Lightstorm

The Web - 2027 #5

by Peter F. Hamilton

Welcome to the infinite worlds of The Web
Ghostly lights out on the marsh have been the subject of tales and rumors for as long as anyone can remember. Thirteen-year-old Aynsley suspects that the "lightstorms" are connected to a problem at the nearby power company. The company is trying to keep it a secret, but someone in authority needs to be told--and Aynsley is the one to do it. With the help of a network of friends across the world, Aynsley knows he just might be able to use The Web to get past the company security to find out exactly what's going on. But the Web works both ways. If Aynsley can get to the company, then the company can get to him. And the company has a way of dealing with intruders....

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Peter F. Hamilton is a British science fiction author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide, making him Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author.

Reviews

[Clouds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my GIFTS AND GUILTY list.

Regardless of how many books are already queued patiently on my reading list, unexpected gifts and guilt-trips will always see unplanned additions muscling their way in at the front.

I'm a big fan of Peter Hamilton's work, yet I'd never heard of Lightstorm until a couple of months ago, when I was compiling my Pantheon list.

This is a YA sci-fi, set in a shared world called 'The Web - 2027'. Half a dozen different authors each contributed a story, all with different casts, but a shared setting and antagonist. Hamilton did not create this world and is working within the framework of the shared project.

Initially, the most striking aspect of this story is the use of jargon - there's a lot and it's quite silly. A kids bedroom is his cocoon. Boring people (or things) are cogs. People you don't like should curl-up. Computer power is measured in mips. An online AI character has a phace. Leaving the web is scuttling. Eight is good, six is bad, widow is amazing. People spin in and out of websites. There's so much webspeak, the book has a glossary. It comes across as very 'teeny' but unconvincing.

Next up - the web itself. This concept of the web is built around VR. Everyone has VR interfaces to access the web, either through basic gloves and glasses, or more commonly suits - technology is just reaching to a direct link to the nervous system (a neural shunt/jack/chip, etc). There's no mention of basic 2D screen interfacing - which again, is unconvincing. So websites are places. Hacking is like pulling a heist, with security and viruses, etc, taking physical form (as spiders, rats, cages, etc). This is all very reminiscent of Tad Williams' Otherland series (an epic fantasy story disguised as a sci-fi set in a VR universe). If you liked Otherland, you'll like The Web 2027 as a kids version. Also worth mentioning that some self-aware AIs have been granted citizenship status and just live in the web as regular folk. To me, as a sci-fi geek, this is a pretty huge deal - friendly, independent AI being something of a techie nirvana - but it's just dropped in here as an aside (and link events from another book in the series).

Then we have the realworld situation: This is the UK after global warming has hit and oil/petrol has run out. People don't travel much, the roads are decaying, we all live in our local communities and use the web for anything more distant. Green energy is important. As is an eco-friendly mindset.

The story itself is a fairly simple one - a kid sees something strange. Him and his net buddies do a bit of web hacking to figure out what's going on, and then the kid goes on a realword mission to get the proof - nicely mixing the action between web and realworld. The kid is likeable, the mission is worthwhile, and the pacing/action skips along quickly. It's a light, breezy, easy-read story (as long as the jargon doesn't grate).

I have issues with the conclusion - it's very much a bad-guy out of nowhere - because that part of the story is tied into the larger series, which I haven't read - so that element doesn't work particularly well as a stand-alone.

This isn't brilliant, but it's alright - it's about a 2.6 rounded up to a 3 star rating, because I'm a Hamilton fan.

Also worth noting that Lightstorm was an Xmas present from my wife's parents - and as it's a fairly random and specific book which I particularly wanted and they bothered to track it down, I thought that was very cool.

After this I read: Rabbityness

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Web: Lightstorm” is written by Peter F. Hamilton and was published in 2005. This book is for all ages 10 and up ;-) and is a children book by Peter F. Hamilton.

This did not stop me in 2008 when I was browsing the Internet for new releases of one of my favourite SF writers and I must say I enjoyed the book. The characters are a little bit shallow, but than again, it is a children book. Also added by Peter F. Hamilton is a Webspeak Glossary with all the terms and words related to Webspeak including the explanations. If you want to complete your Hamilton collection, this is one of the books, which can’t be missing on your bookshelf.

Have fun reading! (Only 120 pages ;-)

[Costin Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a short and easy read and it describes the way the web will change the world in Hamilton's vision. Part of the Web series it tells the story of a quest of online friends in the Realworld. At the end both virtual and real worlds mingle in an interesting way. A nice read from Hamilton, a quick pocket book relaxing read.