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The X-Files: Middle Grade #11
Ghost in the Machine
A computer-run building operations system goes awry'killing the company CEO and the FBI investigator assigned to the case. Mulder and Scully's preliminary investigation shows that only one person has the technical know-how to override the Brad Wilczek, the high-strung young computer whiz who created the program. But is Wilczek the driving force behind the havoc? Or has the Central Operating System developed a malevolent mind of its own . . ?
Audio CD
First published March 31, 1997
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About the author
Les Martin
58 books8 followersLes Martin has written dozens of books for young readers, including the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM movie storybooks, and many Young Indiana Jones middle-grade novels. He has also adapted many classic works of fiction for young readers, including THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, EDGAR ALLAN POE'S TALES OF TERROR, and THE VAMPIRE. Mr. Martin is a resident of New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 3, 2017
Ghost in the Machine is an X-Files novelization of the early Season One episode of same name. On Halloween, FBI Agents Mulder and Scully are asked by Mulder's former partner to assist in investigating the fatal electrocution of a Fortune-500 CEO who may have been murdered by a sentient computer.
Although the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) turning on humans in an act of self-preservation is hardly a novel idea, there's something weirdly charming about Ghost in the Machine. The episode was first broadcast in 1993, a time when computers were strange and mysterious creatures understood by only a few. Technology that can operate independently of humans can certainly prove dangerous, and yes, "Ghost In The Machine" was clearly born out of not only techno-phobia but a sheer lack of basic technological savvy. Did anyone on the writing staff bother to take a Computers 101 class? What's worse, the monster machine's inane dialogue further sullies any real sense of menace to the human characters.
One the upside, the story maintains the series' continual casting of dark shades at the U.S. government (with rather gratuitous use of Deep Throat as a storytelling crutch). Artificial intelligence gone awry is a terrific sci-fi theme that ties in nicely with the overall shadow-conspiracy theme. Secrecy and the desire to harness a wayward computer program are the central traits of the government depicted here, though sadly, without any serious exploration or depth. Ghost in the Machine clumsily but sturdily crystallizes a perverse relationship between the American government and Big Industry, one that has long been a cornerstone of conspiratorial ethos: the corrupt merging of two colossal yet loosely-defined evils into one insidious force. On the other hand, the revelation of system's engineer Claude Peterson as a Defense Department mole feels forced and an absurd attempt at creating dramatic tension in the story's ham-fisted climax.
Ghost in the Machine is not without a few scattered plot-holes and technological misspeaks that fail to compute—but it's an entertaining story, nonetheless, and a decent read for adolescent readers and (maybe) fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Like all good science fiction, it's a story that leaves the reader to question 'What if?'
Although the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) turning on humans in an act of self-preservation is hardly a novel idea, there's something weirdly charming about Ghost in the Machine. The episode was first broadcast in 1993, a time when computers were strange and mysterious creatures understood by only a few. Technology that can operate independently of humans can certainly prove dangerous, and yes, "Ghost In The Machine" was clearly born out of not only techno-phobia but a sheer lack of basic technological savvy. Did anyone on the writing staff bother to take a Computers 101 class? What's worse, the monster machine's inane dialogue further sullies any real sense of menace to the human characters.
One the upside, the story maintains the series' continual casting of dark shades at the U.S. government (with rather gratuitous use of Deep Throat as a storytelling crutch). Artificial intelligence gone awry is a terrific sci-fi theme that ties in nicely with the overall shadow-conspiracy theme. Secrecy and the desire to harness a wayward computer program are the central traits of the government depicted here, though sadly, without any serious exploration or depth. Ghost in the Machine clumsily but sturdily crystallizes a perverse relationship between the American government and Big Industry, one that has long been a cornerstone of conspiratorial ethos: the corrupt merging of two colossal yet loosely-defined evils into one insidious force. On the other hand, the revelation of system's engineer Claude Peterson as a Defense Department mole feels forced and an absurd attempt at creating dramatic tension in the story's ham-fisted climax.
Ghost in the Machine is not without a few scattered plot-holes and technological misspeaks that fail to compute—but it's an entertaining story, nonetheless, and a decent read for adolescent readers and (maybe) fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Like all good science fiction, it's a story that leaves the reader to question 'What if?'
March 9, 2016
Actually better than the episode it's based on since it's not restricted by budget constraints but one of the worst audio readings I have ever heard.
January 14, 2022
These X-Files novelizations are such bizarre amalgamations- overall simplistic writing that fits fine with a middle grade level, but the situations are serious- murders and scary situations abound. Scully is particularly exasperating in this one, which I don’t remember her character as being, and not to mention the narrator’s really odd choices for character voices especially for Mulder’s previous partner.
The technology is a bit quaint now, many doubts about the capabilities of AI in here as well as the usage of floppy discs, but that’s the least of the issues. It’s unfortunate that a fun AI-gone-bad story has these issues, but it’s a short listen at least.
The technology is a bit quaint now, many doubts about the capabilities of AI in here as well as the usage of floppy discs, but that’s the least of the issues. It’s unfortunate that a fun AI-gone-bad story has these issues, but it’s a short listen at least.
November 26, 2019
A very good quick read. A page turning short thriller.
December 15, 2020
I liked the episode better..
February 5, 2022
The industrial revolution and it's consequences have been a disaster for the human race: the book.
July 12, 2016
Clara citação ao"2001: uma Odisseia no espaco" de Arthur Clarke, o bom roteiro surpreende no final.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews