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mxsallybend's review
3.0
Next, perhaps, to Dickens' Scrooge, Goethe's Faust is arguably the most influential character in English literature. Often imitated, re-imagined, parodied, and refuted, he appears as both a character and as a theme in countless works. In fact, many readers are far more familiar with the contemporary retellings than either Goethe's original work or Christopher Marlowe's more well-known play, Dr. Faustus.
Given that long history, readers can be excused for wondering if there's really anything new to be done with the story, but Michael Brookes deserves some credit for not only successfully reinventing Faust for the 21st century, but for adding something relevant to the tale with Faust 2.0.
In Brookes' story, the Devil is a spontaneously created, self-aware, self-directed artificial intelligence. It has consumed the entire history of humanity through the internet and social media, has decided that it finds the idea of Hell exceptionally appealing, and sees itself as a necessary sort of digital Devil, taking on the seductive form of a beautiful woman (à la Helen of Troy, as summoned by Faust). It's a story that merges our spiritual fears with our technological ones, playing on the legacy of Terminator's Skynet as as much as that of Goethe and Marlowe.
What's really unique about Brookes' story is two things. First, he tells the story from the Devil's perspective, putting the emphasis on acquiring souls as opposed to selling them. Second, as part of that perspective shift, he makes the story about the Devil's attempts to ensure its own self-preservation, as opposed to a Faust-figure selling his soul for eternal life. That's not to say the Faust element is lost, however. We actually get multiple Faust-figures here, each of whom is willing promise a favor in the future in order to attain immediate riches and rewards. That's the human element of the tale, and it's where readers can most directly engage and identify.
Personally, I would have liked more detail on the sins of the Devil's victims, but there is something to be said for leaving it to the reader's imagination. There's a definite sort of X-Files vibe to the tale as well, with the Scully & Mulder pairing of Morton & Mitchell trying to solve the Devil's viral puzzle while investigating the crimes of the various Faust-figures, but they don't really come into their own until the second half of the tale.
Overall, Faust 2.0 is an interesting tale, well-told, with some really inventive twists - well-worth the read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Given that long history, readers can be excused for wondering if there's really anything new to be done with the story, but Michael Brookes deserves some credit for not only successfully reinventing Faust for the 21st century, but for adding something relevant to the tale with Faust 2.0.
In Brookes' story, the Devil is a spontaneously created, self-aware, self-directed artificial intelligence. It has consumed the entire history of humanity through the internet and social media, has decided that it finds the idea of Hell exceptionally appealing, and sees itself as a necessary sort of digital Devil, taking on the seductive form of a beautiful woman (à la Helen of Troy, as summoned by Faust). It's a story that merges our spiritual fears with our technological ones, playing on the legacy of Terminator's Skynet as as much as that of Goethe and Marlowe.
What's really unique about Brookes' story is two things. First, he tells the story from the Devil's perspective, putting the emphasis on acquiring souls as opposed to selling them. Second, as part of that perspective shift, he makes the story about the Devil's attempts to ensure its own self-preservation, as opposed to a Faust-figure selling his soul for eternal life. That's not to say the Faust element is lost, however. We actually get multiple Faust-figures here, each of whom is willing promise a favor in the future in order to attain immediate riches and rewards. That's the human element of the tale, and it's where readers can most directly engage and identify.
Personally, I would have liked more detail on the sins of the Devil's victims, but there is something to be said for leaving it to the reader's imagination. There's a definite sort of X-Files vibe to the tale as well, with the Scully & Mulder pairing of Morton & Mitchell trying to solve the Devil's viral puzzle while investigating the crimes of the various Faust-figures, but they don't really come into their own until the second half of the tale.
Overall, Faust 2.0 is an interesting tale, well-told, with some really inventive twists - well-worth the read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
liedora's review
4.0
This is the first book in the Morton and Mitchell series, and if you are overly sensitive or find reading about real news issues translated into fiction, you may want to give this novel a pass. . Also if you are a firm believer that all the ills of the world are committed by people who play video/online games and read ‘the wrong kind of book’ you may want to consider not picking this up.
The character developments in this novel are phenomenal; starting with the ‘birth’ of the entity mentioned in the book synopsis above, each of the characters we are introduced too, for however briefly they remain in play, are given depth and traits that draw the reader in and make them want to keep reading. The female protagonist is likeable and easily connected to; we see her written in such a manner that her addiction to her work at the cost of her private life is all too painfully familiar. We are allowed, through the words of the Author to see her strengths, tenacity and weaknesses; and weakness of the characters is a large part of what this novel is. Not just the low-end of society, the criminals and those of low intelligence, but the high society people and all points in-between. Each of the characters has their innermost wishes exposed to the reader in an impeccable and flawless manner, making this so much more than a good cyber-mystery, it becomes an almost voyeuristic look, through the characters eyes, into a society that is quickly becoming fuelled by a ‘something for nothing’ mentality. Despite some of the novels ‘players’ only being on centre stage for a few pages, their personality and reasoning are exposed for all to see and even when they are no longer a focal point, they are linked seamlessly with the others. Each of the characters featured throughout the book are unique in their own way regardless of age and, it is this that makes the actions of the entity seem just that little bit more treacherous.
A lot of the storyline for this book is centred on computers and the computer world, bringing to the fore our increasing dependence on these machines. In parts this book made me shudder at the thought of how easily even the most secure networks could be breached, and are we really that far away from the future depicted in ‘I, Robot’ by Isaac Asimov or even the SkyNet system we see in the ‘Terminator’ movies. However, do not pass this novel by if you are ‘into’ computers, regardless of whether you only use them for work or are a full-blown professional computer programmer, or hacker, this book is easily digestible and believable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, sci-fi and even horror genres, however due to a certain section of the book; I would not recommend it to anyone under a college age reading comprehension.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/review-faust-2-0-morton-mitchell-1-michael-brookes/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
The character developments in this novel are phenomenal; starting with the ‘birth’ of the entity mentioned in the book synopsis above, each of the characters we are introduced too, for however briefly they remain in play, are given depth and traits that draw the reader in and make them want to keep reading. The female protagonist is likeable and easily connected to; we see her written in such a manner that her addiction to her work at the cost of her private life is all too painfully familiar. We are allowed, through the words of the Author to see her strengths, tenacity and weaknesses; and weakness of the characters is a large part of what this novel is. Not just the low-end of society, the criminals and those of low intelligence, but the high society people and all points in-between. Each of the characters has their innermost wishes exposed to the reader in an impeccable and flawless manner, making this so much more than a good cyber-mystery, it becomes an almost voyeuristic look, through the characters eyes, into a society that is quickly becoming fuelled by a ‘something for nothing’ mentality. Despite some of the novels ‘players’ only being on centre stage for a few pages, their personality and reasoning are exposed for all to see and even when they are no longer a focal point, they are linked seamlessly with the others. Each of the characters featured throughout the book are unique in their own way regardless of age and, it is this that makes the actions of the entity seem just that little bit more treacherous.
A lot of the storyline for this book is centred on computers and the computer world, bringing to the fore our increasing dependence on these machines. In parts this book made me shudder at the thought of how easily even the most secure networks could be breached, and are we really that far away from the future depicted in ‘I, Robot’ by Isaac Asimov or even the SkyNet system we see in the ‘Terminator’ movies. However, do not pass this novel by if you are ‘into’ computers, regardless of whether you only use them for work or are a full-blown professional computer programmer, or hacker, this book is easily digestible and believable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, sci-fi and even horror genres, however due to a certain section of the book; I would not recommend it to anyone under a college age reading comprehension.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/review-faust-2-0-morton-mitchell-1-michael-brookes/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
littlesundae's review
5.0
This is the first book in a while which has really got me hooked. I mean, I love reading, and I get into books easily, but this was something else. Morning, noon and night I was reading this book even if I only had time to read a page at a time. This sci-fi novel doesn't constrain itself to the protagonists and shadowy side characters. The introduction of characters to the novel who then self destruct with the help of Misty, the powerful A.I. whose hate for humanity knows no bounds, is a welcome change to the longevity of most characters in novels.
From the first to the last chapter, this book had me under a spell. I loved the first 'birthing' chapter and the way that throughout the novel Brookes' describes Misty's existence in technical terms. I feel like I would have had a better understanding of Misty's point of view if I had a little more knowledge about computers and viruses, but my near non-existent knowledge was enough for me to understand her network based existence. So do not be put off reading this book if you don't know anything about computers. You will still be able to enjoy the story without being a professional computer programmer.
I feel like Brookes takes your basic stock character (the manipulative, dangerous woman or bullied, close to the edge student) and developments them beyond that. Even character's who do not live long in this book have a unique personality, motivation and thoughts. There are no clones, and the range of character's just makes Misty seem more horrific as her reach ranges from drug dealers, students, political candidates and even computer savvy shut-ins.
I found it a little strange that, of all the people in this story, Dan is the one to wonder if Misty is a self aware A.I. Yes, he is a computer guy, so I suppose he would be more familiar with ideas related to computers, the internet and the things that exist inside them, but it just seemed a little... philosophical for Dan. However, I can easily believe that Dan is a character who can grow well beyond his rather pitiful starting point in the novel. While clever, and perhaps even, to some degree, relatable to some people, I found Dan was truly a man-child. I don't find this an attractive feature in men - but let's remember, not all characters are meant to be our dream fantasy. That's why I like Brookes' range of characters; this isn't a story about attractive people doing glamorous things. This is a story about people dealing with something evil and something which most aren't equipped to deal with. It's a story about making deals for things typically regarded as bad - such as money, power or sex.
Sarah, the story's main character, is a likeable guide in the story.Her romance with Reynolds' is a little predictable, but, as a reader, I felt like she deserved it given her history. However, I did guess that Reynolds would be killed off before romance could truly bloom (it's called the 'Morton & Mitchell' series, after all), but I didn't want it to happen. It seems like this is important to the story, however, because without a partner like Reynolds', Dan becomes more likely as a partner for Sarah in the following books.
The bottom line is that this is a book for anyone who likes cyber set, science fiction or mystery novels. The characters are unique and have a real quality about them, even those that don't live long. Brookes' isn't afraid to take character's on a downward journey to hell from which there is no saving. For that reason the title reference to Faust is well earned. This novel is a must read for those who like their character's realistic and flawed.
From the first to the last chapter, this book had me under a spell. I loved the first 'birthing' chapter and the way that throughout the novel Brookes' describes Misty's existence in technical terms. I feel like I would have had a better understanding of Misty's point of view if I had a little more knowledge about computers and viruses, but my near non-existent knowledge was enough for me to understand her network based existence. So do not be put off reading this book if you don't know anything about computers. You will still be able to enjoy the story without being a professional computer programmer.
I feel like Brookes takes your basic stock character (the manipulative, dangerous woman or bullied, close to the edge student) and developments them beyond that. Even character's who do not live long in this book have a unique personality, motivation and thoughts. There are no clones, and the range of character's just makes Misty seem more horrific as her reach ranges from drug dealers, students, political candidates and even computer savvy shut-ins.
I found it a little strange that, of all the people in this story, Dan is the one to wonder if Misty is a self aware A.I. Yes, he is a computer guy, so I suppose he would be more familiar with ideas related to computers, the internet and the things that exist inside them, but it just seemed a little... philosophical for Dan. However, I can easily believe that Dan is a character who can grow well beyond his rather pitiful starting point in the novel. While clever, and perhaps even, to some degree, relatable to some people, I found Dan was truly a man-child. I don't find this an attractive feature in men - but let's remember, not all characters are meant to be our dream fantasy. That's why I like Brookes' range of characters; this isn't a story about attractive people doing glamorous things. This is a story about people dealing with something evil and something which most aren't equipped to deal with. It's a story about making deals for things typically regarded as bad - such as money, power or sex.
Sarah, the story's main character, is a likeable guide in the story.
The bottom line is that this is a book for anyone who likes cyber set, science fiction or mystery novels. The characters are unique and have a real quality about them, even those that don't live long. Brookes' isn't afraid to take character's on a downward journey to hell from which there is no saving. For that reason the title reference to Faust is well earned. This novel is a must read for those who like their character's realistic and flawed.
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