Scan barcode
bgbak's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
phearn's review against another edition
I purchased the Code Breakers quadrology. Despite a few continuity errors, several grammar and mechanics issues, and a rather abrupt ending, I enjoyed the first book of the series. I've been diving down a cyberpunk rabbit hole ever since.
jennypennycg's review against another edition
1.0
By an Author from a Different Culture..........
I can't... haha that's my review. 8 billion ideas on every page just exploding in your face. It was a little too fast paced for me. I loved the concept, but it felt really spastic jumping from one battle to another. It felt like the battles started in the first 10 minutes of reading and the only break in the drama was a nap he took on a ship maybe halfway through the book. Oh but he gets woken up after maybe 5 minutes by their ship "goin down" because of yet another conflict. This book could have used a very strong editor in my opinion, but maybe it's just not my genre. Clearly it's a great series as there are 4 books.
I can't... haha that's my review. 8 billion ideas on every page just exploding in your face. It was a little too fast paced for me. I loved the concept, but it felt really spastic jumping from one battle to another. It felt like the battles started in the first 10 minutes of reading and the only break in the drama was a nap he took on a ship maybe halfway through the book. Oh but he gets woken up after maybe 5 minutes by their ship "goin down" because of yet another conflict. This book could have used a very strong editor in my opinion, but maybe it's just not my genre. Clearly it's a great series as there are 4 books.
russt's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book at all. While the story itself was intriguing, it was only another post-apocalyptic story with a suspicious main character, a 'benevolent' group that was actually, bad, and well, just the same story we've seen over and over.
The descriptions of technology were vague, unclear, and contradictory at times. Not only that, but the terminology used was blatantly incorrect - it seems like the author looked up specific terms (like VPN), but then used them how he either wanted them or understood them, which were very far off base.
Overall, it wasn't a good read. I'd much rather spend my time reading stories that are actually researched, well-thought-out, and not riddled with grammatical errors.
The descriptions of technology were vague, unclear, and contradictory at times. Not only that, but the terminology used was blatantly incorrect - it seems like the author looked up specific terms (like VPN), but then used them how he either wanted them or understood them, which were very far off base.
Overall, it wasn't a good read. I'd much rather spend my time reading stories that are actually researched, well-thought-out, and not riddled with grammatical errors.
tandemjon's review against another edition
3.0
Nice idea, interesting characters and world. Looking forward to the next one
tobyyy's review
3.0
I'm kinda surprised that there aren't more reviews on this (or even ratings -- counting my rating, so far there are only two). I don't think it came out particularly recently. It's odd to me, too, that there's not even a blurb on it on Goodreads. (Side note -- this is the 6th book in the anthology that I have been reading.)
Anyway. Since there's not a blurb, I'll try to summarize it a little bit (I usually avoid doing that because if you want to know what the book's about, the blurb usually has it all). So Alpha is a dystopian, futuristic sci-fi novel. It's slightly reminiscent to me of the Hunger Games, but not due to any of the key plot points (i.e., the author did not take any ideas from the Hunger Games trilogy).
Gerry Cardle lives in City Earth, where the Family rules with an iron hand. People live to be a thousand years old there, but there is no real freedom. However, since those who are Gerry's age and younger (I believe he was in his mid-30s) have no concept of a life where there is freedom, where you are not being watched all the time by artificial intelligence implants, there really isn't any rebellion.
But then... the book begins when Gerry realizes that he was "chosen" for what is called the "D-lottery" -- if you are chosen for that, you die within 7 days. The whole book revolves around the code used for screwing up the algorithms that run the AI implants, and how someone who was very very skilled with code (and who was also very high up in the echelon at the company where Gerry worked) was planning on killing off everyone by assigning them to the D-lottery.
I enjoyed Alpha -- it wasn't as good as some of the other books in the anthology, and the writing got a bit worse as the book went on. Early in the book there were very few grammatical errors, weird sentence construction problems, etc. However, by about two thirds of the way through the book, there were more errors (e.g., feeling a "slither of hope" instead of "sliver of hope"). It wasn't enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the book, but it did get irritating. There are a couple places where punctuation is left out, as well, in the latter third of the book.
My main problem with it is that it was very code-heavy. That makes sense, given the plot arc of the novel, but since I'm not very tech-savvy, it was a little overwhelming at times. Because my husband is a comp sci nerd, I understood more than I would otherwise, but still, it wasn't 100% reader friendly for those people who don't have a clue how coding works.
I would recommend this, though, but it wouldn't be my first recommendation to anyone. It's interesting -- and it ends on a cliffhanger, which is irritating -- but although it held my attention, it isn't in any of my go-to genres for books that will definitely keep me entertained. Also, there was a bit more gore/violence than was really necessary, I think.
Anyway. Since there's not a blurb, I'll try to summarize it a little bit (I usually avoid doing that because if you want to know what the book's about, the blurb usually has it all). So Alpha is a dystopian, futuristic sci-fi novel. It's slightly reminiscent to me of the Hunger Games, but not due to any of the key plot points (i.e., the author did not take any ideas from the Hunger Games trilogy).
Gerry Cardle lives in City Earth, where the Family rules with an iron hand. People live to be a thousand years old there, but there is no real freedom. However, since those who are Gerry's age and younger (I believe he was in his mid-30s) have no concept of a life where there is freedom, where you are not being watched all the time by artificial intelligence implants, there really isn't any rebellion.
But then... the book begins when Gerry realizes that he was "chosen" for what is called the "D-lottery" -- if you are chosen for that, you die within 7 days. The whole book revolves around the code used for screwing up the algorithms that run the AI implants, and how someone who was very very skilled with code (and who was also very high up in the echelon at the company where Gerry worked) was planning on killing off everyone by assigning them to the D-lottery.
I enjoyed Alpha -- it wasn't as good as some of the other books in the anthology, and the writing got a bit worse as the book went on. Early in the book there were very few grammatical errors, weird sentence construction problems, etc. However, by about two thirds of the way through the book, there were more errors (e.g., feeling a "slither of hope" instead of "sliver of hope"). It wasn't enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the book, but it did get irritating. There are a couple places where punctuation is left out, as well, in the latter third of the book.
My main problem with it is that it was very code-heavy. That makes sense, given the plot arc of the novel, but since I'm not very tech-savvy, it was a little overwhelming at times. Because my husband is a comp sci nerd, I understood more than I would otherwise, but still, it wasn't 100% reader friendly for those people who don't have a clue how coding works.
I would recommend this, though, but it wouldn't be my first recommendation to anyone. It's interesting -- and it ends on a cliffhanger, which is irritating -- but although it held my attention, it isn't in any of my go-to genres for books that will definitely keep me entertained. Also, there was a bit more gore/violence than was really necessary, I think.
imsam's review against another edition
3.0
Okay cyberpunk book. Honestly super predictable, but decent enough to carry me through. Nothing in it is particularly bad, nothing in it is particularly amazing. Will probably forget about it in a week or two.
author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition
4.0
Code Breakers: Alpha by Colin Barnes is post-apocalypse, cyberpunk novel about super coder Gerry whose privileged position as an elite coder in the single domed city that remains after the Cataclysm suddenly comes to an end when the Death-lottery marks him for execution. Prior to that moment Gerry believed he and his family were exempt from the lottery and he gave little thought of the lottery or what existed beyond the confines of the domed city.
With this betrayal Gerry leaves the protection of the domed city and meets the beings living outside. Those who survive outside the dome are a mixture of human and code. One of the best part of Gerry's journey is the imaginative world where humans and AIs are integrated. The descriptions of thought as code and visa-versa are well done. The battles between human and code entities are both exciting and technically satisfying.
SPOILER. the novel is more of a teaser than a novel without a resolution or conclusion.
With this betrayal Gerry leaves the protection of the domed city and meets the beings living outside. Those who survive outside the dome are a mixture of human and code. One of the best part of Gerry's journey is the imaginative world where humans and AIs are integrated. The descriptions of thought as code and visa-versa are well done. The battles between human and code entities are both exciting and technically satisfying.
SPOILER. the novel is more of a teaser than a novel without a resolution or conclusion.
honu_girl's review against another edition
3.0
I found the premise of this book intriguing - the merging of the mind and AI. The storytelling was fairly good, but I found the editing a bit uneven. There were some minor inconsistencies, and a number of grammatical errors, that would sometimes jar me out of the story. That said, I do plan to continue the series and see where Gez and Petal end up next.
gigawattember's review against another edition
3.0
I downloaded this book for free via Amazon as one of my Kindle First selections. The concept intrigued me. I have a background dabbling in coding, so it was pretty cool to see it being used during the battles, and I liked that it was a significant part of the book in general. It was a fun read. Pace was pretty good, wish there would have been more suspenseful moments. Conflicts tended to resolve themselves pretty quickly. The end of the book did get more intense and I really was pulled into it, and if this had been the intensity throughout, with even greater intensity at the end it could have been an even more awesome book. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and I imagine the series will keep getting better. I plan on reading the next book, and i'm glad I read it!
I could see this being a really great movie or TV series.
I could see this being a really great movie or TV series.