Amped

Jun 26, 2012 Tristax rated it 2 of 5 stars

Amped is the latest offering from Portland, Oregon's best selling author Daniel H. Wilson. DHW is most known for his previous works "How to Survive a Robot Uprising" and "Robopacalypse". Neither of which this reviewer has read.

Meet Owen Gray; schoolteacher, former epileptic, son of an implant doctor, implantee. In short, he's an amp. A growing class of citizens who for one reason or another has had a medical implant surgically placed into their brains. Amps are conveniently...errr...easily iden...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amped by Daniel H Wilson

A Neural Autofocus MK-4 Brain Implant has been placed into a portion of the populations temple. These implants help control some medical deficiencies and disabilities such as seizures and learning impairments. Along with the success comes experimentation. One happens to be a military chip instilled into a dozen humans which increases strength, intelligence, and agility. A movement begins when "normal" humans no longer feel comfortable living among the altered which are no...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Brenda Fryland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thrilled to have an Amped ARC. Started it this morning, wrote lesson plans all afternoon, and finished off friday night by devouring the rest of the book!

SciFi/Dystopia fans will enjoy this book -- I sure did! I'm feeling a little Orson Scott Card, Empire, similarity. Hints of Terminator and Matrix. The Senator MUST have been modeled after Rick Santorum...

So far, the story and writing is simpler than in Robopocalypse, but beautiful in its simplicity. The character doesn't seem quite fully develo...more Thrilled to have an Amped ARC. Started it this morning, wrote lesson plans all afternoon, and finished off friday night by devouring the rest of the book!

SciFi/Dystopia fans will enjoy this book -- I sure did! I'm feeling a little Orson Scott Card, Empire, similarity. Hints of Terminator and Matrix. The Senator MUST have been modeled after Rick Santorum...

So far, the story and writing is simpler than in Robopocalypse, but beautiful in its simplicity. The character doesn't seem quite fully developed, but understandly so -- with his "amped" feature, perhaps he isn't quite/just human! The story is riveting from the first moments and it draws you right into the action.

The whole concept of being "amped" is intriguing and uncomfortable. I value intelligence -- but would I value it if artificially enhanced? Would I want it?

A small hole from my perspective -- why no makeup/theatrical cosmetics to cover ports?

I really appreciate the sense of urgency created with the amp consent == three two one do you consent do you consent??? The inserted laws and orders were brilliant -- loved getting that background and really feeling a part of this messed up world created by the author. Adored the ironic personification of the sound of a buzzer -- amusing with people in a way turning to machines, to have a machine be represented with human characteristics.

The author kept me guessing right up to the end. Would the protagonist make it out alive? Whole? Who's the boss? Would Lucy and Nick make it out alive? Any chance for a happiness with the ending, or would it be a warning of things to come? At one point near the end, I was brutally shocked by a scene and my son was actuall worried about me and my reaction. Guess I got a little carried away!

Oh, such beautiful descriptive lines are woven throughout the action, battle, and brutality. Lines like "the memories of that morning are shards of glass, too sharp to sift through" Wow!

Bravo Daniel Wilson! I will most certainly purchase the next book written by this inventive and clever author!(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Kaylabee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Okay. This review will be a little bit...Biased, i suppose is the word.
This is because i believe that Mr. Wilson wrote Amped with teenage boys/men as his target audience.
And i'm a girl.
Not even, like, a nerdy/cool girl.
I mean, i like dresses and make up and ponies.

But here are my thoughts on the book:

Mr. Wilson had a very firm grasp on what he wanted this book to be about. The plotline was very thought-out, and it had those threads that connect to each other later on in the story that make ou go...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Lolly's rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, science-fiction, thriller

I'm having a hard time writing a review for Amped. On the one hand, it's an engrossing look at the human condition. What makes us human? What happens when that definition changes? Will humans ever evolve past their fear of that which is different? While the book may not provide answers to those questions, it does provide a glimpse into a near future when those questions come into play in the most visceral and dramatic of fashions.

The story revolves around an issue which is coming into play even...more I'm having a hard time writing a review for Amped. On the one hand, it's an engrossing look at the human condition. What makes us human? What happens when that definition changes? Will humans ever evolve past their fear of that which is different? While the book may not provide answers to those questions, it does provide a glimpse into a near future when those questions come into play in the most visceral and dramatic of fashions.

The story revolves around an issue which is coming into play even today: Implants. With mechanical parts in our bodies, taking the place of our hearts, our limbs, can we still consider ourselves human beings? How far can we go in replacing our parts with machines before we stop being human? In this near-future scenario, Wilson tells the story of amplified humans, persons with a brain implant known as a Neural Autofocus, placed there to help control any number of issues from seizures and degenerative neurological diseases, to learning disabilities and psychological disorders. This implant, though, is more than just a computer chip plunked into the brain; it burrows into the brain, into the body, into every system, continually learning how to interact with the human into which it was placed, continually improving that human. Simply turning it off or removing isn't an option, because the network the implant has created remains. These amplified humans, or “amps,” are identified by the maintenance ports on their temples and find themselves easy targets of prejudice due to the fear their amplified state engenders, and eventually come under fire from conservative groups, looked upon as something beyond human and therefore beyond human law. Bit by bit, rights are taken away until amps find themselves without identity, without protection. In scenes reminiscent of the degradation of Jews in the lead-up to WWII, Wilson depicts amps losing their homes, their families, their rights, even their lives, as their ability to exist is eroded, unalienable right by unalienable right. Soon, lines are drawn between “reggies,” non-implanted humans, and “amps” in a war which will define the next stage of human evolution. Wilson paints a compelling picture of the fear, the mistrust, the anger and hostility generated by non-implanted humans towards amps. After all, amps are smarter, faster, basically an improved version of humanity. Implanted children outperform regular children in school--talk about skewing the Bell curve!--implanted adults can perform jobs the non-implanted can't--which is just an amplified (hardy har har) version of the current argument towards immigrants. In fact, the whole novel is just a slightly altered portrayal of what we're arguing about today concerning technology and humanity. And it's a very convincing imagining of how quickly this argument can degenerate into hate and how ugly the results would be, especially once crooked politics are introduced into the matter.

On the other hand, while the book contains many satisfying action scenes, and moments of tension and drama, it's a lightweight when it comes to character depth and motivation. The leading man, Owen is so nondescript, when other characters say his name, I'm startled because I've forgotten that that's what he's called. Owen is a sympathetic leading man, trying to do his best while navigating the world which Wilson has created, but all the same he's rather blah. There's a romance thrown in involving Owen which has a slapdash, last minute feel to it, and other than the fact that Lucy Crosby, the woman Owen falls in love with, has the classic “She struck me dumb with her beauty” appearance, there's no real explanation for why we should believe these two belong together. It doesn't help that Lucy is little more than a cardboard cutout, a place holder, a stock female character from fiction plot Template A. There's some story that Lyle Crosby, Lucy's brother and the ringleader of amp rebellion, (view spoiler) throws Lucy into Owen's path simply to get a feel for how malleable Owen will be and how useful to Lyle's plans. Yet, as with the relationship between Owen and Lucy, this subterfuge is just kind of passed over. In fact, aside from the very vocal “bad guy,” Senator Joseph Vaughn, and the actual, behind-the-scenes bad guy (who becomes apparent early on in the novel), we don't really get a sense of who any of the characters are, what drives them, why we should care about what they do and what they think. And even with the "bad guys," their motivations are rather shallow. The only two characters who were well-drawn, having a bit of depth and likability to them, were Jim, a rather taciturn old man who is rather like the Obi-Wan Kenobi of Eden, Oklahoma, a refuge for Owen as well as other displaced amps, and Nick, an amped child who follows Owen around like a slightly off-kilter puppy, clicking away at his Rubik's Cube in unconscious movements.

Yet, I will say this, Owen's very "everyman" nature helps drive the point of this book home. Because, while Amped is certainly about what makes us human, the overwhelming issue is what we do with our humanity, with or without amplification. Lyle, the yang to Owen's yin, the two men opposite sides of the same coin, gives in to his implant, reveling in the change it brings to his humanity and looks upon it as the next step in human evolution. Yet by letting the machinery control him, Lyle loses something elementarily human: freedom of choice. Owen continually fights his implant, recognizing it as a tool which can and should be controlled, to be used at his discretion. Ultimately making Owen the greater evolved human of the two. Which means, at the end of the day, despite the book's faults, it's still an entertaining, thought-provoking, and enthralling read.

See more of my reviews at: http://lollyslibrary.blogspot.com/(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Steve Lowe rated it 3 of 5 stars

I dug the tech but didn't give a shit about the main character, or really any of the characters at all. Wilson tries hard to show us how frightening technology without humanity behind it can be, but he forgot to give us compelling humans. Maybe he just prefers writing about robots.

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Sep 14, 2012 Jared rated it 2 of 5 stars

Daniel Wilson has a background in robotics, and that is blatantly clear from the book. His descriptions of technology (particularly of the "amp") are very plausible--so Wilson deserves credit as a futurist. I also give him credit for imagining what impact technology can have on society (fear, alienation, social disparity, etc.). But he is not a good author--and that becomes painfully obvious as you slog your way through the book.

My criticisms:

(view spoiler)...more Daniel Wilson has a background in robotics, and that is blatantly clear from the book. His descriptions of technology (particularly of the "amp") are very plausible--so Wilson deserves credit as a futurist. I also give him credit for imagining what impact technology can have on society (fear, alienation, social disparity, etc.). But he is not a good author--and that becomes painfully obvious as you slog your way through the book.

My criticisms:

(view spoiler)[1. The protagonist, Owen, is extremely annoying. His intelligence is mediocre at best, and he's naive and gullible. He's also pacifistic to a fault, so when he gets into violent confrontations he's incredibly inept (like when he's being chased by Billy and runs into Lucy's trailer). The Zenith is supposed to make him a cold-blooded killer, but instead he's melodramatic and whiny and stupid. It would be like having a ninja who's crying and scared. Not very impressive.

2. Wilson builds up the different "levels" of the Zenith like they're something to be afraid of: i.e., You have to give yourself over to the Zenith at risk of losing yourself. But we never see this in the book. Owen never comes out of it feeling hungover and scared about what he just did. There's no angst. So, without that, the reader's left a little bewildered: i.e., "Why doesn't Owen just go to Level 5 and be done with it?"

3. The Zenith levels don't seem that different from each other until he gets to Level 5--which is very anticlimactic. (Side note: It's also underwhelming when Owen gets his @#$ kicked while under the Zenith's power.)

4. Wilson presents this near-future America as being very similar to ours except for these few amped people...but then he keeps destroying this image by adding other technological oddities throughout the book, like biomech suits and genetically-modified people. So you end up thinking: "Why was everyone freaking out about the amp instead of freaking out about these genetic monsters?" and "Why do these local hillbilly cops have biomech suits and yet the future is not more futuristic than this? Where are the T-800s?!?"

5. Wilson's near-future America doesn't behave like a normal America: a senator has the ability to have people arrested and acts like a banana dictator, U.S. marshals allow a paramilitary faction to take people from their custody, etc. So you end up thinking, "This is supposed to be AMERICA, right?"

6. Owen and Lucy's relationship was artificial and forced.

7. And, probably my biggest criticism: Based on how we humans leap at every new technology, I don't understand how only the poor people and a SpecOps military unit ended up with this technology. Where are the wealthy and powerful business leaders and scientists boosting their brain potential? The premise of the book is that an amp makes a dumb person smart and a smart person brilliant. And yet we never meet any brilliant people. Why is that? (hide spoiler)]

Overall, the book is as one reviewer said on Amazon: like eating a rice cake... no real substance.(less)

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Jun 15, 2012 James Alexander rated it 2 of 5 stars

Worth the read.

The story is pretty paint by numbers. This book suffers from the same problems that robopocalypse did. Intimate scenes are traded for larger set pieces and we rush through them to get to the information needed for the next scene. Characters interact a bit unnaturally and nothing is really rooted properly. None of the setups necessarily pay off, they just disappear.

That being said, it is worth the read. The scenes are fun though emotionally empty. It plays like a summer movie wait...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Lisa Eskra rated it 2 of 5 stars

It's a quick read, but it won't be long until you realize it's a story you've heard before...it's sort of like eating a rice cake. No real substance. It struck me as the sort of novel written for the sole purpose of being turned into a movie. Though unlike Robopocalypse, there's nothing remotely fresh about the premise of Amped. In fact, it's like reading a book about superheroes where you don't care about any of the superheroes.

Owen thought he was an ordinary guy who had an implant to control h...more It's a quick read, but it won't be long until you realize it's a story you've heard before...it's sort of like eating a rice cake. No real substance. It struck me as the sort of novel written for the sole purpose of being turned into a movie. Though unlike Robopocalypse, there's nothing remotely fresh about the premise of Amped. In fact, it's like reading a book about superheroes where you don't care about any of the superheroes.

Owen thought he was an ordinary guy who had an implant to control his epilepsy. After Owen's father's research is seized by the FBI, he learns he's not just an amp, he's a ~special snowflake~ super amp. He goes on the run, and thus begins his journey. The plot is fairly predictable and so is the premise. You've seen it in X-Men and every other movie/novel that pits superhumans against normals.

As far as the writing style is concerned, I didn't care for Owen Gray's voice. It's an awkward blend of narration and description, blended in a way that doesn't quite work. Descriptive in the way an author would think so it never jives with Owen's voice. As it's told in first-person point of view, it should've invested me more in his character. Instead, the novel relies heavily on the plot so character development is almost nonexistent, one of Wilson's major shortcomings.

Given the lack of character development, it should come as no surprise that the romance feels contrived. And it makes no sense that Owen somehow is better at combat than guys who were in the special forces. Oh wait, it does -- he's the self-insert Marty Stu protagonist. That would explain why we only ever learn a few things about him.

Chapters aren't framed in the script-like manner Wilson used in Robopocalypse; in Amped, he incorporates news articles for more or less the same effect. Again, it proves to be a crutch for his weak world-building skills. Many are unnecessary, as the information is provided during the story. So they feel like awkward interruptions.

Another failing of the novel is that it doesn't paint a compelling enough argument for the amps. They act like normal humans don't have a right to be upset about smarter/stronger amps replacing them. So from the reader's perspective, it puts them at a disadvantage as far as garnering any sympathy goes. Wilson never overcomes that hurdle so in turn I never found myself rooting for the amps. Especially since many of them aren't nice guys.

There's only one major action scene in the first two parts. It's well written, Wilson really nails the action sequences. But there really needed to be more going for it early on. Some of the chapters are started too far into the scene. The first chapter is guilty of this. Instead of having an investment in what's happening via a good tension build-up, the reader spends more time trying to figure out what's happening and why is it happening.

Part three sets a great pace, and the sprint to the conclusion is fast and gripping. None of the "revelations" are surprising, but for the most part, the climax is satisfying. A little quick and too easy, perhaps, but it's the best part of the book.

Unfortunately, it was too little too late for me. For the most part, the story itself is uninspiring and unoriginal; I didn't think Wilson breathed enough life into it to make it a good novel. While Wilson isn't a bad author by any means, I hardly found Amped to be the "techno-thrill ride" it's advertised to be.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Mal Warwick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Want to Buy a Better Brain? Better Think Twice!

Some of the very best science fiction explores the unintended consequences of breakthroughs in technology, and not those that are merely fanciful but advances that can be seen years ahead by observers of contemporary science. Amped is such a book.

Amped ventures into the near future — sometime around 2030, it seems — to depict American society in upheaval over the brain implants installed in half a million of its least fortunate citizens. The implant...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Cristy rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm always up for a good science fiction ethical quagmire, and I enjoyed Robopocalypse, so Amped seemed like a decent bet. It wasn't until I was 80-some pages in that I recognized something amiss:

Apparently the world of Amped has next to zero women.

I don't usually spend my time calculating the demographic composition of characters in a novel, but Amped was so egregiously male it was impossible not to notice. Because I expect to be accused of exaggerating, I went back through the book page by pa...more

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Jun 26, 2012 kaythetall rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi

Combines the worst aspects of the novelization of a video game and someone trying to bait a movie deal.

Meaningless 'levels' of technology, lousy characters, a transparent 'betrayal' as final crisis. It's kind of amazing this is getting the buzz and sales that it is. Hell, that it got published.

Two great things going for it:

1- It's short. No more than three hours reading.

2- Seriously, one good thing: Wilson intersperses legal language with chapters that move the plot forward but also reflect the...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Joe Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, thriller, technology

Owen Gray is one of thousands of people who are amps, which is a person with a neural implant. For Owen the implant is to control seizures he suffered as a result of an accident he had as a child. Others get the implants to boost intelligence, control ADHD, and overcome autism just to name a few uses. As the number of amps increase, the backlash starts to grow by pure humans who feel they are at a disadvantage. When the Supreme Court rules that amps are not a protected class of people, Owen’s wo...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi, science

Wow. Amped by Daniel H. Wilson is a great and thought-provoking book. It hits the ground running and hardly pauses for breath.

The book opens with a twenty-nine-year-old math teacher perched on the roof of his high school, pleading with one of his students not to jump. It’s some time not too far in the future. Medical implants called amps are in use throughout the world. At first, they were used to control epileptic seizures and artificial limbs. Then a government program brought them to children...more Wow. Amped by Daniel H. Wilson is a great and thought-provoking book. It hits the ground running and hardly pauses for breath.

The book opens with a twenty-nine-year-old math teacher perched on the roof of his high school, pleading with one of his students not to jump. It’s some time not too far in the future. Medical implants called amps are in use throughout the world. At first, they were used to control epileptic seizures and artificial limbs. Then a government program brought them to children and others suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome and low IQs. The amps can assist with medical issues, but Neural Autofocus implants can also amplify intelligence.

The young woman on the roof has an amp and has lost a case before the Supreme Court, which declared that “implanted citizens are not a protected class.” The math teacher has an amp too, but only to control his epilepsy. His amp is only for medical purposes. At least that what he’s been told.

A quasi-religious group called Pure Pride and led by a charismatic senator arises, protesting the use of amps. Members of Echo Squad, a secret military organization with a special class of amps, are suspected of terrorism. Offices are bombed. Medical research is seized. People with amps are herded into ghettos and stripped of their rights.

Scattered throughout the book are fictional court cases referencing real ones (like Brown v. Board of Education), news updates from the BBC, CNN, and various real newspapers, acts of Congress, a recall notice from the Food and Drug Administration, and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. These have the effect of making the book seem like a nonfiction memoir of real events rather than a novel.

Amped feels current and relevant, and it touches on all kinds of societal issues. Although they are not mentioned, Amped will make you think about such issues as U.S. immigration policies, the Catholic Church’s stance on birth control and abortion, and the fight over health care. It will make you remember Oklahoma City and 9/11. And it will make you think about charismatic leaders pushing their own agendas and what personal demons might lay behind their actions.

But don’t let all this talk about heavy issues put you off Amped. It’s a great read, fast-paced and with interesting characters and plenty of plot twists. It will make a great book for discussion, whether at a formal book club or around your dinner table.

There is an added bonus for those who live in Galesburg, Illinois. The book is divided into parts, and each part starts with a quotation from a real person. Part 2 opens with Carl Sandburg’s poem The Hammer.

I read an advance release copy of Amped. It is scheduled to be released on June 5.
(less)

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May 24, 2012 Bob Milne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although I've had a copy of Robopocalypse on my shelf since it was released last year, it never quite made it to the top of my TBR pile. That is an issue I plan to rectify soon, based on the fact that Amped turned out to be one of my favourite reads of 2012.

This is a book that works on two levels - it's both a thoroughly enjoyable adventure and a deeply thoughtful look at class warfare and social prejudice. Wilson has previously been compared favourably to Michael Crichton, and based on this, I...more Although I've had a copy of Robopocalypse on my shelf since it was released last year, it never quite made it to the top of my TBR pile. That is an issue I plan to rectify soon, based on the fact that Amped turned out to be one of my favourite reads of 2012.

This is a book that works on two levels - it's both a thoroughly enjoyable adventure and a deeply thoughtful look at class warfare and social prejudice. Wilson has previously been compared favourably to Michael Crichton, and based on this, I can definitely say the comparison is warranted. Both gentlemen know how to spin a yarn that pairs scientific and technical concepts with philosophical and political ideals, all without boring the reader or coming across as preachy.

The science here is fascinating, a minor tweak to humanity designed to correct our flaws and failings. Originally intended to heal, the very first implants allowed the blind to see and the deaf to hear; it gave epileptics control over their seizures; it enabled children with birth defects or mental impairments to function 'normally'; and, when paired with some mechanical enhancements, it allowed the physically disabled to walk. However, the bio-mechanical implants have an interesting side-effect, enhancing other abilities along the way. Suddenly, amped children are not only functioning normally, but are proving to be super-intelligent; and amped adults are not only moving as if they'd never lost a limb or use of their body, but are proving to be super-strong and super-fast.

It doesn't take long before significant divides begin to form in society. with 'normal' humans feeling left behind, fearing a future in which they cannot compete. As the story begins, the Supreme Court has ruled that amped individuals are no longer human . . . no longer protected from harassment or discrimination . . . and no longer able to enter into contracts, own property, or have any legal standing. Bolstered by the hate-mongering of the Pure Human Citizens Council, society has turned on its amped neighbours, confining them to slums and trailer parks, just waiting for an excuse to exterminate them all.

Against that backdrop we have the story of one man, implanted as a child, who is only beginning to comprehend the extent of his abilities. As someone who never really considered himself to be fully amped, Owen acts as an intermediary for the reader, allowing us to truly appreciate what society has come to. As he explores his potential - and, ultimately, his choice to either preserve or destroy - we also get to explore what it means to be human, and what it means to be amped.

Surrounding Owen are some strong supporting characters, but if there's one failing it's that almost all of those characters are amped. Normal humans are not portrayed positively at all (with one notable exception), presenting a rather one-sided view of the conflict. Much of that is due to Owen being the narrator, and it does help to drive home the message of how quickly and how thoroughly we can latch onto our differences and use them as excuses to hate one another, but it does make for a rather bleak and hopeless tale.

The story moves a long at a brisk pace, with some big budget action scenes near the end that really work well. There are also a few interesting twists along the way, and even if I suspected the biggest one about halfway through, the way it played out was more than satisfactory. An all-around great summer read, Amped is a story that will open your eyes as it entertains you, and really make you think about how little it would take to turn us against one another.

Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins(less)

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Apr 27, 2012 Matty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

Don't take my 4 star rating of this book deter you from reading it. I had a really hard time deciding whether or not to give it a 5 star rating. Ultimately, I did decide to give it 4 stars but for personal reasons, and what I think a book should offer.

And now onto the review!

I loved this book! After receiving the ARC for Robopocalypse and devouring it, I was absolutely thrilled to get the ARC of Amped! In fact, I started it only 3 hours ago! I blew through this novel like a true "amp". It's a s...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Robopocalypse was one of the best books that I've read in a long time, so when I learned that Daniel H. Wilson recently released a new one, I was very excited. After listening to the author speak on a panel of dystopian fiction writers at Comic-Con, it shot to the top of my book list.

Amped is about a near future society in which people with disabilities are given technological aids to help them overcome their disabilities. These aids, or "amps" as they are called, range from exo-skeletons for p...more Robopocalypse was one of the best books that I've read in a long time, so when I learned that Daniel H. Wilson recently released a new one, I was very excited. After listening to the author speak on a panel of dystopian fiction writers at Comic-Con, it shot to the top of my book list.

Amped is about a near future society in which people with disabilities are given technological aids to help them overcome their disabilities. These aids, or "amps" as they are called, range from exo-skeletons for paraplegics to small chips inserted into the brain to stave off mental disabilities. After a series of legislative disputes, people with these enhancements are eventually considered "inhuman" and therefore lose all of their constitutional rights. Our protagonist is Owen Gray, a high school English teacher who has an implant to regulate his epilepsy. The story revolves around his reaction a world that is becoming rapidly more hostile towards him. As the story develops, it turns out that Gray's implant may be capable of more than just preventing seizures, possibly by allowing him to become a full on killing machine.

Wilson is a cinematic writer. Each chapter is easy to visualize as a motion picture, and it helps drive the urgency of the action forward. Also, being a cinematic writer doesn't necessarily mean that he skimps on good prose. Wilson has a unique way with words, and he adds just enough vivid descriptions to trigger the reader's own imagination. Each chapter also began with a newspaper article or a government document that set the stage for new events, which gave the story a real sense of national catastrophe.

The areas that fall short have to do with character interactions. There was a love story jammed in there, but it felt very obligatory and forced. I didn't really get the sense that there was a connection between the two. The "twist" ending also felt obligatory--much reminiscent of a sub-par M. Night Shyamalan film (of which there are several).

That being said, it's a great book that explores a future that is entirely plausible, as well as important themes of disability, discrimination and the definition of a human being. Plus, having a protagonist that is an English teacher is a plus, because English teachers kick all manner of ass.(less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Craig DiLouie rated it 3 of 5 stars

In AMPED, a technology thriller set in the near future by Daniel H. Wilson, the author of ROBOPOCALYPSE, people are implanted with technology that makes them superhuman. The Supreme Court rules these amplified humans, or amps, are not a special class and therefore should not receive special consideration under the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, the amps–mostly poor people and people with disabilities given a step up via a special government program–become persecuted. But some amps will fight...more In AMPED, a technology thriller set in the near future by Daniel H. Wilson, the author of ROBOPOCALYPSE, people are implanted with technology that makes them superhuman. The Supreme Court rules these amplified humans, or amps, are not a special class and therefore should not receive special consideration under the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, the amps–mostly poor people and people with disabilities given a step up via a special government program–become persecuted. But some amps will fight back. Our hero, Owen Grey, must decide which side he’s on, and learn the secret of the special technology his father implanted in his brain.

As with ROBOPOCALYPSE, it’s a light fun read, ideal for summer reading on a lawn chair or at the beach. And as with his earlier work, AMPED felt like I’d already read it somewhere before (there are even heavy shades of FIGHT CLUB here), but Wilson makes the reluctant-hero plot and some of its well-worn twists and devices his own with a few innovations. Wilson is also clearly improving as a writer. He tells his story well.

The biggest problem I had with the book was its basic premise. The idea the U.S. government would invest in special enhancement technology for its poorest citizens, and that only the poorest citizens would have access to it, struck me as fundamentally absurd. It's something everyone would want, and only few would be able to afford.

What would happen instead is it would be used to advantage the already advantaged. There would be no government support program, no prejudice, no tensions toward civil war. The media would glorify it.

Interestingly, the book raises some interesting legal questions, such as whether an amp, who is ridiculously smart, can make a contract with a "normal," with the answer being no (as the mentally retarded in turn cannot make contracts with others), and yet we have a society where different groups of people already have dramatic advantages over others--because of money, education, genetics and so on.

I also thought it strange the government would help all these people, only to not only deny them rights as a special class, but deny them all rights whatsoever–as American citizens, and, amazingly, as human beings. The book suggested you could kill an amp with impunity. You could at least steal their property and beat them up.

I just couldn’t buy the premise packaged in a plot I've seen before. But again, overall, it was an entertaining read I’d recommend as light fare.(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I went to the library to pickup Wilson's first novel, Robopocalypse. That book wasn't available, but Amped was on the new book shelf so I decided to give it a try.

Amped was a fast paced easy read. The action was fun and the ideas surrounding the effect of the implants on society provided plenty of thought provoking ideas. OTOH, the characters were very weak. There was virtually no back-story on any of the characters. Who were they? Why should I care about them? Why did they make the choices the...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

In near future America, approximately half a million adults and children are amped. One short procedure, one little machine in your head, and you're practically a whole new person. The amps can cure bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, alcoholism, epilepsy. And they aren't just medical. Some of the amps make you faster, smarter. And the regular humans aren't happy about being outclassed. A faction known as Pure Pride, led by Senator Joseph Vaughn, pushes through legislation and legal decisions degradin...more In near future America, approximately half a million adults and children are amped. One short procedure, one little machine in your head, and you're practically a whole new person. The amps can cure bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, alcoholism, epilepsy. And they aren't just medical. Some of the amps make you faster, smarter. And the regular humans aren't happy about being outclassed. A faction known as Pure Pride, led by Senator Joseph Vaughn, pushes through legislation and legal decisions degrading the amps' human rights.

The beginning of AMPED seems extremely unbelievable. Things are happening too fast and people abruptly treat the amps like third-class citizens without even thinking about the behavior. But protagonist Owen repeatedly emphasizes that he was ignoring the political situation. He believed nothing would apply to him, since he had a purely medical implant. But even medical amps face discrimination

Then Owen's father confesses that his amp isn't purely medical. It's something more and he needs to go to Jim in Oklahoma for help. Quickly, because the government knows about Owen's amp and they're going to come for him.

In the Eden Trailer Park of Oklahoma, Owen meets a wide variety of amps and Lucy, the one pure human living among the amps. Most importantly, he meets Lyle, who used to be part of an amped Special Forces Squad. He decides to follow Lyle, despite the fact Lyle is clearly nuts. As a couple of characters point out, Owen ain't the brightest.

There's a philosophical underpinning to AMPED. What makes us human? How far can technology take us and where to we draw the line? But AMPED isn't really interested in exploring those questions. They add some depth to the story, but that isn't the point. AMPED is not a character-driven exploration of existentialism. It's a conspiracy thriller with a science fiction twist.

And as a conspiracy thriller, AMPED delivers. There's lots of action and there's several twists, although most of them are pretty predictable. It's quick, it's fun, and fortunately not dumb. Just don't read it expecting DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?(less)

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Jun 08, 2012 Steven rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Daniel H. Wilson’s latest novel, Amped, gives us a new twist on a familiar theme in science fiction and comics: what if something happened that made one subset of humanity smarter/faster/stronger than the rest? And what happens when those left behind begin to fear the more advance minority? Any fan of Marvel’s X-Men know how the mutants (homo superior) are feared and hated by regular humans. In Amped, the “amps” are hated and feared by the “reggies.”

Wilson’s expertise in technology (he holds a P...more Daniel H. Wilson’s latest novel, Amped, gives us a new twist on a familiar theme in science fiction and comics: what if something happened that made one subset of humanity smarter/faster/stronger than the rest? And what happens when those left behind begin to fear the more advance minority? Any fan of Marvel’s X-Men know how the mutants (homo superior) are feared and hated by regular humans. In Amped, the “amps” are hated and feared by the “reggies.”

Wilson’s expertise in technology (he holds a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University) shows here, just as it did in Robopocalypse, making the tech bits seem extra believable and scarier. He’s obviously spent a lot of time thinking about not only how you would go about creating amped technology, but also its implications for society.

And that’s the focus of Amped: the implications for society when one group is made “better” than the rest. “Better” is a very subjective term to use, because most of the amps started off life with some significant disadvantages in life before they were “uplifted.” Many were born very poor with mental and physical challenges resulting from problems ranging from fetal alcohol syndrome to simple bad luck. The results of their technological uplifting makes them smarter or stronger or faster than normal humans, but they’re still marginalized along socioeconomic power lines.

When normal humans begin to fear and discriminate against amps, those in power (led by a U.S. senator and his cronies), begin to dismantle any legal rights of the amps, stripping away the amps’ “humanity” even as they seek to protect their own. There are obvious parallels to current and past problems in the U.S., especially to the current battle over gay marriage and gay rights.

Some early criticism of the book argues that if the amps were truly so much smarter than reggies, they would have figured a way to fight them in court. But, the reality is that, even though the amps have higher IQs or ability to focus, manipulating the legal system to one’s advantage doesn’t need raw processing power, it also hinges on one’s socioeconomic background and skills and experience. Most of the amps aren’t of the world of legislators and lawyers and politicians; they’re of the world of dusty Oklahoma trailer parks and Detroit slums.

And, on a meta level, a novel about arguing for post-human rights through court battles and drafting legislation just doesn’t sound as exciting as what transpires in Amped, and maybe that’s why Wilson chose to write a book about more visceral kind of “action.” The courtroom drama is a different book than Amped.

I read Amped from start to finish in one day. It's a book that lends itself to binge reading. Like in his previous novel, Robopocalypse, Daniel Wilson jams the accelerator to the floor and doesn't let up until the last smoking page. Though it is a very smart book, it’s not solely an intellectual treatise on the nature of humanity --- it’s a thinking reader’s sci-fi action novel.
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Jun 02, 2012 William Hertling rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, artificial-intelligence

Review of Amped by Daniel H. Wilson.

I don’t like to give away spoilers, and I’m not very good at traditional book reviews, so I’ll just give you the highlights about what I liked about Amped:

While the characters in the novel have a wide range of implants, it’s an intriguing thought that even relatively simple intercessions in how our brain works can have big effects: “an exquisitely timed series of electrical stimulations, gently pushing her mind toward the Beta One wave state...massively amplif...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Doubleday Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi

Technology makes them superhuman. But mere mortals want them kept in their place. The New York Times bestselling author of Robopocalypse creates a stunning, near-future world where technology and humanity clash in surprising ways. The result? The perfect summer blockbuster.

"Owen Gray is an ordinary 29-year-old high school teacher implanted with a medical chip that controls his epilepsy. When the Supreme Court rules that “Amps,” people whose chips give them enhanced abilities, are not a protected...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Joseph rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012-06-june, dystopias, epilepsy, best-of-2012, best-nonseries-fiction

This dystopian novel made me angry, and that's a good thing. It made me angry because it was so believable. This book is about a world where a treatment/cure for conditions like epilepsy, ADHD, autism, blindness, missing limbs, etc. has been created. This treatment/cure is a computer chip that is put into the patient's brain. But this chip not only makes the patient better, it makes them BETTER. By this I mean they can now do things normal humans cannot, they are super-human, they are amplified...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Leah (The Pretty Good Gatsby) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, america, sci-fi-fantasy, for-review-netgalley

http://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress....

Hot on the heels of his wildly successful Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson delivers Amped, another near-future sci-fi thriller. Going into Amped, I had no idea it took ploace in Pittsburgh! That's where I live and I love reading books with my city as the backdrop; I love being able to know exactly where a particular character is, know exactly what building they're looking at or which restaurant they're eating in.

You make a tool to fix a problem, right? But

...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Wicked ♥ (Wickedly Bookish Reviews) aka Bat-Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, arc-or-galley, apocolypse, dystopia, netgalley, pre-release-review, sci-fi, stand-alone, summer-reads

Wickedly Bookish Reviews
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/

“Look at us. Amps. We're morons smarter than Lucifer. Cripples
stronger than gravity. A bunch of broke-ass motherfuckers stinking rich with potential. This is our army. Our people. Strong and hurt. We're the wounded supermen of tomorrow, Gray. It's time you got yourself healed. New world ain't gonna build itself. And the old world don't want to go without a fight.”

Amped takes place in a future America where technology has managed to h...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Matt Moody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't review books on goodreads, I've always figured people don't want to know what I thought of a book. But this book forced me to realize that I needed to see what I thought of Amped, and the best way to that was to put it down in words. I read a lot of Sci-Fi. A lot. To say that Amped is Science Fiction belittles the depth of this book. On the surface yes it is sci-fi. A story about technology that is not yet in our life, and how the science of that technology affects the characters. It's n...more I don't review books on goodreads, I've always figured people don't want to know what I thought of a book. But this book forced me to realize that I needed to see what I thought of Amped, and the best way to that was to put it down in words. I read a lot of Sci-Fi. A lot. To say that Amped is Science Fiction belittles the depth of this book. On the surface yes it is sci-fi. A story about technology that is not yet in our life, and how the science of that technology affects the characters. It's not the most original of ideas, chips implanted in human minds help to accelerate the mind, and in turn the body leading to an amplification of abilities. The chips work by focusing the users mind, elevating the brain waves. There is even an elite class of modified chips named Zeniths that can bestow extra abilities and even embed combat knowledge. These Zenith chips have different levels to them that allow the user to give more control over to the chips for survivability. It's a story that's been told before, but not quite with the same undertones.

That is what makes Amped different from its predecessors. The unmodified humans form a coalition against the new breed of "Amped" humans, the pure pride. These "pure priders" led by Senator Vaughn want and need to make the Amps second class. But not just second class citizens, second class to humans. They believe that the Amps are missing their humanity because they no longer have only what God gave them.

Owen Gray is just a school teacher with a medical Amp. No enhancement of abilities, only suppression of his seizures. He has the same access port to the Amp in his temple that all Amps have however, therefore he is considered an Amp just the same. The Supreme Court rules that Amps are second class citizens. As a result the laws protecting all citizens in the US do not apply to them. They have no right to education, property, to enter into contracts. In one broad stroke the Supreme court erases all of the civil rights movement for the Amps.

Owen finds his life taken from him and leaves his home to find an enclave of other Amps trying to survive the new world they live in. One where anger and hate towards them is the sentiment of most every human they encounter. In Eden Oklahoma Owen eventually learns the truth, that he has been given not a mere medical Amp, but one of the Zeniths. Throughout the book Owen struggles with how far to take his Zenith. There are 5 levels, and once you activate one there is no turning back. Once a level has been activated Owen will always go down to that level of the Zenith, giving more and more of his conscious decisions over to the chip. Owen is continually pushed to take the chip farther and farther. He sees the people he has come to love hurt over and over again, both physically and emotionally. He is placed in positions where he has to delve deeper simply to survive.

The emotions are intense, the characters believable, and that drives the reality of this Sci-Fi book home. In the book one of Owen's friends and mentors, Jim, tells Owen the hatred of the pure priders is driven by fear. That people are good. But it's hard to see from where the Amps live. They are hurt, outcast, beneath all other citizens of the US because the "good peoples" fears have been preyed upon. The pure priders have been worked into a frenzy and a mob by Senator Vonn. It is eerily similar to how not so good people have acted in the past, and continue to act today. In a bid to grab power and raise themselves above others, leaders of groups similar to Pure Pride have preyed on fears and ignorance to force others in society into the dregs, the ghettos. Slavery and the civil rights rights movement, the holocaust and the events leading up to it, ethnic cleansing in any number of countries at any number of times in history, the Japanese interments during WWII, the hatred towards Jews, Muslims, Hispanics, Irish, Chinese, any one who is trying to make a better life for themselves by coming to the United States.

By the end of Amped Owen has to delve all the way into the Zenith chip to prevent a civil war from erupting in the US. In the end Amped tells the story of a new technology and how man has to adapt; to new tools, new technology, a new way of life. Amped is a book about technology, fear, hatred, love, and above all the meaning of being human.

Daniel Wilson at the end says that it is what sets man apart from all other beasts, the ability to wield these tools effectively. I believe him, and I believe like he does, like his characters in Amped do, that people are indeed good. (less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Sarah Sammis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, exwishlist, read-in-2012

Amped by Daniel H. Wilson explores the potential backlash and misuses of biotech to improve the human experience. Owen Gray is a teacher, and an amp; he has a device in his head to control his epilepsy. That's what he's been told but he's forced to re-examine the truth after one of his amped students commits suicide at the school.

Her death comes on the eve of sweeping regulations that criminalize the use and possession of amped technology. Citizens, including soldiers who were amped in the servi...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I started this book thinking the concept, of an impending war between technologically-enhanced humans and those that are not, was a 4 star concept. So many issues about choice and how humans interact with those different from them could be explored. Some of these ideas are explored but then abandoned for your basic war thriller and a kinda hokey (and too optimistic) ending for me. For these reasons and plot that gets less engaging even as the action picks up, I give this book only 3 stars. It co...more

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Jul 10, 2012 J.E. Glaze rated it 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book because last year I read Robopocalypse, by the same author. I thought this one might be as good, but I was wrong.

I'm not a scifi aficionado, but have read a few recently; Robopocalypse was a good new start into the genre. I'm imagining that Amped is a book that Daniel Wilson had to write and have ready in a certain period of time after his last effort, as a part of his contract with the publisher. Meaning, it might have been less inspired, and more forced/ordered.

Don't get me...more

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