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Faster
Inspired by the incredible true story of three geniuses who changed the world. Out in the sun-bleached sands of the Mojave Desert, a group of masterminds comes together to transform the way we drive. But can progress be made when a mercilessly tough engineer, a reckless mechanic, and a methodical programmer continuously clash over how to approach the solution? In Faster , explore the world of autonomous cars through this lens of Yin versus yang. Speed versus caution. Software versus hardware. Silicon Valley versus Detroit. Get pulled into a story of high-stakes action, obsession, and romance that fans of Michael Crichton and The Social Network won’t be able to put down.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2021
2 people are currently reading
1056 people want to read
About the author
Alex Schuler
13 books12 followersAlex Schuler is a pseudonym for the writing team of William Roetzheim and Randy Becker. William started his career as an early pioneer in the field of AI software development. His systems have been deployed on Navy ships, submarines, and NASA space shuttles, as well as by businesses and government agencies. After launching multiple software companies, William turned his attention to the arts and became an award-winning playwright, poet, and published author. Randy is an Emmy-nominated producer who began his career as an actor starring in film, television, and on Broadway (including the Tony Award–winning play Love! Valour! Compassion!). He now expresses his creativity through writing and producing.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 20, 2022
Ted Wolff is a gifted engineer with an ego to match. He can build just about anything but insists on doing things his way. “His way” means taking risks and cutting the occasional corner. He works in Nevada designing custom gear for desert racers, while his father insists he should be making cars at the GM plant back home in Ohio.
Unexpectedly, Gary “Rusty” Abrams recruits Ted to join his team at David Silver University (DSU). Their goal? Build a self-driving vehicle for a competition sponsored by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). It’s an offer Ted can’t refuse, so he signs on.
Rusty is determined to win the competition and stops at nothing to ensure the DSU entry comes out on top. They face stiff competition, though, from the Ashton University team led by Rusty’s former protégé Vinod “Vin” Malik. Ashton may be the competition, but Ted quickly falls for their software expert, Sam—Samantha Lavoie—who’s as smart as she is beautiful.
DSU narrowly wins the DARPA competition, and the future looks bright. But when Ted and Sam approach Detroit with a vision for producing self-driving cars, their patch falls completely flat. Triumphs and tragedy follow as life forces Ted to learn that slow and steady sometimes is the best way forward.
Faster is a book with many rich characters and a storyline that mimics real life in its complexity and unforeseen consequences. Ted can be as arrogant as he is brilliant, ignoring the goals and feelings of the people around him. Sam, on the other hand, is Ted’s polar opposite, the ideal team player. But she’s dragging along some baggage from her past that complicates their relationship.
Other characters are also rich and well-developed. Rusty, the ex-marine, is the epitome of the boss from hell, a martinet who considers himself superior to everyone and sees his team members as little more than machines. Lori, Henry, and Nico are the co-workers that anyone would enjoy working with, solid and dependable.
The story in Faster takes place over several years against the backdrop of the innovative technology of self-driving cars. The subtext of Ted and Sam’s romance rests on that framework. The reader encounters triumph, tragedy, and despair throughout the pages. At the end of the day, it’s a very human story with the technology of window-dressing.
Even if you’re not into technology, you should enjoy Faster. I highly recommend this book.
Unexpectedly, Gary “Rusty” Abrams recruits Ted to join his team at David Silver University (DSU). Their goal? Build a self-driving vehicle for a competition sponsored by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). It’s an offer Ted can’t refuse, so he signs on.
Rusty is determined to win the competition and stops at nothing to ensure the DSU entry comes out on top. They face stiff competition, though, from the Ashton University team led by Rusty’s former protégé Vinod “Vin” Malik. Ashton may be the competition, but Ted quickly falls for their software expert, Sam—Samantha Lavoie—who’s as smart as she is beautiful.
DSU narrowly wins the DARPA competition, and the future looks bright. But when Ted and Sam approach Detroit with a vision for producing self-driving cars, their patch falls completely flat. Triumphs and tragedy follow as life forces Ted to learn that slow and steady sometimes is the best way forward.
Faster is a book with many rich characters and a storyline that mimics real life in its complexity and unforeseen consequences. Ted can be as arrogant as he is brilliant, ignoring the goals and feelings of the people around him. Sam, on the other hand, is Ted’s polar opposite, the ideal team player. But she’s dragging along some baggage from her past that complicates their relationship.
Other characters are also rich and well-developed. Rusty, the ex-marine, is the epitome of the boss from hell, a martinet who considers himself superior to everyone and sees his team members as little more than machines. Lori, Henry, and Nico are the co-workers that anyone would enjoy working with, solid and dependable.
The story in Faster takes place over several years against the backdrop of the innovative technology of self-driving cars. The subtext of Ted and Sam’s romance rests on that framework. The reader encounters triumph, tragedy, and despair throughout the pages. At the end of the day, it’s a very human story with the technology of window-dressing.
Even if you’re not into technology, you should enjoy Faster. I highly recommend this book.
June 27, 2022
I was really curious about Faster because my ‘normal’ job is so technology focused, just not on cars. Well, you never know, maybe in the future! I wonder often where is technology going in most industries, how it will change our lives and affect those with disabilities.
The technology in the book is similar to what’s been online now for self driving cars, I can see the inspiration for sure. The book timeline extends over years and it was such a joy reading about the technology Ted and the other characters used outside of the autonomous cars work like a MP3 player. It was those little details that were so sweet to read. I’m not a car person as you could probably guess by my social media, so car models, etc. went over my head. I’m sure there’s people out there who like cars and to read would appreciate those details. I so appreciate the lovely women who were so smart and interesting represented in a male dominated industry.
Overall the story could have been stronger, the second challenge for pizza, I wasn’t buying the high stakes. The beginning was so strong, it just wasn’t it for me in the middle. On the other hand, the ending was shocking. I was taken by surprise and I couldn’t put it down wanting to know what will happen. Although, I do think jail time for what happened makes sense to me, but that’s just me. No spoilers from this lady! Only thing I’ll say is a car analogy; when your car gets a chip in the windshield your responsible for getting the repair done despite the fact that no one is at fault.
Last, but not least: was the book diverse? Yes, the book was diverse and I’m so happy to see it. Gender for a male dominated industry, race, and someone even with an old injury. I definitely call that a win for the diverse team.
I highly recommend to check Faster out if it sounds interesting for you! Like cars or not I still enjoyed the book. Faster came out August of last year and available as ebook or paperback now!
The technology in the book is similar to what’s been online now for self driving cars, I can see the inspiration for sure. The book timeline extends over years and it was such a joy reading about the technology Ted and the other characters used outside of the autonomous cars work like a MP3 player. It was those little details that were so sweet to read. I’m not a car person as you could probably guess by my social media, so car models, etc. went over my head. I’m sure there’s people out there who like cars and to read would appreciate those details. I so appreciate the lovely women who were so smart and interesting represented in a male dominated industry.
Overall the story could have been stronger, the second challenge for pizza, I wasn’t buying the high stakes. The beginning was so strong, it just wasn’t it for me in the middle. On the other hand, the ending was shocking. I was taken by surprise and I couldn’t put it down wanting to know what will happen. Although, I do think jail time for what happened makes sense to me, but that’s just me. No spoilers from this lady! Only thing I’ll say is a car analogy; when your car gets a chip in the windshield your responsible for getting the repair done despite the fact that no one is at fault.
Last, but not least: was the book diverse? Yes, the book was diverse and I’m so happy to see it. Gender for a male dominated industry, race, and someone even with an old injury. I definitely call that a win for the diverse team.
I highly recommend to check Faster out if it sounds interesting for you! Like cars or not I still enjoyed the book. Faster came out August of last year and available as ebook or paperback now!
October 1, 2021
The synopsis of Faster by Alex Schuler intrigued me. Being involved in the motor industry, I could not wait to sink my teeth into this book. My excitement escalated only a few paragraphs after starting the first chapter. Our main man, Ted Wolff was listening to the music of Rush. Motor-industry, good music and Artificial Intelligence all contained in one book. Oh yes - it seemed we had all the makings of a good read.
However, excitement soon turned to boredom. Nothing jumped from the page to prompt me to continue the journey to the DARPA challenge and beyond. I walked away from my reading, considering that maybe I was not in the “mood” for reading, and I am sad to say that I forgot about the book. It was while watching a television show and one of the characters mentioned that she worked for a company developing self-driving cars, that I was reminded of the book.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) stories have been around for a long time, i.e., Knight Rider (to name but 1) and it is an interesting topic, but unfortunately this book failed to deliver the excitement and hype surrounding AI.
I received a free eBook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
However, excitement soon turned to boredom. Nothing jumped from the page to prompt me to continue the journey to the DARPA challenge and beyond. I walked away from my reading, considering that maybe I was not in the “mood” for reading, and I am sad to say that I forgot about the book. It was while watching a television show and one of the characters mentioned that she worked for a company developing self-driving cars, that I was reminded of the book.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) stories have been around for a long time, i.e., Knight Rider (to name but 1) and it is an interesting topic, but unfortunately this book failed to deliver the excitement and hype surrounding AI.
I received a free eBook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 14, 2022
I’m shocked by how much I enjoyed Faster. Normally, I’m not into car stories or techy reads, but this caught me from the very beginning. I’m fully convinced that the authors know a lot about what they’re writing about. They wrote enough about the technology to be convincing, but they managed to keep it from reading like an instruction manual. There was enough emotional intrigue to keep me satisfied, and I quickly found myself enjoying the technological side of things as well.
I also enjoyed the pacing of Faster. The plot picks up in the very beginning with very little lag time. The lead up to the competition was interesting, and I loved the competition itself. I have to admit after it was over I was afraid I would get bored, but I never did.
While I enjoyed the fast plot it did lead to one aspect of the story that I didn’t love. The romance between Ted and Sam felt a little rushed in the beginning. Once I had a little time to think on it I warmed up to it a bit, but I still don’t think they were a great match.
But overall, I really enjoyed Faster. I think this was a sign that I need to read more books outside of my comfort zone.
https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/02/09/...
I also enjoyed the pacing of Faster. The plot picks up in the very beginning with very little lag time. The lead up to the competition was interesting, and I loved the competition itself. I have to admit after it was over I was afraid I would get bored, but I never did.
While I enjoyed the fast plot it did lead to one aspect of the story that I didn’t love. The romance between Ted and Sam felt a little rushed in the beginning. Once I had a little time to think on it I warmed up to it a bit, but I still don’t think they were a great match.
But overall, I really enjoyed Faster. I think this was a sign that I need to read more books outside of my comfort zone.
https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/02/09/...
June 23, 2021
As the name and cover suggest, "Faster" is all about cars and not just cars – AI-based self-driven cars. The opening scene of Ted's reckless driving while handling technicalities sets the correct tone of the story. Ted's character is a typical sci-fi speed-obsessed young man who is autonomous, can solve anything, has no time to waste, needs everything faster, etc.
His qualities to fix almost everything led to his recruitment into DARPA under a stern supervisor for a self-driven vehicle challenge. As expected, the team of techies gets stuck onto some knotty problems, and Ted resolved that within minutes by the presence of mind and impresses everyone. I expected team members to despise him, but they all respected him and sought his assistance.
The most exciting part is the race itself, where an overconfident Ted meets with a rival team led by an attractive woman Sam – A beauty with the brain. The group emerged out as a formidable opponent. Such encounters almost always get converted to a love story, and this is not an exception. I felt it to be a quibble in a fast-paced story. Sam is throughout the challenge humiliating Ted at every opportunity, and suddenly, she became so sympathetic towards him she came along to travel together and enjoyed a romantic time in between the stress of finals. The fanciful story of Sam and Ted appears to be forced and doesn't invoke genuine emotions.
The process of building their vehicle "Cyclops" for the DARPA fast challenge progresses with time lapses of months. The author should have built up some more tension during this time.
I expected the race to be the main event and climax of the story, but it gets over in the initial 30 percent of the book. The rest of the part has two other races and preparations, which were not too thrilling. The story closes on a satisfying note. It is an enjoyable read which should have been compressed a bit. The challenge keeps you on the edge most of the time. It emphasizes the promising future of self-driven cars.
His qualities to fix almost everything led to his recruitment into DARPA under a stern supervisor for a self-driven vehicle challenge. As expected, the team of techies gets stuck onto some knotty problems, and Ted resolved that within minutes by the presence of mind and impresses everyone. I expected team members to despise him, but they all respected him and sought his assistance.
The most exciting part is the race itself, where an overconfident Ted meets with a rival team led by an attractive woman Sam – A beauty with the brain. The group emerged out as a formidable opponent. Such encounters almost always get converted to a love story, and this is not an exception. I felt it to be a quibble in a fast-paced story. Sam is throughout the challenge humiliating Ted at every opportunity, and suddenly, she became so sympathetic towards him she came along to travel together and enjoyed a romantic time in between the stress of finals. The fanciful story of Sam and Ted appears to be forced and doesn't invoke genuine emotions.
The process of building their vehicle "Cyclops" for the DARPA fast challenge progresses with time lapses of months. The author should have built up some more tension during this time.
I expected the race to be the main event and climax of the story, but it gets over in the initial 30 percent of the book. The rest of the part has two other races and preparations, which were not too thrilling. The story closes on a satisfying note. It is an enjoyable read which should have been compressed a bit. The challenge keeps you on the edge most of the time. It emphasizes the promising future of self-driven cars.
December 7, 2023
I am still not sure what to make of this story. The development around self-driving cars was interesting, but I can't say the same for the rest of the story which was even unpleasant at times. I also think comparing this book to the works of Michael Crichton is a bit of a stretch.
February 8, 2023
This was such a unique contemporary read! This features a drama-filled journey of scientists working towards a self-driving car.
And while yes, there is a heavy focus on cars and technology behind this smart car, I wouldn’t say you need to be overly knowledgeable in auto or tech. Do I know anything about cars? Nope. My identification for cars is primarily colors. Not joking!
But even with my lack of car knowledge, I wasn’t confused. We’re given enough details to understand what’s going on with our futuristic smart car.
And I really enjoyed this journey we go on for this technological advancement. I know this book is a work of fiction but I loved seeing all the details. I’m sure there was a lot of research and real-life examples that went into this book.
Another aspect we see is a bit of romance between our two main characters. At first, I loved it. But the further we got into the novel, our male main character started to annoy me. I didn’t care for his attitude towards things. It makes for an interesting drama and has a key role in the plot. He’s just one of those characters you love to hate.
After finishing, I was also surprised to discover that this was inspired by the great minds who did in fact change the world with this sort of technology. Hearing this I loved this story as a whole even more! Just amazing!
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable contemporary drama! It’s such a great journey towards the technology we see today, the self-driving car! Especially given that it’s inspired by real events and people.
And while yes, there is a heavy focus on cars and technology behind this smart car, I wouldn’t say you need to be overly knowledgeable in auto or tech. Do I know anything about cars? Nope. My identification for cars is primarily colors. Not joking!
But even with my lack of car knowledge, I wasn’t confused. We’re given enough details to understand what’s going on with our futuristic smart car.
And I really enjoyed this journey we go on for this technological advancement. I know this book is a work of fiction but I loved seeing all the details. I’m sure there was a lot of research and real-life examples that went into this book.
Another aspect we see is a bit of romance between our two main characters. At first, I loved it. But the further we got into the novel, our male main character started to annoy me. I didn’t care for his attitude towards things. It makes for an interesting drama and has a key role in the plot. He’s just one of those characters you love to hate.
After finishing, I was also surprised to discover that this was inspired by the great minds who did in fact change the world with this sort of technology. Hearing this I loved this story as a whole even more! Just amazing!
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable contemporary drama! It’s such a great journey towards the technology we see today, the self-driving car! Especially given that it’s inspired by real events and people.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews