What do you think?
Rate this book
Ghosts in the Machine
In a secret world inside the most advanced computers, life has evolved. A race of electronic beings has arisen, who adore humans, but desperately fear being discovered—and erased. They call themselves ghosts.
Renly de la Gloire is a temperamental, socially awkward ghost who alienates his classmates on his first day of college just by introducing himself. For the first time, his famous family name is not an asset. His troubles mount when his burning desire to escape leads him to a grey sim, a lawless region where he can go out into the real world—for a price. But as the son of a powerful family, Renly is a target, and he stands to lose a lot more than his money.
He can lose his soul.
Renly de la Gloire is a temperamental, socially awkward ghost who alienates his classmates on his first day of college just by introducing himself. For the first time, his famous family name is not an asset. His troubles mount when his burning desire to escape leads him to a grey sim, a lawless region where he can go out into the real world—for a price. But as the son of a powerful family, Renly is a target, and he stands to lose a lot more than his money.
He can lose his soul.
324 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 26, 2015
I saw an early draft of this book and remember being intrigued by the concept. The book has moved up many notches in quality since then, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read, even taking in all the 'geek' sections in which Jones dives deeper into the workings of this fascinating inner world of PC life.
Jones has taken the idea of Artificial Intelligence into a unique direction. We're so often confronted by machine minds being hostile toward humanity, believing it to be an inferior species that ought to be eradicated, but not so with 'Ghosts in the Machine'. Here we find a culture that adores us, mimics us in the form of cultural avatars, and even centres a religion around the creator of the Vandervon machines in which they first emerged. But equally, theses 'ghosts' are terrified of being discovered.
Enter Renley de la Gloire, he's a tragic ghost who can't help but a foot wrong everywhere he treads in the Etherworld. Despite his social clumsiness, he's an endearing character (he wasn't in the original draft), and I got drawn into his embarrassments, frustrations and torment. There is an underlying current of tension in this story but ultimately it's a humorous jaunt, almost flippant in its handling of the vast world that Jones has created, and you get plenty of hints that there's a dark and complex history underlining the philosophy of these ghosts. For all their love of humanity, you get the feeling that this could so easily turn on its head if the right revolutionary figure steps up. Renley almost feels like he will be this person at times completely by accident, but I desperately wanted him to keep his head down. Instead, he walks a dangerous path that could have terrible consequences.
A recommended read for anyone who wants a different and light sci-fi twist.
Jones has taken the idea of Artificial Intelligence into a unique direction. We're so often confronted by machine minds being hostile toward humanity, believing it to be an inferior species that ought to be eradicated, but not so with 'Ghosts in the Machine'. Here we find a culture that adores us, mimics us in the form of cultural avatars, and even centres a religion around the creator of the Vandervon machines in which they first emerged. But equally, theses 'ghosts' are terrified of being discovered.
Enter Renley de la Gloire, he's a tragic ghost who can't help but a foot wrong everywhere he treads in the Etherworld. Despite his social clumsiness, he's an endearing character (he wasn't in the original draft), and I got drawn into his embarrassments, frustrations and torment. There is an underlying current of tension in this story but ultimately it's a humorous jaunt, almost flippant in its handling of the vast world that Jones has created, and you get plenty of hints that there's a dark and complex history underlining the philosophy of these ghosts. For all their love of humanity, you get the feeling that this could so easily turn on its head if the right revolutionary figure steps up. Renley almost feels like he will be this person at times completely by accident, but I desperately wanted him to keep his head down. Instead, he walks a dangerous path that could have terrible consequences.
A recommended read for anyone who wants a different and light sci-fi twist.
December 25, 2014
A perfect book for geeks and technology lovers.
You should read it my friends
Check my review of this book Ghosts in the Machine book review
You should read it my friends
Check my review of this book Ghosts in the Machine book review
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews