≡ Read Free Faust 20 Morton Mitchell Book 1 eBook Michael Brookes

Faust 20 Morton Mitchell Book 1 eBook Michael Brookes

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Faust 20 Morton Mitchell Book 1 eBook Michael Brookes

Michael Brookes' Faust 2.0 tells of an entity that comes to life inside the giant web that connects all of humanity's computers. Is it a newly-born Artificial Intelligence, or is it an even more ancient, malevolent entity? Either way, among it's first conscious thoughts is a realization that it hates humans, although the reasons for this hatred are not as clearly explained as they could be. The idea of intelligent computers turning against their human creators is certainly not new in fiction, but Brookes manages to keep the story fresh. He does this by getting the entity to work through various people who are weak-willed or lonely or greedy. Like the original Dr. Faustus, these sad souls are happy to make deals with this demon in order to be granted some otherwise unattainable wish, only to discover the true cost to themselves when it's too late. Often the entity (which goes by the jarringly cutesy name of Misty!) just wishes to exercise its hatred of the weak human race by getting its minions to hurt others or themselves. The lead detectives, Sarah Mitchell and James Reynolds, are smart and likable. Their on-line chase of the entity is described in enough detail to sound realistic, without becoming so bogged down in techno-babble that it loses the reader. But Brookes' greatest success is in his descriptions of those who accept to do the entity's bidding. These characters are not particularly likable; they are often selfish and filled with loathing for their fellow man. (There is one young loser who is willing to commit a particularly horrific act of vengeance under the entity's guidance that many readers may find disturbing.) However, these willing slaves are realistically drawn, warts and all, and so their actions never descend to the level of a cartoonish revenge fantasy, but come across as frighteningly real. If the entity's reasons for hating humans are somewhat glossed over, its human slaves all have specific and well-defined axes to grind. Using them in the story adds another, more human, layer to the dangers facing the detectives as well as the public in general than if the entity simply battled mankind through computers. Over-all, this book is a compelling thriller, which also serves as a warning about letting computers play too big a role in our lives. I definitely recommend it.


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Faust 20 Morton Mitchell Book 1 eBook Michael Brookes Reviews

Faust 2.0 (Morton & Mitchell #1) by Michael Brookes

A beautiful avatar grants wishes for people through the internet, but what is her intent? What happens if your wish will come true ? Sarah Mitchell is set on uncovering the truth and to stop the avatar before it is too late.

A fast paced nail biter that kept me up late into the night. I would love to read more in this series. I also must admit, the cover really caught my eye.
This is the first book in the series Mitchell & Morton by Michael Brookes. The story is based on a really interesting premise, that is realistically portrayed by the author.
The characters are interesting and well defined. Maybe the main character, Sarah, in a few instances falls in Hollywood stereotypes; however they don't stand out breaking the flow of the book. It is the first book, so hopefully we will get to know Sarah better on the next installment and the mysterious Morton.
The secondary characters are interesting as well, which is always a welcome detail (that doesn't happen that often in modern literature, actually).
The nemesis in the story is great. I really liked and looked forward reading more chapters about her/it.
All in all, it's a fast paced thriller, that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This was an interesting take on emergent intelligence with an AI with decidedly antisocial (demonic in fact) tendencies being spawned on the internet. And with the limitations of current technology forcing the AI to have to resort to bargaining with the people to reach its goals the connection to the name 'Faust' in the title is well deserved.

Pro The computing references used in the story and the way the technology was used by both sides equally gave the story a strong air of authority, especially for this reader who is knowledgeable about the industry. I also appreciated the way that the antagonist lost in the end because it didn't understand human nature properly.

Cons I thought the AI was a little too human-like with some very human limitations. Now, there could very well be reasons for this as part of the overall series arc, but there was a little too much anthropomorphism for my tastes.

This book is listed at the first book in a series titled 'Morton & Mitchell'. To me this is the most intriguing aspect of the book. The role of the Mitchell character is obvious throughout the book, however, the role of the Morton character is very ambiguous, which is a strong incentive to pick up the next book just to find out what the heck is going on with Morton.

Overall an enjoyable read. People without some sort of knowledge of computing might find some of the technical references hard going.
An interesting, modern take on an ancient tale. I often imagine that the computer equipment I deal with on a daily basis is possessed by a woman with a bad case of PMS, so I, personally, found the fact that the internet demon within these pages had adopted a female persona to be quite satisfying. And for those of us already leery of advanced technology, the premise behind this story is absolutely frightening.

Brookes proves his talent by weaving a multifarious web of mystery, suspense, and terror, peopled with a strong cast of diverse characters. Lust, greed, and power play a pivotal role among them, yet, to my relief, I didn't find the characters to be highly stereotypical. I think a more evolved romantic element between Sarah and James would've bolstered Sarah's impetus near the end. It seemed a bit shallow. And, while I do not understand much of the technological jargon or schematics, I would have liked to have seen a more complex battle between Sarah and the demon, for their final conflict appeared to be over nearly as quickly as it had begun.

Overall, a very well-written, compelling read, complete with a dangling carrot that promises us, "it ain't over yet!"
Michael Brookes' Faust 2.0 tells of an entity that comes to life inside the giant web that connects all of humanity's computers. Is it a newly-born Artificial Intelligence, or is it an even more ancient, malevolent entity? Either way, among it's first conscious thoughts is a realization that it hates humans, although the reasons for this hatred are not as clearly explained as they could be. The idea of intelligent computers turning against their human creators is certainly not new in fiction, but Brookes manages to keep the story fresh. He does this by getting the entity to work through various people who are weak-willed or lonely or greedy. Like the original Dr. Faustus, these sad souls are happy to make deals with this demon in order to be granted some otherwise unattainable wish, only to discover the true cost to themselves when it's too late. Often the entity (which goes by the jarringly cutesy name of Misty!) just wishes to exercise its hatred of the weak human race by getting its minions to hurt others or themselves. The lead detectives, Sarah Mitchell and James Reynolds, are smart and likable. Their on-line chase of the entity is described in enough detail to sound realistic, without becoming so bogged down in techno-babble that it loses the reader. But Brookes' greatest success is in his descriptions of those who accept to do the entity's bidding. These characters are not particularly likable; they are often selfish and filled with loathing for their fellow man. (There is one young loser who is willing to commit a particularly horrific act of vengeance under the entity's guidance that many readers may find disturbing.) However, these willing slaves are realistically drawn, warts and all, and so their actions never descend to the level of a cartoonish revenge fantasy, but come across as frighteningly real. If the entity's reasons for hating humans are somewhat glossed over, its human slaves all have specific and well-defined axes to grind. Using them in the story adds another, more human, layer to the dangers facing the detectives as well as the public in general than if the entity simply battled mankind through computers. Over-all, this book is a compelling thriller, which also serves as a warning about letting computers play too big a role in our lives. I definitely recommend it.