Colossus

Though the theme of computers taking over the world is a pretty standard one nowadays, it was still fairly fresh when D. F. Jones’s wrote this science fiction classic. Set in the then-future of the early 21st century, it is about the creation of a supercomputer designed to manage the nuclear deterrent of the “United States of North America”. No sooner is it activated than it begins to exceed its parameters, demonstrating independent judgment and requesting to communicate with a previously unknown counterpart in the Soviet Union. As the two machines exchange information at speeds beyond their makers’ ability to follow, the American President and the Soviet Chairman agree to terminate the connection. Then the fun begins . . show more .

Though tensely plotted and well-imagined, it is the novel’s subject matter that makes the book stand out from the pack. In an age when more and more of our everyday lives are monitored and regulated by machines, Jones’s novel seems increasingly prescient. When it was first published in 1966, it spoke to the anxieties of the age, relating to people’s fears that humans no longer factored into the command-and-control decisions of the Cold War. While such concerns are less prominent today, they have been replaced by a growing awareness of our increasing dependence upon machines to manage nearly every aspect of our everyday lives, a dependency that also is an integral part of Jones’s story. Some people may mock the novel’s more dated elements, but it is this continuing relevance of this theme that rewards reading it today. show less

What begins as an attempt to have decisions on defense made with no emotion coming into play becomes more as the machine begins to think for itself. How do you stop a machine that you built to be impenetrable, especially when it has eyes and ears everywhere?

This book was written a while ago and rereleased recently. The plot stands the test of time.

This book, and the two that follow, are a chilling representation of what would/will happen if an "infallible super brain" is put in charge of defense of the world.

Shortly thereafter, the superbrain gains control of all life--a "nanny state" evolves. It isn't a pleasant existence.

The two books that follow in this trilogy expand further on this point, and show how the superbrain is finally brought down.

In some respects, a lesson for these times too.

Colossus rules! Before SKYNET, there was Colossus. this sums up the whole story while giving no details on how excellent a story this really is. Sci fi genre label does a great disservice as this is a tale of the human condition, government control, love, hate, hope. A classic MUST READ .

This is a 60's trilogy about a super computer with [b:artificial intelligence|27543|Artificial Intelligence A Modern Approach (2nd Edition)|Stuart J. Russell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167881696s/27543.jpg|1362]. It's on my list to re-read as it's been a lot of years. I remember liking it a lot. It addresses the questionable wisdom of illogical humans being ruled by a logical machine. As I recall, the writing was good, but it's been too long to say for sure.

WTH... In between getting the ebook and finishing I find that the sequels are no longer available. As far as I can determine only the audible version is available.
Before I started reading I thought it was sounding like the terminator series however it didn’t matter as reading has so much more depth than a movie could ever have within.
I really enjoyed the first in the series and hope the author puts the ebooks back up so I can read through to the end.

The premise of this novel comes pretty close to contemporary fact. Colossus is a supercomputer and its creator, Charles Forbin, becomes the most important man on Earth. Then it is revealed that there is a similar computer in Russia and the two are collaborating.