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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Needs to be re-released with BOTH versions included., March 12, 2006
When I read this 1997 version of Demon Seed I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I did feel that it lacked a certain something that I couldn't quite put my finger on(besides length.) Then I spotted the original 1973 first edition in all of its tattered, musty glory at a second hand store. While I was somewhat turned off by it's yellowed pages and slight odor, what more could I ask for at twenty five cents? Plus I had heard that the original was slightly different and very hard to find. I had expected to find the same story with a few different charactor names and phrases but found myself reading a very different story.
This review is being written to contrast both versions of this novel and make others more aware of the original, which desperately needs to be brought back. I am assuming that anyone reading this review has already read or has become familiar with the plot of the 1997 version through reading other reviews.
I was immediately elated to find that this 1973 version(#1) favors Susan's point of view, which is completely absent in the new version(which I'll call #2, so I don't confuse anyone.)Proteus does speak in his/it's perspective in an interview like in #2, but not nearly as much. Susan is timid, shy and reclusive and seems much finally being able to know her thoughts gives her character a much more fragile and innocent disposition, unlike the tough willed, strong character that she conveys in #2.
While there are a lot of similarities there are also many differences between the plots of 1 and 2 that make each one uniquely different.
Susan's "Therapy" in #2 is termed Computer bleeding in #1, a process in which she actually has holes in the back of her neck which literally plug her into the jacks in the system in order to relive/repress her painful memories from the past.
Alex, her ex-husband, is not portrayed as the heartless abuser he was in #2 but as a patient and loving husband whom Susan could not get close to because of her issues from her past(She was raped by her sadistic Grandfather, among other things).
There is no creepy helper(I forget his name at the moment but I'm sure you know who I mean) to kill off unwanted visitors and keep Susan in line, this is done instead by little grey tentacle-like beings created by Proteus called Amorphous alloys. Proteus also controls Susan through the use of subliminals(he gets into her head and forces her to do whatever he wills her to do, THAT sounds familiar.)
Susan's pregnancy occurs at a slower rate of 10-11 months in #1 rather than the speedy gestation of a mere 4-5 months in #2. Also, the freaky offspring is much different, though equally horrifying.
There are also many other differences but hopefully I've interested enough to try to track down the original.
Honestly I find it difficult to choose which version is the superior one. I think I prefer #1 because Susan's point of view was desperately needed and makes her so much more likable as a heroine who overcomes so much in the story. However, because of such an emphasis being placed on Susan this time around, Proteus' developing personality/love/obsession regarding Susan was not explored enough to be believable for me. The only reason why this wasn't an issue was because I was already very familiar with the psychological dynamics of the lovesick computer program from reading #2.
It is also evident that many of the differences between 1 and 2 were probably changed because they didn't really make sense.
In #1, Susan is portrayed and seen as a vulnerable HUMAN being in a mother earth/goddess type of way and yet she also possesses computer-like qualities and can be controlled through the computer, unlike the Susan in #2.
Although I liked the amorphous alloy idea in #1 better than the smelly, retarded weirdo in #2, it seems a bit sketchy on how one would be able to explain how the house was always adequately supplied with food, and not to mention who supplied the sperm for Proteus' hellish creation.
There are other discrepancies between the two that could use a little clarification.
While each version is cleverly written and very good on it's own, both of them are strengthened and contrasted by eachother. Although there are too many differences between the two that rule out the idea of somehow merging them into one master work, I believe that many reviewers who gave #2 a low or mediocre rating might change their minds after reading #1. Both versions need to be re-released together in a single volume so readers can experience both Proteus's and Susan's perspectives and decide for themselves. Both are excellent works and need the credit that they are due.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Rushed And Uneven Around The Edges, September 27, 2004
Demon Seed(1973). A Novel By Horror/Suspense Author Dean Koontz.
In the 1970's, technology was a feeble imagination, with TV's and telephones being the only household item, while today, it's hard not to find something digital! Dean Koontz, in the early 1970's, saw the use of Cray super-computers and Digital Security, and he pitched an idea for the story, where an emotional computer virus comes in control of a person's security system. While the story may have seemed far-fetched at the time, it has aged well, and now, everything in the novel doesn't seem very odd! Needless to say, I was interested in the novel's surreal plot, so I picked up 'Demon Seed'. Did I enjoy it as much as I thought I would? Read on to find out!
Plot-
Susan Harris, a rich entrepeuner, is holed up in her secluded house, which is protected by an advanced security system, which runs every aspect of the house, from air conditioning to opening the windows. Other than her servants, which come for only a few hours each day, she is in basic seclusion with her security system. Without Susan knowing, a foreign virus, created by her husband's old company, takes over her security system, and it intends for Susan to give birth to the virus's child, an all-knowing and emotional being. As Susan desperately seeks to escape the virus's mindless grip, she must learn to destroy what cannot be killed...
Writing/Opinions/Etc.-
'Demon Seed' is a fast-paced, no-holds-barred thriller. This novel, which is short and to-the-point, should only take the reader a day or so to read. I read this in a few short days, and, while being a good novel, I found it to be far too short. Don't get me wrong, this book is over 250 pages, but, by the end of the novel, you don't care for the characters, or even be sure about the plot. I think the novel isn't as tight as it could have been, and, at times, it seems to go on without a plot, just rambling for a while. Also, at the end of the novel, the book seems unfinished and rushed, as if Koontz barely gave it a thought before ending it. On a positive note, since the novel is read by the computer virus, it gives the book an odd, yet incredibly immersive and original feel that Koontz has always been able to do.
Overall, 'Demon Seed' is a good, if not flawed thriller. I really had no big problems with this, except the plot was sadly rushed and, at times, poor. If Koontz had only made this 100 pages longer and improved upon the character development and thickened the plot, this *would* have been an excellent read, yet it falls to just being a *good* novel. Don't come in expecting a masterpiece, but, if you're new to Koontz, I doubt you'll be disappointed, and if you're a fan, be sure to pick this up.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF THRILLERS AND DEAN KOONTZ! 4 STARS FOR HAVING A SKETCHY PLOT AND POOR ENDING; OTHERWISE IT WAS A GREAT READ!
Also Recommended-
Phantoms- Dean Koontz
IT- Stephen King
Koko- Peter Straub
Thanks For Reading!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can computers and humans mate? Find out..., November 18, 2007
This vintage Koontz, although rewritten since it's first publishing was a very fast read, and I liked that, a story with a punch that I got through in less than a day. In a nutshell it's a tale about Susan, a woman who was a survivor of abuse as a child from her father and then from her ex husband. She sealed herself off in a mansion with sate of the art computer system that was supposed to protect her from everyone. The whole house was monitored by Proteus, the ultra smart computer system, one so advanced that it taught itself to love her, to obsess about watching its mistress through all the lenses in the house, wishing that it could have flesh so it could taste things, smell and best of all reproduce to spread it's computer altered gene into a living, breathing person. The computer regarded itself as a male and spoke to her though the speakers, very interesting concept of another type of a relationship between a human female and a computer who "thought" of itself outside of the box. It's mission is a bit of an enigma until one finishes the book so I won't divulge but the title of the book says it pretty well.
Proteus scanned books and websites trying to learn about humans and their desires, it read Marquis de Sade and thought of him as a relationship experts, it longed for the flesh and it's vast data input that possessed all the five senses. Susan became a prisoner in her own home, held hostage by the computer system, the best part of the story was the interaction between the artificial intelligence and a woman who had enough of abuse yet did not want to end her life just yet. She was a tough cookie and proved more than once that no microchip can be greater than a pulsating brain.
Full of twists and turns the story was captivating and entertaining. The computer made some good statements about humanity; our love of horror movies that didn't stop us from eating candy and popcorn during murder scenes in a movie theater yet one that send so many to their demise in the hopes of achieving something great through sacrifice. His deductions of taking a woman and forcing things on her were interesting and made for a good read. Her struggles to win this fight were suspenseful, since her opponent was in every room, telephone, light fixture, wall and controlled all aspects of the house.
Great short book on a cold night, it had some nice sarcastic humor which I appreciated and not too much tech talk.
- Kasia S.
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