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alex_williams 's review for:
The MANIAC
by Benjamín Labatut
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Labatut I think is a remarkable modern writer. For what could be such a tedious topic, he excels in creating an enjoyable, thought-provoking read on the advancement of mathematics in the 20th century by ‘genius’ figures, and the subsequent inventions of nuclear weapons, and AI. The fact-fiction style works wonders as he unpicks John von Neumann and some of his contemporaries documented lives, while taking certain liberty in examining the workings of their inner minds, exploring how they confronted the challenges and darkness of the age as well as the opportunities, and bending the understanding of what is meant by ‘intelligence’.
The book brings you to ruminate ideas on perhaps the biggest questions of our age, where will AI lead us and what will be the result of it?
The book brings you to ruminate ideas on perhaps the biggest questions of our age, where will AI lead us and what will be the result of it?