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Buzz Kill
TWO YOUNG HACKERS WITH THE BRAINS TO SAVE THE WORLD. OR AT LEAST CHANGE IT. WHAT CAN GO WRONG?
Pandora Lynch lives in Alaska with her single dad, an online therapist for Silicon Valley's brightest and cagiest Homeschooled by computer and a self-taught hacker, Pandora is about to enter high school to learn how to be normal. That's the plan at least.
NorCal runaway, George Jedson, is a hacker too - one who leaves the systems he attacks working better than before. After being scooped up by a social media giant, will George go legit - or pull off the biggest hack ever? Not even his therapist knows for sure, but maybe the headshrinker's daughter. . .
After meeting in cyberspace, the two young hackers combine their passions to conceive a brainchild named BUZZ. Can this baby AI learn to behave, or will it be like its parents and think outside the box?
With a hilarious and deeply empathetic narrative voice, this elegiac and unapologetically irreverent novel is both humorous and tragic without ever taking itself too seriously.
Pandora Lynch lives in Alaska with her single dad, an online therapist for Silicon Valley's brightest and cagiest Homeschooled by computer and a self-taught hacker, Pandora is about to enter high school to learn how to be normal. That's the plan at least.
NorCal runaway, George Jedson, is a hacker too - one who leaves the systems he attacks working better than before. After being scooped up by a social media giant, will George go legit - or pull off the biggest hack ever? Not even his therapist knows for sure, but maybe the headshrinker's daughter. . .
After meeting in cyberspace, the two young hackers combine their passions to conceive a brainchild named BUZZ. Can this baby AI learn to behave, or will it be like its parents and think outside the box?
With a hilarious and deeply empathetic narrative voice, this elegiac and unapologetically irreverent novel is both humorous and tragic without ever taking itself too seriously.
459 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 5, 2019
This novel punches a lot of my buttons and tweaks a lot of my pet mental projects in a great way, but surprisingly so. I simply chose it on Netgalley based on the cover! Shame on me, right?! It looked funny.
So what did I get? Some good humor? Yes! But this is almost incidental to the main plot. Indeed, the main point is about some rather serious topics from dementia to suicide to the very nature of consciousness and cutting-edge AI research. Wow, right? And none of these are cursory beasts. The author takes everything very seriously, thoughtfully, and does it with some really fantastic characters in George and Pandora.
Two hackers, who never meet, but collaborate in creating an AI? Hell yeah. But make the AI serve the purpose of suicide prevention? I like the concept. Even such hard-coding might get VERY hairy. And what about consciousness? All the usual problems apply. All us Zombies, etc. :)
But none of these wonderful explorations of depression, dementia, or suicide would be quite as interesting without the wonderful cast of oh-so-real characters with all their human joys and frailties. This isn't some massive adventure. It's about what makes us, us. :)
*With some humor* :)
So what did I get? Some good humor? Yes! But this is almost incidental to the main plot. Indeed, the main point is about some rather serious topics from dementia to suicide to the very nature of consciousness and cutting-edge AI research. Wow, right? And none of these are cursory beasts. The author takes everything very seriously, thoughtfully, and does it with some really fantastic characters in George and Pandora.
Two hackers, who never meet, but collaborate in creating an AI? Hell yeah. But make the AI serve the purpose of suicide prevention? I like the concept. Even such hard-coding might get VERY hairy. And what about consciousness? All the usual problems apply. All us Zombies, etc. :)
But none of these wonderful explorations of depression, dementia, or suicide would be quite as interesting without the wonderful cast of oh-so-real characters with all their human joys and frailties. This isn't some massive adventure. It's about what makes us, us. :)
*With some humor* :)
September 3, 2019
This book is a prequel to “Happy Doomsday” which I haven’t read. It’s definitely not necessary to read the previous book first, but I suggest that you pay attention to the prologue of this book. This book is about 2 teenaged hackers, who never meet face to face, but join to create the AI named Buzz. George Jedson is hired by Quire, a social media company, to develop an AI that can prevent suicides by its users. Pandora Lynch is the daughter of George’s therapist, and what she really cares about is an AI to which all of her memories can be transferred. She is inspired by her grandmother’s slow decline into dementia. It turns out that Quire has a lot more going on than chat groups, and George and Pandora are not really equipped to handle the “child” they created.
Although the subject matter is serious, the book is not without humor. George and Pandora are both interesting and intelligent characters. Quire is a company with lots of benefits, but it doesn’t really care if its developers die young. Pandora’s visits to her grandmother’s assisted living facility felt too real. I liked the way the book introduced both the technical and ethical issues in the creation of Buzz; how they exposed him to information and situations. Buzz was a quick learner, although they never managed to teach Buzz that sleeping is not a voluntary loss of consciousness that needs to be prevented. The creative process was fun - until it wasn’t anymore. No gore or romance, but lots to think about. What’s not to like? I would read more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Although the subject matter is serious, the book is not without humor. George and Pandora are both interesting and intelligent characters. Quire is a company with lots of benefits, but it doesn’t really care if its developers die young. Pandora’s visits to her grandmother’s assisted living facility felt too real. I liked the way the book introduced both the technical and ethical issues in the creation of Buzz; how they exposed him to information and situations. Buzz was a quick learner, although they never managed to teach Buzz that sleeping is not a voluntary loss of consciousness that needs to be prevented. The creative process was fun - until it wasn’t anymore. No gore or romance, but lots to think about. What’s not to like? I would read more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 25, 2019
This was a difficult one to rate, and I finally went with my gut; the three-star rating partly reflects the fact that it was such a downer, which is not to my taste. (The title turned out to be accurate in a couple of ways that took me unpleasantly by surprise, though it's not like I wasn't warned at all; I just kept hoping it would turn out better than it was threatening to.)
I've read a few books now in the genre you might call "contemporary science fiction," as spawned by William Gibson of All Tomorrow's Parties, and they tend to have three flaws.
First, they're world-weary and cynical. This book is definitely those things, though it is at least witty about it.
Second, they tend to feature alienated losers wandering through a series of events without much in the way of goals, and therefore without much plot. For a long time - until about 45% - and with the "losers" part in brackets, I thought this book checked that box off as well, but the pair of protagonists do finally get a goal, or a pair of aligned goals. It is very much choked with exposition and high-flown prose, though, with long infodumps (either via a character or directly from the narrator) about artificial intelligence and various other topics. The explanations are plot-relevant, but there are an awful lot of them. I gained the impression that the author/narrator was a bit in love with the sound of his own voice.
The third flaw that many contemporary SF books share is the flaw that (according to Sturgeon) 90% of everything shares: they're crap, in the sense that the author has a poor grasp on the basic tools of writing like punctuation, sentence structure, and vocabulary, not to mention plot, characterisation and setting. This book has, I think, had extensive copy editing to remove most (though, in the review copy I got from Netgalley, not quite all) signs of those problems, and reads as better written than average. That would normally have kept it at four stars, but sustained cynicism and a tragic ending were not what I was hoping for, and when you spend almost the first half of the book waffling around with backstory and the characters feeling and thinking and experiencing a lot but doing very little, I will ding you for it.
I've read a few books now in the genre you might call "contemporary science fiction," as spawned by William Gibson of All Tomorrow's Parties, and they tend to have three flaws.
First, they're world-weary and cynical. This book is definitely those things, though it is at least witty about it.
Second, they tend to feature alienated losers wandering through a series of events without much in the way of goals, and therefore without much plot. For a long time - until about 45% - and with the "losers" part in brackets, I thought this book checked that box off as well, but the pair of protagonists do finally get a goal, or a pair of aligned goals. It is very much choked with exposition and high-flown prose, though, with long infodumps (either via a character or directly from the narrator) about artificial intelligence and various other topics. The explanations are plot-relevant, but there are an awful lot of them. I gained the impression that the author/narrator was a bit in love with the sound of his own voice.
The third flaw that many contemporary SF books share is the flaw that (according to Sturgeon) 90% of everything shares: they're crap, in the sense that the author has a poor grasp on the basic tools of writing like punctuation, sentence structure, and vocabulary, not to mention plot, characterisation and setting. This book has, I think, had extensive copy editing to remove most (though, in the review copy I got from Netgalley, not quite all) signs of those problems, and reads as better written than average. That would normally have kept it at four stars, but sustained cynicism and a tragic ending were not what I was hoping for, and when you spend almost the first half of the book waffling around with backstory and the characters feeling and thinking and experiencing a lot but doing very little, I will ding you for it.
February 4, 2020
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. After reading other reviews, they seem to mostly cover the plot so I won't repeat what others have already thoroughly done. I will get to the point: the review. I have to admit that the first several chapters were slow for me. Perhaps the author purposely introduced us to the characters and their situations slowly in order to keep us grounded and ready for the roller coaster ride which is the main body of the book. Once I was able to truly get into the story line, I was thrilled.
The connection between George and Pandora was immediate and created a foundation for a promising future. From the get go, I really had hopes of an amazing and long lasting relationship built on not only an emotional need for one another but a mutual respect for one another. They were (mildly) confident in their modern texting relationship to be able to intellectually spar with one another without (major) fear of abandonment. I liked that part a lot.
By the middle of the book, the climax was inevitable. That's not a bad thing so I'm not judging, it's just an observation. As an older reader, I remember watching 2001: A Space Odyssey when it first came out. So at some point, remembering HAL, I keep uttering "Oh No" when the story took a turn that I had hoped it wouldn't. I even set the book down and walked away (but did return to finish the book). Even though the story had several important issues, the one point of "here it comes again" kept returning as I thought about where the story was headed. Then again, where could it go but where it did?
Life can't always be peaches & cream with a Hallmark ending, so the author stuck with a realistic ending. I had high hopes that the mission of George and Pandora via Buzz would somehow conquer all the bad in the world regarding the issues presented. A girl can hope, can't she? It's a book, so that hope was potentially there since real-life regarding major issues, like bullying and dementia, are so prevalent and hurting so many families. However, a realistic ending prevailed. It's not a terrible thing so I would still recommend it to readers who enjoy the genre.
The connection between George and Pandora was immediate and created a foundation for a promising future. From the get go, I really had hopes of an amazing and long lasting relationship built on not only an emotional need for one another but a mutual respect for one another. They were (mildly) confident in their modern texting relationship to be able to intellectually spar with one another without (major) fear of abandonment. I liked that part a lot.
By the middle of the book, the climax was inevitable. That's not a bad thing so I'm not judging, it's just an observation. As an older reader, I remember watching 2001: A Space Odyssey when it first came out. So at some point, remembering HAL, I keep uttering "Oh No" when the story took a turn that I had hoped it wouldn't. I even set the book down and walked away (but did return to finish the book). Even though the story had several important issues, the one point of "here it comes again" kept returning as I thought about where the story was headed. Then again, where could it go but where it did?
Life can't always be peaches & cream with a Hallmark ending, so the author stuck with a realistic ending. I had high hopes that the mission of George and Pandora via Buzz would somehow conquer all the bad in the world regarding the issues presented. A girl can hope, can't she? It's a book, so that hope was potentially there since real-life regarding major issues, like bullying and dementia, are so prevalent and hurting so many families. However, a realistic ending prevailed. It's not a terrible thing so I would still recommend it to readers who enjoy the genre.
March 11, 2020
David Sosnowski is an interesting author whose first novel is one of my favorite books. His current tale is a dark Buzz Kill (hard from 47 North) in which the ending is shown by the prologue. Sixteen-year-old George Jedson had been hacking and living in the San Francisco public library when he hacked the autonomous car of tech billionaire. Because his hack actually improved the car’s software, he is hired. The company is looking for a solution to the problem of its users committing suicide on the platform. George thinks that AI bot might be the solution. Pandora Lynch’s father does remote psychiatry from Fairbanks Alaska. Pandora is very bright had also a hacker. The two teens start collaborating. Pandora’s first reaction of high school after being home-schooled is to throw sodium in the boy’s toilets after they teased her. Her punishment is to visit her Grandmother, who is slowing losing her memories. Somehow Buzz gets created and becomes self-aware. I wish the ending wasn’s so dark, because I was fascinated by the two teens.
April 30, 2022
It deserves more than four but not quite five stars. A very enjoyable read that made me think
October 14, 2022
This novel reminded me of a combination of movie inspirations from the Kingsman: The Secret Service, Thanos from the Marvel Universe and I, Robot. The author took real life events that I clearly recall and cleverly and deviously wove them into a disturbingly fascinating ‘what-if’ scenario that is scarily plausible. Not probable, but plausible.
The story focuses on one main character, Pandora, who, through the author’s descriptions, gave me the impression that she looked like a young Linda Moulton Howe, an American investigative journalist I once saw on an episode of Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. That’s the image that came to mind and it stuck with me throughout the story. There is a secondary character, George, who is pivotal player for most of the tale, and Pandora’s dad, Roger. The other influence in Pandora’s life is her grandmother, Gladys. Those handful of people carry the plot and character development to various degrees.
It’s told in third person point of view from mostly Pandora’s side of things, but George’s perspective is told as well. It was interesting to see the author introduce readers to the main characters individually and slowly pull the strings that brought them all together in unexpected ways.
I saw George get built up, then torn down by an unlikely means. Even when you know the downside of something, doesn’t mean it won’t still happen; even when you say no, something happens to make you say ‘yes’. Those are the kinds of mind games that goes on during the course of the book and some made me pause and think while others I wanted to deny and yet quite a few, like I mentioned earlier, reminded me of movie plots and characters I’ve seen before but in no way are copied in the telling of this tale. It’s all unique, and when the direction of the program that George and Pandora starts to gel, fans of the science fiction genre will probably guess where it’s going, but not how it’s going to end. The thing about George’s character that I questioned was his ‘voice’. Supposedly he was a teenager, but as the story continued, I didn’t ‘hear’ the voice of a teenager, no matter how smart he was, he was still supposed to be a kid. He eventually sounded like a fully grown adult, and that kind of threw me.
I looked up the genre of this book because I had a difficult time trying to choose which ones Buzz Kill fell under. One had humor listed. I did not find this book humorous. Maybe some of the dialogue was cute, and the pop culture references made it relevant and interesting, but at no time was I tempted to grin, laugh out loud or chuckle. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I felt more anxious and worried as the story rolled out. I guess that’s called, suspense. The format is not laid out in a typical storytelling format, it took me a good portion of the book’s beginning chapters to get into the author’s rhythm and style.
What ultimately happens fits perfectly into conspiracy theories I’ve heard bandied about over the last ten years or so. Thing is, with all the advances in technology lately, Pandora and George’s thinking and ideas aren’t out of the realm of possibility. I think that’s why this book is effective. It’s not a horror story, but it easily could be.
Buzz Kill isn’t what I was expecting. Nor is it the type of book I typically read. Honestly, I’ve had this book on my TBR pile for a while; I think it’s because I felt I had to be in a certain ‘mood’ to read it. Guess today was that day as I read all 400+ pages in one sitting. There were times I felt overwhelmed from all the computer tech talk and theories and explanations, and underwhelmed with the ending. I expected it to be more impactful, more emotional or at least a bit more realistic considering the mess the prologue alluded to. I mean, the writing itself was well-done, the family dynamics between Pandora, her dad and grandmother were the easiest parts of the book to read, and I think that’s one of the things that kept me turning the pages. I liked Pandora’s character and I really appreciated her relationship with her grandmother and the reasons why she gave her the Furby. I even liked finding out about the true giver of the blue flowers. The book has its good moments.
Buzz Kill was interesting, thought-provoking, and I think more on point now with regards to the advances in artificial intelligence than when the book was first written. That’s the theme that can easily jump from science fiction to science fact. In both scenarios, I agree with the sentiment of the book – it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and be careful for what you wish for because you may not like the end result. That’s my takeaway from reading this novel. As a cautionary tale, I think this book is well worth reading.
The story focuses on one main character, Pandora, who, through the author’s descriptions, gave me the impression that she looked like a young Linda Moulton Howe, an American investigative journalist I once saw on an episode of Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. That’s the image that came to mind and it stuck with me throughout the story. There is a secondary character, George, who is pivotal player for most of the tale, and Pandora’s dad, Roger. The other influence in Pandora’s life is her grandmother, Gladys. Those handful of people carry the plot and character development to various degrees.
It’s told in third person point of view from mostly Pandora’s side of things, but George’s perspective is told as well. It was interesting to see the author introduce readers to the main characters individually and slowly pull the strings that brought them all together in unexpected ways.
I saw George get built up, then torn down by an unlikely means. Even when you know the downside of something, doesn’t mean it won’t still happen; even when you say no, something happens to make you say ‘yes’. Those are the kinds of mind games that goes on during the course of the book and some made me pause and think while others I wanted to deny and yet quite a few, like I mentioned earlier, reminded me of movie plots and characters I’ve seen before but in no way are copied in the telling of this tale. It’s all unique, and when the direction of the program that George and Pandora starts to gel, fans of the science fiction genre will probably guess where it’s going, but not how it’s going to end. The thing about George’s character that I questioned was his ‘voice’. Supposedly he was a teenager, but as the story continued, I didn’t ‘hear’ the voice of a teenager, no matter how smart he was, he was still supposed to be a kid. He eventually sounded like a fully grown adult, and that kind of threw me.
I looked up the genre of this book because I had a difficult time trying to choose which ones Buzz Kill fell under. One had humor listed. I did not find this book humorous. Maybe some of the dialogue was cute, and the pop culture references made it relevant and interesting, but at no time was I tempted to grin, laugh out loud or chuckle. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I felt more anxious and worried as the story rolled out. I guess that’s called, suspense. The format is not laid out in a typical storytelling format, it took me a good portion of the book’s beginning chapters to get into the author’s rhythm and style.
What ultimately happens fits perfectly into conspiracy theories I’ve heard bandied about over the last ten years or so. Thing is, with all the advances in technology lately, Pandora and George’s thinking and ideas aren’t out of the realm of possibility. I think that’s why this book is effective. It’s not a horror story, but it easily could be.
Buzz Kill isn’t what I was expecting. Nor is it the type of book I typically read. Honestly, I’ve had this book on my TBR pile for a while; I think it’s because I felt I had to be in a certain ‘mood’ to read it. Guess today was that day as I read all 400+ pages in one sitting. There were times I felt overwhelmed from all the computer tech talk and theories and explanations, and underwhelmed with the ending. I expected it to be more impactful, more emotional or at least a bit more realistic considering the mess the prologue alluded to. I mean, the writing itself was well-done, the family dynamics between Pandora, her dad and grandmother were the easiest parts of the book to read, and I think that’s one of the things that kept me turning the pages. I liked Pandora’s character and I really appreciated her relationship with her grandmother and the reasons why she gave her the Furby. I even liked finding out about the true giver of the blue flowers. The book has its good moments.
Buzz Kill was interesting, thought-provoking, and I think more on point now with regards to the advances in artificial intelligence than when the book was first written. That’s the theme that can easily jump from science fiction to science fact. In both scenarios, I agree with the sentiment of the book – it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and be careful for what you wish for because you may not like the end result. That’s my takeaway from reading this novel. As a cautionary tale, I think this book is well worth reading.
February 21, 2020
David Sosnowski can write rings around a lot of contemporary authors and he has a knack for making you really feel and want to hang out with his characters and he proves that once again to the prequel of the wildly entertaining "Happy Doomsday". The problem is, that while the characters are engaging, they don't really do anything. There's a ton of exposition and obviously a ton of research went into this book but, man, it's dull. I found myself skipping over sections and the book was a chore to get through and once you finally realize why the events of "Happy Doomsday" happened, it was a bit of a letdown. I'm a big fan of Sosnowski's and love his other books but this one just didnt work for me.
January 27, 2020
I'm gonna jump into the "meat" of this review headfirst, if you don't mind. I think the book deserves it.
There are precisely two (2) reasons the book didn't get a full 5 stars from me: one is more technical, and it may even be fixed already since I read an ARC- the editing. The book keeps repeating itself a lot, re-describing things we just had narrated to us a few pages ago like it's new information, or rehashing the same information but worded slightly different. Also, the infodumps, because BOY, there were a lot of them, with so much technical jargon I could barely keep up at times (and I consider myself ~modestly knowledgeable~ about tech).
And this leads us to reason number 2: the book hadn't decided what it wanted to be. Was it a lighthearted young-adult comedy/ satire? Was it a philosophical text about consciousness and responsibility, suicide and family? Was it aimed at tech-savvy adults who are into AI? I think it tried to be ALL three things at once. It mostly succeeded, in my opinion, but sometimes you're in danger of getting whiplash from the tone shifts.
That said: I really, really liked the book. If not for the above, it'd have gotten a full 5 stars from me. I expected a silly book about teenagers fooling around with computers, and I got something much, much bigger than that (while still encompassing my first idea). The characters are likeable and developed well, and the plot and pacing aren't handled optimally (towards the end, the pacing sped up a lot, like the author just needed to get it over with) but it's not that much of a problem. I also love that Alaska plays a big role as a setting in Pandora's portions, it's almost a character on its own.
I highly suggest the book, honestly. It wasn't perfect for me, but it was close enough.
Oh, one more thing: I only found out today upon finishing the book that this is a prequel to Happy Doomsday. I don't think anything would have changed if I had read that one first, there's no problem getting into the book's world, it's not a fantasy story. I'll definitely be reading Happy Doomsday next, though.
**I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**
There are precisely two (2) reasons the book didn't get a full 5 stars from me: one is more technical, and it may even be fixed already since I read an ARC- the editing. The book keeps repeating itself a lot, re-describing things we just had narrated to us a few pages ago like it's new information, or rehashing the same information but worded slightly different. Also, the infodumps, because BOY, there were a lot of them, with so much technical jargon I could barely keep up at times (and I consider myself ~modestly knowledgeable~ about tech).
And this leads us to reason number 2: the book hadn't decided what it wanted to be. Was it a lighthearted young-adult comedy/ satire? Was it a philosophical text about consciousness and responsibility, suicide and family? Was it aimed at tech-savvy adults who are into AI? I think it tried to be ALL three things at once. It mostly succeeded, in my opinion, but sometimes you're in danger of getting whiplash from the tone shifts.
That said: I really, really liked the book. If not for the above, it'd have gotten a full 5 stars from me. I expected a silly book about teenagers fooling around with computers, and I got something much, much bigger than that (while still encompassing my first idea). The characters are likeable and developed well, and the plot and pacing aren't handled optimally (towards the end, the pacing sped up a lot, like the author just needed to get it over with) but it's not that much of a problem. I also love that Alaska plays a big role as a setting in Pandora's portions, it's almost a character on its own.
I highly suggest the book, honestly. It wasn't perfect for me, but it was close enough.
Oh, one more thing: I only found out today upon finishing the book that this is a prequel to Happy Doomsday. I don't think anything would have changed if I had read that one first, there's no problem getting into the book's world, it's not a fantasy story. I'll definitely be reading Happy Doomsday next, though.
**I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**
January 2, 2021
I had been blitzing through audiobooks at a pretty good pace much of the year, but Buzz Kill shot a lot of that momentum, taking me nearly three full months to finish. Let me see if I can run down the reasons why:
- None of the characters are particularly memorable or well-drawn. Pandora Lynch is maybe the most interesting of them all, short of her grandma, who we only get brief glimpses off before dementia steals her. Even Pandora is sort of a one-note young adult heroine, full of idealism, a healthy amount of youthful cynicism, and just enough little quirks and faults to breathe some life into her without making the reader dislike her. Sort of like Freya in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora.
- More distressingly, most of the relationships in the book aren’t particularly well developed. I guess I shouldn’t say that. I should say that the relationship between Pandora and fellow hacker George is the weakest point of the book, and also the part we spend the most time with starting with about the halfway point. Every other relationship in the book is more interesting: the one between Pandora and her grandmother, Pandora and her father, even George and Pandora’s father.
- This book needed a vicious editor. The protagonists don’t even interact until Chapter 30, and when they do, it’s written extremely poorly. It’s exactly what you’d expect if you asked a 60-year-old man to write an initial text exchange between two teen hackers.
- The pacing is awful. The story takes forever to really get moving, causing me to slog through the first half of the book in tiny increments, but things like George’s descent into madness happen in the blink of an eye. Why do we get all these long-winded AI discussions while the revelations of what Quire is really up to, and George’s (tragic? We don’t really find out) downfall are treated like an afterthought instead of uh, THE CULMINATION OF THE FUCKING PLOT.
Perhaps one of the worst mistakes Sosnowski makes is leading the book with a prologue describing the final events. Maybe he’s assuming we’ve all read Happy Doomsday? In any case, the book would have been 100 times more exciting toward the end if I hadn’t listened to the previous 13 hours knowing exactly what the invention of Buzz was going to lead to. As a result, you can’t really recommend this or fully enjoy it as a standalone novel, and if you had read the other book, I’m not sure why you’d be interested in reading this one.
It’s a bummer, because there’s a good story in here, despite out of control AI being well-worn territory. Good enough that I’m almost considering doubling down and reading/listening to Happy Doomsday, partially because it’s on Kindle Unlimited. I guess that alone means I can’t outright pan this book, despite the only “taste” we get of Dev (who’s one of three protagonists in Happy Doomsday) not being all that interesting. The way the interactions between Pandora and her grandmother, or even the fun vegan debate between George and Pandora, show that Sosnowski can write dialogue and build good relationships between characters. But there’s just so, so much needless filler and uninteresting crap here, and that’s before you even get to the rather tired “social media dangerous/AI gone wrong” theme.
- None of the characters are particularly memorable or well-drawn. Pandora Lynch is maybe the most interesting of them all, short of her grandma, who we only get brief glimpses off before dementia steals her. Even Pandora is sort of a one-note young adult heroine, full of idealism, a healthy amount of youthful cynicism, and just enough little quirks and faults to breathe some life into her without making the reader dislike her. Sort of like Freya in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora.
- More distressingly, most of the relationships in the book aren’t particularly well developed. I guess I shouldn’t say that. I should say that the relationship between Pandora and fellow hacker George is the weakest point of the book, and also the part we spend the most time with starting with about the halfway point. Every other relationship in the book is more interesting: the one between Pandora and her grandmother, Pandora and her father, even George and Pandora’s father.
- This book needed a vicious editor. The protagonists don’t even interact until Chapter 30, and when they do, it’s written extremely poorly. It’s exactly what you’d expect if you asked a 60-year-old man to write an initial text exchange between two teen hackers.
- The pacing is awful. The story takes forever to really get moving, causing me to slog through the first half of the book in tiny increments, but things like George’s descent into madness happen in the blink of an eye. Why do we get all these long-winded AI discussions while the revelations of what Quire is really up to, and George’s (tragic? We don’t really find out) downfall are treated like an afterthought instead of uh, THE CULMINATION OF THE FUCKING PLOT.
Perhaps one of the worst mistakes Sosnowski makes is leading the book with a prologue describing the final events. Maybe he’s assuming we’ve all read Happy Doomsday? In any case, the book would have been 100 times more exciting toward the end if I hadn’t listened to the previous 13 hours knowing exactly what the invention of Buzz was going to lead to. As a result, you can’t really recommend this or fully enjoy it as a standalone novel, and if you had read the other book, I’m not sure why you’d be interested in reading this one.
It’s a bummer, because there’s a good story in here, despite out of control AI being well-worn territory. Good enough that I’m almost considering doubling down and reading/listening to Happy Doomsday, partially because it’s on Kindle Unlimited. I guess that alone means I can’t outright pan this book, despite the only “taste” we get of Dev (who’s one of three protagonists in Happy Doomsday) not being all that interesting. The way the interactions between Pandora and her grandmother, or even the fun vegan debate between George and Pandora, show that Sosnowski can write dialogue and build good relationships between characters. But there’s just so, so much needless filler and uninteresting crap here, and that’s before you even get to the rather tired “social media dangerous/AI gone wrong” theme.
January 31, 2020
I received a copy of Buzz Kill through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Buzz Kill is the latest novel from David Sosnowski. You probably recognize the insanely bright colors used on his covers! Marketed as a hilarious read about hackers, this novel is as creative as it is quirky.
Amazing – or dreadful – things can happen when two hackers put their heads together. At least, that is the case for Pandora Lynch and George Jedson. Together these two are about to create something new, and that’s arguably about to get out of hand.
Pandora grew up in Alaska, with the internet as her best friend and teacher. That is, up until it was decided that she needed to learn how to interact with real people her age. That didn’t go over so well. But it did give her some ideas.
George is a hacker, but not what you might expect. He loves breaking into systems, cleaning them up, and leaving them even better than what he found. It sounds counterintuitive, because it is. And it’s also probably still very illegal.
Buzz Kill is actually the prequel novel to Happy Doomsday. But don’t worry if you haven’t read that one yet – it isn’t a requirement to follow or understand this one. Though perhaps one would appreciate some of the elements more, knowing where they’ll lead.
“In retrospect, she could see how her revenge might be mistaken for an act of terrorism.”
Warnings: Buzz Kill touches upon bully, abuse, and mental health issues all at once. All of these elements are all fairly integral to the core plot, and thus fit in nicely, and more or less provide a bit of warning before they happen.
Buzz Kill was an entertaining – and highly unique read from start to finish. I didn’t read Happy Doomsday, but I had no problems following the vein of this rather chaotic and compelling tale.
This novel is told through multiple perspectives, namely that of Pandora and George. These two characters are extremely different, so getting to see their way of thinking was very much appreciated. It did a great job of setting the tone – and explaining their future attempts and actions.
I think my biggest complaint (if you want to call it that) is that Buzz Kill was marketed as a hilarious read, when I honestly found it to be a bit of a well, downer. It was fairly depressing at times, including the introduction. This is a novel that did not showcase the best that humanity has to offer, and boy do you feel that.
On the whole, Buzz Kill was an interesting read, though perhaps not the read I was expecting going into it. I don’t regret having read it, which is certainly something. And I’d probably pick up Happy Doomsday and give that a read. I would be curious to see if my appreciation for this novel would change, after reading it.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Buzz Kill is the latest novel from David Sosnowski. You probably recognize the insanely bright colors used on his covers! Marketed as a hilarious read about hackers, this novel is as creative as it is quirky.
Amazing – or dreadful – things can happen when two hackers put their heads together. At least, that is the case for Pandora Lynch and George Jedson. Together these two are about to create something new, and that’s arguably about to get out of hand.
Pandora grew up in Alaska, with the internet as her best friend and teacher. That is, up until it was decided that she needed to learn how to interact with real people her age. That didn’t go over so well. But it did give her some ideas.
George is a hacker, but not what you might expect. He loves breaking into systems, cleaning them up, and leaving them even better than what he found. It sounds counterintuitive, because it is. And it’s also probably still very illegal.
Buzz Kill is actually the prequel novel to Happy Doomsday. But don’t worry if you haven’t read that one yet – it isn’t a requirement to follow or understand this one. Though perhaps one would appreciate some of the elements more, knowing where they’ll lead.
“In retrospect, she could see how her revenge might be mistaken for an act of terrorism.”
Warnings: Buzz Kill touches upon bully, abuse, and mental health issues all at once. All of these elements are all fairly integral to the core plot, and thus fit in nicely, and more or less provide a bit of warning before they happen.
Buzz Kill was an entertaining – and highly unique read from start to finish. I didn’t read Happy Doomsday, but I had no problems following the vein of this rather chaotic and compelling tale.
This novel is told through multiple perspectives, namely that of Pandora and George. These two characters are extremely different, so getting to see their way of thinking was very much appreciated. It did a great job of setting the tone – and explaining their future attempts and actions.
I think my biggest complaint (if you want to call it that) is that Buzz Kill was marketed as a hilarious read, when I honestly found it to be a bit of a well, downer. It was fairly depressing at times, including the introduction. This is a novel that did not showcase the best that humanity has to offer, and boy do you feel that.
On the whole, Buzz Kill was an interesting read, though perhaps not the read I was expecting going into it. I don’t regret having read it, which is certainly something. And I’d probably pick up Happy Doomsday and give that a read. I would be curious to see if my appreciation for this novel would change, after reading it.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
April 13, 2020
Two hackers join forces to help stop social-media led suicide rates - but how do you teach an AI about the value of human life and how to preserve it?
Buzz Kill really intrigued me by its blurb but ended up confusing me in its execution. The first 30% I found a weird mixture of amusing and sad. I enjoyed learning about Pandora and her father Roger and I found the description of her and her school life quite funny in places. We then learn about her grandmother Gladys who is suffering from dementia, which is where the book takes a turn into the depressing. The subject is heartbreakingly written but I did find it compelling reading that kept my interest.
It was when we start to learn about George and his job at Quire and the creation of the AI called Buzz that I started to find the book becoming a bit of a slog. Although I have a bit of understanding of coding and didn’t really find it too technically difficult to understand, it just gave the impression that the author was just trying to show off how clever he could sound. I didn’t find it very engaging to be frank and found it hard to have the impetus to pick it up and read it, despite the lack of other distractions in Quarantine! The only bits I enjoyed reading in the latter half of the book were the rest of the chapters on Gladys but even they started to get too repetitive. I found the ending confusing and there were some serious unanswered questions from about ¾ of the book which weren’t even resolved at the end (no spoilers).
There are serious topics of suicide and dementia which are explored well and I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. Pandora is particular is interesting and well-rounded and I enjoyed the fact she has a hyper-expressive face that can’t hide how she feels. I didn’t really get how old she was supposed to be –she starts off the book at school but the subject of her education seems to drop off by the middle of the book and her intellect and experience seems a lot higher than than 14/15 (?) she is supposed to be. I also found it odd that George’s company doesn’t keep more of an eye on him, content for him to just do nothing for weeks. We learn a lot about his boss as well that seems to come to nothing in the end.
Overall, I found Buzz Kill to be initially interesting but came to a disappointing and confusing conclusion with far too many unanswered questions. Thank you to NetGalley & 47North for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews please go to www.kindig.co.uk
Buzz Kill really intrigued me by its blurb but ended up confusing me in its execution. The first 30% I found a weird mixture of amusing and sad. I enjoyed learning about Pandora and her father Roger and I found the description of her and her school life quite funny in places. We then learn about her grandmother Gladys who is suffering from dementia, which is where the book takes a turn into the depressing. The subject is heartbreakingly written but I did find it compelling reading that kept my interest.
It was when we start to learn about George and his job at Quire and the creation of the AI called Buzz that I started to find the book becoming a bit of a slog. Although I have a bit of understanding of coding and didn’t really find it too technically difficult to understand, it just gave the impression that the author was just trying to show off how clever he could sound. I didn’t find it very engaging to be frank and found it hard to have the impetus to pick it up and read it, despite the lack of other distractions in Quarantine! The only bits I enjoyed reading in the latter half of the book were the rest of the chapters on Gladys but even they started to get too repetitive. I found the ending confusing and there were some serious unanswered questions from about ¾ of the book which weren’t even resolved at the end (no spoilers).
There are serious topics of suicide and dementia which are explored well and I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. Pandora is particular is interesting and well-rounded and I enjoyed the fact she has a hyper-expressive face that can’t hide how she feels. I didn’t really get how old she was supposed to be –she starts off the book at school but the subject of her education seems to drop off by the middle of the book and her intellect and experience seems a lot higher than than 14/15 (?) she is supposed to be. I also found it odd that George’s company doesn’t keep more of an eye on him, content for him to just do nothing for weeks. We learn a lot about his boss as well that seems to come to nothing in the end.
Overall, I found Buzz Kill to be initially interesting but came to a disappointing and confusing conclusion with far too many unanswered questions. Thank you to NetGalley & 47North for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews please go to www.kindig.co.uk
September 14, 2019
In the vein of WarGames and 2001: A Space Odyssey, David Sosnowski’s latest novel Buzz Kill takes a good look at Artificial Intelligence and asks what could possibly go wrong? Though separated by several thousand miles, the main characters George and Pandora are linked by circumstance and team up to create an AI capable of recognizing and preventing suicide. Together, the two explore concepts from plant consciousness to the ethics of hacking for the greater good to what it means for a person (or machine) to truly have consciousness. Meanwhile, George is struggling with his increasing knowledge of the darker parts of his parent company and the rest of humanity. In her corner of the world, Pandora comes to terms with her own mortality as she watches her grandmother slowly fade to dementia.
Buzz Kill is an extremely slow burn, with a long and thorough buildup to a potent finish, reminiscent of Stephen King’s Needful Things. The concept of artificial consciousness is extremely fleshed out, using George and Pandora’s text messages to each other as a sounding board for a variety of pretty interesting ideas. Though the science behind the plot seems a bit wonky, this is easily overlooked in light of the story. The story itself is well planned and perfectly executed. The circumstances that line up to allow the final bang to happen are phenomenal. Many things are hinted at throughout the novel, but these hints aren’t recognizable until it’s too late.
The most memorable thing about Buzz Kill is the clever linguistic stylings of Sosnowski. The dialog and thoughts of the characters flow very smoothly. Pandora and her father have a quippy, clever relationship that is well portrayed in their interactions. This quirky writing makes reading easy and enjoyable. There is a bit of a tendency to ramble, however. Also, some of the phrases and text-speak used by the younger characters do not seem natural at all, and can take the reader out of the story. Despite these flaws, the writing and dialog is particularly enjoyable throughout the novel.
Buzz Kill is a very interesting and thought provoking novel. It explores very cool concepts and poses some good questions. This book really makes you think. A must-read for fans of sci-fi or anyone interested in artificial intelligence.
Buzz Kill is an extremely slow burn, with a long and thorough buildup to a potent finish, reminiscent of Stephen King’s Needful Things. The concept of artificial consciousness is extremely fleshed out, using George and Pandora’s text messages to each other as a sounding board for a variety of pretty interesting ideas. Though the science behind the plot seems a bit wonky, this is easily overlooked in light of the story. The story itself is well planned and perfectly executed. The circumstances that line up to allow the final bang to happen are phenomenal. Many things are hinted at throughout the novel, but these hints aren’t recognizable until it’s too late.
The most memorable thing about Buzz Kill is the clever linguistic stylings of Sosnowski. The dialog and thoughts of the characters flow very smoothly. Pandora and her father have a quippy, clever relationship that is well portrayed in their interactions. This quirky writing makes reading easy and enjoyable. There is a bit of a tendency to ramble, however. Also, some of the phrases and text-speak used by the younger characters do not seem natural at all, and can take the reader out of the story. Despite these flaws, the writing and dialog is particularly enjoyable throughout the novel.
Buzz Kill is a very interesting and thought provoking novel. It explores very cool concepts and poses some good questions. This book really makes you think. A must-read for fans of sci-fi or anyone interested in artificial intelligence.
May 28, 2020
I loved this book! Buzz Kill intertwines Science Fiction with coming of age with morality play with the apocalypse.
David Sosnowski grabs you from the opening. “Like any good murder mystery, it starts with a body - quite a lot of them, in fact. Not yet, but soon.”
Buzz Kill takes place in current time and draws on technology we all love to hate. The two primary characters are an adolescent girl named Pandora Lynch who lives with her father in Fairbanks, Alaska and an adolescent boy named George Jedson who is a homeless foster kid runaway in San Francisco. What the two of them have in common are mad hacker skills. Of course, there is an arch enemy, social media giant Quire - the worst of Facebook and Twitter rolled into one.
There are a number of things that make this book a great read. The primary one is the characters. Pandora and George are presented as real kids who you root for as soon as you meet them. There are two other important characters; Pandora’s father, who is an online therapist for Quire’s employees, and Pandora’s grandmother, who Pandora is forced to visit in a nursing home as punishment for a school prank gone wrong. The head of Quire and some other employees make brief appearances but the story is all about Pandora, George, and Buzz - the AI that they are building.
This book is all about consciousness; what it is and what it means to have it. Of course, with consciousness comes morality and decision making. Pandora, George, and Buzz spend the entire book wrestling with moral questions and bring the reader along for the ride. “I think therefore I am” is a small question compared to what do I do with my thoughts and feelings.
This is a science fiction book where the science is all about computer programming. I don’t know enough about hacking to know how accurate Sosnowski’s presentation is. I’m sure that he stretches things a bit but not so much that it gets in the way of the story line.
With the primary protagonists being adolescents, you might be tempted to put this book into the YA category. I’m sure that that age group would enjoy the book but please don’t think it isn’t equally apt for an adult audience. Definitely one of the best apocalyptic books I’ve read.
David Sosnowski grabs you from the opening. “Like any good murder mystery, it starts with a body - quite a lot of them, in fact. Not yet, but soon.”
Buzz Kill takes place in current time and draws on technology we all love to hate. The two primary characters are an adolescent girl named Pandora Lynch who lives with her father in Fairbanks, Alaska and an adolescent boy named George Jedson who is a homeless foster kid runaway in San Francisco. What the two of them have in common are mad hacker skills. Of course, there is an arch enemy, social media giant Quire - the worst of Facebook and Twitter rolled into one.
There are a number of things that make this book a great read. The primary one is the characters. Pandora and George are presented as real kids who you root for as soon as you meet them. There are two other important characters; Pandora’s father, who is an online therapist for Quire’s employees, and Pandora’s grandmother, who Pandora is forced to visit in a nursing home as punishment for a school prank gone wrong. The head of Quire and some other employees make brief appearances but the story is all about Pandora, George, and Buzz - the AI that they are building.
This book is all about consciousness; what it is and what it means to have it. Of course, with consciousness comes morality and decision making. Pandora, George, and Buzz spend the entire book wrestling with moral questions and bring the reader along for the ride. “I think therefore I am” is a small question compared to what do I do with my thoughts and feelings.
This is a science fiction book where the science is all about computer programming. I don’t know enough about hacking to know how accurate Sosnowski’s presentation is. I’m sure that he stretches things a bit but not so much that it gets in the way of the story line.
With the primary protagonists being adolescents, you might be tempted to put this book into the YA category. I’m sure that that age group would enjoy the book but please don’t think it isn’t equally apt for an adult audience. Definitely one of the best apocalyptic books I’ve read.
December 17, 2019
Raised by her father Roger in Fairbanks, Alaska, Pandora Lynch was mostly homeschooled and knew her way around computers better than most. Sent to high school, Pandora’s overly expressive face quickly made her the target of ridicule and bullying. When Pandora’s act of retaliation against her tormenters went wrong, her father had the perfect punishment, spend time with Grandmother Gladys who resides in a nursing home that cares for dementia patients. George Jedson who has spent most of his young life in foster homes, finds solace in computers, specifically coding and hacking using whatever tools and systems he can subvert. What is strange about that is the systems he hacks run better than before his attack. George’s stunt to take control of a high end electric vehicle while the CEO of Quire, a giant silicon valley tech corporation not only goes awry, it lands him a cushy job with the company. George is to design a program capable of recognizing the signs of and preventing suicides in young adults, especially when they do it while live streaming.
George and Pandora connect through Roger’s work as a psychiatrist for Quire’s best and brightest. Being separated by thousands of miles has little meaning as the two teens begin a collaborative effort via texting to design an artificial intelligence with the capability of becoming conscious. What follows is a broad discussion of what consciousness is as Buzz, the name given to their budding AI, continues to learn and develops a terrifyingly foolproof way of preventing suicides.
Despite the frequent infodumps, this dark read is quite enjoyable as it touches on issues of dementia, bullying, artificial intelligence and what constitutes being conscious. All the tech talk and rambles slow the pace down but excellent character development and thought provoking storyline makes up for it. The conclusion raises some very interesting points about the dangers of complete interconnectedness and the inability to put the genie back into the bottle once it is released.
George and Pandora connect through Roger’s work as a psychiatrist for Quire’s best and brightest. Being separated by thousands of miles has little meaning as the two teens begin a collaborative effort via texting to design an artificial intelligence with the capability of becoming conscious. What follows is a broad discussion of what consciousness is as Buzz, the name given to their budding AI, continues to learn and develops a terrifyingly foolproof way of preventing suicides.
Despite the frequent infodumps, this dark read is quite enjoyable as it touches on issues of dementia, bullying, artificial intelligence and what constitutes being conscious. All the tech talk and rambles slow the pace down but excellent character development and thought provoking storyline makes up for it. The conclusion raises some very interesting points about the dangers of complete interconnectedness and the inability to put the genie back into the bottle once it is released.
January 16, 2020
At times fast paced and funny, at times heart felt and almost heart breaking, Buzz Kill by David Sosnowski is definitely original. The book follows the escapades of two skilled teenage hackers, who join forces to try to create a sentient AI, one which would be able to pass the infamous Turing test and convince a human that it is also a human rather than an artificial creation. Pandora lives in Alaska with her father, who is raising her alone after her mother died while giving birth to her. She is struggling to fit in at school because of being home schooled for most of her education, and because she has a hyper- mobile, overly expressive face. In California , runaway George Jedson has just been hired by a large social media corporation on foot of his impressive hacking exploits. His new role is to try to come up with a system to recognise young people who are on the brink of suicide. When the pair cross virtual paths, they quickly bond over their shared skills and soon they are creating one of the most convincing A.I. systems ever made, which they christen Buzz. Inevitably things begin to go wrong, with unforeseen consequences that will have global ramifications.
I really enjoyed the tone of this book, there is a lot of wit, and the author never talks down to the reader. He explains most of the scientific basics clearly and succinctly without belabouring the point , which helps to keep the story moving at a good pace. The world building is good, it feels like a believable future, and one that is not very far off. The characters are really fun, and I loved their banter. I also really loved the relationship between Pandora and her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's . What started out as a punishment for her became one of the strongest relationships in the book, and one of the most beautiful. While the ending may be divisive, I thought it fit well with the tone of the book and it was definitely thought provoking.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed the tone of this book, there is a lot of wit, and the author never talks down to the reader. He explains most of the scientific basics clearly and succinctly without belabouring the point , which helps to keep the story moving at a good pace. The world building is good, it feels like a believable future, and one that is not very far off. The characters are really fun, and I loved their banter. I also really loved the relationship between Pandora and her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's . What started out as a punishment for her became one of the strongest relationships in the book, and one of the most beautiful. While the ending may be divisive, I thought it fit well with the tone of the book and it was definitely thought provoking.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
December 15, 2019
Pandora lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with her dad, Roger. Pandora has a highly expressive face, similar to Jim Carrey. Because of her face, people tend to make fun of and pick on Pandora. Not to mention she was homeschooled for many years, and her house has no real doors, except for the entry ones. In spite of all this, Pandora is gifted. She can write code and hack with the best of them.
George Jedson is a teenager on the run. Part of the foster system, he has figured out how to live on his own. George is also a gifted coder. He’s figured out how to hack the computer system on a very elite electric vehicle. This particular EV belongs to a tech giant CEO with a flair for the dramatic. So when George takes over this vehicle, it definitely draws attention.
Roger, Pandora’s dad, is a psychiatrist for the company that said CEO runs. He works remotely from Fairbanks. When Pandora does something unthinkable to some classmates, his punishment for her is to start visiting her grandmother, Gladys. Gladys has dementia and lives in a nursing home. It’s supposed to be a punishment, but turns out to be everything Pandora never knew she needed.
This was the first novel by Sosnowski that I’ve read. He is a witty writer, with a knack for drawing you into the story. I loved how he brought all these characters together, and highlighted the vulnerability of two idealistic teenagers on a quest to change the world. Buzz Kill brims with humor in spite of its fairly dark concept. It is both science fiction and a love story, and what happens when your ideals overtake your rationale.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good tech/sci fi read. The dialogue keeps it snapping along and the end will utterly terrify you.
4 stars
This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 14 January 2020 .
George Jedson is a teenager on the run. Part of the foster system, he has figured out how to live on his own. George is also a gifted coder. He’s figured out how to hack the computer system on a very elite electric vehicle. This particular EV belongs to a tech giant CEO with a flair for the dramatic. So when George takes over this vehicle, it definitely draws attention.
Roger, Pandora’s dad, is a psychiatrist for the company that said CEO runs. He works remotely from Fairbanks. When Pandora does something unthinkable to some classmates, his punishment for her is to start visiting her grandmother, Gladys. Gladys has dementia and lives in a nursing home. It’s supposed to be a punishment, but turns out to be everything Pandora never knew she needed.
This was the first novel by Sosnowski that I’ve read. He is a witty writer, with a knack for drawing you into the story. I loved how he brought all these characters together, and highlighted the vulnerability of two idealistic teenagers on a quest to change the world. Buzz Kill brims with humor in spite of its fairly dark concept. It is both science fiction and a love story, and what happens when your ideals overtake your rationale.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good tech/sci fi read. The dialogue keeps it snapping along and the end will utterly terrify you.
4 stars
This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 14 January 2020 .
May 15, 2020
“And both felt the same sense of personal injury at the thought that their thinking would someday come to an end. Or using fewer words:
‘Death sucks.’
‘And then some.’”
“Buzz Kill” is an endlessly fascinating, thought provoking, and humorous novel about two young hackers who, for their own reasons, combine their knowledge to create an AI named Buzz for the purpose of being self-sufficient and empathetic toward humankind.
While the vocabulary could become a struggle due to the technical usage of language, I thought it was a great outlook on the world of technology and just how far it can go. Unlike other novels where readers are thrown into the chaos of futuristic technology and murderous robots, “Buzz Kill” allows for a pleasurable journey on how Buzz came to be and the difficulties behind creating such a unique AI. The novel touched on other subjects such as the difficulty of dealing with mortality and the desire to preserve something of ourselves and loved ones to last beyond death. While it sounds a touch morbid and sad, Sosnowski manages to deal with this topic in a respectful yet humorous way that connects on a deeper, more intimate level.
I thought this was a wonderfully humourous and emotional novel that is worth the read, especially if anyone is looking for something light and fun. The characters were immensely likeable if not a little wacky and fantastic braniacks in their own rights. Definitely a recommended read!
‘Death sucks.’
‘And then some.’”
“Buzz Kill” is an endlessly fascinating, thought provoking, and humorous novel about two young hackers who, for their own reasons, combine their knowledge to create an AI named Buzz for the purpose of being self-sufficient and empathetic toward humankind.
While the vocabulary could become a struggle due to the technical usage of language, I thought it was a great outlook on the world of technology and just how far it can go. Unlike other novels where readers are thrown into the chaos of futuristic technology and murderous robots, “Buzz Kill” allows for a pleasurable journey on how Buzz came to be and the difficulties behind creating such a unique AI. The novel touched on other subjects such as the difficulty of dealing with mortality and the desire to preserve something of ourselves and loved ones to last beyond death. While it sounds a touch morbid and sad, Sosnowski manages to deal with this topic in a respectful yet humorous way that connects on a deeper, more intimate level.
I thought this was a wonderfully humourous and emotional novel that is worth the read, especially if anyone is looking for something light and fun. The characters were immensely likeable if not a little wacky and fantastic braniacks in their own rights. Definitely a recommended read!
Read
July 27, 2020David Sosnowski has a gift for telling the types of stories that feel right, and keep the pages turning. After reading the compelling and entertaining Happy Doomsday last year, I was eager to read Buzz Kill, which is a companion piece.
Buzz Kill has a more mature sensibility to it than Happy Doomsday, but both novels straddle the YA genre, equal parts science fiction and character study. Both novels revolve around characters that are, in their own way, isolated from the rest of world due to circumstances out of their control - but it's that lack of control that compels the reader to both sympathize and root for the protagonists.
Sosnowski keeps even the most dire situations light. There's a real comedy in these novels, that's honed in Buzz Kill, and I laughed aloud on a few occasions. The characters are natural despite their circumstances, and the plights of Pandora and George are familiar and comforting even if the characters themselves aren't comfortable. It's a coming-of-age story, in the most roundabout way.
It's hard to talk about a book without giving away spoilers, and this book is no exception. The journey is enjoyable, yet terrifying, yet hilarious.
Buzz Kill has a more mature sensibility to it than Happy Doomsday, but both novels straddle the YA genre, equal parts science fiction and character study. Both novels revolve around characters that are, in their own way, isolated from the rest of world due to circumstances out of their control - but it's that lack of control that compels the reader to both sympathize and root for the protagonists.
Sosnowski keeps even the most dire situations light. There's a real comedy in these novels, that's honed in Buzz Kill, and I laughed aloud on a few occasions. The characters are natural despite their circumstances, and the plights of Pandora and George are familiar and comforting even if the characters themselves aren't comfortable. It's a coming-of-age story, in the most roundabout way.
It's hard to talk about a book without giving away spoilers, and this book is no exception. The journey is enjoyable, yet terrifying, yet hilarious.
November 26, 2019
Thank you to 47North and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The description and the premise of this book were intriguing, so I was eager to read it even though YA and science fiction is not really my cup of tea. While I enjoyed the story of the two young hackers, and how their lives intersected in their common goal to create an AI being, the extremely long and - for this non-techie - complicated to incomprehensible expositions/explanations about AI were way more than I ever wanted to know about the topic. Yes, these explanations were relevant to the plot, more or less, but unfortunately other things like carrying the narrative about the two young hackers forward were too, and they didn't get anywhere near the love the other stuff did.
The tragic ending was not what I hoped for or expected, and left me feeling very down and cynical. Perhaps that was the intention all along - AI is great in theory, but not so great in real life, and that came through loud and clear here.
The description and the premise of this book were intriguing, so I was eager to read it even though YA and science fiction is not really my cup of tea. While I enjoyed the story of the two young hackers, and how their lives intersected in their common goal to create an AI being, the extremely long and - for this non-techie - complicated to incomprehensible expositions/explanations about AI were way more than I ever wanted to know about the topic. Yes, these explanations were relevant to the plot, more or less, but unfortunately other things like carrying the narrative about the two young hackers forward were too, and they didn't get anywhere near the love the other stuff did.
The tragic ending was not what I hoped for or expected, and left me feeling very down and cynical. Perhaps that was the intention all along - AI is great in theory, but not so great in real life, and that came through loud and clear here.
February 5, 2020
What happens when two hackers put their heads together? Some of it is amazing, the other is kind of dreadful. This latest novel by David Sosnowski is quirky and creative. Pandora grew up in Alaska. There’s really not much to do there. Hence her fascination with hacking. George, on the other hand, is a different type of hacker. He breaks into a system, cleans it up and leaves it in better shape than it was before. Once these two meet, the sky is the limit. Together they develop their own little brainchild which sets about making life very interesting for others.
Although this book is marketed as a hilarious read, I did not find much humor in it. I did, however, find it to be an enjoyable and interesting read. You are able to feel for the characters in the story, see their vulnerabilities and rejoice in their triumphs. There’s a mixture of science fiction, fantasy and a dash of romance. If you enjoy any one of those three genres, I believe you will find this a good read. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
Although this book is marketed as a hilarious read, I did not find much humor in it. I did, however, find it to be an enjoyable and interesting read. You are able to feel for the characters in the story, see their vulnerabilities and rejoice in their triumphs. There’s a mixture of science fiction, fantasy and a dash of romance. If you enjoy any one of those three genres, I believe you will find this a good read. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
February 5, 2020
What happens when two hackers put their heads together? Some of it is amazing, the other is kind of dreadful. This latest novel by David Sosnowski is quirky and creative. Pandora grew up in Alaska. There’s really not much to do there. Hence her fascination with hacking. George, on the other hand, is a different type of hacker. He breaks into a system, cleans it up and leaves it in better shape than it was before. Once these two meet, the sky is the limit. Together they develop their own little brainchild which sets about making life very interesting for others.
Although this book is marketed as a hilarious read, I did not find much humor in it. I did, however, find it to be an enjoyable and interesting read. You are able to feel for the characters in the story, see their vulnerabilities and rejoice in their triumphs. There’s a mixture of science fiction, fantasy and a dash of romance. If you enjoy any one of those three genres, I believe you will find this a good read. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
Although this book is marketed as a hilarious read, I did not find much humor in it. I did, however, find it to be an enjoyable and interesting read. You are able to feel for the characters in the story, see their vulnerabilities and rejoice in their triumphs. There’s a mixture of science fiction, fantasy and a dash of romance. If you enjoy any one of those three genres, I believe you will find this a good read. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
August 17, 2020
Preface: I got this book in a subscription box, so this isn't usually a type of book I would have picked out for myself. If this sci-fi, techie YA is more your jam, my review may not be all that helpful.
The main reason I'm rating it a 3 is simply that the ending didn't do it for me. I felt like I was left wondering about George more than I should at the conclusion of the book. (Does he go actually insane? Does he ever reach back out to Pandora? Do they ever meet in person?). And everyone dying almost felt like a cop out ending for the plot.
There also seemed to be a lot of computer lingo to get lost in. Luckily, I have some basic coding knowledge, so that helped. But I still got lost along the way here and there.
Finally, in my opinion the pace of the story was fairly inconsistent. It took me a while to get through the book, and I'm usually a fast reader.
Overall, I found the book entertaining in places but unsatisfactory towards the end. I didn't DNF, but not on my list of favorite reads.
The main reason I'm rating it a 3 is simply that the ending didn't do it for me. I felt like I was left wondering about George more than I should at the conclusion of the book. (Does he go actually insane? Does he ever reach back out to Pandora? Do they ever meet in person?). And everyone dying almost felt like a cop out ending for the plot.
There also seemed to be a lot of computer lingo to get lost in. Luckily, I have some basic coding knowledge, so that helped. But I still got lost along the way here and there.
Finally, in my opinion the pace of the story was fairly inconsistent. It took me a while to get through the book, and I'm usually a fast reader.
Overall, I found the book entertaining in places but unsatisfactory towards the end. I didn't DNF, but not on my list of favorite reads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2020
George is a runaway foster child, who is also a brilliant hacker and coder. Pandora has a hyperexpressive face (think Jim Carrey) and also excels at coding. Together, they are recruited by a large Silicon Valley firm to create a virtual friend for suicidal teens—with AI. What could possibly go wrong with that?
I enjoy unique and original storytelling. Buzz Kill is certainly full of that. I’m not even sure what genre it is. Young adult with serious ethical discussions and a whole bunch of tech talk? Yes, but it’s more than that too. It really made me think. I was so obsessed with it, I downloaded the Kindle Unlimited version—even though the publisher had already given me a free copy. I used the included audible file to listen to it on my two-hour commute each day as well as read it on my breaks and lunch. If you feel like reading a book unlike any other, give Buzz Kill a try. You won’t be sorry. 5 stars!
Thanks to 47North and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoy unique and original storytelling. Buzz Kill is certainly full of that. I’m not even sure what genre it is. Young adult with serious ethical discussions and a whole bunch of tech talk? Yes, but it’s more than that too. It really made me think. I was so obsessed with it, I downloaded the Kindle Unlimited version—even though the publisher had already given me a free copy. I used the included audible file to listen to it on my two-hour commute each day as well as read it on my breaks and lunch. If you feel like reading a book unlike any other, give Buzz Kill a try. You won’t be sorry. 5 stars!
Thanks to 47North and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 26, 2020
The author has tried to tackle some contempoary topics, though the use tech speak may put some off and it does make the narrative harder to follow. At first I thought this book was going to be quite witty, but it soon lost that edge, even though I think the author was trying to keep it that way. My main issue with this book was that the age of the main characters were 14/15, but has the book progressed the author must have forgot this sometimes and their wisdom and alutrism was beyond there years. Bizarrly as the story drew to a close, Pandora the lead female character, suddenly forgets about her father who she lives with, as a large selection of the population are target for extermination. He had been a key character in her life and central to the story. I accept I may be in the wrong demographic for this book and not live in the target audience country, but overall I was left a little dissapointed.
April 7, 2020
As I got into this book, I was sure it would be a five-star read. The characters were quirky and engaging, the topics they were dealing with were complex (both technically and ethically) and their chemistry was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately it ended rather abruptly, leaving me feeling like a lot of things went unresolved. We see Pandora and Gladys in the final scene, but there's no closure about what happened to the other two major characters, .
While other reviewers have complained about the ending being a downer, for me I didn't mind the way the action ended - I just would have liked another chapter or two to deal with the ramifications and create some proper closure.
Unfortunately it ended rather abruptly, leaving me feeling like a lot of things went unresolved. We see Pandora and Gladys in the final scene, but there's no closure about what happened to the other two major characters, .
While other reviewers have complained about the ending being a downer, for me I didn't mind the way the action ended - I just would have liked another chapter or two to deal with the ramifications and create some proper closure.
June 16, 2020
So, a couple of things that called my attention when requesting this book, the cover and the setting in Alaska. The premise was interesting and I knew going into this that it was going to be sci-fi; a well loved genre in my reading game. However, I wasn't ready for the deeper themes such as suicide and depression that I started reading. Don't get me wrong I can handle those themes and more, but I was just wasn't going into this one expecting that you know. It's like visiting France and suddenly France is located in the dessert. Not that you're not interested in the dessert , just didn't expect that. I found myself bored at times but still respecting the research and effort it took to write this novel, it just wasn't what I wanted from the author. I was expecting humor and laugh out loud moments instead I found myself wanting to skim through pages. I think if I were to re-read this book knowing what I know now I could rate it higher but for now a 3 star will be suffice.
March 10, 2020
Teen life isn’t easy especially if you are gifted. Pandora Lynch lives in the wilds of Alaska with her dad Roger. George Jedson lives in San Francisco. The only thing they have in common is their highly developed computer skills and being single. So how did they meet? George was Roger’s client. Communications were done online. Pandora wanted to know more about George so she hacked her father’s computer. And so a weird sort of relationship and partnership was born and so was Buzz. The characters in “Buzz Kill” are interesting, complex and surprising. The story is intriguing, especially if you are a computer nerd type (not judging). There are lessons to be learned, things to think about and contemplate. For example, how much power do tech firms have over the lives of our children. Read “Buzz Kill” – it is scary what could happen.
January 22, 2021
While this was a little slow at first, I actually appreciate how it took it's time. At first, it made things hard to get into but eventually it created such compelling characters in George, Pandora and especially Gladys. Gladys will live in my heart forever.
This book is challenging, for sure. I found myself re-reading certain sections a couple of times (and not only due to Sosnowski's wordy, witty writing style). It includes a lot of discussion of coding (not a surprise), AI, psychology and philosophy. I honestly think I learnt a lot while reading it.
It is-- like other reviewers have mentioned-- depressing though it never tries to hide that. I'd say, if you're already on the brink of an existential crisis, steer clear. But, if you're in the right mindset, this is a smart, well-written and thought provoking sci-fi adventure with very lovable characters.
This book is challenging, for sure. I found myself re-reading certain sections a couple of times (and not only due to Sosnowski's wordy, witty writing style). It includes a lot of discussion of coding (not a surprise), AI, psychology and philosophy. I honestly think I learnt a lot while reading it.
It is-- like other reviewers have mentioned-- depressing though it never tries to hide that. I'd say, if you're already on the brink of an existential crisis, steer clear. But, if you're in the right mindset, this is a smart, well-written and thought provoking sci-fi adventure with very lovable characters.
February 17, 2020
This book was a delight to read—fast paced, quirky, surprising, great ending. The author educates as well as displays an adept's knowledge of computer geeks and their world of coding and texting. It should appeal to multi generations and the author demonstrates an empathy towards his characters that is touching. The story begins when the 16-year-old Pandora (aptly named) connects with another teen who manages to find himself as lead programmer in a company remarkably similar to Facebook. They seek to create an AI program that will help keep teens and 20-somethings from committing suicide. This is the usual disillusioned, paranoid, the end-of-the-world tripe without the tripe. Bravo to Sosnowski! Looking forward to your next.
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