MultiReal (Book Two of the Jump 225 Trilogy) (v. 2) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: autonomous minds, oversight board, fiefcorp master, Len Borda, Magan Kai Lee, Prime Committee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"David Louis Edelman's vision of the future is so alive and full of energy the pages are practically buzzing. Wonderfully intricate with smart, satisfying complexity, Infoquake and its sequel MultiReal serve up a world where mindbending technologies promise a freedom nearly as endless as the Machiavellian ambitions of those who would control them." -- Nick Sagan, author of Idlewild, Edenborn and Everfree

"Just when we thought cyberpunk was dead, David Louis Edelman bursts on the scene with defibrillator paddles and shouts, "Clear!" If there's any web more tangled than the World Wide one, it's the Byzantine networks of high finance; Edelman intermeshes them in a complex, compelling series. This DOES compute!" -- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids

A thoroughly-successful hybrid of Neuromancer and Wall Street, MultiReal is the kind of thought-experiment we need more of around here: rigorously backgrounded, tightly plotted, and built around one of the most intriguing neurotech conceits I've encountered in years. William Gibson once observed that the street finds its own uses for things. David Louis Edelman reminds us that both boardroom and back room do as well­- and the people who lurk in those places are a lot scarier... --Peter Watts, Hugo-award nominated author of Blindsight

Product Description

David Louis Edelman's debut novel Infoquake was called "the love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge" and hailed as the best science fiction debut of 2006. The story continues with MultiReal, the stunning second book in the Jump 225 trilogy. Natch has just won his first battle with the Defense and Wellness Council for control of MultiReal technology. But now the Council has unleashed the ruthless cunning of Lieutenant Executive Magan Kai Lee. Lee decides that if Natch's company can't be destroyed from without, it must be destroyed from within.

As black code continues to eat away at Natch's sanity, he faces a mutiny from his own apprentices, a legal onslaught from the government, and the return of enemies old and new. In desperation, the entrepreneur turns to some unlikely allies: a radical politician with an agenda of his own, and a childhood enemy to whom he has done a terrible wrong.

Natch's struggle will take him from the halls of power in Melbourne to the ruined cities of the diss. Hanging in the balance is the fate of MultiReal, a technology that could end the tyranny of the Council forever--or give the Council the ultimate weapon of oppression.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 522 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (July 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591026474
• ISBN-13: 978-1591026471
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #97,663 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Vision of Our Information-Centric Future, August 26, 2008

By	Kevin Joseph (McLean, VA United States) - See all my reviews

The second installment of David Edelman's Jump 225 Trilogy, picks up on renegade entrepreneur Natch's struggles to bring to market a software product so groundbreaking that it threatens the stability of this information-centric future civilization. The product of decades of development by the iconic Margaret Surina, MultiReal software allows a user instantaneously to run unlimited possible effects stemming from a particular cause, choosing the particular reality outcome from these choice cycles that best suits the user's needs. Obviously the power to select a desired outcome in virtually any cause-effect scenario gives each MultiReal user tremendous power over others, a realization that triggers a mad scramble by the Defense and Wellness Council for control of this critical technology. On the run after a disastrous MultiReal demonstration, infected with an insidious and debilitating form of black code, and the target of an aggressive scheme by the Defense and Wellness Council to strip him and his fiefcorp employees of their business licenses, Natch struggles not only to survive but also to ensure that he honors his weighty responsibility as MultiReal's guardian.

MultiReal succeeds in most respects, setting up what promises to be an exciting conclusion to the trilogy. It fleshes out the futuristic world that Edelman introduced us to in Infoquake, providing relevant pieces of back story to explain the various agendas of those maneuvering for control of MultiReal. And fascinating new aspects of this future culture, like "the Sigh" where multi connections can meet to experience an infinite variety of sensual pleasures, add tantalizing detail to this vision of the future. There are also some memorable set pieces, such as the action sequence where Natch uses MultiReal to dodge black code fire as well as the confrontations between Magan Kai Lee and High Executive Len Borda amidst the ancient sailing ship SeeNaRee used to decorate Borda's private chambers.

I would, however, like to see Edelman make a few adjustments in his approach to the critical third installment of the trilogy. The addition of more action sequences would be welcome, as the pacing of MultiReal slowed in some of the scenes involving prolonged political maneuvering and verbal sparring. I would also like to see Edelman delve more deeply into the philosophical confrontation between the individualistic bent of the libertarians and the collective mentality of the Defense and Wellness Council; the story really seemed to gain momentum and focus when that debate crystallized during the Prime Committee's hearing and during Natch's exchange with Brone concerning MultiReal 2.0. Finally, in his emphasis on technology descriptions, recounting of historical events, and descriptions of political maneuvering, Edelman tends at times to neglect the development of his characters and rely too much on dialogue tags that tell (rather than show) us how they are feeling. Natch, Jara and Horvil make an engaging trio of protagonists, and I'm interested in understanding better what motivates each of them.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of this trilogy and find Edelman's vision of the future as original, thorough and convincing as any I've seen. If I had to guess what our future society will look like, I'd lay money on it taking a form resembling the setting of the Jump 225 Trilogy. And my constructive criticism represents nothing more than one selfish and picky fan's wish list of items I would like to see this talented author focus on in his next work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an edge of your seat, page turner, August 17, 2008

A Kid's Review

This exciting novel is much better than Infoquake (which I really liked but wasn't overly moved by). Now I'm hooked on Edelman and I can't wait for his 3rd book. This is sci-fi at its best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth losing sleep to read Multireal, August 15, 2008

By	Stephenson D. Crossley (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A great read. Unbelievably even more engaging than Infoquake. Edelman creates a symphony of characters, locations and politics, and then conducts the orchestra until their fingers bleed. Every time I thought I had the whole thing figured out, I was ecstatic to be wrong. Multireal is refreshingly original and thoroughly engrossing.