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Interface
A new technology has emerged, promising a perfect society, and resisters are not long for this world . . .
Ahead, not too many years from now, everyone has been linked to a network of government-mandated brain implants. The Interface has become a way of life, connecting all people to limitless information, nonstop personal messaging, and instantaneous news flashes. Gone are the days of cell phones and laptops--even loneliness itself is obsolete.
But when the genius behind the Interface turns against his own creation and threatens to unleash a deadly electronic brain virus on the public, the fate of the world falls on NYPD Captain Yara Avril, who must stop this sinister, ever-escalating plot before it's too late. A thrilling nod to a future waiting just around the corner, The Interface is a remarkably prescient exploration of the potential links between boundless connection and cataclysmic disaster in digital society.
Ahead, not too many years from now, everyone has been linked to a network of government-mandated brain implants. The Interface has become a way of life, connecting all people to limitless information, nonstop personal messaging, and instantaneous news flashes. Gone are the days of cell phones and laptops--even loneliness itself is obsolete.
But when the genius behind the Interface turns against his own creation and threatens to unleash a deadly electronic brain virus on the public, the fate of the world falls on NYPD Captain Yara Avril, who must stop this sinister, ever-escalating plot before it's too late. A thrilling nod to a future waiting just around the corner, The Interface is a remarkably prescient exploration of the potential links between boundless connection and cataclysmic disaster in digital society.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
464 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
5 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Scott Britz-Cunningham
4 books6 followersSCOTT BRITZ-CUNNINGHAM was born and raised in the Chicago area. An MD and a PhD, he works as a staff radiologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and is an assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Britz-Cunningham lives in Quincy, Massachusetts, with his artist wife, Evelyn, and his son, Alexander.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 30, 2022
3.5 stars
This was a solid science fiction novel that explored some near future technology in a nauced manner. From the premise, I was initially worried this would be another over simplified take on "the evils of government and technology" but instead I was pleasantly impressed by the complexity of the plot and themes.
I would not necessarily call this one a thriller, since it did not have the pageturner quality O was expecting. I didn't find the narrative and characters as engaging as I would like. However, the tradeoff was a story with depth.
I wouldn't recommend this novel to science fiction readers looking for a solid near future story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was a solid science fiction novel that explored some near future technology in a nauced manner. From the premise, I was initially worried this would be another over simplified take on "the evils of government and technology" but instead I was pleasantly impressed by the complexity of the plot and themes.
I would not necessarily call this one a thriller, since it did not have the pageturner quality O was expecting. I didn't find the narrative and characters as engaging as I would like. However, the tradeoff was a story with depth.
I wouldn't recommend this novel to science fiction readers looking for a solid near future story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 22, 2022
Actual rating: 4.5 stars, it's better than 4 stars, but not quite to the pure dynamite level of 5. Okay, the plot? Read the book blurb if you want that, too many reviews on this site read like third grade book reports. Here's what works and what doesn't:
1. The plot is damn good, and shades of it are already all too real, remember that bone-headed invention called Google Glass? The author has just taken the concept a step or two further by using implants in the brain. There is some scientific jargon in the book, but thankfully, it's always explained to the characters in the book in dummy terms, so the rest of us who aren't whiz kids can understand. There's not really that much, this isn't like trying to decipher Neil Stephenson.
2. The writing is very good, this story goes quick, and doesn't waste time on any fluff. Hey, if I polished it off in two days (over 400 pages) it's gotta be a pretty good story! Good characters too, some are straight good or evil, but the main players are well done in shades of gray.
3. This book is a thriller, but there are some pretty profound passages in it spouted by the characters concerning the nature of social networking. They are good enough that I actually had to take a highlighter to the book five or six times, it'll really make you think about where we are headed as a people chained to our cell phones and pointless media/social feeds. There was some serious though put into the dialogue in the important parts of the book.
4. What doesn't work? Well, um, nothing. No real flaws to point out in this book.
Overall, a good thriller that will activate your brain and make you think after you turn the final page. What more can you ask for? When this gets released in November, it'll be worth the price.
1. The plot is damn good, and shades of it are already all too real, remember that bone-headed invention called Google Glass? The author has just taken the concept a step or two further by using implants in the brain. There is some scientific jargon in the book, but thankfully, it's always explained to the characters in the book in dummy terms, so the rest of us who aren't whiz kids can understand. There's not really that much, this isn't like trying to decipher Neil Stephenson.
2. The writing is very good, this story goes quick, and doesn't waste time on any fluff. Hey, if I polished it off in two days (over 400 pages) it's gotta be a pretty good story! Good characters too, some are straight good or evil, but the main players are well done in shades of gray.
3. This book is a thriller, but there are some pretty profound passages in it spouted by the characters concerning the nature of social networking. They are good enough that I actually had to take a highlighter to the book five or six times, it'll really make you think about where we are headed as a people chained to our cell phones and pointless media/social feeds. There was some serious though put into the dialogue in the important parts of the book.
4. What doesn't work? Well, um, nothing. No real flaws to point out in this book.
Overall, a good thriller that will activate your brain and make you think after you turn the final page. What more can you ask for? When this gets released in November, it'll be worth the price.
January 4, 2024
bruh. I wasted so much time on this book for no reason. I started reading it and it was pretty good. I liked the prose because it was fast and established the environment quickly. But then things started going downhill. The characters were bland and two-dimensional. Yara especially was so difficult to like. At first, she was just a b*tch. And then she was so incredibly love-struck with a man that she fell into total despair and could not move on and her whole character at one point was just about Taiki.
The number of extraneous passages grew. I got frustrated by the weird way the characters talked.
What officially made me put the book down was Rox. Such a random choice to include her. And if the author did want to include her- why did he give her the most stereotypical mannerisms and way of speaking? It just rubbed me the wrong way. Rox wasn't the first character that had ~interesting~ descriptions that appeared to be heavily rooted in racial stereotypes.
Overall, I picked up this book because I thought it would give me food for thought on how technologies- specifically implants- would change our society. In some ways it did but for a 400+ page book it should have done more.
The number of extraneous passages grew. I got frustrated by the weird way the characters talked.
What officially made me put the book down was Rox. Such a random choice to include her. And if the author did want to include her- why did he give her the most stereotypical mannerisms and way of speaking? It just rubbed me the wrong way. Rox wasn't the first character that had ~interesting~ descriptions that appeared to be heavily rooted in racial stereotypes.
Overall, I picked up this book because I thought it would give me food for thought on how technologies- specifically implants- would change our society. In some ways it did but for a 400+ page book it should have done more.
October 28, 2022
Interface by Scott Britz-Cunningham is a highly recommended science fiction investigative mystery.
In the future the governments around the world require everyone at age 14 to be linked by a brain implant called the Interface. It replaces cell phones and computers and has become something everyone depends upon for everyday life. All the information you need is immediately available and you can connect to anyone at any time. It is also illegal to not have the Interface, upon penalty of death.
Taikai Graf invented the Interface and has been presumed dead for years. His half-brother Egon is head of the USA's FATA, Federal Anti-Terrorist Authority, and he wields his power as a draconian threat. NYPD captain Yara Avril was married to Egon, but loved Taikai. Yara starts investigating a case of a man that has went on a bizarre rampage, when Egon and the FATA inexplicably take it over. It becomes clear that much more is going on and Yara fights to continue her own investigation which leads her to question the presumed death of Taikai and the wisdom of the implants.
Brain implants are an interesting premise for a novel, but the real focus is the investigation into where Taikai is and why he is taking his current course of action. There are a few scenes, however, that could have easily been edited out to keep the focus on the actual plot but these can easily be skipped over. The medical information provided to back up the Interface is realistic due to the author's background, but the actual plot requires some suspension of disbelief.
The writing is to the point and the plot, the investigation, is compelling. The characters aren't fully realized, but the real reason to read the novel is to find out why Taikai is on his present course of action, what is his end game, and, ultimately, to consider our current addiction to always being plugged in and what this could mean in our near future.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Keylight Books via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/1...
In the future the governments around the world require everyone at age 14 to be linked by a brain implant called the Interface. It replaces cell phones and computers and has become something everyone depends upon for everyday life. All the information you need is immediately available and you can connect to anyone at any time. It is also illegal to not have the Interface, upon penalty of death.
Taikai Graf invented the Interface and has been presumed dead for years. His half-brother Egon is head of the USA's FATA, Federal Anti-Terrorist Authority, and he wields his power as a draconian threat. NYPD captain Yara Avril was married to Egon, but loved Taikai. Yara starts investigating a case of a man that has went on a bizarre rampage, when Egon and the FATA inexplicably take it over. It becomes clear that much more is going on and Yara fights to continue her own investigation which leads her to question the presumed death of Taikai and the wisdom of the implants.
Brain implants are an interesting premise for a novel, but the real focus is the investigation into where Taikai is and why he is taking his current course of action. There are a few scenes, however, that could have easily been edited out to keep the focus on the actual plot but these can easily be skipped over. The medical information provided to back up the Interface is realistic due to the author's background, but the actual plot requires some suspension of disbelief.
The writing is to the point and the plot, the investigation, is compelling. The characters aren't fully realized, but the real reason to read the novel is to find out why Taikai is on his present course of action, what is his end game, and, ultimately, to consider our current addiction to always being plugged in and what this could mean in our near future.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Keylight Books via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/1...
November 13, 2022
Full disclosure: the author is a personal friend of mine and the copy I read is a gifted copy. That doesn't mean that my review and rating are biased . . . maybe a little. I would've given it a five-star rating, but folks would probably accuse me of pressing down on the scales.
If you're a fan of dystopian fiction, then you'll likely enjoy this story. It's Black Mirror, Alex Jones, The Walking Dead, Superintelligence, and Brave New World all wrapped up into one.
It not only tells a great story but, like so much great dystopian fiction, it turns the view back on the reader: what are we really doing with all that we have developed and discovered in our modern era? Do we really know what's good for us, and what tradeoffs are we willing to accept? It's not a moralistic story, but it is a story with a moral, but not one that's black and white. And, it's well-written, fast-moving, and easy to follow.
If you're a fan of dystopian fiction, then you'll likely enjoy this story. It's Black Mirror, Alex Jones, The Walking Dead, Superintelligence, and Brave New World all wrapped up into one.
It not only tells a great story but, like so much great dystopian fiction, it turns the view back on the reader: what are we really doing with all that we have developed and discovered in our modern era? Do we really know what's good for us, and what tradeoffs are we willing to accept? It's not a moralistic story, but it is a story with a moral, but not one that's black and white. And, it's well-written, fast-moving, and easy to follow.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews