Customer Reviews

Technogenesis

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The awakening of the Internet is a fascinating topic, and one that is not implausible. Many scientists and computer researchers believe something like what this book describes could in fact happen and probably WILL!

"Technogenesis" is not just scientifically interesting, but also a good read. It's briskly paced, features a likable and very human heroine, and does a great job of presenting more than one side of a controversial subject. I hope to read more from Syne Mitchell.

By the way, if you liked (or think you might like) this novel, make sure you check out "Diaspora" by Greg Egan. It is superb.

- Mike Treder

There were a few too many moments in the book that I could see coming-- does every heroine need to fall in love with the guy she initially thinks is a handsome jerk? But still, I have to admit that I had a lot of trouble putting the book down. Mitchell's writing is addictive and she caught my imagination with her ideas. Worth reading despite minor flaws.

I've always been a big fan of the cyberpunk subgenre, and, in my opinion, Technogenesis falls squarely into that camp.

The opening is classic. The very "connected" Jasmine Reese is forced off the net due to hardware malfunction. She discovers very quickly that the Beast is watching her. An entire conspiracy starts unfolding, and soon Jaz finds herself in the thick of it, forced to decide--in a typically cyberpunk fashion--between the government and personal freedom.

What I like about Technogenesis particularly is that the decision Jaz faces is not as easy as it seems. The government (the usual big baddie) comes on very gestapo-esque, but their motivations are revealed to be almost benign--perhaps (gasp!) even decent. Meanwhile, the radical scientists who oppose the government are morally squishy as well, and, like Jaz, I found myself unsure whom to root for on occasion. Plus, there's a very satisfying romantic element, and, although Jaz doesn't make the choice I would have, her motivations are true to character.

I'm also a fairly slow reader (thanks to mild dyslexia), and I ripped through this book. It's thoroughly engaging. All and all an enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

I totally disagree that the plot lost its way and the she sympathized with the bad guys was a wayward thing to do. Though, I agree, there were a few areas that could have been honed, I like the overall effect in the end. I liked that she told both sides of the story and did a remarkable thing as a writer - she was able to bring varying different viewpoints and plots together cohesively.

Her knowledge of the net, computers, and the human brain were intriquing and additive to me as a reader. I have read many books from experienced writers and have yet to discover some of the abilities this writer had in pulling several things together. Sure, charactors were cliche, but so what Syne did something new and different in this fast pace story by not making the antagonist and protagonist so black and white.

I have always enjoyed Syne Mitchell's work and I looked forward to Technogenesis. However, initially, I became quickly skeptical of the book. I thought that the plot moved too quickly in the beginning, and I wanted to know more about the world before Jasmine was thrust into what seemed to be a predictable story of government plots and secret missions. I wanted more time before her discovery of Gestalt, and I worried about the direction the story was going in.

However, I grew to appreciate the story that did develop, and finally I rather liked the book. While at times there were many clichés, I thought there was a good pace to the plot and it certainly kept my interest. I liked the way Mitchell created her vision of the future, and it was a vision that I wanted to know more about and read about. I have always liked Mitchell's ability to make the concepts in her book very understandable and engaging. The writing was crisp and clever, and overall, Technogenesis was a terrific sci-fi book.

Syne Mitchell manages to combine the rollicking adventure of Vinge's True Names with Gibson's cyberpunk edge, resulting in a very satisfying tale about a mind that emerges from the shared consciousness of people connected to the net.

If you think about it, the idea that people would expand their consciousness through machines isn't nearly as plausible (or terrifying) as the idea that machines can become conscious through people.

Having just weened myself off a serious addiction to on-line gaming I could really identify with Jasmine when she suddenly found herself disconnected from everything around here. I picked this book up one night just too take a quick look and ended up reading the first 100 pages. We can only hope the future doesn't end up like this.

What this book reminded me of, more than anything else, was one of the old Ace Doubles, the better half, brought up to date in the cyber age. Which means lots of action, some introspection, and a problem of world-shattering importance, with heavy reliance on computers taking over the world. And come to think of it, that's not such a new idea after all.

Well, read the book. The other reviews will describe the plot lines. What surprised me is that in the end the book didn't exactly go where I thought it was going to go. There might be a follow-up story, and there might not. In this case, it might be a letdown, but there are some loose ends dangling. Maybe it's more fun to tie them up yourself, in your own mind.

What I don't think is that this a classic worth 5 stars. Maybe 3 and a half, but I'll round it up to 4. Solid entertainment, vividly told, but I don't think the roots run all that deep.

In "Technogenesis" Syne Mitchell does what I wouldn't have thought possible--she's created character-based cyberpunk. Her Jasmine Reese is conflicted and capable and Mitchell's look at a future Net in which an AI uses people's minds as, well, human resources is chilling.

The book's heroes (if you can even use that word) have a touch of larceny and the villains (ditto) turn out to have good reasons for their apparent villainy.

This is Mitchell's second book (her first, "Murphy's Gambit," is a reworking of classic space opera) and she has a flair for fast-paced action and fluid prose.

An author to watch.

Syne Mitchell is extraordinarily talented. Her concepts on the nature of consciousness is like reading Antonio Damasio, ("The feeling of what Happens") and her net characterizations are as good as Stephenson, (Snow Crash). One gets connected with this book in the same way that her characters get connected to the net. Except the Net in this novel has developed it's own consciousness, made up of all those connected. But a competition for this new consciousness has arisen, and threatens the nets existence.
Highly recommended, you won't disconnect till the very last page.