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manx's review against another edition
3.0
This book had two things that really bugged me, 1. The author has a certain fondness with curse words that I don't like. 2. Writing in 1st person present. That being said, the storyline of amped I thought was very compelling and believable. It was adventurous and kept me turning the pages despite my pet peeve about the writing style which to be fair was done well enough that it was not a hindrance to the story. Overall a good read for someone looking for an action adventure with some plot twists and turns.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
In the not-so-distant future, the United States is on the brink of a crisis. The Supreme Court has ruled that discrimination against technologically advanced humans is legal. The logic is that the "amps" have unfair advantages over "real humans," so they aren't protected with all the rights that regular citizens are. For the millions of amps across the country, this is a disaster. Their special abilities vary, but many have the chips in their brains for purely medical reasons. Twenty-nine-year-old schoolteacher Owen is included in that group. He received his chip as a preteen to cure his epilepsy, and it serves no other purpose. That's what he thinks, anyway. But as tensions rise between amps and those who fear them, Owen learns that his father, a doctor, put a special amp in his brain. An amp that gives him powers like no one has ever seen. Problem is, Owen has no idea how to control these powers, much less use them to help others like him. And, as it turns out, there is more going on behind the scenes of the impending civil war, and both sides have their targets set on Owen.
This is one of those science fiction stories that actually seems conceivable. There are plenty of parallels between this story and things that have already happened plenty of times throughout history. Human beings have shown that we can be incredibly paranoid. Fear makes people, even big groups of people, do terrible things. So it's not hard to imagine the events of "Amped" happening in real life. Although I think things wouldn't escalate as quickly as they did in the story, I was okay everything moving quickly for the purposes of the book. I got sucked in right away and the nonstop action made it hard to put down. I thought it was predictable at first, but then there were a few twists thrown in that I totally didn't see coming. My only complaint is that I wanted better, more clear descriptions of what was happening inside Owen's head when the amp was turned on. I had trouble picturing what was actually going on. Overall, though, this is an entertaining story that will appeal to all kinds of fans of speculative fiction.
This is one of those science fiction stories that actually seems conceivable. There are plenty of parallels between this story and things that have already happened plenty of times throughout history. Human beings have shown that we can be incredibly paranoid. Fear makes people, even big groups of people, do terrible things. So it's not hard to imagine the events of "Amped" happening in real life. Although I think things wouldn't escalate as quickly as they did in the story, I was okay everything moving quickly for the purposes of the book. I got sucked in right away and the nonstop action made it hard to put down. I thought it was predictable at first, but then there were a few twists thrown in that I totally didn't see coming. My only complaint is that I wanted better, more clear descriptions of what was happening inside Owen's head when the amp was turned on. I had trouble picturing what was actually going on. Overall, though, this is an entertaining story that will appeal to all kinds of fans of speculative fiction.
maggiebook's review against another edition
4.0
Quite a fan of Daniel H Wilson books since I first read The Clockwork Dynasty. His examination of what makes a human a human is always so interesting. This book doesn't disappoint.
The story is well thought out and progresses quickly. The issues include prejudices, political corruption and mob mentality which are sadly very believable as we look at current issues we face in 2020.
Character development is done via actions and reactions. The story is told from a single POV so there is little character background which makes it difficult to find the motivation for some character's actions. It didn't distract from the story but those who like fully developed characters might find it lacking.
I liked this book and would recommend it. This is the fourth book I have read from him and would rank it 4th behind The Clockwork Dynasty, Robopocalypse, and Robogensis.
The story is well thought out and progresses quickly. The issues include prejudices, political corruption and mob mentality which are sadly very believable as we look at current issues we face in 2020.
Character development is done via actions and reactions. The story is told from a single POV so there is little character background which makes it difficult to find the motivation for some character's actions. It didn't distract from the story but those who like fully developed characters might find it lacking.
I liked this book and would recommend it. This is the fourth book I have read from him and would rank it 4th behind The Clockwork Dynasty, Robopocalypse, and Robogensis.
miss_majuu's review against another edition
1.0
This one star is for the setting and social commentary this books provides. It was the only reason I kept going and didn't dnf this.
Everything else was absolutely horrible:
The characters (especially the main one) were insufferable cart board cutouts. The big plot twist was so obvious you could see it coming after reading the synopsis.
Somehow we could also fit in a awful romance and drama due to miscommunication (in under 300 pages)
Also side note, of the over 15 characters that had some kind of powerful position literally none were a woman? In addition to that they always had to "be protected" and "be carefully there are woman over here so don't start a fight". That just left a weird taste in my mouth.
Everything else was absolutely horrible:
The characters (especially the main one) were insufferable cart board cutouts. The big plot twist was so obvious you could see it coming after reading the synopsis.
Somehow we could also fit in a awful romance and drama due to miscommunication (in under 300 pages)
Also side note, of the over 15 characters that had some kind of powerful position literally none were a woman? In addition to that they always had to "be protected" and "be carefully there are woman over here so don't start a fight". That just left a weird taste in my mouth.
roboghostworld's review against another edition
2.0
This book suffered by not following in the steps of robopoclypse and having more then one protagonist. As a result the world feels unexplored and many viewpoints that whould of been fasinating dont see the light. This leaves the book just being ok.
ptothelo's review against another edition
3.0
The politics of it is interesting but the ending is unsatisfactory
frodo_wesseling's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
un1dent1f1ed's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
cathybruce208's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this book was okay, a great idea but not a great story. Owen is an Amp-- a human with an implant that controls his epilepsy. But he's actually more. And he's not alone. There are thousands, maybe millions, around the world. They're stronger, smarter and faster than ordinary humans. When the Supreme Court decides that Amps don't have any rights, the main conflict begins.
This book wanted to talk about Big Issues: what makes us human? How should we use technology? Who decides? But the characters have no depth and the bad guys might as well be wearing jackboots. Owen, in particular, is a cipher. The action is good and the science is convincing, but I found myself hungering for more detail.
There are some ridiculous inconsistencies. There are cameras everywhere, but no one spots Owen. The head of the EM group near Eden is a beer swilling yahoo -- and also the local sheriff. Joseph Vaugn, the senator who is one of the big baddies had a daughter who underwent voluntary implantation and died, but no one seems to know that. Really? And other silliness.
Still, it's a quick read and makes you think.
This book wanted to talk about Big Issues: what makes us human? How should we use technology? Who decides? But the characters have no depth and the bad guys might as well be wearing jackboots. Owen, in particular, is a cipher. The action is good and the science is convincing, but I found myself hungering for more detail.
There are some ridiculous inconsistencies. There are cameras everywhere, but no one spots Owen. The head of the EM group near Eden is a beer swilling yahoo -- and also the local sheriff. Joseph Vaugn, the senator who is one of the big baddies had a daughter who underwent voluntary implantation and died, but no one seems to know that. Really? And other silliness.
Still, it's a quick read and makes you think.