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tensy's review
4.0
This is an unusual science fiction book that reads more like a Wall Street memoir. Very detailed world that describes a post-apocalyptic future where bio/logics programs run our bodies. Interesting characters which are multi-dimensional and flawed, yet you keep rooting for them to succeed. The plot resonates with issues we are now confronting about uncontrolled greed in business, politics and unchecked technological advances, and what this means for humanity as a whole. This book was written in 2006 and will be part of a trilogy, thus many of the questions are left unanswered in the end.
Edelman was truly ahead of his time. Favorite quote by Vigal:
"I mean that the world runs by natural laws, Natch. Just as there are laws of physics and thermodynamics and gravity, there are social dynamics too. Laws of humanity...the universe does push and pull you in certain directions, but that doesn't mean it wants you to succeed. For thousand of years, we've been telling tales about the dangers that befall people who accomplish too much. Why? Because those tales have an underlying truth: power unbalances the natural energy of the world...too much power concentrated in one place creates stasis. And stasis is anathema to a universe that desires constant motion and change."
Think about this in terms of Enron, Madoff, BP, Oil cartels/oil depletion. I often think that science fiction is the best genre to create plot metaphors for our modern day social conditions.
Edelman was truly ahead of his time. Favorite quote by Vigal:
"I mean that the world runs by natural laws, Natch. Just as there are laws of physics and thermodynamics and gravity, there are social dynamics too. Laws of humanity...the universe does push and pull you in certain directions, but that doesn't mean it wants you to succeed. For thousand of years, we've been telling tales about the dangers that befall people who accomplish too much. Why? Because those tales have an underlying truth: power unbalances the natural energy of the world...too much power concentrated in one place creates stasis. And stasis is anathema to a universe that desires constant motion and change."
Think about this in terms of Enron, Madoff, BP, Oil cartels/oil depletion. I often think that science fiction is the best genre to create plot metaphors for our modern day social conditions.
surfmonkey01's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fantastic. It is best described as corporate business sci-fi, which may not sound very good, but believe me, it more than is
brightshiny's review
3.0
Full of high concepts but hampered by clunky prose and uneven pacing. Not sure if I'll pick up book 2.
willia4's review
3.0
I read this book a couple of years ago (I think I got it roughly after the paperback dropped) and have been intending to read the other two books in the Jump 225 trilogy since then, but I never got around to it. There have always been other books on my stack.
Then, a few weeks ago, I finished Stephen Baxter's Time (or is it Manifold: Time? I'm honestly not too clear l on it) which reminded me a lot of Infoquake. So I wanted to read the rest of that series. But first, I needed to re-familiarize myself with the events of the first novel. Hence, this re-read.
And a re-read is an interesting place to jump off from reviewing this book. Infoquake is set in a far future with some interesting technologies that have completely shaped the world. In my first read, I spent the first third of the book trying to figure out what everyone was talking about (the author helpfully includes a glossary at the back of the book, but I didn't find it until I was finished with it). That wasn't a problem this time around. I knew who the characters were. I knew what they were doing. And I mostly remembered how they were going to get there.
So this review doesn't come from a place of slow understanding like it would have if I'd written it the first time I wrote it. This time, I think I have a bit more appreciation for the plot and characters.
The author is a computer programmer. And the story revolves around an entrepreneur/programmer and the fantastical programs he and his compatriots build. As a programmer myself, that's a pretty fascinating hook. An exploration of how computer programs might shape the future written by someone who might know what he's talking about? Sold.
I think it delivers on that promise. "Hack the body, and the mind will follow." is printed on the front cover. So what happens when we've hacked the body completely as in the world of Infoquake? The author concludes that we'll be still eat and sleep make love: we'll just do it better. I can't disagree.
Story-wise, I guess you could describe this as a "techno-thriller". Or, as the author puts it on his website, "Dune meets the Wall Street Journal". It's apt. It's a fun story with lots of twists and turns which you can probably see coming, but still provide an entertaining journey.
The computer-y ideas driving the plot are more interesting than the plot itself, though. And the story-telling is rough in some places. But I think that's the sort of thing that the author will grow into as he puts more books under his belt.
As it is, though, I have no real complaints.
Then, a few weeks ago, I finished Stephen Baxter's Time (or is it Manifold: Time? I'm honestly not too clear l on it) which reminded me a lot of Infoquake. So I wanted to read the rest of that series. But first, I needed to re-familiarize myself with the events of the first novel. Hence, this re-read.
And a re-read is an interesting place to jump off from reviewing this book. Infoquake is set in a far future with some interesting technologies that have completely shaped the world. In my first read, I spent the first third of the book trying to figure out what everyone was talking about (the author helpfully includes a glossary at the back of the book, but I didn't find it until I was finished with it). That wasn't a problem this time around. I knew who the characters were. I knew what they were doing. And I mostly remembered how they were going to get there.
So this review doesn't come from a place of slow understanding like it would have if I'd written it the first time I wrote it. This time, I think I have a bit more appreciation for the plot and characters.
The author is a computer programmer. And the story revolves around an entrepreneur/programmer and the fantastical programs he and his compatriots build. As a programmer myself, that's a pretty fascinating hook. An exploration of how computer programs might shape the future written by someone who might know what he's talking about? Sold.
I think it delivers on that promise. "Hack the body, and the mind will follow." is printed on the front cover. So what happens when we've hacked the body completely as in the world of Infoquake? The author concludes that we'll be still eat and sleep make love: we'll just do it better. I can't disagree.
Story-wise, I guess you could describe this as a "techno-thriller". Or, as the author puts it on his website, "Dune meets the Wall Street Journal". It's apt. It's a fun story with lots of twists and turns which you can probably see coming, but still provide an entertaining journey.
The computer-y ideas driving the plot are more interesting than the plot itself, though. And the story-telling is rough in some places. But I think that's the sort of thing that the author will grow into as he puts more books under his belt.
As it is, though, I have no real complaints.
sovietgnome's review
4.0
This book was pretty great. I don't think the concept of bio/logics impressed me as much as it should have due to my familiarity with Karl Schroeder's work (esp. Permanence and Lady of Mazes) with the nanites and tech locks, which is a similar concept, but much farther in the future. In spite of that, Edelman creates a window to the boardroom of the future, with complex amoral characters and shady business (and political!) tactics, to make for an excellent and interesting debut.
eoghann's review
4.0
A remarkable work of future world building. The biotech is very convincing as is the future history that Edelman has constructed. The world may in fact be the most complex and compelling character in the book.
It's surprisingly engrossing for a novel in which (when you boil it down) relatively few things actually happen. I spent most of the time waiting for the inevitable revelation of what was really going on and I had to keep reading to find out.
Hard to avoid the feeling that the whole thing is just set up for the rest of the trilogy though.
It's surprisingly engrossing for a novel in which (when you boil it down) relatively few things actually happen. I spent most of the time waiting for the inevitable revelation of what was really going on and I had to keep reading to find out.
Hard to avoid the feeling that the whole thing is just set up for the rest of the trilogy though.
erichart's review
1.0
A business thriller with SF dressing, the author often seems more interested in corporate wars than in exploring a supposedly world-changing technology that seems like little more than a McGuffin. Interesting enough that I'll take a chance on the other two volumes, but then again the reader has little choice: this is not a standalone in any way, as the ending provides no conclusion, merely a pause before the next one.
gavreads's review
What could high-tech business look like in the future? If Infoquake is anything to go by quite cutthroat. Dominated by bio/logics, a way of programming the body, the world that David Louis Edelman has created is packed full of technology and commentary on consumer society.
I must admit I was wary of Infoquake whilst reading the opening chapters. Who wants to read a book based on making a better way of seeing in the dark? But Edelman knocks it up a gear when we get to explore the past of Natch, a master of bio/logics and person loathed across the Data Sea.
And that is where I was hooked. Edelman creates a team of characters that you want to succeed. Not that Natch is the most likeable character but somehow I wanted him to climb up the business ladder because of Jara, Horvil and Merri.
The technology is fantastic as well as believable, at least in context. You can project yourself anywhere whilst your physical body stays put. Millions of people can gather in the same place at the same time. And most impressive of all you can control your body by programming it.
Infoquake shows how a good sci-fi story can, and should, be. It shows the effect of technology on humanity and focuses on the humanity rather than the technology.
It’s not perfect. Natch isn’t an easy character to sympathise with on occasion but I think that makes him more interesting as you get to see his evolution. Some of the choices of scenes aren’t what I would have chosen. Especially the lack of tension at the end.There aren’t any aliens, any guns, explosions, space ships; just business and technology that’s going to affect millions.
And that makes it very refreshing. The drama is within the characters themselves. I’m looking forward to seeing how Eldelman expands his ideas in the next book of the Jump 225 Trilogy.
I must admit I was wary of Infoquake whilst reading the opening chapters. Who wants to read a book based on making a better way of seeing in the dark? But Edelman knocks it up a gear when we get to explore the past of Natch, a master of bio/logics and person loathed across the Data Sea.
And that is where I was hooked. Edelman creates a team of characters that you want to succeed. Not that Natch is the most likeable character but somehow I wanted him to climb up the business ladder because of Jara, Horvil and Merri.
The technology is fantastic as well as believable, at least in context. You can project yourself anywhere whilst your physical body stays put. Millions of people can gather in the same place at the same time. And most impressive of all you can control your body by programming it.
Infoquake shows how a good sci-fi story can, and should, be. It shows the effect of technology on humanity and focuses on the humanity rather than the technology.
It’s not perfect. Natch isn’t an easy character to sympathise with on occasion but I think that makes him more interesting as you get to see his evolution. Some of the choices of scenes aren’t what I would have chosen. Especially the lack of tension at the end.There aren’t any aliens, any guns, explosions, space ships; just business and technology that’s going to affect millions.
And that makes it very refreshing. The drama is within the characters themselves. I’m looking forward to seeing how Eldelman expands his ideas in the next book of the Jump 225 Trilogy.
books17's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big fan of cyberpunk as a genre and as a general concept; some of my favourite books, video games and media in general have been set in cyberpunk worlds, often dystopian. Typically, they revolve around cyber-warfare, oppression and incredible technology.
The world of Infoquake is interesting in that it while it definitely includes the latter of those three, it isn't dystopian. Well it is, slightly, but the distinction is that the novel isn't based on that at all. It's more a general thing that you're sort of aware of while reading, but it isn't the focus of the narrative, nor does it need to be.
Instead of the battle between good and evil, like a lot of cyberpunk fiction Infoquake is firmly rooted in the many shades of grey in between. It follows Natch Personal Programming Fiefcorp, fiefcorps being a future amalgamation of research, development and marketing of technological devices which exist within the human body thanks to billions of tiny nanomachines. NPPF quickly gets involved in an enormous, mysterious project, drama ensues.
Infoquake is incredibly well written, with a unique and well-realised world. The characters have just enough characterisation to make you care about them, but not enough that the characters become the main focus of the story. The main focus of the story is always the technology involved, and the world itself.
It was very interesting to read a cyberpunk novel from the point of view of business, something that I'm not aware has ever really been done before. I'm not sure why, the cutthroat world of business seems to go hand-in-hand with the grimness of cyberpunk.
Very good, 4/5, highly recommend.
The world of Infoquake is interesting in that it while it definitely includes the latter of those three, it isn't dystopian. Well it is, slightly, but the distinction is that the novel isn't based on that at all. It's more a general thing that you're sort of aware of while reading, but it isn't the focus of the narrative, nor does it need to be.
Instead of the battle between good and evil, like a lot of cyberpunk fiction Infoquake is firmly rooted in the many shades of grey in between. It follows Natch Personal Programming Fiefcorp, fiefcorps being a future amalgamation of research, development and marketing of technological devices which exist within the human body thanks to billions of tiny nanomachines. NPPF quickly gets involved in an enormous, mysterious project, drama ensues.
Infoquake is incredibly well written, with a unique and well-realised world. The characters have just enough characterisation to make you care about them, but not enough that the characters become the main focus of the story. The main focus of the story is always the technology involved, and the world itself.
It was very interesting to read a cyberpunk novel from the point of view of business, something that I'm not aware has ever really been done before. I'm not sure why, the cutthroat world of business seems to go hand-in-hand with the grimness of cyberpunk.
Very good, 4/5, highly recommend.
theartolater's review against another edition
5.0
A book I had on my list for quite a while, science fiction about the brink of true virtual reality, and the corporate backstabbing that would go with it. A very fascinating universe, and one turn after another to throw you a curveball to go with it. I really can’t describe this book all that well, except that it was quite good and I think anyone who likes sci-fi should read it. I recommended it to two people at the library who both gave it rave reviews afterwards, so that should mean something.