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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hörbuch
Nexus 5, a drug that enables humans to enhance their brains and become networked with other users has been out there for six months now. As the numbers of users increases the USA sees this as its greatest threat, especially as the Post Human Liberation Front is taking over the minds of users ands sending them on assignation attempts to kill the president
As people start to use the drug for good and bad, Kade, the architect of Nexus, starts to avenge those that have enslaved others through the back doors that he put into the code. Kade is on the run too. He is being hunted by the CIA, black ops and others who want to use that power for their own ends. In America, one man close to the president starts to see that what they are doing to stop the spread of Nexus is morally abhorrent, in particular the way that they purge the substance from adults and children. The plot builds to a thrilling ending
I really enjoyed this sequel. It is a really fast paced sci-fi thriller, set 25 years into the future, with plausible technology and that little extra that takes it over the edge. If I had one gripe, I thought that the characters were a little two dimensional, as more effort had been put into the multi threaded plot, but that is a small thing really.
As people start to use the drug for good and bad, Kade, the architect of Nexus, starts to avenge those that have enslaved others through the back doors that he put into the code. Kade is on the run too. He is being hunted by the CIA, black ops and others who want to use that power for their own ends. In America, one man close to the president starts to see that what they are doing to stop the spread of Nexus is morally abhorrent, in particular the way that they purge the substance from adults and children. The plot builds to a thrilling ending
I really enjoyed this sequel. It is a really fast paced sci-fi thriller, set 25 years into the future, with plausible technology and that little extra that takes it over the edge. If I had one gripe, I thought that the characters were a little two dimensional, as more effort had been put into the multi threaded plot, but that is a small thing really.
So once I got the first book in last year's Hugo packet--and read it--I couldn't NOT finish the series. Naam's approach to the technothriller remains compelling. I really like the nuance he brings to conversations about the post-human, uploading brains, and the way that control functions. He clearly has a specific ideology and occasionally slips into the trap of making the good guys a bit too good in that you don't quite see the ramifications of their choices. His bad guys doing what they think is right, however, are perfectly chilling. It's tough - I want an uplifting resolution in the third book that doesn't sacrifice the complexity of the questions in the narrative. No pressure, then.
Interesting book -- the plot is fun and action packed, and the morals are a variety of shades of gray. No good guys, although plenty of bad guys.
The sequel to Nexus, Crux expanded on the themes and characters. Maybe dragged on a little but a fun read nonetheless. Worth getting into the series if the thought of nano scale widgets creating brain to brain communication sounds fun to you.
HIGH STAKES AND HIGH TENSION. Had to take a bunch of anxiety breaks. This is a very "cinematic" series. Overall a great follow up, and I can't wait to see how this story concludes.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting ideas, somewhat plausible technology(*), but the techno-thriller format puts me off. The post-human condition is apparently chiefly concerned with punching other people in the face more efficiently. That's something that I'd expect from a big screen story; a written story has the opportunity to be somewhat more thoughtful. Unfortunately, with techno thrillers you automatically get cardboard characters straight out of the cliche department.
(*) Destructive mind uploading I can believe in, though the time frame strikes me as a tad optimistic. However, computational infrastructure in the brain, delivered through self-assembling chemical compounds, able to interface comprehensibly with the individual's neurons and sending radio emissions outside the brain pan to others, all without cooking the original wetware... well, cool idea though it is, it might be beyond the physical boundaries of computation, and not just plausible technological advancement. Not to mention the straining-the-bounds-of-credibility of just two people pushing through such a major O/S repurposing, including the device driver interfaces to the wetware!
(*) Destructive mind uploading I can believe in, though the time frame strikes me as a tad optimistic. However, computational infrastructure in the brain, delivered through self-assembling chemical compounds, able to interface comprehensibly with the individual's neurons and sending radio emissions outside the brain pan to others, all without cooking the original wetware... well, cool idea though it is, it might be beyond the physical boundaries of computation, and not just plausible technological advancement. Not to mention the straining-the-bounds-of-credibility of just two people pushing through such a major O/S repurposing, including the device driver interfaces to the wetware!
A strong and engaging sequel to "Nexus," with some intriguing plot twists and projections