Infoquake: volume 1 of the Jump 225 trilogy (edition 2008)

Picked the book up at the store, hoping it would be something like Clade(biopunk), because of this bio/logic programming mentioned on the back cover.
Instead the book turned out to be mostly about nasty business tactics of a startup company head.
I must admit the prose was very readable, and the main character was interesting, the business bits very refreshing, - so much so that I eventually bought and read the remaining 2 books.
That said, I didn't get the biopunk I was hoping for, - the uses of this bio/logic programming read more like a fantasy than scifi. As mentioned in other reviews, the science/tech was unexplained, which would be fine(many authors do it that way), but it didn't jell! The whole projection onto other locations didn't make sense - it was neither an extension of virtual reality nor some freaky quantum superscience, it sort of hung there in between, as if the author couldn't be bothered to make up his mind, but needed certain things to happen in terms of plot, and just left it like that.
That's the first scifi book, that I read, that had such a terrible blooper in science/tech.

It's not that the tech is implausible(I will always allow a leeway), or unexplained(also fine), but that the abilities described were not, and cannot be attributed fully to anyone type of tech, or even a combination. That really bothered me. ( )

David Louis Edelman jumps in the sci-fi scene with Infoquake, his debut novel. In this novel, which is pure science-fiction with a hit of cyberpunk, Edelman tells the tale of the advancement of technology through the eyes of a businessman.

The first of the trilogy revolves around Natch, an arrogant and perfectionist programmer with delusions of grandeur. He evolves in a world where bio/logics, which are, according to one of the many appendices of the novel, "The science of using programming code to extend the capabilities of the human body and mind." In other words, bio/logic programs are augmentations to make a person more 'perfect', are prevalent. And the protagonist, which some imagine is quite mad, excels at programming, and marketing, such programs.

Bio/logics programs are made either by fiefcorps, which are the equivalent of private companies, and memecorps, which could be defined as our current non-profit organizations. Their goals differ, yet are similar. They launch products in the DataSea, which is their main source of information, where anybody and everybody can buy them and use them at their leisure.

In a world where fiefcorps compete for the top spot on Primo's, and where the government consists of a single body, Natch finally reaches that elusive top spot, for which he has worked his whole life, stopping at nothing to reach that goal. That achievement will attract Margaret Surina's attention and will make him an offer he can't refuse: market a product two decades in the making, against all the money and power he can manage.

While this first novel is merely an introduction to the world which, no doubt, is developed further throughout the trilogy, it wasn't interesting enough for me to want to continue reading on. The characters are well developed, especially Natch, which is introduced in the current period of the novel, only for his life story to be explained further on. The reader then understands why the protagonist is the way he is, and why so many people are wary of him.

The world itself is rich without being burdened with technobabble, and terms are easily understandable and interpreted throughout the novel, complemented with helpful appendices. Edelman tells a common story with a refreshing twist, although I thought events unfolded at too fast a pace, where things are revealed much too quickly.

Sci-fi is supposed to wow the reader. Unfortunately, despite the freshness the author gives to the genre with this book, it has failed to sweep me off my feet.

3/5 ( )

Infoquake by David Louis Edelman was the fifth book to be chosen for the io9 book club, and was scheduled to coincide nicely with their Posthumanity special feature. Infoquake is Edelman's debut novel and the first volume in the Jump 225 trilogy. Other than that, I didn't really know much about the book before I started reading it except for the fact that I adored its tagline, "Hack the body and the mind will follow." Turns out the book was also a finalist for the 2007 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. So, even though I wasn't familiar with Edelman or his work, I looked forward to reading Infoquake.

Natch is notoriously difficult to work with, demanding impossible perfection from his apprentices. Many of his employees can't wait for their contracts to be over and even his head engineer (and probably only friend) can't completely understand him. A master of bio/logics ("the science of using programming code to extend the capabilities of the human body and mind"), Natch isn't afraid to play dirty in a highly competitive market and he is more than willing to be a manipulative bastard to get just what he wants. So when the opportunity arises to get involved with a project with the potential to shatter the bio/logics industry and change the world, he takes it. It's a dangerous and highly risky move, for him and his fiefcorp, and Natch certainly has more than one enemy who would love to see him fail.

It has been a while since I've read a novel that has appendices, but Edelman does it right. All sorts of wonderful information is provided for the reader who wants to delve deeper into the world but at the same time it is not necessary to read the the additional material to enjoy the book. There are a few minor exceptions, but most everything can be understood in context and there are some really cool ideas in Infoquake. (Although I will admit I did have a bit of trouble grasping the government structure.) However, one thing that really frustrated me was MultiReal--I just didn't get it. Now granted, none of the characters in Infoquake seemed to really understand it either. This, I think is where a problem might be. As important as MultiReal is said to be, especially latter in the book, it seems as though a big deal is being made of nothing. Hints are given as to practical applications, but explicit information is mostly implied rather than directly specified. Something just doesn't sit quite right with me about MultiReal and there is plenty of room for potential inconsistencies.

Overall, I found Infoquake to be quite engrossing. Edelman's writing moves at a quick pace although there is an occasional tangent or aside that seemed out of place; This would break the flow and I didn't understand the point of some of them. From time to time, a sentence would make me cringe due to a particular word choice or use of metaphor, but generally the style was good, especially for a first novel. Some of the plot twists seemed unnecessary if not unbelievable--without giving too much away, an example being the unexpected reappearance of a certain character--but perhaps more will be revealed in the subsequent books to explain things more thoroughly. It may seem as though I'm complaining about a lot of things, but I did actually really enjoy the book. I particularly appreciated the focus given to programmers and programming for one (Edelman himself is a programmer) and the field of bio/logics is one that I could see developing in some form or another; I am always interested in interpretations of "post-humanity." Edelman has some great ideas and interesting characters and I'd like to see where he takes things in the next book of the Jump 225 trilogy, Multireal.

Experiments in Reading ( )

I found this book quite disappointing. The first half was quite enjoyable, the not quite dystopian future world dominated by corporate interests but in a free-wheeling, startup oriented style; The characters were interesting and there were enough competing interests to add variety and the plot was building slowly to a climax. Then Natch disappears for a few chapters and the whole things gets turned on its head off stage and we spend the rest of the book doing what feels like a lead in for the start of the next one. As a reader I was getting involved in the story and wondering how they would resolve the big problem, then suddenly the problem turned out to be not important enough to even devote any pages to solving it, and suddenly we're dealing with a whole new technology in what might as well be a different book.

It is a reflection of how promising the first half was that I think this book still merits two and half stars, but this book could have been so much better if it was about 200 pages shorter at the end and added 100 pages in the middle. ( )

A very fast moving book that was the primary enjoyment factor. Laughable plot with regard to the ability to create programs in the time frames described even with the advanced tool set.

If you can suspend belief on the improbabilities and focus on the technological conceptual possibilities then you'll enjoy the book. ( )