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A review by srsanderson
Influx by Daniel Suarez
3.0
3.5 stars
Influx is smart.... maybe a little too smart. For the first third of the novel I was utterly lost in techno lingo. Technological innovations that are destined to change the course of human history, and Suarez proceeds to explain them in detail to us. How they work, the physics behind it. It's brilliant yes, but I majored in History, and I felt somewhat stupid while I was trying to read a book for pleasure.
Resident genius and particle physicist, Jon Grady, is ecstatic when his team achieves what they've been working toward for years: a device that can reflect gravity. Their research will revolutionize the field of physics and alter how the universe is studied. (Although listening to this being explained twice, I still didnt understand how significant it was.)
Instead of widespread acclaim, Grady and his team are ambushed at their lab by a shadowy organization whose purpose is to prevent the social upheaval that sudden technological advances may bring. This Bureau of Technology Control uses the advanced technologies they have harvested over the decades to fulfill their mission.
When Grady is presented with the opportunity to join the BTC and improve his own technology in secret, Grady balks, and is instead thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison built to hold rebellious geniuses like himself. I liked the characters that were introduced and was instantly attached to them, both main and secondary. However, some of the horrendous things inflicted upon the Grady and the other prisoners made me want to shelve this on DNF. Torture scenes are not really my cup of tea, no matter how many political thrillers I read/listen to, I cannot accustom my stomach to such atrocities. BUT, I plowed onward.
****SPOILERS*****
Grady escapes from prison. Thank God. And after this point the novel takes a definitive turn from "what the hell is going on?" to "oh, hell yes."
While I believe this novel had a little to much science and not enough plot, I ended up liking the progression of the story. Once again Suarez proves he is ruthless with his characters. He shows no mercy in who will live vs. who will perish in a futuristic battlefield. The ending was a little rushed, but ultimately I was satisfied. To put it perfectly, this is a great beach read. Quick, thrilling, with no cliffhanger.
Influx is smart.... maybe a little too smart. For the first third of the novel I was utterly lost in techno lingo. Technological innovations that are destined to change the course of human history, and Suarez proceeds to explain them in detail to us. How they work, the physics behind it. It's brilliant yes, but I majored in History, and I felt somewhat stupid while I was trying to read a book for pleasure.
Resident genius and particle physicist, Jon Grady, is ecstatic when his team achieves what they've been working toward for years: a device that can reflect gravity. Their research will revolutionize the field of physics and alter how the universe is studied. (Although listening to this being explained twice, I still didnt understand how significant it was.)
Instead of widespread acclaim, Grady and his team are ambushed at their lab by a shadowy organization whose purpose is to prevent the social upheaval that sudden technological advances may bring. This Bureau of Technology Control uses the advanced technologies they have harvested over the decades to fulfill their mission.
When Grady is presented with the opportunity to join the BTC and improve his own technology in secret, Grady balks, and is instead thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison built to hold rebellious geniuses like himself. I liked the characters that were introduced and was instantly attached to them, both main and secondary. However, some of the horrendous things inflicted upon the Grady and the other prisoners made me want to shelve this on DNF. Torture scenes are not really my cup of tea, no matter how many political thrillers I read/listen to, I cannot accustom my stomach to such atrocities. BUT, I plowed onward.
****SPOILERS*****
Grady escapes from prison. Thank God. And after this point the novel takes a definitive turn from "what the hell is going on?" to "oh, hell yes."
While I believe this novel had a little to much science and not enough plot, I ended up liking the progression of the story. Once again Suarez proves he is ruthless with his characters. He shows no mercy in who will live vs. who will perish in a futuristic battlefield. The ending was a little rushed, but ultimately I was satisfied. To put it perfectly, this is a great beach read. Quick, thrilling, with no cliffhanger.