Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Holy shit - what an amazing book. It was so fast paced with short chapters and so many twists. This felt like watching a movie, and was a little predictable in that way. So many of my favorite tropes were included in this book, that every plot point was perfection to me.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Interesting concept and had a lot of topical moments surrounding real issues, but overall fell flat compared to Marrs' other books. References to AI felt like a buzzwords mishmash that took away from the story. Libby's holier-than-thou-ness makes her 1-dimensional, and her tragic backstory likens her to a basically faultless character readers can't help but identify with/root for. This isn't helped by the contrasting fates of three barely established characters, two of which are reduced to underdeveloped stereotypes of POC, versus the outcomes for rest of the cast. For such a messy and complicated story emphasizing how looks can be deceiving, the ending attempts to tie everything into neat bows but leaves much to be desired.
Very interesting premise but it seems like 8 different books that sorta come together at the end and the twists don’t seem satisfying
RATING: 4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In a terrifying act of cyber-terrorism, eight autonomous vehicles are seized by an unknown hacker. The passengers, including a pregnant woman, a war hero, and a TV star, find themselves trapped, their lives hanging by a thread. The hacker's voice ominously informs them that they are on a collision course, and only one will survive. Panic ensues as the passengers realize they are powerless, their fates controlled by a faceless entity.
"The Passengers" by John Marrs is a gripping exploration of the intersection between technology and human morality. Through the harrowing ordeal of the hijacked passengers, the novel critiques society's reliance on technology and the ease with which people pass judgment based on limited information. The public jury system serves as a powerful metaphor for societal judgment, highlighting the darker aspects of human nature. The hacker's game forces characters and readers alike to confront their biases and prejudices, ultimately questioning the moral compass of modern society. The novel's exploration of secrets, deception, and the consequences of unchecked power offers a cautionary tale about the vulnerabilities of technology and the fragility of human morality.
The moral of the story in John Marrs’ 2019 near-future book, The Passengers, is that artificial intelligence isn’t actually the problem per se; it’s still us, the humans, and particularly, and importantly, the humans with the power of the government behind them.
This was my first John Marrs novel and there were moments of pure suspense where I found I could hardly stop reading, so caught up was I in the excitement and intensity. No shortage of shocking surprises here, which came relentlessly at a breakneck pace. As you’ve probably already guessed, none of the passengers are as they seem, so you’ll be getting four or five good twists out of that alone.
In a terrifying act of cyber-terrorism, eight autonomous vehicles are seized by an unknown hacker. The passengers, including a pregnant woman, a war hero, and a TV star, find themselves trapped, their lives hanging by a thread. The hacker's voice ominously informs them that they are on a collision course, and only one will survive. Panic ensues as the passengers realize they are powerless, their fates controlled by a faceless entity.
"The Passengers" by John Marrs is a gripping exploration of the intersection between technology and human morality. Through the harrowing ordeal of the hijacked passengers, the novel critiques society's reliance on technology and the ease with which people pass judgment based on limited information. The public jury system serves as a powerful metaphor for societal judgment, highlighting the darker aspects of human nature. The hacker's game forces characters and readers alike to confront their biases and prejudices, ultimately questioning the moral compass of modern society. The novel's exploration of secrets, deception, and the consequences of unchecked power offers a cautionary tale about the vulnerabilities of technology and the fragility of human morality.
The moral of the story in John Marrs’ 2019 near-future book, The Passengers, is that artificial intelligence isn’t actually the problem per se; it’s still us, the humans, and particularly, and importantly, the humans with the power of the government behind them.
This was my first John Marrs novel and there were moments of pure suspense where I found I could hardly stop reading, so caught up was I in the excitement and intensity. No shortage of shocking surprises here, which came relentlessly at a breakneck pace. As you’ve probably already guessed, none of the passengers are as they seem, so you’ll be getting four or five good twists out of that alone.
The premise of the book drew me in, but it was pretty outlandish as soon as the story started rolling. It felt unbelievable at times, and while it was staged to take place in a not so futuristic world, it felt very far removed from reality. it kept me interested and I won’t usually DNF a book so I saw it through till the end.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely twisty! I think I could have done without part 4.
I mean, it was exciting, but it could easily have been about 200 pages shorter. Marrs tends to do things like taking a few sentences to describe something mundane, such as someone putting her hair up. The villain monologue/exposition section could have been condensed as well.
I enjoy sci-fi thrillers like this, but you definitely gotta suspend your disbelief a bit. For example, was the Internet aware that people were actually dying? I know this was supposed to be a Social Commentary on mob mentality, etc. but everyone was being downright ghoulish. I can see certain subsections/demographics/forum sites being like that, but creating BuzzFeed style quizzes about which hostage you're most like? Come on now
I enjoy sci-fi thrillers like this, but you definitely gotta suspend your disbelief a bit. For example, was the Internet aware that people were actually dying? I know this was supposed to be a Social Commentary on mob mentality, etc. but everyone was being downright ghoulish. I can see certain subsections/demographics/forum sites being like that, but creating BuzzFeed style quizzes about which hostage you're most like? Come on now