5/15/09. Is a computer virus alive? Is there an intelligent entity inside a computer, and is humanity safe from this new lifef orm?
Doug Carey is involved in a terrible accident that kills his wife and leaves him with an artificial arm. He is deeply involved in neural interface research to learn how to link the human brain directly with a computer, and his arm is the pathway. AJ and others are involved in evolving an entity in the computer, a life form. Human greed and a desire to save humanity are both exposed as the entity escapes from the computer and threatens to destroy the entire internet and all computers hooked to it.
Only Doug can save the world because he has trained at interfacing with a computer. But will he be strong enough?
Of course the military is involved, and, as always, they want to use it as a ultimate weapon against their enemys. So after Doug barely destroys the entity and saves the world, the military is back at work secretly trying to grow a new entity that will do their will and not threaten it's creators. Predictably, the new entity also escapes and launches nuclear weapons against its creators. Doug, and Cheryl, in what looks like a suicide attempt to save the world communicate with the new life form and achieve astonishing results. Now what will happen to "Allison" created by man and now evolved to be faster and smarter, when Doug in a last-ditch effort to stop the nuclear blast tells it, "You need us." And why does it need humans? ( )

Its a fun book! A take on how Artificial Intelligence can form and become dangerous. It read more like a thriller than actual science fiction, with cardboard characters who do the right thing because its the right thing, not for any deep moral reasons. My one complaint is the way the original scientists who created the monster are depicted, Linda as a slightly childish, neurotic doctoral candidate only caring about her PHD, and her supervisor the Scientist JD who is lazy, a fat slob, and has has good intentions, but doesn't really understand, or care, about the results.

Its a fast read, has an interesting take on Artificial life development, but doesn't go much beyond that. ( )

My Bookspotcentral review ( )

I got about 1/4 of the way into this Forge science thriller, but got tired of waiting for the other penny to drop. Lerner proved that he is a good writer in [FLEET OF WORLDS] but this wasn't the breakout book I was hoping for.