Customer Reviews

Influx (Unabridged)

I'm a fan of Daniel Suarez's previous 3 books and very much looked forward to this one. Didn't seem to have quite the gravitas of Daemon but all the same, nailed this in 2 sittings! He seems to get that balance between technical content (to a lay man anyway) and good sci if fiction paced storytelling just right. Can I gave another please?

I've read all four of Daniel Saurez's books to date and this is the first that doesn't make the grade for me. With his previous three books (Daemon, Freedom and Kill Decision) he combined an entertaining and well-planned plot with interesting characters and a writing style that sucked me in and kept me reading.

However the best way to sum up Influx is that it feels... rushed. The writing style is still there but the characters feel under-developed in comparison to his earlier books. I have to level a similar criticism at the plot too. This moves at an inconsistent (and sometimes much too rapid) pace and introduces several convenient twists that allow the storyline to be resolved in the way the author intended. However I was left with the impression that too many deus ex machina were harmed (OK, used) during the writing of this story.

The strength of Daemon, Freedom and Kill Decision is that they were all well researched, well developed, and based on technology that is only a generation or two away at best. Unfortunately Influx is none of these. I'm hoping for better next time.

I have read Daniels previous 3 books and loved them. The one is a bit slow to start, but once it got going I couldn't put it down, and read cover to cover in under 3 days.

It is a thought provoking, conspiracy theory read and I enjoyed it.

I read Daniel Suarez's previous 3 novels and enjoyed them. Influx has clearly benefited from good editing - the story runs along at a great pace, the characters are clearly defined, and the plot is developed without any needless sidetracks.

There are some interesting ideas in the book - both big-picture and more technical. Is technological progress always good? Who benefits, who loses - and do those wins and losses add up to a net benefit? However, rather than explore the ideas, the book became a fast-paced techno-thriller. That's okay - it's what the jacket promises - but it leaves the book at "airport purchase", rather than something more engaging.

The characters are interesting - but again, the traits that made them interesting weren't really explored in any depth.

So, an okay book to while away a long flight, but I doubt I'll remember much of it in a few weeks time.