Peter Sebeck, Tripwire Merritt, Jon Ross/Matthew Lasseter).
It is slightly reminiscent of The Matrix or The Terminator franchises, which showed us a world where humans were no longer in control and machines had taken over. However, this daemon is far more insidious in that it uses humans to achieve its purposes. But I can only suspend my disbelief so far: Sobols plan relies on so many variables that it renders itself impossible. There is a second book, Freedom that I would like to read, but this book only gets two stars from me.
Daemon is a techno-thriller that asks the question: what would happen if a mad genius decided to overthrow the Internet? Matthew Sobol, a genius game designer, has apparently let loose a daemon (in computer parlance, a program running behind other programs) when his obituary is released on the Internet. Suddenly, two of his programmers are killed and a series of events commences that may change civilization forever.
The authors pacing is excellent; there are no scenes or dialogue that arent central to the plot. However, the book itself has a pessimistic tone, because no matter what the good guys do, the daemon continues running. Its interesting how the author notes that the AI engine Sobol invented doesnt just challenge players in his games, it manipulates them. Throughout the book, we see people being divided into those who work for the daemon (generally, the disenfranchised, disaffected) and those who want to stop it (Peter Sebeck, Tripwire Merritt, Jon Ross/Matthew Lasseter).
It is slightly reminiscent of The Matrix or The Terminator franchises, which showed us a world where humans were no longer in control and machines had taken over. However, this daemon is far more insidious in that it uses humans to achieve its purposes. But I can only suspend my disbelief so far: Sobols plan relies on so many variables that it renders itself impossible. There is a second book, Freedom that I would like to read, but this book only gets two stars from me.
I really enjoyed this book. The plot was very interesting and so were the characters. It is a work of fiction that seems really relevant in today's world. It has a sequel so this isn't the end of the story. The book contains some techy details but don't let that discourage you if you are not technologically knowledgeable but want to read a book that will keep your attention.
This is one of the best novels I've ever read. The sci-fi setting is in the not-too-distant future and plausible within the next five to ten years.
Brings to life the fears of many when a MMORG game designer creates a sophisticated environment interconnected with the physical world through sensors, robotics and code segments residing in a widely distributed computer network. When the designer dies of cancer, the game escalates activities in an attempt to change society as it recruits players with high level skillsets.
