Customer Reviews

Terminal Mind

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

 

 

I had the chance to read this book pre-release & what a ride! It begins with two friends from opposite sides of the economic divide in a down-trodden, future America. I enjoyed Walton's technological innovations, especially his vision of high fashion cosmetic alterations.

Whenever the work seemed to take a predictable turn, instead it revealed a new layer of character and goal, increasing tension between the unusual cast. A lapsed Amish girl, expert hacker, and not-so-mindless thug provide opportunities to explore human interaction with this future world.

I did find the antagonist a bit too straightforward, but even his motivation, when it becomes clear, gives the story another twist. The book builds on some familiar ideas from science fiction--a devastated land fragmented by war, the anger of a lower class left behind, nasty uses of medical tech, the melding of man and computer--but includes a rich and complex emotional life for the characters, something that many classic SF works neglect.

Overall, an enjoyable read--by turns exciting, moving and thought-provoking.

In short, the book is a near-future society dealing with class warfare, allocation of technology based on class, and the introduction of brain scanning into cyberspace, (the ability to read the brain and imprint it into cyberspace as a personality).

The book held my interest and it provided an interesting view into a future where cyberspace and biology merge, while the same old class problems are addressed. Since there are still class wars, some have fewer or worse technology implants, while the elite class gets the best.

I thought the book would follow the view from the working class, and deal with the "evils" of the elite class, but the story line matures to deal with both class evils, which is important; without the balance in view, the book would have taken on a socialistic taint. Finally, the book takes care to close out the key plot threads, (which I appreciate). While the book does not hint at a sequel, it could be developed based on the ending revelations.

The story line and characters are well developed. So I recommend this book if you enjoy SciFi in a near future setting.

SF is not my genre, but I must say I enjoyed this book. The idea of living at Philadelphia Crater is intriguing. I felt helped into the world of the book, and was quite caught up with the adventure. There was a point where I simply had to stop doing anything else and read that book. Looking for more from this young writer.

I would definitely recommend this book! It's a super engaging page-turner that leaves you wanting more and dreaming about what will happen next. I could hardly put it down and now that I'm finished, I'm sad it's over. You won't be disappointed, and like me you'll be anxiously waiting for whatever comes next!

Conventions. Very bad for people who really shouldn't be tempted with stacks and stacks of books for sale.

Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. However, when you're a minor player at best with a paltry few panels to attend, you end up spending a lot of time amongst the books. What's worse, of course, is when you cross paths with a motivated small press entrepreneur with a rising star name to hauque...see, you've got the time to talk and then one thing leads to another and you end up with the BOOK in your hands.

And your wallet feels mysteriously lighter.

Then again, when the book is Terminal Mind by David Walton, it's really not so bad. Mr. Walton, the winner of the 2008 Jim Baen Memorial short story contest, penned a very intriguing singularity/transhumanist treatise in this novel. Within, he manages to convey both the advantages and horrors that wait in ambush just beyond the horizon of our current technical levels while still capturing a very tangled human story about young love, societal biases, and the almost inevitable and doomed tide of violent men.

As a brief overview of the gist of the tale (the only kind I give since I believe it's not a reviewer's job to spit out a full synopsis of a novel with spoilers), Terminal Mind is the story of the evil and the good that can happen when someone is so depraved demented as to sacrifice a life to create the ultimate computer virus. Our hapless protagonists accidentally give release to the powerful entity and thus spend the rest of the book dealing with the guilt and collateral damage their "prank" accidentally set loose upon the world. Some rise to heights of selfless sacrifice and heroism while others fall to their misguided principles. Who goes where, of course, is left to the reader to discover.

The main characters of the tale shift with the telling in this multi-point-of-view tale and, as the story unfolds, you're never quite entirely sure who the "heroes", "villains", and "victims" are going to be. You find yourself alternately loathing and cheering for the same character as you go along, which is very human. This is a point worth noting: Walton is quite good at remaining true to the quixotic nature of humanity itself and how people change in response to external inputs.

I suppose the roughest part of the book is the beginning. The portrayal of a bored young member of the social elite is played a bit too over the top to the point that you actually don't much care for the first point-of-view character you meet at first. Later, right as you find out that there this is actually a character worth caring about, you end up shifting around a bit and meeting the next big player. Fortunately, things settle down after that and you can actually start getting a better feel for the eyes and sense of the person you're reading about.

Overall, I rate Terminal Mind as a more thoughtful and less radical approach to the concepts of singularity and transhumanist modification. So many authors fail to see the shades of gray inherent in the applicability of the looming technologies, often falling directly into the "it'll be paradise" or "woe unto use, hell looms on the horizon" camps. Walton manages to avoid these traps for the most part (although falling prey to the temptation to approach the cliche of "immortality") with a far more insightful treatment of the reality of humanity being an integral part and parcel of the utility of technology along societal seams.

Meadowhawk PressAnd, to be totally fair to Daniel Gamber of Meadowhawk press who successfully pawned the book on me, I am happy to report that the binding and handling of this trade paperback was on par with any of the pro houses. So, feel free to check out their website for this and their other current and upcoming titles.

This book has a lot happening in a short space which is its only drawback. The author diligently crafts a future full of fantastic yet understandable technologies and he presents that world as a complete whole. The story was compelling with multiple unique characters and interesting voices. The cast all deals with the moral implications of technology in different ways, to better and worse effect. I look forward to the author's next offering.

My favorite parts of this fast-paced science fiction thriller are the cool technology ideas and the read-it-in-one-sitting pace. I love the body "mods" that are common in the culture of this world and the implications they have on society. There are other even more wild techno-gadgets throughout. The cast of characters is diverse and interesting and the story keeps you guessing until the end. Great writing from a great writer.

I don't normally read science fiction, but a friend told me how great it was and I had to read it. It was engaging from beginning to the end. I highly recommend it. My daughter, who reads a lot of science fiction, almost tore it out of my hands before I could finish it so she could read it too. I guess I read too slow for her.

I've always been a science fiction fan, and I know some high school students who will really like this book. Personally, I'm waiting patiently for the sequel.

I really enjoyed the book. The mystery starts with a killer first paragraph, and never lets up. Once I started the book, I couldn't wait to get back and finish it.

The future that Dave imagines is a reasonable extension of today's technologies. Philadelphia, Norfolk, the internet, and biological engineering have matured and evolved. The human characters in the story remain very human though. You will find yourself cheering for the good guys and booing the bad guys as the story develops.