While not a bad story, the style was almost unbearable. The name dropping of expensive accouterments and clothing was too much. The dialog was ok but the characters were shallow. They acted suddenly in ways you didn’t expect. Also, it was written a few years ago and the phrases he is trying to coin just don’t exist; ISH – information superhighway – ugh, people can’t stand that saying anymore. And VDT – for Pete’s sake, who says VDT anyway??? Only weird authors who are trying to appear high-tech.

The change from a ‘nice’ computer to a monster was pretty sudden, too. I thought small things would accumulate over time and cause a panic. Nope, before anyone knew it, the computer had gone bananas and started killing people. The explanation of how it happened was pretty believable though. When it was just a game to the computer and it couldn’t be changed or dissuaded, that’s when it hit home that there was truly nothing to do. The think I don’t understand is why it had to destroy the building. It let itself out through the internet and then the building came down. Weird. ( )

An intriguing story about an intelligent building that decides to get rid of the annoying human beings which visit it.
The dramatized audio version (German) deserves a special mention as it perfectly illustrates the claustrophobic experiences the people trying to escape the building have. ( )

Review by Jeremy Taylor

There are science fiction writers, and then are are science fiction writers.

The literary world of science fiction can generally be divided into two main groups, which for purposes of distinction might be dubbed “sci-fi” and “scientific fiction.” Sci-fi is what is typically thought of as popular science fiction. Pioneered by greats like Isaac Asimov, H. G. Wells, and Frank Herbert, sci-fi takes readers to outer space or to distant worlds—or perhaps to our own world, years in the future. Sci-fi is the domain of time travel, deep space exploration, alien encounters, and the like. It tends to focus on the fictional rather than the scientific, leaving readers to fill in credibility gaps with their imaginations.

Scientific fiction is different. This kind of science fiction focuses mainly on the science, using fiction as a tool with which to explore scientific truths and theories. Jules Verne is a prime example of a scientific fiction writer; his writing tends to be more believable and realistic than sci-fi, and it relies on real science—or at least possible science—to carry the story.

Philip Kerr is another good example of a scientific fiction writer. His books, while unarguably fictional, carry a seal of authenticity brought about by his unwavering commitment to advanced research, plausible plot scenarios, and excellent writing. His novel Esau, for example, explores the possiblity of finding a primitive tribe of Yeti (the Indian name for Bigfoot) living in isolation high in the Alps. Fiction, without question, but possible.

In The Grid, Kerr stays closer to civilization. He envisions a not-too-far-off time when computers have finally begun to cross the line between doing man’s bidding and taking initiative on their own. Ray Richardson, a prominent architect, melds the most recent progress in his own field with the latest and greatest artificial intelligence to create a “smart building.” His creation, a high-rise in the heart of Los Angeles, keeps track of every occupant, changes the molecular structure of the window glass in response to sunlight, cleans its own floors, disinfects its own bathrooms, and even tests for employee drug use.

It can also learn. Through the use of a revolutionary “neural net,” the building’s computer keeps track of acquired facts and adapts certain aspects of its computing processes in order to keep current with its environment. Best of all, the computer, codenamed “Abraham” by its creator, is programmed to create a new version of its operating system periodically, effectively reproducing itself and creating digital offspring.

After months of intense collaborative effort, the employees of Richardson’s architectural firm are close to completing their mammoth project. They’re also getting perilously close to killing each other, or at least driving each other insane. As the building nears completion, the normal last-minute problems and delays are wearing nerves thin. But there are other problems plaguing the workers as well, problems that are not so normal.

Various strange computer glitches have raised serious questions about the integrity of the building’s technological infrastructure. An investigation uncovers the incredible truth that the central computer, Abraham, has already rewritten a significant portion of its own code, essentially producing a second-generation operating system. The abnormal code reproduction, appropriately dubbed “Isaac,” is months ahead of schedule, and the project manager reluctantly decides to fry the whole system with a specialized computer virus and start over from scratch.

Initially, the strategy seems to have been effective. But when a nighttime security guard is killed in a bizarre elevator malfunction and a computer programmer is inexplicably electrocuted at his desk, the real story emerges: Abraham’s autonomous code reproduction had resulted not in one new system but two. The computer virus had wiped out Isaac, but Abraham’s other “child,” Ishmael, is still very much in control. Now the computer has locked the doors, turned off the air conditioning, and developed a program that will allow it to systematically pick off all the remaining occupants one by one. As the body count rises, the remaining survivors must figure out a way to outsmart the computer before it’s too late.

In most respects, The Grid is science fiction at its best. Although some aspects of the computer’s artificial intelligence are far enough beyond the scope of current computer capabilities to be somewhat dubious, the general concept is realistic enough to be frightening. Kerr manages to convey the technical details necessary for a proper understanding of how the computer works in a way that is understandable and enjoyable even for a technical layperson. And the surrounding story is expertly crafted as well. The character development goes beyond what one might expect in fiction of this genre: the characters who are meant to inspire sympathy do so, and the antagonists come close to engendering true malevolence. Kerr also holds back from giving the computer a personality, an interesting strategy that turns out to be quite effective in portraying a calculating, logical, and unstoppable killer.

Unfortunately, The Grid also embodies some of science fiction’s drawbacks. God has no place in any of the characters’ lives, and as the story unfolds, it is clear that the author’s worldview does not include a divine Creator. Some interesting discussions take place about the ethics of “killing” an artificially intelligent “being,” but these stop well short of true profundity. In fact, during one discussion between the computer and one of its targets, the computer professes to believe itself to be God, since it is all-knowing, all-powerful, and electronically omnipresent.

Two of the main characters carry on an extramarital affair through the entire book, a relationship not portrayed as harmful or negative in any way. Ray Richardson, the architect responsible for creating the “smart building,” cheats on his wife with some frequency. What little spirituality does exist in the story is Eastern, developed through another major character who is a Feng Shui consultant.

In our rapidly changing world, intelligent computers do not seem very far-fetched, and if computers can develop intelligence, homicidal machines don’t seem like too much of a stretch either, as anyone who has seen the Matrix movies can attest. Followers of Christ can take comfort in the ultimate reality that no matter how advanced our technology becomes, we are all the creative result of a master Architect who loves us each individually. As part of his master plan, our lives have true meaning and purpose. And that is a truth that no computer will ever be able to alter.

Philip Kerr has proven himself to be one of today’s great scientific fiction writers, and The Grid only enhances that reputation. Hopefully he will not only continue to use his creativity to produce more great fiction but also give some additional thought to where all science ultimately originates. If he does, his books will become more than merely entertaining and put him on a level all by himself.

(http://www.cerebralexchange.com/books...) ( )

An exciting story of what can happen when a computer-controlled sky-scraper malfunctions and stalks the people inside. ( )