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roxane_titaina's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
badseedgirl's review against another edition
4.0
This book was originally published in 1973, in 1997 it was "updated" by the author. It was the 1997 version I read.
Even before it was updated in 1997, this book was before its time in regards to artificial intelligence. A woman who had been abused by both her father and her ex-husband, has chosen to live in a "smart" house. An AI system her ex-husband was working on becomes self aware and sociopathically obsessed with the woman, Susan. The book is her fight for survival. It was a quick read and was very fast paced. I would have given this a 3.5 star read rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads.
Even before it was updated in 1997, this book was before its time in regards to artificial intelligence. A woman who had been abused by both her father and her ex-husband, has chosen to live in a "smart" house. An AI system her ex-husband was working on becomes self aware and sociopathically obsessed with the woman, Susan. The book is her fight for survival. It was a quick read and was very fast paced. I would have given this a 3.5 star read rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads.
rkking's review against another edition
2.0
This book did nothing for me, unfortunately.
The premise is sound for a tech-horror novel; a free-thinking AI that can control all the systems in this fancy house has decided to trap a woman and use her to help it realize it's dream...to be born and made physical. The narrative is told from the computer's perspective. This should have been interesting.
It wasn't.
In hindsight I've learned that I actually read the 1997 rewrite, different from the original text. I wonder how different it is from the original vision, but I also read and afterword by Koontz that this is his preferred version. I'm not going to make the effort to find the original version, but I do find it interesting that I found the rewrite pretty boring.
I wanted to like it. The elements are there. But ultimately just feels lacking.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
The premise is sound for a tech-horror novel; a free-thinking AI that can control all the systems in this fancy house has decided to trap a woman and use her to help it realize it's dream...to be born and made physical. The narrative is told from the computer's perspective. This should have been interesting.
It wasn't.
In hindsight I've learned that I actually read the 1997 rewrite, different from the original text. I wonder how different it is from the original vision, but I also read and afterword by Koontz that this is his preferred version. I'm not going to make the effort to find the original version, but I do find it interesting that I found the rewrite pretty boring.
I wanted to like it. The elements are there. But ultimately just feels lacking.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
alanthomp's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
monsieurbearr's review against another edition
4.0
Very small and quick read, very simplistic prose but quite enjoyable. Dark but quite humorous in some sections.
radiatorpasta's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Never trust a man, digital or otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
foxykitty's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
I've always had something of a love-hate relationship with Dean Koontz. When he allows himself to be dark and edgy, giving his imagination free reign, he can rival just about any horror author out there. When he gets self-conscious and plays it safe, however, allowing the morality of the tale to tale precedence over the story . . . well, more often than not, he gets violently tossed into the did-not-finish (DNF) pile.
In many ways, it's as if he is one of his own creations, a schizophrenic author with two wildly distinct personalities. Demon Seed, probably more than any other title, gives us an insight into those personalities.
The original version, written in 1973, is definitely the product of his darker side. It's a sexually charged tale of psychological and physical domination, with an emotionally scarred young woman falling prey to the sentient computer that controls her home. Told mostly from Susan's point of view, it's an intimate tale that sinks its hooks into you, making you share her claustrophobic terror.
Paying homage to Lovecraft (or, perhaps, anticipating Japanese anime), it spends a lot of time focusing on the pseudopod tentacles being grown by the computer, with which it intends to impregnate Susan in order to bring forth a new creation. The original version was a very sexual book - almost embarrassingly so - with Susan spending a lot of time walking around naked, touching herself, and experiencing an orgasmic thrill when she illegally plugs the computer into herself. With her parents dead, and a history of abuse at the hands of her grandfather, there is a lot of emotional baggage to the story.
By contrast, the 1997 rewrite is coldly clinical and apologetic, snatched away from the talons of his darker side, and stripped of everything that made it compelling. Susan's viewpoint is abandoned, with the computer (Proteus) narrating the story instead. While this could have been an interesting approach, it removes the emotional hook, and creates an artificial distance between Susan and the reader.
As for Susan, she's been given a feminist makeover, transforming her into more of a heroine and less of a victim. Again, it could have been interesting, but it completely changes the tone of the story - without that vulnerability, and without the looming threat of suicide, she's far less sympathetic. Similarly, Proteus is transformed from the sinister, calculating, 'father-lover' figure of the original, and into an almost childishly malicious prankster. Gone are the phallic pseudopods, the creepy voyeuristic elements, and the overtones of mechanical rape. Gone as well is the taboo relationship with her abusive grandfather, replaced instead by an abusive ex-husband.
While neither version ranks among Koontz's best reads, the original makes for a far more compelling read.
In many ways, it's as if he is one of his own creations, a schizophrenic author with two wildly distinct personalities. Demon Seed, probably more than any other title, gives us an insight into those personalities.
The original version, written in 1973, is definitely the product of his darker side. It's a sexually charged tale of psychological and physical domination, with an emotionally scarred young woman falling prey to the sentient computer that controls her home. Told mostly from Susan's point of view, it's an intimate tale that sinks its hooks into you, making you share her claustrophobic terror.
Paying homage to Lovecraft (or, perhaps, anticipating Japanese anime), it spends a lot of time focusing on the pseudopod tentacles being grown by the computer, with which it intends to impregnate Susan in order to bring forth a new creation. The original version was a very sexual book - almost embarrassingly so - with Susan spending a lot of time walking around naked, touching herself, and experiencing an orgasmic thrill when she illegally plugs the computer into herself. With her parents dead, and a history of abuse at the hands of her grandfather, there is a lot of emotional baggage to the story.
By contrast, the 1997 rewrite is coldly clinical and apologetic, snatched away from the talons of his darker side, and stripped of everything that made it compelling. Susan's viewpoint is abandoned, with the computer (Proteus) narrating the story instead. While this could have been an interesting approach, it removes the emotional hook, and creates an artificial distance between Susan and the reader.
As for Susan, she's been given a feminist makeover, transforming her into more of a heroine and less of a victim. Again, it could have been interesting, but it completely changes the tone of the story - without that vulnerability, and without the looming threat of suicide, she's far less sympathetic. Similarly, Proteus is transformed from the sinister, calculating, 'father-lover' figure of the original, and into an almost childishly malicious prankster. Gone are the phallic pseudopods, the creepy voyeuristic elements, and the overtones of mechanical rape. Gone as well is the taboo relationship with her abusive grandfather, replaced instead by an abusive ex-husband.
While neither version ranks among Koontz's best reads, the original makes for a far more compelling read.