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richardleis's review against another edition
4.0
(R)evolution by P.J. Manney is the first book in an expected trilogy. In the novel, Manney pays attention to emerging technologies and speculates about their societal and political outcomes. The most successful portions of the book in my opinion involve transformative technologies as they are implanted and inject and used to create increasingly transhuman characters. Manney does a good job of letting readers witness these transformations and sensations as the characters experience their new technologies for the first time.
The novel seems to have several different influences, including film and film noir, Dan Brown's "Robert Langdon" novels, and recent science fiction novels by other transhumanists, particularly in its attention to scientists and entrepreneurs as heroes and martyrs. Manney provides lots of compelling complexities in her characters, including some fluidity of sexuality, attraction, and power.
I felt the book was usefully restrained; while it is quite long, the length allows the increasingly transhuman characters to retain much of their humanity for much longer. Other novels about similar characters often include abrupt transformations into god-like entities. Manney's novel seemed more realistic in comparison, and it helped build tension to realize that these technologies have their own constraints and limitations.
Looking forward to the next book in the series!
The novel seems to have several different influences, including film and film noir, Dan Brown's "Robert Langdon" novels, and recent science fiction novels by other transhumanists, particularly in its attention to scientists and entrepreneurs as heroes and martyrs. Manney provides lots of compelling complexities in her characters, including some fluidity of sexuality, attraction, and power.
I felt the book was usefully restrained; while it is quite long, the length allows the increasingly transhuman characters to retain much of their humanity for much longer. Other novels about similar characters often include abrupt transformations into god-like entities. Manney's novel seemed more realistic in comparison, and it helped build tension to realize that these technologies have their own constraints and limitations.
Looking forward to the next book in the series!
ironmanz68's review against another edition
2.0
Some really neat ideas about intersection of technology and human systemms, e.g. direct connection of brain to a computer implant to facilitate memory recall / treat Alzheimer's / create a super human. Also explores what Star Trek called Nanites. I also liked the references to Brave New World and 1984. Unfortunately, everything just touched the surface of these near ideas. I would have liked a bit more depth.
jgsouthard's review against another edition
3.0
The future technology used as the basis for this book is intriguing and scary, and the ethical dilemmas are well presented. But I think this author got way too long-winded in pontificating on philosophies of technology and those ethical dilemmas, taking away from what could have been a great sci-fi thriller (if tightened and shortened). As is, it plodded along way too slowly and I got tired of the many pages of background editorializing.
manojk's review against another edition
1.0
Got to 30% and couldn't justify reading anymore. I really didn't enjoy any of it.
friendlyusername's review against another edition
1.0
Try as I might, I couldn't get very far into this.
vylotte's review against another edition
2.0
Some interesting premises, and points for the secret society living in plain sight. There were some parts that felt untrue, though, where it pulled me out of the story and I thought, "There is no possible way those characters would have done that." I got about 3/4 through and put it aside.
2015 Phillip K Dick nominee, I can see why, though not my cup of tea.
2015 Phillip K Dick nominee, I can see why, though not my cup of tea.
mfr1982's review against another edition
2.0
Great premise and excellent opening scene, but the rest was quite disappointing. I considered giving up many times but decided to put it out of it's misery.
heather01602to60660's review against another edition
2.0
All over the place - the concept was intriguing and the medical aspects were explained and grounded enough in reality to be believable for most of the book (that crumbled completely in the last 20% or so). The characters, though, were unbelievable caricatures whose actions made no sense (other than to advance the plot).
The author's knowledge on a wide variety of topics would probably make her an interesting conversation partner, but in adding Way More Information Than Anyone Ever Needed To Every Chapter, it dragged the book down over and over.
The author's knowledge on a wide variety of topics would probably make her an interesting conversation partner, but in adding Way More Information Than Anyone Ever Needed To Every Chapter, it dragged the book down over and over.
teachinsci's review against another edition
4.0
I am very torn on my rating for this book. It is, in my opinion, about a 3.5 really. If you love Dan Brown, James Rollins, or Michael Crichton and can suffer a few mis-steps by a writer, you will enjoy this book. I think that this is a good first book from the author. I hope to see her write more sci-if-thrillers in the future, though I hope she leaves this story as a one-off and not the first of a series. Allow me to explain...
**minor spoilers follow**
First off, like many reviewers, I found the opening of the book to be promising for a sci-fi-thriller. The nanobot attack scene was well thought out and gave an immediate adventure pace to the book. There was a thread lost here with the nano-terrorist who we followed at the beginning disappearing from subsequent pages. We find out late in the book what happened to the other two terrorists... Very cool idea, but undeveloped.
The writer kept things going when she introduced the main character (Peter/Tom), giving some insight into his "when cornered, attack" attitude. He is pretty much the only character with much depth though. His wife, allegedly a very intelligent and successful woman, seems focused on nothing so much as making a baby and has no more contribution than that to the storyline or her husband's actions. She is emblematic of the rest of the female characters in the book... They are given back stories that would make them seem to be strong, intelligent, and/or capable. From their dialogue and actions after being around the main character they each have one function besides being infatuated with Peter/Tom.
I enjoyed the nanotech component of the book and even the eventual creation of a near cyborg seemed to fit with the characters (mostly). The main character suddenly gains the ability to dodge bullets, explained fairly adequately... ends up being saved by dolphins (who didn't swim away from the exploding vessels around them).
The main character actually becomes more and more capable throughout the book (along the way, changing several ingrained habits). Each addition to his powers is explained and (rightly) seems to come with a period of adjustment (if a bit rapid) until the end when he gains several powers and the ability to use them flawlessly within hours (book time) even as they are described in ways that are later used to explain the debilitation of his enemies.
The uber-cabal running the country seemed at once too powerful and too incompetent. They searched for talent to recruit, allegedly with rigorous screening, but are easily taken in and recruit poorly or indiscriminately often (some of the megalomaniacs/sociopaths they recruit for example). The characters related to the group also seem fairly one dimensional, although the author does give each of them a specific archetype and decent back stories, they are fairly predictable as to their actions and dialogue.
***I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Read giveaway.***
**minor spoilers follow**
First off, like many reviewers, I found the opening of the book to be promising for a sci-fi-thriller. The nanobot attack scene was well thought out and gave an immediate adventure pace to the book. There was a thread lost here with the nano-terrorist who we followed at the beginning disappearing from subsequent pages. We find out late in the book what happened to the other two terrorists... Very cool idea, but undeveloped.
The writer kept things going when she introduced the main character (Peter/Tom), giving some insight into his "when cornered, attack" attitude. He is pretty much the only character with much depth though. His wife, allegedly a very intelligent and successful woman, seems focused on nothing so much as making a baby and has no more contribution than that to the storyline or her husband's actions. She is emblematic of the rest of the female characters in the book... They are given back stories that would make them seem to be strong, intelligent, and/or capable. From their dialogue and actions after being around the main character they each have one function besides being infatuated with Peter/Tom.
I enjoyed the nanotech component of the book and even the eventual creation of a near cyborg seemed to fit with the characters (mostly). The main character suddenly gains the ability to dodge bullets, explained fairly adequately... ends up being saved by dolphins (who didn't swim away from the exploding vessels around them).
The main character actually becomes more and more capable throughout the book (along the way, changing several ingrained habits). Each addition to his powers is explained and (rightly) seems to come with a period of adjustment (if a bit rapid) until the end when he gains several powers and the ability to use them flawlessly within hours (book time) even as they are described in ways that are later used to explain the debilitation of his enemies.
The uber-cabal running the country seemed at once too powerful and too incompetent. They searched for talent to recruit, allegedly with rigorous screening, but are easily taken in and recruit poorly or indiscriminately often (some of the megalomaniacs/sociopaths they recruit for example). The characters related to the group also seem fairly one dimensional, although the author does give each of them a specific archetype and decent back stories, they are fairly predictable as to their actions and dialogue.
***I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Read giveaway.***