Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - The Passengers

Wow!!!

If Black Mirror were a book that kind of reads like a play….you’d have ‘The Passengers’.

From the get go we had an interesting premise that continued to unfold in later upon layer of social commentary making the reader face many of the issues that we are already starting to see arise in our use of AI.

Character names were difficult at times as there was a large cast who some were not frequently returned to. Had to keep going back to find the differences in some Passengers but that’s more of a me issue as John did a great job of giving them all distinct issues and backgrounds.

All in all an amazing read and now wanting to pick up more John Marrs.

It did at times take on a preachy tone but clearly the author has an opinion and this book was an opportunity to explore that theme. Only reason for the not perfect 5.

Content Warnings

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The Passengers by John Marrs is a gripping and fast-paced thriller that explores the potential dangers of self-driving cars. The story follows eight passengers who are locked inside their autonomous vehicles and forced to play a deadly game orchestrated by an unknown hacker. With their lives on the line, the passengers must race against time to uncover the hacker's identity and save themselves.

While the concept of the book is intriguing and the plot is well-paced, as someone who works in IT I found some of the technical aspects of the story to be a bit tacky or exaggerated. The book is clearly written with a layperson audience in mind, and some of the technological details may not be entirely accurate or plausible.

That being said, Marrs does a good job of keeping the reader engaged with his skillful use of suspense and multiple perspectives. Each passenger's backstory is revealed through a series of flashbacks, which adds depth and complexity to the characters. The ending of the book is surprising and satisfying, wrapping up the story in a neat and unexpected way.

Overall, while The Passengers may not be entirely realistic in its portrayal of technology and cybersecurity, it's still an enjoyable and thrilling read. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns, then The Passengers is definitely worth a look.

Content Warnings