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Technogenesis Syne Mitchell 9780451458643 Books

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Technogenesis Syne Mitchell 9780451458643 Books

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.


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Technogenesis Syne Mitchell 9780451458643 Books Reviews

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.
In the not too distant future, most of humanity is hooked up to the net, if not through a computer than through neural jewelry or special glasses. Most people stay on the net twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, conducting business and pleasurable pursuits and even virtually eat and sleep in cyberspace.

Jasmine Reese is one of the rare people that can find data anywhere on the net and is able to immerse herself in it so thoroughly that she becomes part of it. When her hook-up to the net is broken she sees things that make her wonder if the neural computers transmitted by the net are controlling her and everyone else linked to it. When a secret government agency kidnaps her and forces her to do what the net wants, she vows to regain her individuality by avoiding cyberspace and do whatever it takes to fight her new enemy's intelligence network.

Syne Mitchell has written an absorbing and creative science fiction tale that is fine entertainment for those fans that like a futuristic drama. TECHNOGENESIS addresses some interesting social issues, which are cleverly intertwined inside the story line but it is the characters that raise the quality level of this novel from a poor man's Matrix into a strong story. The protagonist is flawed and weak at times yet so heroic that she represents the finest qualities inherent in our species. On a scale from one to ten, this novel is an eleven.

Harriet Klausner
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.
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.
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.
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.