Transferred Ready Player One (Book Review)

Book Series: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline

Once having heard this book being described as Willie Wonka meets World of Warcraft, the description seemed very attractive.  And in no way does the description not ring true.  Ernest Cline had a lot of fun writing this novel as he did marketing it.

Beyond the book, he even tied a three month "easter egg" hunt to enhance the experience of reading the book. Readers of the first edition hard cover were treated with having to find a riddle in the book, answering it led to a website. At this website they'd have to beat a video game , then repeat all steps tree times. Ultimately at the end , the winning reader won a delorean with a built in flux capacitor.

All of this ties to a novel that has the joys of an online video game adventure combined with a fun childish mystery.  At the beginning , readers will be introduced to a world where the eighties are everything and the people with the most knowledge will have the greatest advantage.

The protagonist seems too be a character that might not seem worthy of the readers cheers, but as the story picks up, they'll suddenly find themselves rooting for him out loud.

This isn't meant to be the most believable book. Its requirement of disbelief extends as far as any Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings or Percy Jackson.  But beyond that disbelief, there are some references to the eighties that might be too obscure for some younger readers.  Those readers should be prepared to read along side the Internet, just in case the occasional Google search is required.

~FZver

Transferred Kill Decision (Book Review)

Book Series: Kill Decision
Author: Daniel Suarez

Daniel Suarez continues his love for studying the bleeding edge of technology with this next book in his collection of thrillers that have yet to disappoint.  Before, with his book series Daemon and Freedom, he dipped his toes into all aspects of humanity's extension through techologies tying themselves to the Internet and even to thoughts of the outer edges of the Singularity.  Here in Kill Decision, Mr. Suarez leaves the global focus of the web and human communication, and continues through the more dangerous and scary thoughts of directed self directed killing machines.

As the title hints, the book covers the idea of the "kill decision".  The question is, who is in control of whether a person lives or dies?  In the eyes of where we are, it's in some form of human.... could be a judge, a jury, or even that moment when a soldier is pulling the trigger, fighting for his life.   But the book covers the idea of, what if the robots that we have created were given the decision?

Mr. Suarez did his due diligence, once again showing that he always has the pulse of technology under his fingers.  And with that knowledge at hand, he weaves a story that scratches an itch within the reader that lingers even after putting the book down.

The swarming technology, the robot technology, the technology brought through this book can really REALLY scare.

~F.Zver

Transferred Daemon + Freedom (Book Review)

Book Series: Daemon + Freedom
Author: Daniel Suarez

Everyone wonders what can be done with the technology at hand.  What that next massively multi player online will be that takes over the youth of the world?  What is that next technology that will have us interact with our world a little differently?  Or maybe what can be done to cheat death?

With the series, Mr. Suarez does his due diligence and gathers all the information needed to bring to life, a world where one person with enough influence, knowledge, and willpower can pull back the curtain and play with the strings tied to all the puppets of this world.  Part of the fun of enjoying this thrillride is to read and be introduced into the beautiful technology that is today's bleeding edge.

This is a grand vision, brought to us by an author who writes with a passion for the technology that he represents.  Like a prophet, he weaves a tale, a vision, or maybe a prophecy that the technology in this world can be used with a dark precision, driven by a mind who can use them like a surgeon with a scalpel.

Any reader who enjoys technology and who wants to curl up reading a thriller, 'would enjoy this series.  Even today, the technology is still being shown to the world.  All readers will continue to enjoy discovering the technology in real life, as the rest of the world catches up to Daniel Suarez vision.

~F.Zver

Transferred Enders Game + Shadow Series (Book Review)

Book Series: Enders Game + Shadow Series
Author: Orson Scott Card

Enders Game is soon to be a movie, so this review needs to be published.  :-)

Enders Game doesnt appeal to everyone.  There's no question about that.  Everyone can find something in the book, but some people cannot suspend their disbelief.

Lets start from the beginning.  Ender's game is a book about a child named Ender.  And part of the book is from this child's point of view.  This is where readers differ on how they react or take in this main character Ender.  Some can call him cold hearted, some can call him efficient.  But that seems to be what the author intends.

These questions are questions that people dont normally think about.  How far is too far?   It would be an injustice to give too many details since further generations will be reading this book and this series.   However, we can cover the greater topics.

Enders Game covers the idea of controlled births, one world government, alien attack, and children trained to fight.  It covers friendship, sibling relationship, parent/child relationship, and even mentor/student relationships.  Maybe the book reaches too far, but Enders Game isnt a story about humanity's survival, it isnt a story about some kid growing up.  It's the story about the relationship people can have with each other.

You can get attached to any one of the characters in the series.  Interestingly enough, I got attached to "Bean" a minor character in Ender's Game but a really major character in Ender's Shadow.

Enders Shadow isnt an original  idea.  We have other books that cover minor characters as main characters, for example Rosencrantz And Guildenstern are Dead.
But here, Orson has taken the idea to a further extereme.  He's taken Bean, the character that has a pretty minor role in Ender's Game, and has created whole new point of view and essentially, world.  Especially as the series continues, it leaves the world of Ender behind and brings about the world of Bean.

The interesting paths that Scott Card takes in his books are facilitated by the great fan base the books have generated.  When a reader reads Ender's Game, Scott Card provides a base.  From there, a reader can follow Ender through the universe, with a more philosophical understanding through the Speaker of the Dead book series.  A reader also has the possibilty of going through the political path with the Shadow series.   Bean's world is a world of political intrigue and a world full of international powerplays by whole countries.  Thriller readers would love it.

In the end, Scott Card has written a scifi thriller without the tech fluff.  He doesnt beat you over the head.  He lets the relationships between the characters do the talking.

No matter what you've heard, it's still worth the time to read both of these books (Enders Game and Enders Shadow).  Think about the questions that they inspire.  Maybe you'll learn something about yourself that you never dared question...

~F.Zver