Customer Reviews

The Grid (Windsor Selections)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Philip Kerr's "The Grid" is a novel with an interesting premise ("state-of-the-art, computer-run building goes haywire and ends up murdering members of it's architectural team one-by-one") who's "interest elevator" doesn't get close to the top floor. An overuse of stereotypical characters dooms the plot from the start. Almost to the point where you find yourself "rooting" for the building!

The fireworks begin as the building reaches the last stage of construction and becomes ready to hand off to its new owners. Strange occurances begin to take place and members of the architectural firm find themselves trapped in the building and unable to leave. This is not your usual "serial-killer type novel" and for that I'll give Kerr credit, but IMHO it was too fantastic to be believable. A solid, strong human villain would have made the novel more effective.

There's plenty of gratuitous sex and violence to satisfy the "thriller" audience, but not enough action to entertain most readers. It's a shame because I really wanted this book to "work".

This one is for dedicated, "completist" fans of Philip Kerr only. Other readers who are interesting in reading "The Grid" should purchase a very cheap, used copy or check it out at the library.

A new, high tech building is ready for occupancy, but as its self replicating computer system, Abraham, is exposed to a child's hunt-and-kill computer game, it recreates itself in a deadly manner. Self awareness follows self replication, and the people trapped inside The Grid become enemies in Abraham's game to hunt and destroy them, following the programming code from the computer game that was incorporated into its system functions. The now self aware building begins killing the humans trapped inside one by one, using whatever it has available; elevators, bathroom cleaning systems, pool cleaning systems, etc. A gory and inventive tale of horror and survival, against an enemy that cannot be rationalized with. This is a great read for a night spent in any modern high rise, hotel or apartment or office. Enjoy.

We've had all kinds of serial thrillers in the past two decades, but none is quite as formidable as this one! It's a building! Kerr's "The Grid," originally published in 1995 as "Gridiron" is a very good way to spend a few hours. Full of stock characters and some rather cliche situations, it nonetheless is a fun trip. Seems as though this building's computer has decided to "generate or procreate" and the smart computer whizzes make sure they kill the offspring...or do they. On a Friday evening, like an Agatha Christie novel, all the principals are brought together into this fantastic building, and then one by one, they are all picked off in uniquely grotesque fashion, as the building locks them in for the weekend. Some of the deaths are quite gory, and some come unexpected. Kerr paints a rather nasty portrait of our villain, Ray Richardson, but attempts by the end of the novel, to make this villain see the error of his ways and become a hero. Not the smartest thing to do, but it works anyway. Earlier in the book, when one of the first murders occurs, Richardson warns his employees they are not to attend the funeral unless they take personal leave. Wow, sounds like someplace I used to work.
There is an important clue early in the novel, one that you may miss, so keep those attentive reader's ears open.
This is a fun book, and even though it gets pretty far-out at the end, I still had fun.
RECOMMENDED.

This is a book that truly is more than the sum of its parts.

For example, the premise of the book: A 'smart' super-computer takes control of the building that it was designed to maintain and determines that it needs to kill everyone in it. The plot is derivative of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and the original 'Star Trek' series episode entitled 'The Ultimate Computer'.

The characters are two dimensional, potential plot twists are aborted before they even get started, the English author's attempts to mimic American speech patterns are sometimes laughable.

and yet...

the last 150 pages are gold. They work. I was involved. I had to know what happened next. Somehow the copycat plot and hackneyed characters come together and turn the makings of a for sure 2 star rating into 4 stars.

I didn't believe the premise of "The Grid" for one minute, and yet I found it immensely enjoyable. It reads like a Stephen King horror novel and treads some of the same ground. The horror is a malevolent computer that takes over a newly constructed building and proceeds to kill the humans trapped inside in an increasingly grisly manner. Author Kerr makes all this quite exciting as long as you don't take it too seriously.

"The Grid" is a made for TV movie bound between covers. The story includes a "Gilligan's Island" cast of characters menaced by an amok computer while trapped inside a new building. Instead of plot within plot, you get clich'e within clich'e.

The author's prose is OK, although certain passages reveal him to be a Brit writing about California and an author writing about geeks. The obligatory steamy sex scenes are OK. Although the kink is more British, then Californian. His research on computers, and architecture is OK. Although his use of technology is a bit pedantic. His tech is designed to not be wildly implausible to someone without a clue. There are a few amusing glitches: like describing a Mercury Couger as a two seater (the rear seats are only so uncomfortable that they should be removed), and listing terabyte quanities of mass storage as "10**12" (reader's should be impressed by the incantation of scientific notation).

This story is a mindless read best saved for the beach when you have to keep half your mind on the kids, beer, and beach babes.

Like in every good thriller everything starts completely harmless. A new house for a chinese company nearrs its completion. The unique thing about this house, is its 'intelligent' building management system. Some kind of AI that's supposed to learn, how its inhabitants behave and act accordingly. But the AI becomes selfconcious and somehow gets mixed up with the computergame doom and thinks the people who are trapped in the house are humanplayers it has to fight....

This book is boring at no point and very good investigated.

I read this book just the last two days in german. It was absolutely great, I was thrilled from the first to the last line - starting smooth, running wild, exploding to the end - haven't read a more exciting book for the last years - since I left the early King - just for the suspense, this GRID isn't bloody horror, it's soft, and that makes it so strong.

in this cassette there is only the voice of Brent Spiner, who plays all the roles, but he is so realistic that you feel yourself in a sort of trap into a strange building and hope that somebody could help you...

Shades of 2001. Another tale of technology gone amuck. Building computer takes over operation of building amd makes a "game" out of eliminating its human occupants. Computer devises some inventive ways of dispatching the human competition, buts humans persist. An interesting read with a few twists on a sterotypical theme.