Reviews

Thrill Switch - Collector's Edition by Tim Hawken

aratecla_the_bookrat's review against another edition

4.0

This is a thriller in another thriller! We're in the future and virtual reality seems the only place where most people find themselves comfortable in, where they can be truly themselves and be free. Of course, with that freedom come also the freedom to do anything. I found this book made me reflect about the value of freedom and I found myself in an internal philosophical conversation about the right to be free but also the right to be safe and how to resolve the two together. This is also the question faced by some of the characters in the book and also where all the problems start. Alongside this, human greed takes also a central space, resulting in a double thriller. I enjoyed reading this book and I could picture this cyberpunk world and myself also in it. I found the theme and plot very adaptable for the cinema. Although many questions remain at the end of the book, which I hope will be answered in the sequel (if there is one), I recommend it if you're fans of cyberpunk. The only thing was that at times it was unnecessarily too descriptive, but it might be subjective and it didn't ruin the book overall.

thebibliomaniac's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

paulataua's review against another edition

3.0

Thrill Switch is set in a world in which people choose between the real or a virtual world. When people are being kidnapped and tortured in the virtual world, however, Ada Byron is brought in to investigate. Ignore the cries of it being derivative and enjoy it for what it is. I enjoyed the first part with its world building, its recognition that people just want someone to love and accept them for who they pretend to be on the internet, and its realization that it won’t be long before people work out that total virtual pleasure is only attainable if accompanied by the possibility of real pain. The book builds up a head of steam in the first hundred pages, but the steam runs out by the half way mark and the end felt pretty uninspiring to me. Tim Hawken is a name worth remembering and the book is worth reading for the virtual world he creates here. Beam me up, Hawky!

residual_sizzle's review against another edition

5.0

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. And as I started to read it --I fell in love with it. The premise is so cool, and I like the characters a lot. I do think the description is accurate, Silence of the Lambs meets Ready player one. But for you anime fans, this reminded me a lot of Summer Wars (if summer wars was more adult and darker). After I got halfway through the novel I added the physical book to my cart. And after I finished it I added the hardcover special edition too.

I think the socio-political climate is really well written and all of the limitations of living in a virtual world were really fleshed out nicely. From overpopulation in the physical world to becoming refugees in their own towns after "unplugging". The pros and cons of a world without repercussion, is it true freedom? Or is it anarchy? The knowledge that despite it being digital, there is still heavy mental tax on being killed or raped, and at what point do you start to question what "real" means. Yeah, it didn't happen to your physical body - but you remember what it was like, it may as well be real. This novel really unpacks all the gray area of a lawless society and all that it entails to have anonymity and no restriction in a futuristic digital frontier.

If you love science fiction and crime novels this one is definitely for you!

P.S. Also can we take a second to appreciate how gorgeous the cover art is?!

rilester's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative mysterious reflective 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

4.0

kaine_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

evesbookshelves's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this book!
Some parts were a bit slow for me hence the 4.5 stars but it picked up quite fast.  There were so many plot twists omg. It was hard figuring out who was the killer because of the virtual reality and real world! If you love mystery science fiction you will love this book! The writing flowed easily so it was easy to follow even though we were in 2 different worlds. The characters were really fun and intriguing. I really like the alternate reality thing it was really fun! 
If you liked ready player one you have to read this!!



** I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Violence

gonewithflynn's review against another edition

5.0

Fans of Ready Player One and The Silence of the Lambs, get ready to scream your hearts out cause those two just had a baby - it's called Thrill Switch!

I am a very big fan of both those stories so this thriller had big shoes to fill and I am very happy to say that it