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a_boy_c's review against another edition
5.0
Really good read. Great pacing and I found the sci-fi stuff to be very believable. Felt as if DARPA had made their own Jason Bourne story.
cameronreapereads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
oleksandr's review against another edition
5.0
How the world will change if we get an ability to access each other’s minds? Not only to exchange feelings or mind-chat, but to use this combined computing power to solve problems any single human cannot even fully comprehend? If this is post-human and Homo sapiens sapiens doesn’t want to go extinct so that post-humans inhering the Earth and fights tooth and claw for his dominant position?
The idea is that radio receiving/transmitting nanites, known as a street gang Nexus, allow for direct mind-mind communication and the establishment (chiefly China and the US) tries to prevent the spread of this potentially extremely dangerous technology, as not only mind-sharing but mind-control is a possibilty.
The idea is that radio receiving/transmitting nanites, known as a street gang Nexus, allow for direct mind-mind communication and the establishment (chiefly China and the US) tries to prevent the spread of this potentially extremely dangerous technology, as not only mind-sharing but mind-control is a possibilty.
taylpr's review against another edition
1.0
In a world where humans can take some sort of drug that allows humans to communicate to each other brain to brain comes one of the least realized books I have ever read. The book cannot decide what it wants to be and I think that is its biggest downfall. It never commits to the idea of the technology after the first quarter of the book and instead uses it as a reason to tell the real story of the book, a boring action book. Book is so political for no reason and adopts this anti-government, anti-China stance which continues throughout the book. The good part of the book, the ethical discussion about becoming a posthuman, or whatever its called in this book, gets abandoned about halfway through for the same battle scene like 5 times in a row. The characters are not interesting, Sam has some superpowers that allow her to never die, Kade is just the luckiest man for some reason and everyone else you could have cared about just dies. The book has flashbacks and then the same thing happens the next chapter, Watson has cancer and I still have no idea why, the US government is so incompetent, nothing they do is of any danger to the main characters. The setting in Bangkok seems random, like the author went on google maps and just looked up some random places and threw them into the book just so the US could invade another country. It just feels like there is no vision or substance in this book and it just reads like a power fantasy of a teenage boy. Doubt I would have made it past that sex scene if it was not recommended to me.
chaotic_cowboy's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Action packed geek fest. Reading this along with "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal was also a happy coincidence...
moormaan's review against another edition
5.0
Nexus blew my mind and restored my faith that great works of SF are still being written today. Additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if it also earns the adjective of prophetic once we reach the point of near future that holds the story of this book. In order for that to happen however, we must first prove some of the grimmer and more dystopian writers wrong. Ramez Naam is somewhere between optimistic and realistic when it comes to the first installment of his trilogy. Optimistic in terms of technological advancements we might achieve, and realistic in terms of the human nature and xenophobia, societies and governments. He however truly appreciates the human mind, an wants us to nurture it and cultivate it. I would very much like for this part of his book to become our future, even if we miss his more lofty technological marks.
The language Naam uses relies on our minds' eyes already being primed by modern media. This is especially true when it comes to action scenes - at times I had an impression while reading that I was watching a live feed from a Counter Strike game. Apart from that, storytelling is on the level with his other goals. Character development is not the main focus, and the author leans ever so slightly on the stereotypes, but not to the detriment of his overall idea which he builds masterfully from the first to the last page. Treatment of science, engineering and ethics is deeper than in most similar works I've had the chance of reading, and that's where Nexus truly shines. Authors visions of the future draw a clear lineage from our current technological breakthroughs on the one, and from the long-standing traditions of mind cultivation through meditation on the other hand, and I bitter-sweetly partook in the enticement of his characters who helped bring them to life. Coupled with high-paced storytelling, these visions kept me on my toes through most parts of the book.
Maybe sometime soon you and I will share a Nexus connection. Maybe you will think my thoughts as clearly as you think your own. For now, I must share this review with you through this imperfect channel. It will come to you through thousands of miles of submerged cables via optical signals emanating from microscopic beams controlled by grains of silicon imprinted with intricate digital designs, but you will have to consume it through your eyes. Perfect though they may be from the evolutionary standpoint, in the near future they might become but an artifact of the distant past. Over the last 20cm, this review will have to travel through our own real non-virtual world to reach your mind. Still, according to Naam, it's just a taste of things to come.
The language Naam uses relies on our minds' eyes already being primed by modern media. This is especially true when it comes to action scenes - at times I had an impression while reading that I was watching a live feed from a Counter Strike game. Apart from that, storytelling is on the level with his other goals. Character development is not the main focus, and the author leans ever so slightly on the stereotypes, but not to the detriment of his overall idea which he builds masterfully from the first to the last page. Treatment of science, engineering and ethics is deeper than in most similar works I've had the chance of reading, and that's where Nexus truly shines. Authors visions of the future draw a clear lineage from our current technological breakthroughs on the one, and from the long-standing traditions of mind cultivation through meditation on the other hand, and I bitter-sweetly partook in the enticement of his characters who helped bring them to life. Coupled with high-paced storytelling, these visions kept me on my toes through most parts of the book.
Maybe sometime soon you and I will share a Nexus connection. Maybe you will think my thoughts as clearly as you think your own. For now, I must share this review with you through this imperfect channel. It will come to you through thousands of miles of submerged cables via optical signals emanating from microscopic beams controlled by grains of silicon imprinted with intricate digital designs, but you will have to consume it through your eyes. Perfect though they may be from the evolutionary standpoint, in the near future they might become but an artifact of the distant past. Over the last 20cm, this review will have to travel through our own real non-virtual world to reach your mind. Still, according to Naam, it's just a taste of things to come.
goethe's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
wesleywesley's review against another edition
3.0
While the premises are not exactly the same, I couldn't help but think of James Dashner's (of The Maze Runner) The Eye of Minds as I was reading this.
Even though I don't normally read sci-fi, Nexus was palatable. The beginning was a lot to take in and with all that sci-fi jargon all at once, naturally, it came across as a little try-hard. Eventually, it subsides and you really get brought into a future world. I was convinced. The fact that Naam is a technologist himself is probably what gives the story its believable edge.
In contrast, The Eye of Minds packs as much content and imagination in its entirety as the first chapter of Nexus. In many ways, they're not even comparable. Minds seems deliberately childish (and if not, wow) and is also simultaneously drawn out and shortened to fit into a series-sequel format where Nexus, while it has a sequel, could very well be a standalone novel.
All in all, I don't think sci-fi is for me, but I felt that Nexus was pretty good.
Even though I don't normally read sci-fi, Nexus was palatable. The beginning was a lot to take in and with all that sci-fi jargon all at once, naturally, it came across as a little try-hard. Eventually, it subsides and you really get brought into a future world. I was convinced. The fact that Naam is a technologist himself is probably what gives the story its believable edge.
In contrast, The Eye of Minds packs as much content and imagination in its entirety as the first chapter of Nexus. In many ways, they're not even comparable. Minds seems deliberately childish (and if not, wow) and is also simultaneously drawn out and shortened to fit into a series-sequel format where Nexus, while it has a sequel, could very well be a standalone novel.
All in all, I don't think sci-fi is for me, but I felt that Nexus was pretty good.