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jaylion's review against another edition
5.0
Finished this book in just a few (otherwise busy) days. Best I have read in a while. I may start the sequel here in a few minutes...
raven_morgan's review against another edition
Marking this one as did not finish - lots of good stuff in this, but I bounced hard off a few things (the squick factor of using Nexus to seduce women, which it looks like some people just found funny but I just noped out on, for one). Just not for me.
karenavila85's review
5.0
LOVED IT. It's just the book I was looking for; intriguing plot, fast-paced action, and interesting characters. I could seriously picture the book as a movie in my head. I highly recommend it.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
When I read a cyberpunk book I'm looking for grit and action, this book was too smooth. The technology and science were great but the world was too clean, the story too linear, the characters forgettable.
thebeej21's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
lischa3000's review against another edition
5.0
A "Bourne-style" action/fiction - I believe this this could easily be the future
whimsydances's review against another edition
5.0
Coming from a background of cognitive science and computer science I found this book to be compelling and addictive. From what I know, everything seemed completely within the realm of speculative possibilities. It maintained an excellent sense of action while still staying true to the science-fiction genre. I loved that the characters were not unidimensional representations of our culture's expectations for gender, but rather, both genders of characters displayed masculine and feminine traits in believable quantities. The writing, pacing, and plot all made for a very enjoyable read.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
In the future, Nexus is the new popular nano-drug that allows humans to temporarily connect minds & share thoughts with other current Nexus users. Kade Lane, young scientists, in his experiments radically improves Nexus. Not only he managed to make the Nexus influence/presence in human brain permanent, he also installed OS to Nexus nano-bots. So Nexus users can install addons/applications to help them in using their body (just like we now do on our phones). Don Juan app, Bruce Lee app,... (I think you can guess what they can do.) Uses and abuses of Nexus are infinite.
Such ground-breaking discovery, of course, stir-ups a lot of trouble. Politicians say that Nexus is a threat to humanity, army describes it as security risk, criminals see it as source of easy earnings... Which side will Kade pick when neither choice is a good one?
Some people described [b:Nexus|13642710|Nexus (Nexus, #1)|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347149654s/13642710.jpg|19257521] as sci-fi spy thriller. I can not disagree with them, the label fits, there sure is a lot of action, chasing, fighting etc. But that is not my favorite aspect of this book. The best thing about [b:Nexus|13642710|Nexus (Nexus, #1)|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347149654s/13642710.jpg|19257521] is that [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] poses a lot of intriguing questions. This is a great novel to be read in a book club because there will certainly be a lot of good subjects for discussion:
Is government wiser than humanity? Whose place is to choose what we can and what we cannot use? If some invention that is made for good can also be used for bad purposes, is that reason enough to censor & block it - or should we always take the chance? What is the thing that makes us human - when will we stop being human and become something else?
[b:Nexus|13642710|Nexus (Nexus, #1)|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347149654s/13642710.jpg|19257521] by [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] reminds me of my favorite science fiction authors: [a:Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212526024p2/12581.jpg] with dystopia/government conspiracy theme, [a:Michael Crichton|5194|Michael Crichton|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1189723729p2/5194.jpg] with unexpected twists and action/adventure, [a:Arthur C. Clarke|7779|Arthur C. Clarke|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1193516744p2/7779.jpg] because everything [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] described has a scientific background. There is a short article at the end of the book and also a separate non-fiction book [b:More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement|274638|More Than Human Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173329534s/274638.jpg|266308] where theoretical background and scientific progress so far are explained in details. [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] predicts:
"The next few decades will be more full of wonders than even the greatest science fiction."
I agree and I cannot wait. :)
Altough there is no cliffhanger, the ending leaves us wondering - how will use of Nexus change humanity.
"Would they still be human at the end of this? Might they be something more?"
We will have to wait until September 2013 and [b:Crux|15997527|Crux (Nexus, #2)|Ramez Naam|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|21757503], the next book in Nexus series, to find out!
I recommend this book to fans of: science fiction with a lot of action, spy thrillers set in future, genetic engineering theme, dystopian novels about repression of human liberties.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog.
Such ground-breaking discovery, of course, stir-ups a lot of trouble. Politicians say that Nexus is a threat to humanity, army describes it as security risk, criminals see it as source of easy earnings... Which side will Kade pick when neither choice is a good one?
Some people described [b:Nexus|13642710|Nexus (Nexus, #1)|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347149654s/13642710.jpg|19257521] as sci-fi spy thriller. I can not disagree with them, the label fits, there sure is a lot of action, chasing, fighting etc. But that is not my favorite aspect of this book. The best thing about [b:Nexus|13642710|Nexus (Nexus, #1)|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347149654s/13642710.jpg|19257521] is that [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] poses a lot of intriguing questions. This is a great novel to be read in a book club because there will certainly be a lot of good subjects for discussion:
Is government wiser than humanity? Whose place is to choose what we can and what we cannot use? If some invention that is made for good can also be used for bad purposes, is that reason enough to censor & block it - or should we always take the chance? What is the thing that makes us human - when will we stop being human and become something else?
[b:Nexus|13642710|Nexus (Nexus, #1)|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347149654s/13642710.jpg|19257521] by [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] reminds me of my favorite science fiction authors: [a:Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212526024p2/12581.jpg] with dystopia/government conspiracy theme, [a:Michael Crichton|5194|Michael Crichton|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1189723729p2/5194.jpg] with unexpected twists and action/adventure, [a:Arthur C. Clarke|7779|Arthur C. Clarke|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1193516744p2/7779.jpg] because everything [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] described has a scientific background. There is a short article at the end of the book and also a separate non-fiction book [b:More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement|274638|More Than Human Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173329534s/274638.jpg|266308] where theoretical background and scientific progress so far are explained in details. [a:Ramez Naam|160069|Ramez Naam|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353488211p2/160069.jpg] predicts:
"The next few decades will be more full of wonders than even the greatest science fiction."
I agree and I cannot wait. :)
Altough there is no cliffhanger, the ending leaves us wondering - how will use of Nexus change humanity.
"Would they still be human at the end of this? Might they be something more?"
We will have to wait until September 2013 and [b:Crux|15997527|Crux (Nexus, #2)|Ramez Naam|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|21757503], the next book in Nexus series, to find out!
I recommend this book to fans of: science fiction with a lot of action, spy thrillers set in future, genetic engineering theme, dystopian novels about repression of human liberties.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog.
sirbijan's review against another edition
5.0
Exactly the type of sci-fi that I love, the events are palpable and don't seem impossible; you can feel the story and he doesn't get himself caught in a dead end and thus, does not need to raise a new character/power to get himself out!
The philosophy of open sourcing the technology and looking through the aftermath from the views of different parties involved is very mature as well.
Also the explanation of the current break throughs in neuroscience and the little pieces human could already put together and test is really nice and eye opening.
The philosophy of open sourcing the technology and looking through the aftermath from the views of different parties involved is very mature as well.
Also the explanation of the current break throughs in neuroscience and the little pieces human could already put together and test is really nice and eye opening.