| Title | : | The Passengers |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1473558522 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781473558526 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 |
| Publication | : | First published April 1, 2019 |
| Awards | : | RUSA CODES Reading List Adrenaline (2020) |
When someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars, their passengers are set on a fatal collision course.
The passengers are: a TV star, a pregnant young woman, a disabled war hero, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife - and parents of two - who are travelling in separate vehicles and a suicidal man. Now the public have to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem?
The Passengers Reviews
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Five billions, need an urgent brain transplant cause my old one is just blown away and out of order stars!!!
My head still hurts like I tossed it against the wall thousand times and I started to see cartoon stars on my head as soon as I finish this one! I cannot say I’m speechless because I forgot four languages I’ve known ( including my native one) right now so I’m out of words.
This is so revolutionary, innovative, creative book makes you think a lot, thrill a lot and numb your mind! It makes me you question your values, morals. On some parts I felt like a jury member and thought which one was worse? To be a decision maker of someone’s mortality or stuck inside a death trap car when all of your skeletons in the closet reveal one by one.
I’m really doubtful that Mr. Marrs is from this planet because he outsmarted most of the genius writers with this book. He is so talented, knows how to deceive the readers with his conspiratorial moves and amazing twists.
I liked “ One” a lot but I liked “ Passangers” sooo much more!
This is the most surprising, exhilarating book I’ve really enjoyed! It really exhausted me because it was not easy adventure for everyone! -
One of the reasons I'm drawn to everything that John Marrs writes is that he takes the mundane and gives it a soapy spin. I mean this as the highest of compliments, because there's nothing I adore more than a unique idea that's brimming with drama, and I like for my psychological thrillers to contain not only the traditional aspects of crime fiction, but also the secrets hidden by our characters that pertain to their daily lives. I was slightly worried going into this one that the overwhelmingly large cast of characters would cause me to lose focus, but I should have known better than to not implicitly trust that the author knew exactly what he was doing.
If you've read the synopsis, then you know that the basic gist of the story is that manual cars are in the process of being outlawed, and the U.K. is moving forward into an era where only automated vehicles will be legal on the streets. That's right folks-automobiles are no longer controlled in any capacity by the driver. This is a scary, realistic premise, mainly because self-driven vehicles are becoming more popular by the day, and I'm one of those old curmudgeons who is terrified of a world filled with cars not controlled by flesh and blood. Drivers have now become referred to as passengers, and in the first part of the story, we meet a bunch of seemingly unrelated folks who's vehicles have been hijacked by an unknown entity, and they are all on a collision course that will kill each passenger in roughly 2.5 hours. Yikes! We also follow alongside Libby, a woman with her own issues who is on a board which reviews the black boxes of vehicles involved in accidents as per the Vehicle Inquest Jury. She's our eyes and ears outside of the passengers in the vehicles headed for collision.
Another reason why I love Marrs' novels is because he includes varying multimedia inserts, such as case files, newspaper clippings, internet articles, and perhaps the odd email or text message. In The Passengers, most chapters begin with information on how the laws have changed, how the vehicles are structured, and many other newsworthy tidbits. Tie that in with the fact that this is just a dang good story, I had to give it 5 stars. The pacing is quick and there is a growing sense of dread as the book progresses that gave me a difficult time putting the book down to do things like eating, sleeping, and just general adulting. One of the reveals towards the end had a whopper of a twist; all I could think of was how this would be the way Agatha Christie would pull off a reveal in the modern world! If you're looking for a tense thriller that'll cause your fingers to smoke due to the speed you're turning the pages, look no further. Highly recommended, friends!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy. -
The Passengers is a nonstop thrill ride!!
I am so happy to report that my first John Marrs novel gets a very solid, two thumbs up!
The premise of this novel had me intrigued from the very start. From the synopsis, I expected The Purge, but set in a Tesla.
Surprisingly enough, it is actually more like The Hunger Games, but set in a Tesla. I am so down for that!
In a near-future U.K., Level-5 autonomous vehicles are now the law of land. Said to make personal travel completely safe, we quickly discover that isn't necessarily the case.
Situations are still going to arise where an accident is imminent, but without a human to control the vehicle, what will happen if you are to say, hit grandma crossing the street, versus crash head on into a vehicle carrying the country's most loved footballer?
The vehicle, or more accurately, the computer controlling the vehicle, will have to come to a quick decision.
A sort of cost-benefit analysis that takes into consideration the greater good of society as opposed to personal want.
We meet eight individuals, all with one thing in common: they are getting into their autonomous cars around the same time, on the same day.
After they settle in, the doors lock and a mysterious voice pumps through the car speakers telling them that their plans have changed and in just a few hours, they will all be dead.
Their collective plight is broadcast across all media outlets nationwide. This is an interactive hijacking, however, as all citizens get to vote for one passenger to be left the sole survivor.
Who will it be?
This whole story was so interesting. The commentary on our future with tech, the ethical issues our dependence upon such technologies will bring about, as well as the potentially harmful nature of social media, were all spectacularly done.
There was never a moment while reading this that I felt bored, or that the details were inconsequential to the story. It was so well-crafted.
This may be my first John Marrs, but it certainly will not be my last!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and had a wonderful time with it. -
This was so good, I couldn’t put this book down. Took one break in between to eat and went straight back reading. Can’t remember the last time i finished a book in one day. John Marrs had me shook!
The plot twist in the end, my god. This is the first book that i have read by Mr. Marrs and I’m definitely going to give his other books a try.
It’s better if you read The Passengers without knowing what the story is about. I think that it will make it more enjoyable. At least, for me it was.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book, especially if you like thrillers and science fiction. -
My reviews can also be seen at:
https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
What an awesome read!
Self-driving cars have recently become the norm in England. Their government has pledged that soon all of England’s roads will be a completely autonomous network and that all manual vehicles will be banned within the next ten years.
The first character/passenger we meet is twenty-six year old, Claire Arden. Claire was fascinated when her car delivered itself to her house a few weeks ago. However, the fact that it has no steering wheel or pedals and can't be overridden makes her nervous. Claire is on route to her first destination of the day when her car suddenly turns right instead of left and the car's console goes blank. At the next traffic light she tries to open the door, but it's locked. Claire is terrified. When a voice says good morning Claire asks what's going on. “ The only thing you need to know at this point is that in two hours and thirty minutes from now, it is highly likely that you will be dead.”
Jude Harrison resents self-driving cars but knows there are benefits to having them. He’s composing an email when he hears, “Good morning, Jude”. The voice says he should enjoy the morning as it will likely be his last. “ In approximately two and a half hours’ time, you are going to die.”
78-year-old actress, Sophia Bradbury hasn’t been getting many job offers lately. She thinks about some of the decisions she has made to protect her career over the years. Today she isn't feeling well. Her arthritis is bothering her and her hearing aids are acting up. Unfortunately, her day is about to get so much worse…“ Good Morning, Sophia”
We meet more passengers. Their routes are also recalculated, the windows turn to privacy settings, and the voice tells them that in just over two hours they will likely be dead.
Libby Dixon is NOT a passenger. Libby hates driverless cars. She knows the damage they are capable of. She walks wherever she can. If she does have to take a taxi, she makes sure it’s one with a driver. She won’t take the bus anymore since they replaced the drivers with computers. Today is Libby's second day of a very different kind of jury duty. Libby was not happy to be selected and hates that she has to take part. Suddenly, the meeting is interrupted. They are told to turn on the news. They see that passengers traveling from different parts of the country have all been told that they may be dead by morning.
Who are these people—these passengers? Is this a case of wrong place wrong time or have these passengers been specially chosen?
Who could be doing this? What does it have to do with Libby and the others?
Suddenly they hear a voice. The voice tells them the plan…
and it is TERRIFYING!
Wow!!!!
This was a satisfyingly twisted tale that I burned through in just a couple of sittings. I was HOOKED. Of course, this is a book of fiction so not everything is going to be completely believable. But that really didn’t bother me. I was happy to be along for the ride.
I thought the story was well-paced and filled with fascinating characters. Told from multiple points of view, we learn about the characters/Passengers and their individual stories. There are also news reports, online polls, tweets, and other social media interspersed throughout the novel which added to the story.
One of the most engrossing and thought-provoking novels I’ve read lately! I honestly can’t stop thinking about it.
I'd like to thank Berkley Books for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own. -
4.5 stars!
Libby is called to serve as a juror and has to decide which passenger should survive along with other jurors. Then the public has to decide too. This is set in the future with driverless cars. You just program the car where to go and the car takes you there.
There are eight driverless cars and the passengers find out that their cars are hacked and that they are set on a fatal collision course.
The passengers speak for themselves and tells the jurors and the public why they should be saved and they have lots of secrets about their pasts. All of the jurors are different. There is an illegal immigrant, a T.V. Star, a suicidal man, an abused wife fleeing her husband, a disabled war hero, a pregnant woman, and parents of two kids,
I am not a big science fiction fan but I am a big thriller fan and loved this one. When I saw all the rave reviews, I had to request this one. This was the first book that I read by this author and I now want to read all of his books. This book is one intense read. It has short cliff hanger chapters which makes this a fast paced read. It kept me on the edge of my seat.
After reading this book, I never will have a driverless car. When I first started reading it, I said to my husband, "this book is so cool, it's about driverless cars, and I would love one of those cars." After reading it, I don't want to even come close to one, because what happened in this book, I can actually see this happening in real life and that is so scary.
I could not put this book down. I started feeling like I was a juror. I definitely could not be one of those jurors. I felt so sorry for them. I really loved the ending and the twists.
This was a Traveling Sister Read.
I want to thank Edelweiss, Berkley and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Available Now -
The Passengers hits too close to home. There are already self driving cars, trucks, and buses, even if they aren't being used to the extent that is written about in the book. The story takes place in the near future when self driving cars for everyone are not only the majority of the cars on the road but will be required for everyone, eventually.
The book starts with eight self driving cars, each with a passenger, that will collide in about two and a half hours. There is a group of five people who are tasked with deciding which person will be spared. Only limited information is given about each person and the entire situation is being televised. This is one big, horrible reality show and it's not going to end well for a lot of people.
Who is behind what is going on and who is controlling these cars? Very big faults in the entire system are being exposed and the characters in the book and the readers have no idea who is running the show and how to stop this person or persons. This is one ride I would not want to be on because it was hard enough reading the events as they took place. This was my first John Marrs book and I'll be checking out his other books.
Published August 27th 2019
Thank you to Berkley/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC. -
4.5*
It’s dark, it’s disturbing, it’s chilling. Yup, all that combined means you have an absolute must read!
We’re beginning to see major advances in driver-less car technology. Now even being test driven across North America and all over the world.
So I’ll pose the question we’re all thinking - Can you picture yourself as a passenger, with no control over your vehicle whatsoever? No brakes, no steering wheel. And it’s not like leading technologies have ever back-fired, right?
So if something goes wrong? You my friend, are just along for the ride! Hold on tight!
Eight seemingly innocent people set off in their driver-less cars. Each will program their personal destination into the cars computer, sit back and leave the driving to…who, exactly? Their cars are about to be hijacked.
The virtual hijacking plays out across the world on social media. Everyone has the opportunity to vote on who survives this nightmarish experience.
As each passenger’s secret is revealed I was picking my jaw up off the floor! Wow!
This was going to be a hands-down five star read for me until the momentum just dropped off at about 80% just fizzling across the finish line. Aaahhh! I was so close to sending up all the stars and putting it up in my favorites’ shelf alongside John Marrs previous sensation, The One.
Is it worth the read? Absolutely! It’s ingenious! It will leave you horrified and white knuckling your reader!
A super-fun, shocking buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing, Edelweiss and John Marrs for an ARC to read and review. -
We are so excited to share with you all that John Marrs is going to be joining us in our Behind the Pages group. Who else loves his books? Please follow the link below which takes you directly to the page to ask John a question or to leave him a comment.
Please add your comments or any questions to John here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Holy Shooty Balls!!! Gripping, chilling, & absolutely unputdownable!
THE PASSENGERS by JOHN MARRS is an engrossing, chilling, suspenseful, dark, disturbing, fun, easy, brisk, and highly compulsively readable psychological thriller that was another rapid-raced read for me. I was immediately sucked into the narrative and devoured every single page of this highly entertaining and thrilling book. Once I started reading it I was immediately hooked and so absorbed in the storyline that I finished it in less than a day.
The idea of driverless vehicles is a little bit scary as well as a little bit appealing to me. I’m not exactly sure if I would wholeheartedly be for it or inclined to actually get into one though as I love being a driver and find it quite relaxing. Although I guess I would be able to read if I was just a passenger though. But the idea of my vehicle being hacked would forever be on my mind though so I say nope…..let me drive!
I couldn't stop thinking, holding, smelling, and reading this book. I even did something that I haven't done in quite a while.....I peeked at the ending because I just couldn't handle the suspense anymore or get to the ending fast enough.....and I thought I was reading it pretty darn fast as it was. Luckily my impatience of peeking at the ending didn’t spoil the fun or pacing for me!
JOHN MARRS delivers quite the impressive, clever, creative, exhilarating, thought-provoking, intense and well-written read here that was brilliantly executed. I am absolutely in awe of how creative and ingenious this story was. As each character is introduced and their secrets are revealed it is quite shocking and ratcheted up the intensity level tenfold. I was shocked more than once while reading this one which left me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. This was so darn good!!
* Traveling Sisters Read *
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Dizzying, fearful, futuristic, scary, deranged, intriguing, suspenseful and an extremely fitting representation to storyline.
Title: Appealing, suspenseful, intriguing and such a powerful, fitting, and effective representation to storyline that definitely packed quite a punch.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, engrossing, intelligent, masterly, absorbing, compelling, and compulsively readable.
Plot: Clever, intriguing, creative, shocking, intense, thought-provoking, suspenseful, riveting, brisk, absorbing, fun, enjoyable and entertaining.
Ending: I peeked! Luckily it didn’t spoil anything for me when I actually got to the ending. I was still completely satisfied with the outcome.
Overall: It was such an irresistibly fun and entertaining book and another winner added to my favourite reads shelf. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience!!! Everyone needs to read this book!!
Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. It was an absolute pleasure reading this highly irresistible and fun novel!!
Review can also be seen at:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/2... -
*Spoilers beyond here, you've been warned*
There're several issues that bother me:
One, did Libby actually need to be in the room with the other jurors? Her presence felt like a big fat deus ex machina utilized to ensure the reader would care about the ensuing events. It was lazy and unimaginative.
Two, why mastermind an act of revenge, against the system that not only cheated your family of a fortune but also was complicit in the death of three generations of the same family, when other innocent citizens' lives would be in peril? In addition, why those 8 passengers and what were the criteria for choosing them? More importantly, why did the author choose to eliminate, Bilquis and Shabana, the only POCs in the entire story? Did Marrs not understand the racial undertones surrounding that decision, especially in this Brexit nationalistic period, and considering there were several other white characters who could similarly have been eliminated.
Three, why did Noah pretend to be Jude and for that matter, why go through the convoluted process of their initial meeting? It made no sense other than Marrs using that and numerous other coincidences to piece together the fracture within the story. That Libby happened to have witnessed the aforementioned deaths just seemed too convenient. Idk, something about the plot and execution seems convoluted and protracted.
Don't misunderstand I thought the premise, of an Orwellian society with driverless cars, was brilliant. Likewise, the motivation for revenge, yet, the act itself was misplaced and unjustifiable IMO. In comparison, consider Marrs' other book
The One (which I loved) wherein the motivation and justification for Matthew's revenge was without question. It just made sense and the punishment for Ellie's complicity matched the crime.
Ultimately, it was certainly a great premise which was let down by the above issues. However, please do not let this stop you from buying the book as this is no more than the opinion of an outlier. -
ive said it before - JM has no competition when it comes to sci-fi thrillers/mysteries. he could give ‘black mirror’ a run for its money.
while this wasnt exactly the story i thought it would be, i still really enjoyed it. it brings up a lot of important discussions regarding tech and science, specifically AI, and the morality (or lack thereof) of it. it explores interesting points i hadnt previously considered, and made the story feel that much more realistic, that much more scary.
i also really enjoyed the little ties to my fave JM book, ‘the one.’ it was a lot of fun to see that both stories take place in the same world and overlap.
i highly recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi stories that really dive into the real life ramifications.
↠ 4 stars -
I am excited to share that John Marrs has joined us in our Behind the Pages group to answer our questions about his books and writing process. You can find the thread here to our Q & A with him
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
My review
Readers start your thrill and let the best passenger win. Try to stay calm and strap yourself in. Its techno-thriller time!
John Marrs takes us on an entertaining, chilling action-packed, fast track ride to the unthinkable where technology and humans collide in more ways than one. This is one ride where the fear of death is more than the thrill and no one wants to finish this course.
It's all about the entertainment here and John Marrs knows how to revive up the tension here by adding quite the cinematic action. The premise is brilliant and he creates some interesting moral dilemmas here. From the very first page, I was completely drawn into the premise of the story but was a little disturbed by our hacker's intentions. After a few chapters, I was intriguingly entertained and playing along as I was reading. I couldn't turn those pages fast enough to that explosive conclusion for the passengers.
The Passengers is a fun read for group reads and it made for an entertaining, exciting discussion for The Traveling Sisters. I highly recommend! -
I cannot recall reading a more absurd book in my life.
At first the absurdity was laugh out loud funny.
Then the whole ridiculousness of it kinda started pissing me off as it became more and more farcical by the page.
I'm not even going to bother with a full review. I've wasted enough of my time on this buffoonery dressed up as a novel.
**I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.** -
4 Stars
“The Passengers” by John Marrs is a scream, I promise!
Eight driverless cars. Eight passengers, all of whom have a secret and a specific plan for that morning. None arrive at their intended destination.
There is a Hacker who knows everything about everyone and he has decided to take control. There are five members of the jury whose sole purpose is to decide who lives and who dies.
The fear is real my friends. “The Passengers” will scare you. Yea, “The Jetsons” made the idea of a futuristic car look cute, “The Passengers,” not so much.
What this is, is a thrilling ride down the fast lane, going 100 mph. Can you say EEK?!
This is the 3rd novel I’ve read by John Marrs and it is definitely my favorite so far. It’s crazy, insane and scary to boot. I had high hopes for a five star read but had to dock it one star for the ending, which left a little to be desired. I highly recommend this one for thriller fans as it contains a very unique premise which is sure to entertain.
This was a buddy read with Ms. Kaceey! We really enjoyed discussing the premise of this one and think all of you will too.
Thank you to Elisha at Penguin Publishing Group, Edelweiss, and John Marrs for an arc of this novel in exchange for an arc.
Published on Edelweiss and Goodreads on 7.6.19.
Will be published on Amazon on 8.27.19 -
OMG this book is absolutely brilliant! How have I not read a John Marrs book before this? Where has this author been all my life?! Seriously this book had me at the edge of my seat the entire wild ride.
I have been eagerly awaiting to get my hands on a copy of this book! The book came out earlier in the year for my fellow bloggers across the pond and after reading each fantastic review one after another, I knew this was going to be one heck of a book. It is finally due to come out here in the U.S. on August 27, 2019 and I was lucky enough to get an early copy.
Self driving cars...you either love the idea or you hate it. I personally hate the idea of it because it terrifies me that we are going to put that much faith in technology. If you love the idea, well just read this book. Perhaps the most disturbing thing I found about this book is the fact that, well it really could happen. I am astounded at the great details of this book and how realistic it all felt. Hackers can do anything these days and I found this whole situation just very capable of happening in the future.
All eight people held captive in their cars had a story to tell. I found myself captivated by each one for different reasons. I was left with my mouth hanging open as the author managed to shock me over and over again as each person's story unraveled before my eyes.
Suspenseful, thought provoking and one hell of a ride (literally). If you want a book that you just can't put down, well pick up this one! I loved every minute of it. I read this one with my book group the Traveling Sisters and it was quite the hit.
Thank you so much to Berkley for my advance copy! Thank you to John Marrs for this fantastic book. I can't wait to read the rest of your books! -
In the near future, government-mandated self-driving cars become the norm in Britain—They were supposed to make the roads 95% safer for both passengers and pedestrians. Then one morning, someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars with their passengers, and they are set on a fatal collision course. They are told that they will probably be dead in several hours. All of this, of course, unfolds over social media, and the world finds itself captivated—particularly when the Hacker begins asking the audience, to vote on who lives and who dies. Almost everyone who has been kidnapped has a secret they don’t want to reveal—but the Hacker has secrets of his own. Now the public has to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem?
The Passengers has all the ingredients of an exciting thriller: A brilliant plot, some interesting characters who will keep you guessing, and some nice twist and turns which will keep you hooked till the end. The story uses technology as a backdrop and it feels like an episode straight out of Dark Mirror. Marrs taps into the most basic fears about the dark side of technology from the invasion of privacy to the mob mentality of social media, technology overriding laws of nature, and so on. This book asks many uncomfortable questions forcing you to think about the role of tech in our lives.
The story is fast-paced and the next shocking twist is always right around the corner. Despite technology playing a crucial part, the different characters are what really make the story really interesting. Another hallmark of John Marrs novels is that none of the characters are what they really seem, so you’ll be kept guessing what each character really is. Just when you think, you have sorted out the story, another twist will change the entire story.
The story goes on smoothly till the climax. I felt the climax was marred by too many twists than needed, so there were some plot holes, illogical explanations, and unanswered questions. But the story as a whole is highly entertaining so it did not matter too much in the end.
Overall, The Passengers is a well-paced sci-fi thriller with some fascinating characters. It has a very unique premise and an action-packed story that will keep you entertained right till the end.
Many thanks to the publisher Penguin Publishing Group and Eddelweiss for the ARC. -
4.0 stars.— I had “The Passengers” by John Marrs in my “want to read” books list for quite a while. I have been a fan of Marrs since I read his first book, but the more futuristic/sci-fi his books have become, the less I like his books. However, “The Passengers” was highly rated on Goodreads so with nothing else on my list, I decided to give it a try. And, I am glad I did. “The Passengers” is set in England in the near future with driverless cars being the primary mode of transportation. When a hacker is able to use a software glitch to hack into and take control over numerous driverless vehicles, and then broadcast videos of the helpless passengers to the world, I knew the story would be one I couldn’t put down. The hacker promises to save one of the passengers but states he is programming the other hacked vehicles to kill their passengers by crashing them into one another. The intensity builds as we learn more about each passenger as he or she travels at a high rate of speed towards his or her certain death. The hacker’s plan and the climactic moments leading up to the time of supposed impact were the highlights of a very fast paced book. The only problem I had with the book was the hacker’s omniscient knowledge of intimate details of each passenger’s life and his use of it to get the public to dislike each passenger who has been kidnapped by his or her vehicle. This made even less sense to me after the lengthy reveal of the motive and purpose of the attack. I much preferred the mystery of the unknown evil hacker rather than the convoluted explanation the author uses to conclude the book. I definitely recommend this book because the story is very fast paced and the author does an excellent job of giving you enough information about each character to make you care as to what their final outcome will be.
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This is my brain🧠. This is my brain after reading this book🤯. Any questions?
John Marrs completely blew my mind with this exhilarating thriller! Eight passengers in eight separate driverless cars, all of them with secrets, none of them making it to their desired destination. Imagine you're in a driverless car you have no control, no brakes, no steering wheel, you can't even open the doors,and somebody has taken over the car. In 2 1/2 hours all eight of these cars will collide head on end it is up to a "jury" and the public to decide who will survive. Or imagine this you are trapped in a room on a jury of sorts and your job is to decide the fate of these eight strangers. Yikes! I don't know which situation I'd want to be in less.
This was a fast-paced wild ride full of twists, turns, and plenty of bumps in the road. I was right there with these characters in these cars, I could feel their panic and fear. I was also right there in that room trying to determine the fate of these characters. I can't even imagine determining whether someone should live or die? Part of the brilliance of this story was how the lives of these characters were revealed to us. It was so real and disturbing how my opinion was altered as each piece of information was shared. I was so invested in the story, I seriously could not put it down! And then that end! WHAT! BRAVO John Marrs! This is an absolute can't miss!
This book in three emoji's: 🤯 🚗 👩🏻⚖️
*** Big thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book *** -
It's the near future and Britain is in the process of making autonomous, driverless cars mandatory and phasing out driver controlled cars for it's citizens. Cars with software that can be programmed with the destination, choice of music and temperature while the passengers sit back and relax, eating, reading or catching up on a little work. Not every one is in favour of autonomous cars and the decisions they make when an accident occurs but a inquest panel has been set up to investigate any fatalities that result. Libby Dixon, an opponent of driverless cars, selected as a public member of the panel is feeling bored and railroaded as no one will listen to any concerns she raises when suddenly the room they are in is locked and their video feeds hijacked to show passengers inside eight driverless cars. The passengers have been locked in their cars, their software hacked, destinations reprogrammed and told they will die in two and a half hours.
Wow! What a chillingly disturbing ride John Marrs takes us on! One where social media will play a part in making moral judgements of the passengers without being told all the facts. Dark and horrifying, this is a very clever, innovative and fun read! -
4.5 stars (rounded up)
FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS!
John Marrs is about to take you on a terrifying ride!
in the UK, British citizens are finding “The One” (from his previous book) using “MATCH YOUR DNA” technology and driverless vehicles will replace those driven by humans within the next 5 years.
After all, these vehicles have rarely been found to be at fault, by the Vehicle Inquest Jury, whenever an accident has occurred and blame must be found.
The jury is gathered to review the latest accidents when a hacker takes over the meeting. Eight self drive cars have been hijacked and their occupants are set on a fatal collision course. 🚗🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙
They each receive this message: “ It May Have Come to Your Attention that your vehicle is no longer under your management. From here on in, I am in charge of your destination. The ONLY thing you need to know, is that in two hours and thirty minutes, it is highly likely that you will be dead.”
Now, the jury must decide, which ONE of the eight passengers they will save, at the expense of all the others. Refuse to choose, and ALL will die.
Oh, and by the way, EVERYTHING from what is going on inside the cars, to what is going on inside the deliberation room, is being broadcast LIVE. And, the public will vote as well using tweets for who they think should be spared.
HOW can you possibly decide when you are only given SOME of the information about each passenger...WILL your personal beliefs and prejudices affect your vote or can you remain objective?
I live just a few miles away from a city which is testing Self-Driving vehicles. (Chandler, AZ)
The thought scares me!
BUT, I see them ALL the time, and rarely hear about an accident. They are still in phase 4-a driver is present and can take over...if they are actually paying attention and not texting on their phone...
In fact, between the problem of drivers still talking or texting on cell phones (despite it now being against the law), impairment (both legal and illegal), wrong way driving accidents, and road rage...these cars have proven to be safer than those driven by humans...
BUT, then this book comes along making you question all of that! 🤦🏻♀️
Would you want YOUR government to mandate this for you? 🤷🏻♀️
John Marrs is an auto request author for me! He has an imagination like no other and consistently delivers, clever, thought provoking books! Just when you think you know where the story is going, he surprises you again!
The hair on my arms were actually standing up at one point!
Part of the same world as “The One”!
A big THANK YOU to Edelweiss and John Marrs for the digital ARC that I received in exchange for a candid review!
I was NOT held hostage in a car and forced to endorse this book!! All opinions ARE my own! 🚗 -
As we grow lazier and more complacent, artificial intelligence grows smarter, insinuating its sticky fingers in more and more aspects of our lives. This tale deals with autonomous vehicles and their seven random passengers. Programming has been wiped clean and rerouting to an unknown destination is underway. Cameras everywhere are recording and broadcasting everything. Is this a variation on the theme of reality TV, or an elaborate hoax meant to prove a point? Or is it something else entirely? Warning bells should be going off, this possible future is not all that far away.
The more of I read of John Marrs, the more I like him. His novels are cutting edge and always original. That is a pretty big deal nowadays. -
A thrilling and entertaining story with many twists, which will have you questioning your values and morals!
I will keep this brief and spoiler free, as this story is best if you experience all of the plot twists first hand!
8 driverless cars, set to collide. Who lives? Who dies?
In this tale, set in the not too distant future, driverless cars are used everywhere in Britain. Then one day, someone hacks into the systems of eight of these cars. In the cars are a collection of different people with their own secrets and stories.
But is everyone who they seem?
I really enjoyed myself reading
The Passengers and gasped out loud continuously throughout it! I was full of fear and anxiety from the word go, hooked in straight away from the first few pages. I seriously could've put updates on Goodreads every few minutes, there were that many shocking revelations!
The social commentary was great, and it was scary how social media played such a huge part in this. Scary, but not totally unrealistic! Some people do change when they have the anonymity of the internet, when they can hide behind their keyboards or phones. It always shocks me for example, when famous people get abuse. Just recently three Premier League footballers received racial abuse on twitter because they missed a penalty! There is very little chance that those responsible would ever have said that to those men's faces.
This was my first
John Marrs novel, but I have already read two others by him since this book! This was a standalone book, but it was set in the same universe as one of the author's other books called
The One, which was referenced a few times. It's not necessary to read that first, but I feel like I should have?
I would definitely recommend this if you like science fiction, thrillers or 'Black Mirror.' -
This thriller didn’t waste any time getting started—for me, it was a total page turner!
Have to admit this, while not a Luddite by any stretch, driverless vehicles freak me out. Maybe too much Stephen King (he had a novella about machines taking over— trucks, etc.), maybe my lack of trust in public/government standards (dare I admit I’m a public employee), or the greed of big corporations— but this was a very creepy read.
Twists and turns, and both guessable and non-guessable plot lines. The plagues of reality TV and social media!! The sheer amount of our lives available to data mine and the world being run by artificial intelligence!
And an ending with so much poetic justice that this insomniac will sleep soundly tonight!!
PS— to whichever Goodreads friend was reading this a few weeks ago— thanks for the great recommendation!! I think I’ll treat my Level One car to the good gas next time... 😎 -
When you want to write a review but have no idea how to do the book justice :')
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John Marrs never disappoints....
What an amazing book! -
John Marrs' best, and most ambitious, book to date.
Picture this! It's the near future and you're cruising along in your state-of-the-art driverless car. You might be eating breakfast, applying makeup, reading a book, talking on the phone, or just relaxing, when all of a sudden your car deviates from it's pre-programmed destination.
Then a voice sounds from the centre console:
‘”It may have come to your attention that your vehicle is no longer under your management. From here on in, I am in charge of your destination. “'
This is what happens to eight autonomous British cars carrying eight passengers. And the worse news is still to come. The terrorist who's taken control intends to crash the cars into one another at full speed. Well, seven of them anyway. One of them will be spared, and each passenger will be given the opportunity to plead their case.
And who will ultimately decide their fate?
The internet public. Because everything that's happening is live streaming.
Exciting, high-speed, pulse-pounding, as well as frightening and unsettling. This was the maximum tech-thriller. A timely and all too relevant insight into the potentially destructive nature of technology – how reliant on it we are, how it's changing the way we connect with the world, interact and view one another, exposing us to dangers that used to be the stuff of science fiction. The spread of social media features prominently, with mob and mass mentality, lack of personal responsibility and accountability, and vigilantism rearing its ugly head in judgemental and hateful ways.
I was immersed in the story from the first sentence to the last, and the action was fast paced, and non-stop, from start to finish. There were ‘gasp out loud' moments, cliffhanger chapter endings, a satisfying, surprising conclusion, and relevant articles, newspaper clippings, paperwork, and internet posts preceding chapters. Every character was unique and complex, their fear and anxiety all too real.
The high level of detail and research the author put into his futuristic driverless cars – the mechanics of how they operated, their features, governing rules, laws, and regulations, made this novel all the more fascinating and impressive. This was set in the same universe as The One, with Match Your DNA contributing to the plot.
With just over a week left in May, The Passengers is in prime position to be crowned my top read of the month. Everything about it was crazy good, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to all readers. Fingers crossed, that like The One, this also gets picked up for a Netflix series.
I'd like to thank Netgalley, Penguin Random House UK – Ebury Publishing, and John Marrs for the e-ARC.
UK Release Date: 30th May, 2019.
US Release Date: 27th August, 2019. -
this had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!
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4.5 stars
Damn, this book is intense! It literally gives me such Black Mirror vibes. I really love sci-fi thrillers!!!! This story takes place in a futuristic world where they have self-driving cars. These people are in these cars when a voice comes over the speaker and tells them they have no control over their car and they will likely be dead in two hours. The story really takes off from there and it’s non-stop action and thrills for 400 pages.
I love the thought provoking questions this book makes you think about. How people want to be seen in the best light possible when their life is on the line - and they withhold information that would make them look bad. It’s so interesting how this hacker goes about exposing so many secrets and things, I was fascinated by this book.
This story reminds me so much of Black Mirror, and of the short story The Test that I just read earlier this year. I love stories that make you question your morals and everything about this book is so thought provoking, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I love that there is so much more to a persons story than what we see on the surface, and we never really know what’s going on in someone’s life.
This book had so many plot twists that I didn’t see coming and it was just very entertaining, I liked it a lot! -
“Despite threats to their kids’ lives, they still prioritise sharing their fears with the world before they scuttle off to rescue their little ones. Share then react. I love it.”
― John Marrs, The Passengers
I cheated.
I looked at the end way before I was done.
I could not help it.
I guess I would not make a good Passenger Juror.
But I HAD to know..I just had to.
This book was so DIFFERENT.
Never has anyone got social media so right. The man had me howling with laughter at some of it.
A bit to much violence for me though. On second thought scratch the "a bit".
Movie in the making I'm sure.
Happy Fourth of July.
Proper review to follow shortly.
4 stars. -
Welcome to ANOTHER season of Black Mirror.
To give you a bare minimum non-spoilery summary:
This story involves two sets of characters. The first, the eight people, with their own dark little secrets, trapped in their hijacked 'driverless' cars. As readers, do you believe their sentiments? Or do you doubt them? Among them, who are you rooting for? Second, the outside world or the public. They were the ones who saw what was happening to these 'magic 8'. Their opinions to them were, most of the time, unnecessary and real at the same time. People are dying and the public's primary concern was their shoes! Just imagine all the craziness. #BuyLibbyNewShoes
I might say it was overwhelming at first with all these new terminologies and the new way of life the people here are living. But once the real show started, you're in for a wild ride. Also, a story with more than 3 playing characters terrifies me. I'm hesitant I won't be able to grasp all of them. But in this one, it was different. Characters were very fleshed and distinguished from each other. It was not a burden jumping to almost 9 different perspectives. This is my own observation but I think John Marrs greatest strength is in the way he creates his characters. I rooted for the 8 passengers even though it's quite impossible. I cared for them even. The antagonist or the villain was very interesting. This person raised some good points that I actually agree with. Even though he was annoying, he was not one-dimensional. He was not straight up son of the devil.
John Marrs is a master writer no doubt. I visited his page here in Goodreads days ago and then I saw that he was a journalist for 25 years! Well then, it shows. It shows his writing skills. It shows how much he is ingrained with the society and its problems. The world he crafted in this story is believable. For a science fiction thriller, his work felt real. Dangerously real.
This book was intense from start to finish. Reading this felt like everything was on fire while me, myself, is also on fire riding my bike which is also on fire. Cheesy and cringy, I know but at least it grabbed your attention. This book undoubtedly deserves all our attention. Thriller reader or not, if you're craving for some intense action and drama, pick this one up.
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I’m sorry for the profanity but
I’M FUCKING AND UTTERLY DECEASED AFTER THIS
rtc when our internet is stable! -
This one had me hooked from the very first page, a clever and fast paced thriller. I love thrillers that think outside the box and this one really worded for me.
I had put off reading this one for so long despite the many glowing reviews it was receiving. Just something about the blurb didn't convince me to add it to my reading list. However a gentle push in the right direction had me download the audio version of this book and I loved every moment spent listing to this one.
An extremely clever plot that gets the reader thinking, judging and almost becoming one of the characters in the novel. Set in the near future where driverless cars become the common mode of transport. When someone hacks into the system of eight self driving cars their passengers are set on a fatal collision course.
I really enjoyed the build up of suspense in this thriller, I loved the introduction of the different characters, all individual and interesting characters.. The twists and turns were cleverly crafted and I really enjoyed the suspenseful ride with the passengers.
I listened to this one on audible and it was extremely well narrated. This is my third novel by John Marrs and his books certainly pack a badly needed thriller punch.
