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Mario the lone bookwolf's Reviews > Daemon

Daemon by Daniel Suarez
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it was amazing
bookshelves: suarez-daniel
Read 2 times. Last read June 28, 2022.

Virtual reality gone bad by avatar NPC characters taking their job far too seriously described by one of Jules Vernes´ most stunning inheritors and the maybe best technothriller author of all times.

Wait until it gets real, if it not even already secretly is
Some Sci-Fi has the potential to become the continuation of the 20th century (and rarely 19th century) authors predicting the future and as always, it´s more a question of if and not when, I should stop saying that so often to avoid redundancy, but meh. In contrast to Sci-Fi genres dealing with possible, but not certain or probable scenarios, this new genre of science techno thriller conspiracy cyberpunk hybrids on the shoulders of Crichton and many others, (although far better written than this possible not best example, let´s take Stephenson instead, ah much butter), is dealing with topics humankind should possibly have an eye on. You know, wise and responsible preparation and sustainable longtime future planning, especially in politics. Stop laughing!

I deem it the better Ready Player Two
Did anyone notice the parallels between this one published in 2009 and Clines 2011 published Ready Player One? I am sure that the ideas and concepts have been used several times in varying detail in Sci-Fi, especially dystopian and cyberpunk, I´ve read and forgotten or maybe even not read, especially in Cyberpunk and with the one or other machine intelligence robot alien race in massive hard science fiction space opera, etc series. Both of these masterpieces blow minds, open completely new perspectives, are unique, and open the world of game literature hybrids, jay!

Games own all other media
The future is in computer games, the perfect culmination of everything that makes art great, music, scripts, and storytelling from movies and literature, art, design, animation, etc. combined with literature franchises, just as it´s happening with Minecraft and many series I don´t know or that will come. I imagine it especially amazing for the kids and teens that both play and read, that spent hundreds and thousands of hours in their favorite series, both single player and together with friends, not to forget AR, VR, and mind computer interface implants, nanobots, and the best combination of smart and real drugs to improve performance and widen perception. It´s as if a literature universe, like King, Pratchett, Sanderson,� would have become real life for older readers, as if one could choose and switch between the possible variations of how one wants to consume, one day reading, one day playing, or switches all 1 to 3 hours. Forget reality, it´s boring.

Just too seductive
The only problem, and that´s the reason why I stopped gaming over a decade or something ago when it still looked like lol rofl facepalm ICQ, is that it´s too great and immersive, especially for entertainment addiction prone people like me. But even for the ones who can handle it, I will give the old man´s advice of gaming wisely and responsibly, because this thing can easily, just like TV and even worse, eat away months and years of one´s life. It´s healthier than passive TV consumption and improves cognitive function if consumed in the right amount of some time every day, but the, again subjective, main problem is the immense seductive allure all embracing power over people´s minds. Many won´t be finding their kicks with literature or movies anymore, not to speak of real life, and that´s one of the most important messages of these novels to think about too. Jay, cultural pessimism.

Meta leveling military industrial complex conspiracies
On the meta level, there is also this thing of prodigies warning about AI, military experts talking about cyber wars escalating, and extremists using it to kill millions by destroying infrastructure, and the question of if it could be WW3 humans vs humans or humans vs machines. Not to forget the aliens, which could lead to four fractions of robot aliens, flesh aliens, humans, and humans´ robots and AI, complicating the genociding even more.

I´ll avoid the infodump technobabble overkill but
I could talk for hours and days about AI, technology, algorithms, social networks, the internet, MMORPGs, its impact on society, and especially comparing how Sci-Fi of different decades dealt with this topic, but I am a master procrastinator, aspiring grandmaster, and want to avoid investing too much real work *shivers* in creating redundant drivel about books. Read much Sci-Fi, cough best literary genre cough, instead to generate your own assumptions and analysis.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
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Reading Progress

Finished Reading
March 7, 2018 – Shelved
Started Reading
June 28, 2022 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-10 of 10 (10 new)

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message 1: by Joe (new)

Joe Krakovsky I think the young people today can get hooked on computer games. I have a problem with simple computer solitaire. One boss I had told me he once walked in on a tabletop war game with miniatures while at college and got so hooked on it he risked failing his classes, so he quit.


message 2: by Pat (new)

Pat I tend to agree, I’m a bit scared of uncontrolled AI and I think the term controlled AI might be an oxymoron so we are all in trouble !


Mario the lone bookwolf Joe wrote: "I think the young people today can get hooked on computer games. I have a problem with simple computer solitaire. One boss I had told me he once walked in on a tabletop war game with miniatures whi..."

As far as I know it´s already been, or there is talk about doing so, given a definition as mental illness or addiction, although I find it pretty ridiculous compared to real mental illnesses and addictions. But with VR, AR, and depressing real life, it could get a huge problem. Just as reading, all these young people wasting their lives for nothing, it´s so sad.

Seriously, it´s addictive as hell. Gaming, not reading. I mean too, but different.


Mario the lone bookwolf Pat wrote: "I tend to agree, I’m a bit scared of uncontrolled AI and I think the term controlled AI might be an oxymoron so we are all in trouble !"

Because it´s already too late, will always be too late, I wouldn´t worry about something that´s definitively coming, already there in some cases. Just too almighty for both military and industrial purposes to not develop and try anything with AI.


message 5: by Bon Tom (new) - added it

Bon Tom Fantastic review, Mario. Any parallels with Ready Player One means a must read. When it comes to gaming, I'm old, grumpy curmudgeon. You either can't handle it, or you're not really a gamer :)


message 6: by Mario the lone bookwolf (last edited Aug 26, 2020 09:51PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Mario the lone bookwolf Bon Tom wrote: "Fantastic review, Mario. Any parallels with Ready Player One means a must read. When it comes to gaming, I'm old, grumpy curmudgeon. You either can't handle it, or you're not really a gamer :)"

Thanks!
What I can remember, there are a few, some of them old and strangely written, Sci-Fi novels that are dealing with similar concepts, not with games, more with simulations and stuff.

I´m definitively old and grumpy too and you put the finger on
"You either can't handle it, or you're not really a gamer :)" why I am too coward to restart gaming. It´s too strong and it dominates the spare time activity range, reading, sport, heck even conservation of the species, true story, become secondary. Ok, my special neurotic mental condition could play a role here too, but it´s still a potential, heavy addiction for hundreds of millions of people.


message 7: by Meenaz (new) - added it

Meenaz Lodhi Fabulous review, Mario!
The gaming world is indeed scary, I see in the news millions of kids hooked to their games. I personally have never liked the video games, let alone the VR ones. It’s something that has never drawn my attention, I’ve never played a game. Lol.


Mario the lone bookwolf Meenaz wrote: "Fabulous review, Mario!
The gaming world is indeed scary, I see in the news millions of kids hooked to their games. I personally have never liked the video games, let alone the VR ones. It’s somet..."


Thanks!
It´s so freaking addictive, I´ve played a lot between 1995 and 2005 and it´s simply eating lifetime away. And it looked ridiculously primitive these days. I can totally understand any teen and young adult without job and relationship perspectives just using these extremely strong drugs to beam boring and depressing reality away.

I am tinkering with buying a high end gaming PC and/or an 8K Tv and a PS5 for over a year now, but I know that I´ll probably lose years of more productive recreational activities. Again


message 9: by Pat (new)

Pat Agree! Even Stephen Hawking and (I think) Elon Musk have warned about the potential dangers of runaway AI.


Mario the lone bookwolf Pat wrote: "Agree! Even Stephen Hawking and (I think) Elon Musk have warned about the potential dangers of runaway AI."

I´ve heard something similar too and it definitively is completely bonkers. But it´s really a there is no alternative TINA thing, so it´s best not to worry about something that will be done so or so.


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