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colossal's review
4.0
The Red is a good series. Unfortunately this book is only a mediocre entry in that series.
James Shelley is now totally committed to the Red. Working as part of an Existential Threat Management (ETM) team, he and his fellow LCS Red-influenced soldiers seek and destroy things that represent a threat to civilization or the Red itself. But he still cares about the life he's left behind, and those people still care about him.
Like the previous books, this one is very episodic, split up into code-named missions that are action-packed and slowly further the narrative. The problem here is that the narrative is already about as "furthered" as it's going to be at the start of the story. We already know that the Red is alien in its thought processes. We also know that it doesn't hesitate to sacrifice its "pieces" or exert direct influence over them. And Shelley has long suspected that the Red is not necessarily a cohesive whole.
So there's not much to be revealed here, other than perhaps Shelley's final fate. Which, like many soldiers after a long career, feels a bit anti-climactic.
James Shelley is now totally committed to the Red. Working as part of an Existential Threat Management (ETM) team, he and his fellow LCS Red-influenced soldiers seek and destroy things that represent a threat to civilization or the Red itself. But he still cares about the life he's left behind, and those people still care about him.
Like the previous books, this one is very episodic, split up into code-named missions that are action-packed and slowly further the narrative. The problem here is that the narrative is already about as "furthered" as it's going to be at the start of the story. We already know that the Red is alien in its thought processes. We also know that it doesn't hesitate to sacrifice its "pieces" or exert direct influence over them. And Shelley has long suspected that the Red is not necessarily a cohesive whole.
So there's not much to be revealed here, other than perhaps Shelley's final fate. Which, like many soldiers after a long career, feels a bit anti-climactic.
metallib87's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved the ending of this trilogy. Wouldn't be surprised if this is potentially into moves or a mini series
mburnamfink's review
3.0
Going Dark closes out The Red trilogy in an unsatisfying manner. Lt. Shelley has gone off the grid entirely, now handling Existential Threat Management for The Red. Whenever the enigmatic AI detects a threat to its existence or to world security, Shelley and a squad of soldiers who have been marked officially dead in the databases, and survive in the cracks of the classified world with forged orders, show up and trouble-shoot with extreme prejudice.
The story opens with an assault on a arctic oil rig that's being used to house a potential biowarfare lab, but the mission goes tits up. There's a shootout with mercenaries, the lab turns out to be doing secret pharmaceutical work, the extraction is late, and eventually when Shelley and ETM Squad-7 get back to their secret lair, hidden in plain sight on an Army base in Texas, they get blown by their intel contractor and turned back over to the US Army, who needs them to do one last mission to save the world.
There's plenty of action, and Nagata still has a fine eye for shoot-outs, but little of the character moments or social criticism that made the prior books exceptional fiction. Shelley is officially dead, estranged from the world, and working for a rogue AI, but it's treated as shockingly normal. There's little tension within the unit over the weirdness of their situation, and for all the blather about 'non-linear warfare' and unlikely allies, a jovial Russian arms dealer stereotype seems pretty likely in this world. Dragons (in-setting term for the super-rich), the fragile state of American democracy in a world traumatized by nuclear terrorism, and even the desires of The Red, are treated in a mostly pro-forma way. I thought there was some cool potential with the idea that The Red had grown out of an advertising algorithm and wanted to make happy endings for people, whatever that might mean, but it acts mostly as a literal deus ex machina.
I think there's room for sequels, and it's a decent enough book on a sentence to sentence level, but the later seasons of Person of Interest handled these topics way better.
The story opens with an assault on a arctic oil rig that's being used to house a potential biowarfare lab, but the mission goes tits up. There's a shootout with mercenaries, the lab turns out to be doing secret pharmaceutical work, the extraction is late, and eventually when Shelley and ETM Squad-7 get back to their secret lair, hidden in plain sight on an Army base in Texas, they get blown by their intel contractor and turned back over to the US Army, who needs them to do one last mission to save the world.
There's plenty of action, and Nagata still has a fine eye for shoot-outs, but little of the character moments or social criticism that made the prior books exceptional fiction. Shelley is officially dead, estranged from the world, and working for a rogue AI, but it's treated as shockingly normal. There's little tension within the unit over the weirdness of their situation, and for all the blather about 'non-linear warfare' and unlikely allies, a jovial Russian arms dealer stereotype seems pretty likely in this world. Dragons (in-setting term for the super-rich), the fragile state of American democracy in a world traumatized by nuclear terrorism, and even the desires of The Red, are treated in a mostly pro-forma way. I thought there was some cool potential with the idea that The Red had grown out of an advertising algorithm and wanted to make happy endings for people, whatever that might mean, but it acts mostly as a literal deus ex machina.
I think there's room for sequels, and it's a decent enough book on a sentence to sentence level, but the later seasons of Person of Interest handled these topics way better.
claudia_is_reading's review
3.0
The one I liked the least in the trilogy.
It's not bad, per se. Very action-oriented, and entertaining, but there is nothing to be looking forward once we knew, at the very beginning, about The Red. Except, maybe, to learn what would be the fate of Shelley once The Red was done with him.
And, as he has been slowly getting less and less attractive as a character for me, that wasn't a big incentive.
Still, not a bad story, just less than what I was expecting.
It's not bad, per se. Very action-oriented, and entertaining, but there is nothing to be looking forward once we knew, at the very beginning, about The Red. Except, maybe, to learn what would be the fate of Shelley once The Red was done with him.
And, as he has been slowly getting less and less attractive as a character for me, that wasn't a big incentive.
Still, not a bad story, just less than what I was expecting.
profwhite's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this trilogy. While a bit of a “grower”, it ended up being a recent favorite for sure. Great blend of action, engaging characters and existential probes into the techverse. All too real portrayal of the world’s power dynamic to come.
whitedwarf500's review
5.0
Excellent
Great read, very believable scenarios. How politics will evolve in a world of Ai, where the Advis just as treacherous as it's human parents.
Great read, very believable scenarios. How politics will evolve in a world of Ai, where the Advis just as treacherous as it's human parents.
vladdbad's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kindnesscity's review
Final entry in a trilogy of swashbuckling mil-SF with some fun ideas. A little social commentary. A little philosophy-of-tech.
vinayvasan's review
3.0
That ended a bit differently than I expected given the nature and the atmosphere that the author had built up. The book is fantastic for 90% and then there is a feeling of a bait and switch. It works sometimes and this is one of the occasions where I feel it doesnt work.
As always, the action is fantastic, the pace is riveting and the conflicts are intensely personal and yet far reaching. The wonderfully cynical tone continues and the layers of mistrust and deception keep on building as our lead character wrestles with the after effects of his decision from the previous book even as he finds himself with a new team.
The character interactions are fascinating even as politics and power raise their ugly head. If only, the ending had been something different... Sigh...
As always, the action is fantastic, the pace is riveting and the conflicts are intensely personal and yet far reaching. The wonderfully cynical tone continues and the layers of mistrust and deception keep on building as our lead character wrestles with the after effects of his decision from the previous book even as he finds himself with a new team.
The character interactions are fascinating even as politics and power raise their ugly head. If only, the ending had been something different... Sigh...
hisham's review
4.0
I found Going Dark to be enjoyable enough. The story felt a little like it was wandering at points though.
I felt like The Trials (book 2) would have made a more exciting ending - but Going Dark does address and ask questions about trust, belief and over reliance upon technology in greater detail than the first 2 books.
If you read the first 2 books in The Red series and really, really want to see what the characters get up (and into) next, definitely check this out.
I felt like The Trials (book 2) would have made a more exciting ending - but Going Dark does address and ask questions about trust, belief and over reliance upon technology in greater detail than the first 2 books.
If you read the first 2 books in The Red series and really, really want to see what the characters get up (and into) next, definitely check this out.