Daemon by Daniel Suarez

[Nick]

If you check the bookshelf this was a previous selection for the S&L group. I was listening to this on audible since I wasn't a member when they read it but I put it aside to listen to 1Q84. I'll go back to Daemon when I finish 1Q84.

[Kate]

It's been sitting ignored on my bookshelf for about 4-6 months because I didn't like the first page. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.

[terpkristin]

I read it when we did it for S&L. I didn't care for it--it was more like Reamde, with everything completely improbable. I was foolish enough to also read the follow-on, Freedom (TM). Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...

[Andy]

I read it and I liked it. Daemon builds a lot of great themes and Freedom (TM) carries them forward and also introduces a lot of new ideas as well.

Daemon focuses a lot on technology which can turn some people off but it points out our dependence on data (electronic banking records and the like)and how they can be manipulated.

[Kris]

It was a fun read...

[Steve]

Loved Daemon. Definitely one of the best Sci-Fi books I've ever read.

[Been]

Absolutely loved it. Probably the thing I love most is that the only really Sci-Fi part of it is the fact that everyone is put together the way it is. Pretty much every single piece of tech mentioned and used exists in one form or another, and is referenced on the author's website http://thedaemon.com/

[Jim]

I thought it was OK. The second book Freedom was much better. Pretty interesting social commentary from Mr. Suarez. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that doesn't have a deep interest in technology.

Cheers, Jim

[Otto]

Didn't much care for it, and I work in the industry on first person shooters. As a matter of fact, I had almost forgotten I'd read it and had to re-read the wikipedia summary to jog my memory.

To me, the plot was just as preposterous as Asimov's first Foundation book. There are so many variables when predicting the future that I found myself thinking, "there's no way he could've planned on that" over and over.

[Arthur]

I've read Daemon and Freedom(TM) several times and really enjoyed both. I have a background in Unix/Scripting so maybe that colored my view. And of course this is fiction and not at all possible, but it was probable enought to really keep my attention. Whenever I have free time when traveling (or whenever) I will start listening to the audiobooks again. Freedom does get a bit preachy on the politics, but I still love them both.

[terpkristin]

Kid wrote: "You need the following requisites to enjoy this book:

-Computer literate
-Internet/Network literate
-Computer gaming literate
-Love First Person Shooters
-Think the movie "Hackers" w/Angelina Jolie was good movie
-Bought MW3 or Battlefield 3
-A penis"

Ah, well I'm missing 3 of those criteria... :D ;)

[Trike]

I thought Daemon was pretty fun as a techno-thriller. It's definitely what I would call a "guy's cabin read." (Women go to beaches, men go to mountain cabins. Neither is true, really, but you know what I mean.)

One of things I really liked about it was that the nominal protagonist wasn't one of these Marty Stu ubermensch stand-ins for the author, but was a regular guy who got caught up in something way bigger than he is that he barely comprehends. On that level. I think it works brilliantly as a metaphor for our rapidly-changing times, which is what elevated it from a 3-star to a 4-star rating for me.

In other words, it wasn't great, but it was trying to be, and I applaud the effort. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp" and all that.

For me, though, Daemon works extremely well as a set-up for the superior sequel, Freedom(TM), which took the ideas in Daemon and spun them out to their logical conclusions, something few authors have the stones to do any more. Freedom(TM) reminds me of classic cyberpunk like Heavy Weather, Synners or Neuromancer, but with a fresh update accounting for tech advances.

[Shad]

I thought Daemon was pretty awesome. It was one of the first Audible books I listened to after hearing about it on TWIT. This was one of the books that got me excited about reading again and specifically in fiction.

[Lepton]

I got to the word "Bukkake!" and said No Thanks. I don't really enjoy rape and pornographic exploitation in my reading material.

[Rovelt]

Really enjoyed this book. Had just moved so no internet or cable. Hooked my Zune up to my TV and burned through it in a weekend.
I was hooked for the first 3/4 of my listen and couldn't wait to find out the next twist. Then it sorta wandered a bit towards the end and the with the introduction of the 2nd antagonist and time lapse. Then the climax occurred and left me super excited for Freedom TM.

[Chris]

I'm missing several of the above listed criteria, but I loved it and the sequel. Not necessarily amazing literature, but both fun and thought-provoking.

They also have the redeeming factor of getting all of the tech exactly right and as a professional computer engineer, I can't begin to tell you how rare that is (for example, liking Hackers was one of the missed criteria above). That alone impressed me.

[Otto]

Loved it. The sequel is also great. Only bad thing about them is that I spent the next month bugging my wife about how much our society needs to embrace local small-scale production and electronic reputation systems.