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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
The Genie is out of the bottle in book two of the Nexus series, Crux! People around the world are experimenting with what it means to have the ability to connect with people for good or bad.
Ramex Naam doesn't hide from the fact that most people would use Nexus in the most likely ways, i.e. pornography, sexual ride-alongs and other debauchery, but he just doesn't focus on it. Naam is somehow fundamentally sort of positive in the role of technology and how it can and would be used. There are lots of autistic children who can really and truly communicate with their parents all of a sudden. There are entire symphonies where each member of the orchestra is on Nexus and broadcasting collectively to anyone who wants to listen in the world the feelings of the collective and the emotions of the music. There are many wonderful things being done when people are sharing and able to communicate.
I think the biggest message Naam wants to get across though is that while there are bad people, whose actions related to any technology will be bad, the good will prevail in the end. I'm not sure I am wired that way, but I am glad someone like Ramez Naam exists to give a message of hope wrapped in a lot of evil characters abusing the gift that has been given to the world.
Ramex Naam doesn't hide from the fact that most people would use Nexus in the most likely ways, i.e. pornography, sexual ride-alongs and other debauchery, but he just doesn't focus on it. Naam is somehow fundamentally sort of positive in the role of technology and how it can and would be used. There are lots of autistic children who can really and truly communicate with their parents all of a sudden. There are entire symphonies where each member of the orchestra is on Nexus and broadcasting collectively to anyone who wants to listen in the world the feelings of the collective and the emotions of the music. There are many wonderful things being done when people are sharing and able to communicate.
I think the biggest message Naam wants to get across though is that while there are bad people, whose actions related to any technology will be bad, the good will prevail in the end. I'm not sure I am wired that way, but I am glad someone like Ramez Naam exists to give a message of hope wrapped in a lot of evil characters abusing the gift that has been given to the world.
This book is fascinating, but I'm docking stars for the hacky writing and Michael bay action sequences
This is a bit of a step up from Nexus, going deeper into the philosophical conflicts about how the technology can be or should be used while keeping the fast-paced action and believable near-future speculation. It is still firmly in the fun, quick read area but there is a level more thought in it than most of that style.
There are still a few issues that bugged me: the way almost everyone in a large cast has had their children killed/kidnapped, or been orphaned, or been abused as a child (and if they haven't, they likely did it to someone else); the inconsistent pacing for chapters, jumping forward and back in time for a few minutes of a different perspective and then days with someone else; the way the most fundamental changes to come from the technology are hovering around the edges of the plot, not quite taking centre stage. Hopefully we get to see that in the last book.
Definitely a fun read and with a bit more to chew on than most but doesn't drag throughout, despite its length.
There are still a few issues that bugged me: the way almost everyone in a large cast has had their children killed/kidnapped, or been orphaned, or been abused as a child (and if they haven't, they likely did it to someone else); the inconsistent pacing for chapters, jumping forward and back in time for a few minutes of a different perspective and then days with someone else; the way the most fundamental changes to come from the technology are hovering around the edges of the plot, not quite taking centre stage. Hopefully we get to see that in the last book.
Definitely a fun read and with a bit more to chew on than most but doesn't drag throughout, despite its length.
despite the clunky writing style and constant changing of perspectives mid paragraph sometimes , I really enjoyed this story and improved my opinion of the series after having my issues with the first book. looking forward to reading the third installment soon.
This is the 2nd book of the Nexus series. It took me awhile to read it, partly because of my awful work schedule and partly because this book isn’t as action-packed or surprising as its predecessor. It is still an exceptional (and frighteningly possible) world that has been crafted. I fully intend to finish the series.
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.
I raced through Crux - the pacing is lightning fast, the plotting is dense and intricate, and most importantly, our heroes Kade and Sam are evolving in ways they never expected as they wrestle with the ripple effects of the spread of Nexus across society. The hypothetical future feared by the US government in the first book is rapidly coming to pass as the sequel explores dozens of scenarios - some profound and enlightening, others dangerous and amoral - brought about by the Nexus OS. That's the backdrop to an intense struggle for control of the backdoors to the mind-controlling tech, which is extremely timely and chilling given the recent NSA revelations (would you want your inner thoughts captured by those people?). Crux expertly expands the narrative of the series, deftly juggling an array of interlocking story lines that build toward a wild ride of a climax. Highly recommended!
So, so dumb. In a world full of nanotechnology and Telepathy, it's just bullshit to have two thirds of the book be about people either hitting each other or planning to hit each other.
And it boggles my mind that in this world, no one has heard of PKI and all the assassins use Nexus. All of them.
Gah.
And it boggles my mind that in this world, no one has heard of PKI and all the assassins use Nexus. All of them.
Gah.
This seemed really repetitive after awhile, and that made the end (or more accurately the cliffhanger) rushed. Adding that weird code into the writing stream was cute a couple of times, but after that it just made the book even harder to read.