This kept me reading with combination of exuberant charm and high levels of geek-appeal due to all the references, both subtle and otherwise, to technology, SF and mythology.Ultimately I was left rather unsatisfied by the lack of any real struggle or tension – no matter what the problem the hyper-competent hero could always make a couple of calls, get on a plane and end up face to face with the world’s foremost expert in the problem domain (who could always be convinced of the possible existence of a malign AI within a paragraph or two). An odd book that seems confused about its target audience; the style feels aimed at the airport bookstore techno-thriller market, but the references are very SF/gamer geek oriented.
You would have to have lived in a hole for the past forty years not to get at least some of the jokes in this book-- and even if you had lived in a hole, you'd still probably think it was funny. This is sci-fi at its best, when it's about science making the leap from everyday life into something completely and totally beyond. If you like video games, roleplaying games, crossword puzzles, mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, fantasy, dragons, elves, Monty Python, Isaac Asimov, pop culture, Star Wars, Star Trek or making fun of any of the above, read this book........oh ps, it's out of print. so good luck. ;)
