Daemon by Daniel Suarez
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Book Reviews of Daemon
Book Review: Better than cyberpunk
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't bore you with a plot summary.
I'm a technical guy myself (systems administrator), and I found the first half of the book to be, for the most part, technically correct. I did note a few improbable things, but it could happen in our near future (consider that computers as part of mainstream society are really only 20 years old - and consider the progress made in that time!). And this IS fiction after all.
As the book progresses we start to see that Suarez is painting on a wider canvas. He *is* predicting the machines may take over the world, but not in the overly simplistic ways of the Terminator or Matrix movies. Although brutal, the Daemon's social agenda is (or seems to be) larger and more nuanced. And it is architected by a human; not by the machines themselves. This human, though dead, has a plan.
One credulity-straining flaw in the plot, I think, is that the Daemon depends on a large network of humans to carry out its bidding. It does have an interesting (and plausible) way of assuring that they are fellow travellers. However it is hard to believe that so many operatives could be recruited, and not one of them would have a change of heart and defect. But again my right brain has to remind my left-brain geek: quit that you fool, this is fiction!
There is an interesting monolog by the Daemon's author about parasites, and how the Daemon itself is built to be a societal parasite. I suspect that the Daemon's greater purpose will build on this. So I'm looking forward to the sequel. While I don't anticipate the rise of a Daemon within my own lifetime, it does make you stop and think.
I definitely recommend this to all who enjoy a good technical yarn. 5 stars.
Book Review: The Return of Michael Crichton
Summary: 5 Stars
When Michael Crichton passed away in 2008, it was with great sadness that this prolific and entertaining writer would not be sharing his tales any longer. The man who rekindled the phrase, "Once upon a time...", with books like Rising Sun, Prey, State of Fear, Sphere, and the unforgettable Jurassic Park books, single-handedly rewrote the techno-thriller genre.
With Daniel Suarez, we have someone who fills Mr. Crichton's literary shoes quite nicely. With the depth and breadth and understanding of what makes a good story tick, Suarez tackles the byzantine world of hackers, the Internet, and cyber-security. He makes everything understandable to the layperson, keeps the momentum moving, and all this in his first novel! (Which is pronounced Day*mon when used as a computer term).
The plot crackles along, the dialog is snappy and never sounds contrived, and the characters are fleshed out in a believable manner. As I read the story, I couldn't help but think how much I missed this Crichton-esque storytelling. It's no easy task to write a white-knuckle thriller, but Suarez has accomplished it with apparent ease.
If you don't like techno-thrillers, don't let the subject matter frighten you away. He makes it as understandable as Crichton did explaining how to reconstitute dinosaurs from amber-encased mosquitoes. In fact, I would classify this novel as an old-fashioned seat-of-your-pants page-turner.
I'm looking forward to his next novel, and the one after that, for it would seem that like Crichton, and Dan Brown after that, we have a new author who will give us years of entertainment.
Book Review: Quite Possibly The Best Techno-thriller You Will Ever Read
Summary: 5 Stars
No that title isn't an exaggeration. If you're content in knowing the information provided in the title and would like to skip the praise I'm about to bestow, just buy the book.
So, another book about computers taking over the world. Ho hum, blah blah, yes? Actually no. While I was reading Daemon the thought that this could really happen kept going through my head. Without giving away some of the plot points, I'll just say this. Read some of the recent news about the Storm botnet. Think about peoples addictions to WoW. Then read the book. Then think about those subjects again.
A few words to the techies: SQL injection attack, botnet, and rootkit. All those words/phrases can be found in this book. No no, my friends, this is not the book equivalent of Hackers (you know where code magically floats across the screen and other cheap tricks), this is a book written by a systems consultant (read: normally the guy that gets called in with the regular schmoes can't figure things out) for Fortune 100 companies. To use a common cliche, he "gets it." Actually he gets it, gets into its inner workings, and turns it inside out. Vague, I know, but I'm trying very hard not to spoil the fun of this book.
There is no reason for you not to read Daemon, no matter your level of technical understanding. Everyone from the CEO who has only the vaguest understanding of his IT infrastructure to the mail room guy who goes home to play WoW for 8 hours to the advertising exec who only knows how to check his email.
Book Review: Is your firewall turned on? Does it really matter?!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had to fly for about eight hours, so in self-defense I grabbed a book to read in event I got tired of listening to my iPod. It was a good choice.
After getting settled I pulled this book out and started reading. I literally read it one one marathon sitting! It was rivetting!
The story describes an entirely plausible and frightening series events set around an online first person shooter game crossing into real life. The main character, a game company owner, creates a "DAEMON" that tracks users, reads newspapers, enlists the help of the disenfranchised, and seeks to overturn civilization as we know it. The pace is fast, the twists frequent and challenging to decode. I truly lost myself reading this story.
Perhaps it's so compelling to me because of my real-life work that takes me into this realm to begin with. Maybe it's because I can understand the technology discussed in the story well enough to know that the general concept is realistic - which makes it even more frightening. The machinery in the story is a little bit over the top but it still holds together very well and made me stop and think about how secure our computer systems really might not be, after all.
If you workin the computer business and think that online security is someone elses problem, this book will give you a wake up call!
Go ahead and turn your firewall, intrusion protection, spam filter off! I guarantee you'll run your virus checker twice after reading this!
Book Review: fabulous futuristic AI technology thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
At thirty four years of age, Matthew Sobol, the genius behind successful CyberStorm Entertainment dies from brain cancer. However, the brilliant game maestro would not allow something as petty as death preveng him from causing global havoc from the grave. He somehow kicked off a war from cyberpsace against mankind.
Concerned authorities enter Sobol's mansion in Thousand Oaks, California only to find themselves under attack in spite of the fact that no human is inside or on the grounds; the police suffer several deaths as they retreat. Sobol has left behind the greatest weapon of mass destruction ever created; his daemon computer processor has taken control of most of the world's major computer systems and has signed up brilliant quisling humans as foot soldiers to carry out the plan for world domination.
DAEMON is a fabulous futuristic AI technology thriller as the twisted but brilliant late computer game creator Sobol sets in motion a doomsday machine after he dies. The story line is fast-paced from the onset even with complex vernacular as Daniel Suarez assumes his audience can do more than breath and chew gum refusing to dumb down his tale. Readers will relish this superb science fiction book with a great finish that sets up AI part two.
Harriet Klausner