The Adolescence of P-1 [Paperback]

Thomas J. Ryan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Baen (July 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671559702
• ISBN-13: 978-0671559700
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful 20 years ago, and almost as wonderful today, October 27, 2004

By 

webmaster (at) www.MAZES.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The adolescence of P-1 (Paperback)

I've now read <U>The Adolescence of P1</u> (at least) three times. The first time was before I got my first computer (but after I'd learned to program in Fortran on mainframes). I most recently finished this book yesterday, and loved it as much as I did the first time.

Back in my early days, the thought of a computer having 256 megabytes of immediate access memory in one place amazed me. Now, it's a bit humorous to read the section of the computer's artificial intelligence going euphoric when it finds itself with that much memory.

I learned a lot about computers the first time I read it, but when I read it this time, I recognized more things because I understood the background better. For example, when I read about the military intelligence code utilities that P1 stole from a government computer, I recognized PKZIP (and similar compression utilities) in this description on page 190:

"... it abbreviates the hell out of data ... boosts transmission speed by an order of magnitude ... The decoding process at the receiving end can reconstruct the original data completly intact. No losses whatsoever."

In spite of its datedness, this is a very enjoyable book. Gregory, a young college student, manages to write a computer program that is both greedy and fearful, two of the attributes of intelligence according to the theme of the book. Eventually, the computer grows out of his childhood, but some readers would question if it ever grew up. I do believe that P1 grew up by the last few pages of the book when it learned about its own mortality.

The book ends on the note of possibility when we realize that P1 still lives, but in a very subdued and careful form. I often wonder what Thomas J. Ryan would have done with a sequel.

On a personal note, I really enjoyed finding out on page 109 that the computer had read Stranger in a Strange Land (*), for two reasons, 1) It is one of my favorite books, and 2) I had just finished rereading it for the umteenth time just before starting this book.

Of course, I also love Heinlein's Moon is a Harsh Mistress (**), which has as it's main protaganist, a computer system that has become self-aware. If I had to pick only one self-aware computer book, P1 or Moon, that I'd be allowed to reread again, I'd keep Moon is a Harsh Mistress, because I thought the character development was stronger in Heinlein.

(...)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Computer Consciousness, March 19, 2002

By 

david comeaux (lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The adolescence of P-1 (Paperback)

Thomas J. Ryan wrote The Adolescence of P-1 in the mid-seventies, and for its time, it must have been a breakthrough in computer science-fiction literature. The story is compelling: an adaptive computer program is created and set loose by a bored college student and becomes so advanced that it develops self-awareness. The computer virus, dubbed P-1 by its creator, can communicate with humans in English through a computer terminal. The dialog between P-1 and the humans is both amusing and provocative, while P-1's ominous nature tugs at the imagination. P-1's existence has a purpose: to survive. Eventually, P-1 must deal with the value of human life and the meaning of what it means to be human. The theme of the novel centers on those two topics while tying in to the speculations on Artificial Intelligence.

However, the novel is not perfect. The Adolescence of P-1 was written by and for those in the nascent computer industry of the mid 70's, an intensely male-dominated industry. As a result, the female character in the novel (the hero's girlfriend) seems a bit oversexed for reality, especially in the beginning. I read through the cheesy, unrealistic dialog and laughed at its wackiness. It seems as if the author dreamed desperately about a woman like this, and had to write her in somehow. Or Ryan might have done a little satire on the flat characters of pop culture by putting one in his novel. But I wouldn't rule out the first possibility. Later, however, when the plot's theme broadens to encompass the more philosophical scope of humanity, she is portrayed as the vital feminine counterpart to the hero.

I think of myself as quite the computer buff, with a comprehensive knowledge of the computer industry and its technological history. However, in my short 17 years of age, I had never encountered the level of computer competence that this book demands. The actual technology described in the book is ancient. Although the author clearly explains the concepts that are required for believability, a few explanations cover too much depth and move too quickly for any normal reader to follow.

But I thoroughly enjoyed the book despite these minor setbacks.

Ah, the wit of a computer geek.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very well written computer novel., December 3, 1997

By 

Mrs. B (Middletown, RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The adolescence of P-1 (Paperback)

"The Adolescence of P-1" is one of those rare books: one that will satisfy computer enthusiasts as well as those who STILL can't program their VCR. It is an engaging tale about a programmer who creates a computer program that will find its own way into large computers. All the while the program "learns" from its mistakes and improves itself. Then one day it disappears ... and that's where the story starts. Considering this novel was published in 1977, I have been constantly amazed as to how well the author describes the workings of computer systems. Even though the computers in the novel are way out of date now, the story still seems surprisingly contemporary. The characters in the novel are believable and are well developed. This is one of the few books I can pick up and re-read many times. Many people I have lent the book to also like the story very much.