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The Red #3
Going Dark
In the third book in The Red Trilogy, former Army Lt. James Shelley becomes a black ops sniper working for the Red—a suspected rogue artificial intelligence that is ripped from today’s headlines.
James Shelley has left his lover, Delphi, and his companion-in-arms, Jayne Vasquez, with a fortune acquired from a fallen oligarch. They believe him to be dead, and he doesn’t try to set the record straight. His long-running question has been answered: There are other soldiers like him who have served the purposes of the Red—and he has accepted his place among them. As a soldier of the Red he pursues covert missions designed to nudge history away from existential threats—but that doesn’t mean the world is growing more orderly. It’s only in the froth of a “managed chaos” that human potential can grow and thrive. Shelley’s missions eventually take him into orbit—and into conflict with those he loves—Delphi and Jaynie—who are determined to escape the influence of the Red.
James Shelley has left his lover, Delphi, and his companion-in-arms, Jayne Vasquez, with a fortune acquired from a fallen oligarch. They believe him to be dead, and he doesn’t try to set the record straight. His long-running question has been answered: There are other soldiers like him who have served the purposes of the Red—and he has accepted his place among them. As a soldier of the Red he pursues covert missions designed to nudge history away from existential threats—but that doesn’t mean the world is growing more orderly. It’s only in the froth of a “managed chaos” that human potential can grow and thrive. Shelley’s missions eventually take him into orbit—and into conflict with those he loves—Delphi and Jaynie—who are determined to escape the influence of the Red.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2015
90 people are currently reading
755 people want to read
About the author
Linda Nagata
109 books659 followersI'm a writer from Hawaii best known for my high-tech science fiction, including the near-future thriller,
The Last Good Man
, and the far-future adventure series, INVERTED FRONTIER.
Though I don't review books on Goodreads, I do talk about some of my favorite books on my blog and those posts are echoed here. So I invite you to follow me for news of books and many other things. You can also visit my website to learn more about my work, and to sign up for my newsletter.
Though I don't review books on Goodreads, I do talk about some of my favorite books on my blog and those posts are echoed here. So I invite you to follow me for news of books and many other things. You can also visit my website to learn more about my work, and to sign up for my newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
February 9, 2017
Like the title suggests, but it doesn't quite spell out, it's a novel of going dark and silent as well as a right-hand turn going straight into the darkness.
I mean, we already knew that Shelly was going to leave the side of the angels and go deep into black-ops for the sake of a "god" that he can't trust, but at least he's able to rely on his idealism to salve his conscience. Right?
Right. And so we have black-ops military events that continually get fucked-up beyond belief and and it's now time to fully start questioning why he should allow himself to be controlled by others, be it the Red or anyone else. It's good to question, to get a little skeptical, and it keeps the story plodding away between action and misgivings.
As a straight techno-thriller, it's pretty decent, but there's one thing that disturbs me. The ending of this book, much like the rest of the books in the trilogy, has a vaguely unsatisfying ending. Maybe it's the ambiguity. I'm never quite sure who are the good guys in the novel, although I have the feeling that I *should* be rooting for Shelly. After all, he's still King David going in against an enemy of giant reputation.
Still, the book has a lot of open questions and it looks like we're going to have to pick things up in new instalments. We kind of have to at this point. Things may not be up in the air so much for Shelly, anymore, since he's been locked-down, but it looks like there are too many players on the board for anyone to be sleeping soundly, anymore, despite the respite.
This is a pretty fun series, and should be a must-read for you folks who love military SF only slightly futuristic from where we are now. AIs and cybernetic implants, hooya!
I mean, we already knew that Shelly was going to leave the side of the angels and go deep into black-ops for the sake of a "god" that he can't trust, but at least he's able to rely on his idealism to salve his conscience. Right?
Right. And so we have black-ops military events that continually get fucked-up beyond belief and and it's now time to fully start questioning why he should allow himself to be controlled by others, be it the Red or anyone else. It's good to question, to get a little skeptical, and it keeps the story plodding away between action and misgivings.
As a straight techno-thriller, it's pretty decent, but there's one thing that disturbs me. The ending of this book, much like the rest of the books in the trilogy, has a vaguely unsatisfying ending. Maybe it's the ambiguity. I'm never quite sure who are the good guys in the novel, although I have the feeling that I *should* be rooting for Shelly. After all, he's still King David going in against an enemy of giant reputation.
Still, the book has a lot of open questions and it looks like we're going to have to pick things up in new instalments. We kind of have to at this point. Things may not be up in the air so much for Shelly, anymore, since he's been locked-down, but it looks like there are too many players on the board for anyone to be sleeping soundly, anymore, despite the respite.
This is a pretty fun series, and should be a must-read for you folks who love military SF only slightly futuristic from where we are now. AIs and cybernetic implants, hooya!
May 6, 2016
Going Dark was decent finish to a series that was very good overall. This last book lacked the emotional element present in the first two books, instead focusing strictly on the carrying out of various missions. I think the book suffered slightly by not having any relationship story included in it this time around, but that is just my personal feeling.
I would rate the series as a whole 4 stars.
I would rate the series as a whole 4 stars.
May 5, 2016
The Red is a good series. Unfortunately this book is only a mediocre entry in that series.
James Shelley is now totally committed to the Red. Working as part of an Existential Threat Management (ETM) team, he and his fellow LCS Red-influenced soldiers seek and destroy things that represent a threat to civilization or the Red itself. But he still cares about the life he's left behind, and those people still care about him.
Like the previous books, this one is very episodic, split up into code-named missions that are action-packed and slowly further the narrative. The problem here is that the narrative is already about as "furthered" as it's going to be at the start of the story. We already know that the Red is alien in its thought processes. We also know that it doesn't hesitate to sacrifice its "pieces" or exert direct influence over them. And Shelley has long suspected that the Red is not necessarily a cohesive whole.
So there's not much to be revealed here, other than perhaps Shelley's final fate. Which, like many soldiers after a long career, feels a bit anti-climactic.
James Shelley is now totally committed to the Red. Working as part of an Existential Threat Management (ETM) team, he and his fellow LCS Red-influenced soldiers seek and destroy things that represent a threat to civilization or the Red itself. But he still cares about the life he's left behind, and those people still care about him.
Like the previous books, this one is very episodic, split up into code-named missions that are action-packed and slowly further the narrative. The problem here is that the narrative is already about as "furthered" as it's going to be at the start of the story. We already know that the Red is alien in its thought processes. We also know that it doesn't hesitate to sacrifice its "pieces" or exert direct influence over them. And Shelley has long suspected that the Red is not necessarily a cohesive whole.
So there's not much to be revealed here, other than perhaps Shelley's final fate. Which, like many soldiers after a long career, feels a bit anti-climactic.
May 5, 2016
Overall I really enjoyed this series. I did feel like the end was a bit unsatisfying and that there are quite a few loose ends for this to be the last installment. I actually finished this yesterday but I had to think about it before I related it. Books where the line between the good guys and the bad guys is very thin always leave me feeling a bit unsettled.
May 6, 2016
I was pretty disappointed with the last book in this series. I really missed the relationships and connections Shelley had from the previous two books.
There was plenty of action but it became really repetitive. Go on mission, shit gets fucked, get out by the skin of your teeth, rinse and repeat. Not until near the end did I even feel like I cared what happened.
I ended up liking the open ended finale we got but most everything leading up to it I could take or leave.
There was plenty of action but it became really repetitive. Go on mission, shit gets fucked, get out by the skin of your teeth, rinse and repeat. Not until near the end did I even feel like I cared what happened.
I ended up liking the open ended finale we got but most everything leading up to it I could take or leave.
February 9, 2016
My original GOING DARK audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Going Dark, the finale in Linda Nagata’s terrific military science fiction trilogy, “The Red,” returns Lt. James Shelley to the front lines of a war dominated by artificial intelligence. Presumed dead following his low-Earth orbit exploits at the close of The Trials, Shelley has been serving as a squad member in the secret Existential Threat Management team, a group of soldiers whose deaths have been faked by The Red AI and who carry out missions on the intelligence’s behalf. After a look-and-see mission in the Arctic puts the world’s superpowers on the edge of all-out warfare, the ETM’s cover is blown by a traitor and Shelley and his team find themselves once again serving the US on a series of risky missions related to the competing ideologies of various rogue AI’s that may be off-shoots of The Red.
As exhibited in the previous two novels, Nagata has a strong knack for creating deeply layered plots and dense narratives. The various scenarios she puts Shelley and company through are intriguing and paint a highly interesting view of the world as seen through the eyes and minds of these soldiers, a world that is constantly being manipulated by the overarching, and far-reaching, influences of an unstoppable and uncontrollable artificial intelligence.
In this final chapter, Nagata adds a few new wrinkles and subplots, enough so that I hope and wish for more novels in this series despite it being billed as a trilogy. Over the last two books, we’ve gotten hints of a bigger scope to the world as humanity slowly takes to the stars. Here we get a brief mention of Mars preppers looking to make it off-world, but the narrative remains strictly Earthbound. Frankly, I’d love to see Nagata take on outer space at some point. Going Dark, though, does serve a fitting finale to the story of James Shelley, even if a lot of the larger concepts surrounding him go unresolved. With The Red, Nagata has created an overwhelming game-changer, an uncontainable genie that is not easily put back in the bottle. As with the prior installments, though, the focus is strictly on the human element and the ways in which characters respond to the evolving world around them. I have to applaud Nagata for still finding new aspects of Shelley’s character to play with, and for surrounding him with a supporting cast, many of them new faces, who are special in their own right.
Regarding the narration, Kevin T. Collins has become the voice of the series, and there’s a certain comfort factor in his return here. The speech and timbre are familiar, and listening to him once again embody James Shelley is a welcoming, easy listen. The production values continue to be high, and the narration proceeds without a hitch for its 16 1/2 hours run-time.
Packed with a number of explosive action sequences, solid world-building, and characters that are worth the time investment, Going Dark is a strong finish to Nagata’s “The Red” series. Taken a whole, this series has quickly become a personal favorite. If you’ve read or listened to the prior installments, finishing it up with this finale is a no-brainer.
Going Dark, the finale in Linda Nagata’s terrific military science fiction trilogy, “The Red,” returns Lt. James Shelley to the front lines of a war dominated by artificial intelligence. Presumed dead following his low-Earth orbit exploits at the close of The Trials, Shelley has been serving as a squad member in the secret Existential Threat Management team, a group of soldiers whose deaths have been faked by The Red AI and who carry out missions on the intelligence’s behalf. After a look-and-see mission in the Arctic puts the world’s superpowers on the edge of all-out warfare, the ETM’s cover is blown by a traitor and Shelley and his team find themselves once again serving the US on a series of risky missions related to the competing ideologies of various rogue AI’s that may be off-shoots of The Red.
As exhibited in the previous two novels, Nagata has a strong knack for creating deeply layered plots and dense narratives. The various scenarios she puts Shelley and company through are intriguing and paint a highly interesting view of the world as seen through the eyes and minds of these soldiers, a world that is constantly being manipulated by the overarching, and far-reaching, influences of an unstoppable and uncontrollable artificial intelligence.
In this final chapter, Nagata adds a few new wrinkles and subplots, enough so that I hope and wish for more novels in this series despite it being billed as a trilogy. Over the last two books, we’ve gotten hints of a bigger scope to the world as humanity slowly takes to the stars. Here we get a brief mention of Mars preppers looking to make it off-world, but the narrative remains strictly Earthbound. Frankly, I’d love to see Nagata take on outer space at some point. Going Dark, though, does serve a fitting finale to the story of James Shelley, even if a lot of the larger concepts surrounding him go unresolved. With The Red, Nagata has created an overwhelming game-changer, an uncontainable genie that is not easily put back in the bottle. As with the prior installments, though, the focus is strictly on the human element and the ways in which characters respond to the evolving world around them. I have to applaud Nagata for still finding new aspects of Shelley’s character to play with, and for surrounding him with a supporting cast, many of them new faces, who are special in their own right.
Regarding the narration, Kevin T. Collins has become the voice of the series, and there’s a certain comfort factor in his return here. The speech and timbre are familiar, and listening to him once again embody James Shelley is a welcoming, easy listen. The production values continue to be high, and the narration proceeds without a hitch for its 16 1/2 hours run-time.
Packed with a number of explosive action sequences, solid world-building, and characters that are worth the time investment, Going Dark is a strong finish to Nagata’s “The Red” series. Taken a whole, this series has quickly become a personal favorite. If you’ve read or listened to the prior installments, finishing it up with this finale is a no-brainer.
January 2, 2019
I enjoyed this series, but #3 was a bit of a letdown.
The action scenes have to be there, because they are part of the Brand of this series, but I found myself skimming them. Gencom, gencom, AI lights up targets, bam, repeat. Someone gets hurt and we drag them out. Repeat.
What makes it work this time is the repeated way it all works until it doesn't, and Nagata is careful not to tell us why. Is the the Red? Local AIs? Someone (everyone?) up the chain of command?
One gets perhaps a little tired of the old "tough soldier ain't gonna let no brass hats tell HIM what to do," and it almost wanders into "You're Off This Case! Give me your gun!" - but Nagata saves it with an examination of the squad deciding who they should be loyal to and why.
The themes of non-linear war and the-AI-genie-can't-be-put-back-in-the-bottle are very good.
The ending? Meh. OK with what happens re Shelley, but I figure that after some 1400 pages we should get to know what Nagata thinks the Red is and what it's up to.
Also I want to know who decided it would be a good idea to let the Red have a way to influence soldiers' thinking. Was Shelley really the first to think "Wai-ai-ait a minute ..." I have a growing feeling that Nagata had no choice but to leave it unresolved, because all the resolutions I can think of are in the painting-oneself-into-a-corner variety.
I may have missed something, but for me Leonid wasn't credible as the benevolent uncle, given what he was before, but it's possible, so OK.
Also not sure about the local AIs being philosophically capable of realizing that the Red exists and needs to be (and can be) deked out.
But in the end, the whole story arc of Shelley-theRed-the higher officers was an interesting and effective choice.
The action scenes have to be there, because they are part of the Brand of this series, but I found myself skimming them. Gencom, gencom, AI lights up targets, bam, repeat. Someone gets hurt and we drag them out. Repeat.
What makes it work this time is the repeated way it all works until it doesn't, and Nagata is careful not to tell us why. Is the the Red? Local AIs? Someone (everyone?) up the chain of command?
One gets perhaps a little tired of the old "tough soldier ain't gonna let no brass hats tell HIM what to do," and it almost wanders into "You're Off This Case! Give me your gun!" - but Nagata saves it with an examination of the squad deciding who they should be loyal to and why.
The themes of non-linear war and the-AI-genie-can't-be-put-back-in-the-bottle are very good.
The ending? Meh. OK with what happens re Shelley, but I figure that after some 1400 pages we should get to know what Nagata thinks the Red is and what it's up to.
Also I want to know who decided it would be a good idea to let the Red have a way to influence soldiers' thinking. Was Shelley really the first to think "Wai-ai-ait a minute ..." I have a growing feeling that Nagata had no choice but to leave it unresolved, because all the resolutions I can think of are in the painting-oneself-into-a-corner variety.
I may have missed something, but for me Leonid wasn't credible as the benevolent uncle, given what he was before, but it's possible, so OK.
Also not sure about the local AIs being philosophically capable of realizing that the Red exists and needs to be (and can be) deked out.
But in the end, the whole story arc of Shelley-theRed-the higher officers was an interesting and effective choice.
August 6, 2019
A near-future MIL-SF/Cyberpunk-ish thriller series in which a cyborged commando unit under the control of a rogue AI protects the planet from Existential Threats.
MIL-SF is a swamp. I rarely read it any longer. There are too many knuckle-dragging authors writing in the space killing BEMs for carnage's sake. Nagata's series has been both militarily correct and not all about guns and drums and drums and guns (Hurroo). This is the final book in the series. I started the series a long time ago, and finally got around to finishing it. The previous book in the series The Trials wasn’t bad, although I thought the first book in the series First Light to be much better. (My reviews.)
This was a military science fiction /thriller that dances around the A.I. Is a Crapshoot with a militarily cyborged soldier as the protagonist. In this last book, James Shelley becomes part of a deep-black, commando organization working for the benevolent rogue A.I. (The Red) that has infiltrated his implants and is making A World Half Full a better place. Very well written futuristic military actions ensue. However, Shelly discovers that The Red isn’t Mission Control . It can take control. Plot-lines started in the earlier books are advanced. Finally, the series is given a soft ending with the potential for a reboot. The writing is good particularly the action sequences. This story was darker than the other books in the series. The author achieves a pseudo-cyberpunk atmosphere and moves the story quickly to an ambiguous series ending. Frankly, it’s a non-ending.
My dead-tree copy was a hefty 465-pages. Original US copyright for the story was 2015. Reading this book without having read the other books in the series is not recommended. The book leverages and ties-up almost all the plots in the previous two(2) books.
Linda Nagata is an American science fiction author who writes stories mostly in the cyber/tech sub-genres. This is the final book in her The Red Trilogy.
Prose was good. Dialog was militarily authentic. The military badinage was particularly amusing. Descriptive prose and tech were good. I thought the slide from the modern state of the world into a more dystopian one was credible. Action sequences, particularly combat were better than good. Shelly is the single POV for the story.
There was no sex, or drug abuse in the story. Violence was physical and firearms. It was moderately graphic. Descriptions of resulting trauma were minimized. Body count was in-line with full combat in a war zone.
The main character is Shelly. He’s a super soldier. He’s martyred himself to work for The Red to make the planet a better place. His death has been faked. He’s voluntarily lost his girl, his family, and to a certain extent his country. He is however, In the company of Men (and Women) fighting to make the world a better place. The antagonist was The Red. It was an AI which had escaped into the wild and remains undercover manipulating world events. The AI can access and hijack computer controlled resources and the efforts of established organizations as is needed. Never Trust The Red. The Red is not human. There were numerous supporting characters from the previous books and newly created. These include the love-of-Shelly’s-Life, Delphi. However, mostly, they are military, ex-military, politicians, technologists, arms dealers, terrorists and human collateral damage.
The plotting sucked, if only because in this last book of the series it ended ambiguously with sub-plots obviously dangling. Military science fiction tropes in the story continue in the modern flavor of Joe Haldeman and John Scalzi. The AI tropes are mentioned above. Most of the story is Shelly and his commando squad going on too many ‘Missions at the command of The Red. In the process we get an abbreviated World Tour of the near future “hot spots”. The final mission reminded me of an updated Blackhawk Down. The big turn is when Shelly realizes he’s lost his free will. He quits The Red. He ends up On the Beach with the girl, at least temporarily. The series comes to a perfunctory ending.
This was a moderately entertaining MIL-SF/Cyberpunk-ish thriller series. The author continued with using well executed MIL-SF tropes (powered armor, computer mission control, battle robots, etc.) in the mildly dystopian near future that started the series. The riffs on these tropes were more than good enough for my jaded palette. This book was much darker than other books in the series. A MIL-SF reader will find it entertaining. However, it was a non-ending to the series. Long-term plot lines were left hanging. Existential threats to humanity, including The Red are still Out There.
I think I'm interested in reading a story in The Red universe from the author The Last Good Man, but not right now.
MIL-SF is a swamp. I rarely read it any longer. There are too many knuckle-dragging authors writing in the space killing BEMs for carnage's sake. Nagata's series has been both militarily correct and not all about guns and drums and drums and guns (Hurroo). This is the final book in the series. I started the series a long time ago, and finally got around to finishing it. The previous book in the series The Trials wasn’t bad, although I thought the first book in the series First Light to be much better. (My reviews.)
This was a military science fiction /thriller that dances around the A.I. Is a Crapshoot with a militarily cyborged soldier as the protagonist. In this last book, James Shelley becomes part of a deep-black, commando organization working for the benevolent rogue A.I. (The Red) that has infiltrated his implants and is making A World Half Full a better place. Very well written futuristic military actions ensue. However, Shelly discovers that The Red isn’t Mission Control . It can take control. Plot-lines started in the earlier books are advanced. Finally, the series is given a soft ending with the potential for a reboot. The writing is good particularly the action sequences. This story was darker than the other books in the series. The author achieves a pseudo-cyberpunk atmosphere and moves the story quickly to an ambiguous series ending. Frankly, it’s a non-ending.
My dead-tree copy was a hefty 465-pages. Original US copyright for the story was 2015. Reading this book without having read the other books in the series is not recommended. The book leverages and ties-up almost all the plots in the previous two(2) books.
Linda Nagata is an American science fiction author who writes stories mostly in the cyber/tech sub-genres. This is the final book in her The Red Trilogy.
Prose was good. Dialog was militarily authentic. The military badinage was particularly amusing. Descriptive prose and tech were good. I thought the slide from the modern state of the world into a more dystopian one was credible. Action sequences, particularly combat were better than good. Shelly is the single POV for the story.
There was no sex, or drug abuse in the story. Violence was physical and firearms. It was moderately graphic. Descriptions of resulting trauma were minimized. Body count was in-line with full combat in a war zone.
The main character is Shelly. He’s a super soldier. He’s martyred himself to work for The Red to make the planet a better place. His death has been faked. He’s voluntarily lost his girl, his family, and to a certain extent his country. He is however, In the company of Men (and Women) fighting to make the world a better place. The antagonist was The Red. It was an AI which had escaped into the wild and remains undercover manipulating world events. The AI can access and hijack computer controlled resources and the efforts of established organizations as is needed. Never Trust The Red. The Red is not human. There were numerous supporting characters from the previous books and newly created. These include the love-of-Shelly’s-Life, Delphi. However, mostly, they are military, ex-military, politicians, technologists, arms dealers, terrorists and human collateral damage.
The plotting sucked, if only because in this last book of the series it ended ambiguously with sub-plots obviously dangling. Military science fiction tropes in the story continue in the modern flavor of Joe Haldeman and John Scalzi. The AI tropes are mentioned above. Most of the story is Shelly and his commando squad going on too many ‘Missions at the command of The Red. In the process we get an abbreviated World Tour of the near future “hot spots”. The final mission reminded me of an updated Blackhawk Down. The big turn is when Shelly realizes he’s lost his free will. He quits The Red. He ends up On the Beach with the girl, at least temporarily. The series comes to a perfunctory ending.
This was a moderately entertaining MIL-SF/Cyberpunk-ish thriller series. The author continued with using well executed MIL-SF tropes (powered armor, computer mission control, battle robots, etc.) in the mildly dystopian near future that started the series. The riffs on these tropes were more than good enough for my jaded palette. This book was much darker than other books in the series. A MIL-SF reader will find it entertaining. However, it was a non-ending to the series. Long-term plot lines were left hanging. Existential threats to humanity, including The Red are still Out There.
I think I'm interested in reading a story in The Red universe from the author The Last Good Man, but not right now.
January 14, 2017
Going Dark closes out The Red trilogy in an unsatisfying manner. Lt. Shelley has gone off the grid entirely, now handling Existential Threat Management for The Red. Whenever the enigmatic AI detects a threat to its existence or to world security, Shelley and a squad of soldiers who have been marked officially dead in the databases, and survive in the cracks of the classified world with forged orders, show up and trouble-shoot with extreme prejudice.
The story opens with an assault on a arctic oil rig that's being used to house a potential biowarfare lab, but the mission goes tits up. There's a shootout with mercenaries, the lab turns out to be doing secret pharmaceutical work, the extraction is late, and eventually when Shelley and ETM Squad-7 get back to their secret lair, hidden in plain sight on an Army base in Texas, they get blown by their intel contractor and turned back over to the US Army, who needs them to do one last mission to save the world.
There's plenty of action, and Nagata still has a fine eye for shoot-outs, but little of the character moments or social criticism that made the prior books exceptional fiction. Shelley is officially dead, estranged from the world, and working for a rogue AI, but it's treated as shockingly normal. There's little tension within the unit over the weirdness of their situation, and for all the blather about 'non-linear warfare' and unlikely allies, a jovial Russian arms dealer stereotype seems pretty likely in this world. Dragons (in-setting term for the super-rich), the fragile state of American democracy in a world traumatized by nuclear terrorism, and even the desires of The Red, are treated in a mostly pro-forma way. I thought there was some cool potential with the idea that The Red had grown out of an advertising algorithm and wanted to make happy endings for people, whatever that might mean, but it acts mostly as a literal deus ex machina.
I think there's room for sequels, and it's a decent enough book on a sentence to sentence level, but the later seasons of Person of Interest handled these topics way better.
The story opens with an assault on a arctic oil rig that's being used to house a potential biowarfare lab, but the mission goes tits up. There's a shootout with mercenaries, the lab turns out to be doing secret pharmaceutical work, the extraction is late, and eventually when Shelley and ETM Squad-7 get back to their secret lair, hidden in plain sight on an Army base in Texas, they get blown by their intel contractor and turned back over to the US Army, who needs them to do one last mission to save the world.
There's plenty of action, and Nagata still has a fine eye for shoot-outs, but little of the character moments or social criticism that made the prior books exceptional fiction. Shelley is officially dead, estranged from the world, and working for a rogue AI, but it's treated as shockingly normal. There's little tension within the unit over the weirdness of their situation, and for all the blather about 'non-linear warfare' and unlikely allies, a jovial Russian arms dealer stereotype seems pretty likely in this world. Dragons (in-setting term for the super-rich), the fragile state of American democracy in a world traumatized by nuclear terrorism, and even the desires of The Red, are treated in a mostly pro-forma way. I thought there was some cool potential with the idea that The Red had grown out of an advertising algorithm and wanted to make happy endings for people, whatever that might mean, but it acts mostly as a literal deus ex machina.
I think there's room for sequels, and it's a decent enough book on a sentence to sentence level, but the later seasons of Person of Interest handled these topics way better.
December 2, 2015
I'm not a big fan of military science fiction. Battles tend to bore me and set me scanning. But the small squad fighting like in these books is a more interesting to me than armies clashing. What was most interesting here is how seamlessly Nagata integrated the technology. The way she was so good at making the soldiers seem real, the fighting seem real and the tech seem real, it always felt so completely true to life that I almost forgot this was science fiction. These books have a vitality that works for me, plus strong characters. And the relatively near-future situations are really believable projections from our present, good, bad and ugly. The technology, the geo-politics, the economics, the intense interactions of all of those things, the world that Nagata has created is one of the most vivid and believable that I've read. There's something about her writing style that's so crisp and clear. We say all of the time, " it was like a movie, I could picture the whole thing in my head perfectly." Well this was 3D.
But a tip — don't get the paperback if you have vision issues, the font is extraordinarily small. I had to return it to the library and wait for the hardback, which is a tiny bit better. If you have vision issues, get the hardback, or even better, get the ebook.
But a tip — don't get the paperback if you have vision issues, the font is extraordinarily small. I had to return it to the library and wait for the hardback, which is a tiny bit better. If you have vision issues, get the hardback, or even better, get the ebook.
November 1, 2016
An incredible ending to an amazing trilogy. I ate all three of these up and waited to finish the third because I knew once I'd finished it, there wouldn't be any others (as far as I know). So what is the answer? How much of what we do day-t0-day is really in our control? Are we under the wiles of our own internal Red? It's a question I struggle with, given what little science knows about our brains and some of the strange experiences I've had (It's almost as if there are two people inside my head sometimes, fighting over how I will react; maybe it's that old devil on one should, angel on the other cliche). Nagata's Shelley struggles with that issue as well. How can he really know if he is the one calling the shots? Can he be truly in control of his destiny? Read the whole trilogy. You won't regret it.
December 30, 2016
I hope Linda Nagata eventually continue the story, because I am still curious about the overall motivation of the red.
I enjoyed the fact that each of the 3 books is different.
In this one yes there are stil mission/episodes, but the first endeavour kind of fail and the protagonist are not even sure what was their goal (this is answered later in the book). So the overall feeling of this book is one of ambiguity.
By the end of the book we know various powers are trying to influence the red through other smaller (local)AI and that the red is ready to sacrifice individuals including Shelley. So is the red ultimately evil? Based on the three books I do not think so, but it is ready to sacrifice 'the few' for (possibly) the greater good (also was the red somewhat compromised..... this is hinted)...
I enjoyed the fact that each of the 3 books is different.
In this one yes there are stil mission/episodes, but the first endeavour kind of fail and the protagonist are not even sure what was their goal (this is answered later in the book). So the overall feeling of this book is one of ambiguity.
By the end of the book we know various powers are trying to influence the red through other smaller (local)AI and that the red is ready to sacrifice individuals including Shelley. So is the red ultimately evil? Based on the three books I do not think so, but it is ready to sacrifice 'the few' for (possibly) the greater good (also was the red somewhat compromised..... this is hinted)...
August 23, 2017
While the first book was a really great read, second was much less exciting and the third was a real letdown. Nothing was completely resolved, character relationships and the story were mediocre and honestly it was a huge disappointment after such a promising start. Too bad.
August 30, 2022
A great finish to the series. James Shelley is still doing invisible ops with his unit. The book starts with them on a mission to the Arctic for a presumed sinister biological or other weapons lab. The target turns out to be a more innocuous (though potentially profitable) medical research lab. Innocent and not-so-innocent people get killed, the unit's extraction plan falls through, they have a hard time getting out, and there are international consequences. This and other hints make Shelley wonder what kind of game their kind-of-boss, the mega-AI called The Red, is playing. Or if the Red is fragmented or compromised in some way, or battling it out with other AIs. Or does it have goals that humans can't understand?
Meanwhile, Shelley finds out that Delphi and Jaynie are working on getting to Mars to establish a human settlement there, which Shelley thinks is a horrible idea. But he can't tell them that; they think he's dead.
After the Arctic, there's a change in the command structure, which Shelley and his unit are not happy with. Still, they go on several new missions. The Red and/or the American government are closing in on something, even though nobody is exactly sure how it all fits together.
The ending answers quite a few questions but doesn't resolve everything. And isn't that how life is? As usual, Nagata's writing is magnificent. I loved the book.
Meanwhile, Shelley finds out that Delphi and Jaynie are working on getting to Mars to establish a human settlement there, which Shelley thinks is a horrible idea. But he can't tell them that; they think he's dead.
After the Arctic, there's a change in the command structure, which Shelley and his unit are not happy with. Still, they go on several new missions. The Red and/or the American government are closing in on something, even though nobody is exactly sure how it all fits together.
The ending answers quite a few questions but doesn't resolve everything. And isn't that how life is? As usual, Nagata's writing is magnificent. I loved the book.
August 8, 2023
Best of the series.
Linda Nagata is at her very best when she is writing high-intensity military fiction. In Going Dark, the plot has freed her from some of the more emotional aspects of the story line allowing her to focus on riveting action pieces. The plot is basically: Mission/Break/Mission/Break, etc. Nagata writes with military analysist's direct use of description and a disdain for figurative language--I think I counted maybe two uses of metaphor in the whole novel. This absolutely works in creating suspenseful action moments that make a hundred pages fly by. The ending is a little too brief, and I felt that she never really resolved some of the underlying questions and nature of the main series' plotlines. I would have rather she left it unresolved and left open the possibility for another sequel. Regardless, this is one of the most fun times I've had with a book in a long time.
Linda Nagata is at her very best when she is writing high-intensity military fiction. In Going Dark, the plot has freed her from some of the more emotional aspects of the story line allowing her to focus on riveting action pieces. The plot is basically: Mission/Break/Mission/Break, etc. Nagata writes with military analysist's direct use of description and a disdain for figurative language--I think I counted maybe two uses of metaphor in the whole novel. This absolutely works in creating suspenseful action moments that make a hundred pages fly by. The ending is a little too brief, and I felt that she never really resolved some of the underlying questions and nature of the main series' plotlines. I would have rather she left it unresolved and left open the possibility for another sequel. Regardless, this is one of the most fun times I've had with a book in a long time.
December 13, 2020
The one I liked the least in the trilogy.
It's not bad, per se. Very action-oriented, and entertaining, but there is nothing to be looking forward once we knew, at the very beginning, about The Red. Except, maybe, to learn what would be the fate of Shelley once The Red was done with him.
And, as he has been slowly getting less and less attractive as a character for me, that wasn't a big incentive.
Still, not a bad story, just less than what I was expecting.
It's not bad, per se. Very action-oriented, and entertaining, but there is nothing to be looking forward once we knew, at the very beginning, about The Red. Except, maybe, to learn what would be the fate of Shelley once The Red was done with him.
And, as he has been slowly getting less and less attractive as a character for me, that wasn't a big incentive.
Still, not a bad story, just less than what I was expecting.
July 11, 2023
VALUTAZIONE PERSONALE: 3,8
Terzo ed ultimo capitolo della Red Trilogy, Going Dark ci riporta nelle avventure di James Shelley, ormai divenuto un vero e proprio soldato del Red, l'entità cibernetica autonoma in grado di influenzare la volontà di qualsiasi individuo, o quasi, e la quale agisce secondo una propria logica e cercando di perseguire un obiettivo, piuttosto esplicito in questo ultimo episodio della trilogia, che porterà il nostro protagonista a scontrarsi contro chiunque cercherà di ostacolarne la realizzazione, compresi coloro che un tempo erano considerate tra le persone più care a Shelley e nei confronti delle quali egli sarà inevitabilmente chiamato a compiere una scelta: nulla è, tuttavia, così semplice e scontato come potrebbe apparire.
Questo capitolo conclusivo della trilogia rappresenta senza dubbio quello più adrenalinico: i momenti di pausa sono davvero pochi e si assiste alla lettura di pagine e pagine di scontri e sparatorie, una vera e propria manna per tutti gli appassionati della sci-fi militare e tecnologica (devo, ahimè, constatare quanto l'autrice sia stata arguta nell'intuire l'importanza del ruolo giocato dai droni nelle guerre del futuro, come testimonia anche il recente conflitto in Ucraina) ma che, a mio avviso, devo ammettere che crea un po' di confusione nel lettore, più a causa dei numerosi personaggi che vengono tirati in ballo nel corso della narrazione piuttosto che delle dinamiche della stessa, in un vorticoso carosello di "super-cattivi" che ci sfila davanti nel corso della lettura.
L'epilogo, tuttavia, sebbene non particolarmente sconvolgente, l'ho trovato abbastanza riuscito, in quanto riesce a svincolare la narrazione da possibili soluzioni banali, il cui rischio era particolarmente alto.
Insomma, nel complesso la Red Trilogy è ampiamente promossa: è riuscita a tenermi incollata alle pagine e, nonostante il tempo da dedicare alla lettura sia sempre più scarso, posso dire che l'ho relativamente divorata, considerando le tempistiche bibliche con le quali di solito riesco a terminare una lettura.
Caldamente consigliata!
Terzo ed ultimo capitolo della Red Trilogy, Going Dark ci riporta nelle avventure di James Shelley, ormai divenuto un vero e proprio soldato del Red, l'entità cibernetica autonoma in grado di influenzare la volontà di qualsiasi individuo, o quasi, e la quale agisce secondo una propria logica e cercando di perseguire un obiettivo, piuttosto esplicito in questo ultimo episodio della trilogia, che porterà il nostro protagonista a scontrarsi contro chiunque cercherà di ostacolarne la realizzazione, compresi coloro che un tempo erano considerate tra le persone più care a Shelley e nei confronti delle quali egli sarà inevitabilmente chiamato a compiere una scelta: nulla è, tuttavia, così semplice e scontato come potrebbe apparire.
Questo capitolo conclusivo della trilogia rappresenta senza dubbio quello più adrenalinico: i momenti di pausa sono davvero pochi e si assiste alla lettura di pagine e pagine di scontri e sparatorie, una vera e propria manna per tutti gli appassionati della sci-fi militare e tecnologica (devo, ahimè, constatare quanto l'autrice sia stata arguta nell'intuire l'importanza del ruolo giocato dai droni nelle guerre del futuro, come testimonia anche il recente conflitto in Ucraina) ma che, a mio avviso, devo ammettere che crea un po' di confusione nel lettore, più a causa dei numerosi personaggi che vengono tirati in ballo nel corso della narrazione piuttosto che delle dinamiche della stessa, in un vorticoso carosello di "super-cattivi" che ci sfila davanti nel corso della lettura.
L'epilogo, tuttavia, sebbene non particolarmente sconvolgente, l'ho trovato abbastanza riuscito, in quanto riesce a svincolare la narrazione da possibili soluzioni banali, il cui rischio era particolarmente alto.
Insomma, nel complesso la Red Trilogy è ampiamente promossa: è riuscita a tenermi incollata alle pagine e, nonostante il tempo da dedicare alla lettura sia sempre più scarso, posso dire che l'ho relativamente divorata, considerando le tempistiche bibliche con le quali di solito riesco a terminare una lettura.
Caldamente consigliata!
June 16, 2016
Shelley isi insceneaza moartea si se alatura unei organizatii secrete care lupta de partea The Red. Misiunile sunt tot mai alambicate si implauzibile, tot ce poate merge rau va merge rau, si lumea pare sa scape la mustata de un genocid ca sa nimereasca intr-o apocalipsa.
Ce mi-a placut: faptul ca Shelley incepe sa traga concluzii legate de The Red (care nu mai e un Dumnezeu binevoitor, ci un jucator dispus sa-si sacrifice piesele, sau poate chiar mai multi jucatori cu interese diferite). Ce nu mi-a placut: tot restul. Misiuni trase de par, descrise in mult prea multe pagini, fara simtul actiunii si al urgentei din primul volum. Noi coechipieri, mai generici si deci mai putin interesanti; Nagata putea sa-i omoare pe toti si nu mi-ar fi pasat deloc. Finalul absolut dezamagitor, si lipsa unei concluzii clare legate de The Red. E clar ca Nagata vede in universul asta o vaca de muls, dar pe mine unul m-a pierdut de musteriu; spre final, aproape ca-mi doream ca Apocalipsa aia indelung dejucata de Shelley si The Red sa vina odata. Nu-i dau o stea pentru ca e totusi un roman ingrijit scris si pentru ca unele din ipotezele anticipative geopolitice sunt interesante.
Ce mi-a placut: faptul ca Shelley incepe sa traga concluzii legate de The Red (care nu mai e un Dumnezeu binevoitor, ci un jucator dispus sa-si sacrifice piesele, sau poate chiar mai multi jucatori cu interese diferite). Ce nu mi-a placut: tot restul. Misiuni trase de par, descrise in mult prea multe pagini, fara simtul actiunii si al urgentei din primul volum. Noi coechipieri, mai generici si deci mai putin interesanti; Nagata putea sa-i omoare pe toti si nu mi-ar fi pasat deloc. Finalul absolut dezamagitor, si lipsa unei concluzii clare legate de The Red. E clar ca Nagata vede in universul asta o vaca de muls, dar pe mine unul m-a pierdut de musteriu; spre final, aproape ca-mi doream ca Apocalipsa aia indelung dejucata de Shelley si The Red sa vina odata. Nu-i dau o stea pentru ca e totusi un roman ingrijit scris si pentru ca unele din ipotezele anticipative geopolitice sunt interesante.
May 22, 2022
So many missed opportunities. It's almost religious in its unquestioning devotion to/trust in The Red, and there's no unpacking that stance whatsoever. There's no grappling with what it means for everything (except The Red) to be transparent and therefore accountable - what does that actually mean for diplomacy and general human relations and also for minority populations, when surveillance is most often used as an oppressive tool? No amount of awesome ass-kicking scenes (and there were several) can make up for what's missing.
November 20, 2015
I enjoyed this series, but it was a tad confusing. To me, the RED was mentioned a lot, but we never got an inside knowledge or background. The readers were in the dark as much as the characters.
Overall good sci-fi military action. I liked the 1st book the best (The Red), then this one, then the 2nd. I would recommend you read the books in order so you come to understand the relationships and plotlines.
Overall good sci-fi military action. I liked the 1st book the best (The Red), then this one, then the 2nd. I would recommend you read the books in order so you come to understand the relationships and plotlines.
September 4, 2017
I had to struggle through this one - because I really enjoyed the other two books in the series. I think Nagata took for granted the cool tech that was established in the first novel, and then just turned this into an action thriller. Similar to a Mitch Rapp book. The potential there - and plenty of existential plot elements, especially when it came to body/mind modification. It just didn't quite rise to the level of the precious two books.
July 30, 2016
The Red is still around and still stirring up trouble. Some of the characters are still fighting the battle the Red wants and some are trying to get as far away as possible. For me the plot just came to a stand still and the end was a bit of a disappointment. I do think it is an interesting series but each book held my attention less and less. Try it and see what you think.
November 20, 2016
It was an ok conclusion to an ok trilogy. I finished the book a little disapointed, thinking, what was the point? There didn't seem to be much of a conclusion. The three books could have been condensed down to two or even one novel.
Despite that, I was entertained. This is a good military sci-fi action story, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.
Despite that, I was entertained. This is a good military sci-fi action story, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.
July 31, 2017
Pretty good ending to the trilogy. Definitely too much non-stop war, but done pretty well. Though in the end it's not real clear what gets resolved. Not a happy book, this is not a pretty future. And it remains a very different take on emerging AIs. 3.5 of 5.
February 11, 2017
I should maybe not have read all three of this trilogy back to back, by the time I got to this book I was feeling a little bored with the story and the hero.
Still, it was a good conclusion to the story.
Still, it was a good conclusion to the story.
January 2, 2016
This third book is more polished than the previous two ones and the plot makes more sense.
As a result it gets 4 stars.
As a result it gets 4 stars.
September 30, 2016
A good solid finish to "The Red Trilogy".
April 11, 2017
Final book in the Red trilogy. A worthy finale to the set, bringing to a close an expertly plotted and written tale of near-future warfare, AI gone rogue, and global politics.
May 13, 2017
Disappointing end to what began in First Light as an intriguing and weLL done story.
October 30, 2017
Very disappointing compared to the first and second books in the series.
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