| Title | : | Wired (Wired, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 358 |
| Publication | : | First published April 28, 2005 |
David Desh left the special forces after his team was brutally butchered in Iran. Now he has been reactivated for one last mission: find Kira Miller, the enigmatic genius behind a bioterror plot that threatens millions. But when Desh learns that the bioterror plot is just the tip of the iceberg, he is thrust into a byzantine maze of deception and intrigue, and he becomes a key player in a deadly game he can't begin to understand. A game that is certain to have a dramatic impact on the future course of human history. . .
Wired (Wired, #1) Reviews
-
To call Wired a science fiction thriller is an insult to science. And fiction. And books. And, ultimately, your intelligence.
What makes it so awful? First, take a kernel of a potentially interesting idea (the unlocking of human potential through chemical enhancement), then wrap it in a plot that leaps between predictable and preposterous. Next, mix in cliched characters that that have the depth of a sheet of paper. Finally, coat the whole thing in dialog that is not only stilted but entirely unbelievable. And that's Wired.
It gets worse. The author uses so many old tropes both in character and plot development that at times the book reads like a satire. There is the brilliant, beautiful, but lonely scientific prodigy. We know she's brilliant and beautiful because the author keeps telling us she is. Over and over and over again. There is the ex-Special Forces soldier, tortured by his past and looking for love. (Amazing coincidence these two end up in the same story, no?). There is the evil mastermind (well, one of them) who we also know is evil because, unsurprisingly, the author tells us. And because this villain keeps using the expression "my dear" when he addresses our brilliant, beautiful protagonist. I mean, why else would he talk like that, right?
The plot is a combination of the predictable (guess what happens between the two main protagonists?) and the preposterous (major plot points explained away by either deus ex machina developments or by characters who solve problems "off screen" with few clues and little to no foreshadowing). The twist ending is only a surprise if you've never seen a basic cable mystery.
And yet, somehow, this "book" became a New York Times bestseller. I weep for the future of humanity.
Fortunately, I didn't pay for Wired. It was featured in the Kindle lending library. But I suspect that it was shared mostly by people who wanted others to feel their pain. In fact, Wired might better have been titled "The Royal Nonesuch." -
I got 2/3rds of the way through before stopping, where while the Saturday morning cartoon villain reveals his oh so evil plot to our heroine(and this is a Saturday morning cartoon villain, despite what the book tries to pass him off as) Our hero, who had his intelligence enhanced, spends several pages mulling over his love for the heroine, going into the mating habits of prairie voles.
It wasn't like the previous 2/3rds was any better. It was nothing but giant expository conversations punctuated by standard spy action that never was very interesting because I never felt the hero or heroine were in any real danger, because somehow they'd come up with some super smart plan to get out of it.
In essence, this is attempting to be the Da Vinci Code. But I liked that book, because it was a puzzle to be unlocked. This isn't a puzzle, because its blatant the cunning, breathtakingly beautiful scientific-prodigy heroine is being set up by evil forces who are trying to manipulate our handsome brooding ex-special forces hero, who has been hired by the military(under the control of the villain) to bring her in.
I have a prediction for the remaining. The hero and heroine escape from the villain's clutches, only to return to stop the villain from enacting his plan in an over-the-top dramatic fashion, but not before a hot and heavy love scene either in a motel room or an RV(don't ask).
UGH. There's plenty of pop thrillers far better than this.
Edit: I have finished the book and I can tell you without a doubt the real ending is ten thousand stupider that I imagined it would be. It was as if the author wrote the book without any idea of where he was going and so just pulled the most idiotic reveal I have ever read. Believe me, its mind-numbingly bad. -
4,680 amazon reviews. 14,000 Goodreads reviews.
I loved this book.
A young brilliant feamle scientist and an ex-Green Beret are trying to save the world. I can’t tell you the things that I want to, because it would be a spoiler and take some surprises away.
If you like thinking big, and exploring big issues you will like this book. Yes, it has plenty of action, but there is a lot of stimulating discussion about some of the bigger things in life, and it flies by. It is not boring and the book may make you feel a little smarter. Another reviewer said that and I agree.
It goes a few steps beyond where we are now scientifically, but it could be around the corner.
I hope I pushed you into trying this book, and I hope it delivers for you as it did me.
I will say, for me, it could have stopped one chapter sooner. The story was over and all warped up neatly. Then there was one more chapter that got into a philosophical discussion of God and the universe. I still loved the book.
You want something different, but with a strong storyline, here it is!! -
4 for concept, 2 for writing.
The writing seemed very immature and unsophisticated. Might have to do with the fact that the author until now has been known more for kidlit. (I should add, pretty decent kidlit:
The Prometheus Project: Trapped etc.)
Or it could have to do with the fact that this was a 99-cent e-book download. I've been reading a lot of these lately and I've come to the conclusion that e-books that don't go through a paper edition first might as well be vanity press. I said this in a different review and I will say it again here: what the mainstream publishing industry has going for it is EDITORS. They're not just gatekeepers and they're not just proofreaders.
I mean, really. Exclamation points? Exposition through dialog? It reads the way I might have written the book if someone gave me the plot point by point, and that is not a good thing. This should have been a good early draft. -
I am sorry but I did not enjoy this book at all. It was going to get 2 stars but then 3/4 of the way through it got WORSE and the only reason I finished was to justify the time I had already committed to the book.
That is time I am never getting back.
The science is a mile wide and an inch deep, which I could have handled, except that the whole book is a mile wide and an inch deep. Characters, dialogue, plot. And then, the flimsy science is used to create convenient leaps that magically fill the plot holes that avoid, well. If you want to read it, I won't ruin it for you.
The writer misspells "gel caps" throughout the entire thing.
They use evolutionary psychology as real science.
And a continuing theme is that if there is no belief in God altruism is much harder to achieve.
Clearly I am in the minority here but on this book, I have to say:
(Blows raspberry) -
Bullet Review:
Absolute tripe. Worst of the worst - I haven't read a book this vile in YEARS. No redeeming features whatsoever other than to indicate that Dan Brown is Charles Dickens in comparison to this dude.
Super smart, sexy chick (via a smart pill because why not) does SCIENCE! and David Desh, our ex-military doofus has to find her. Only she does most of the finding and then vomits the plot in massive info dumps.
I actually probably only listened to 30 min; about the rest of the 54% I listened to was either on 1.5X or 2X speed.
The end is basically she's married to doofus and knocked up with his demon child.
Barf.
DNF at 54%. And I don't give two f#%^s if that makes me "unqualified" to review this - Richards is unqualified to be a writer for ejaculating this mess.
This book was so bad, it doesn't deserve a full review.
-
David Desh is a retired special ops officer. He is called back into active service to prevent an apocalyptic end of life as we know it. This is action-adventure, where we have a clear delineation of good guys and bad guys. But this is not your usual evil bad guy, this one has a bio-engineered enhanced intelligence.
Things I liked: The action was nonstop, with interesting plot twists. The tech-talk was plausible, at least enough so for my taste. I found the book entertaining and was a satisfying read. Line editing was good.
Things I did not like: Some parts were an info-dump with too much detail. The ending could have been stronger. So it was not perfect, and some heavy editing at the macro level would improve it.
Conclusion: A solid book that has the strengths and weakness typical of the genre. Fans of action novels will find this a good read. -
Can you imagine a world where people 80 is the new 40 and people live to be 150 years old? Can you predict the strain on the resources, the crowding, the mass disease that would run rampant in a world over run but it's own population, the power vacume that would take place this ability to prolong life was doled out to only the rich and powerful?
Downright terrifying right??
This was a great read and I am so grateful for my Kindle because if I hadn't have gotten it I never would have read this book.
It was thrilling, fast paced, plot twisted, and scientific without making me reread chapters in utter confusion. The characters, especially Kira and David, the 2 MC's, were strong, complex, and didn't make completely idiotic decisions that I didn't understand. I especially liked the computer hacker character with his motto of only using his powers for good and not evil!
I was afraid that the science would be over my head but it was so well explained and such good metaphors used to compare all of the concepts (i.e. the smart character dumbing it down for the other characters and the reader!) that it was east to understand and super fascinating. The plot ended up involving a psychopath, revenge, political intrigue, terrorism, and damn near the destruction of human civilization.
Read it, it was awesome.
***
And now there is a sequel!
Amped by Douglas Richards. -
Good story; the story telling could use some work.
Richards has trouble with adjectives and adverbs: "perfect precision", "vibrant clarity", "absolute conviction", "walked purposefully", "completely absorbing" in just the first 50 pages. He resorts to several interesting descriptions: "shock his head bitterly." What's that look like? Or "determination burning in his eyes." Ouch.
Reads more like a comic book--oops, sorry, graphic novel--than any attempt at being realistic.
No one bats an eye at Army Special Forces conducting operations inside the United States. (At least it's Delta Force rather then the ubiquitous Navy SEALS.)
But it's all good clean fun, except maybe for calling stealing 500 million dollars from the government a victimless crime. Though that's a rounding error in the Federal Reserve's "quantitative easing" of the last six years, which created and spent trillions of dollars out of thin air.
A fun read. -
I never write book reviews, but this book merits one. One word describes it: Painful. The writing is cliche and amateurish: it reads like a Freshman college writing class project. While the premise is interesting and the main characters promising, the execution is terrible. I could barely make it to the end (and only did because I am OCD about finishing what I start). How this made on the New York Times best selling novel list is beyond me. Not once was I able to sink into the story and relax into the plot: that's how badly it is written. I found myself critiquing the writing instead of enjoying the novel (and I use that term lightly). I feel I have wasted not only a couple of hours of my life, but also my free December book loan from Amazon. Trust me: skip this one. You'll be better for it.
-
In WIRED the key word for the author and often spoke by his characters is `manipulation', so much so, it is dizzying. The author is obsessed with content to the extent he practices zero literary form seen prior the "da Vinci Code". The author borrows (but not in depth) all the basic `page turning' devices of the present. He has co-op'd every imaginable motif; war hero, gum shoe, boy meets girl, super hero antics, mind altering drugs, endless multiple hidden plot reversals bordering on the absurd,the ultimate insult; pretended parallels with the psychological realities of Friedrich Nietzsche.After completing the Read I felt the author had nothing of his own soul invested.
The "success" of WIRED is troubling. It causes one to pause and reflect on what has happened. The urge to crank out the `great American novel' has been taken up by so many writers who have not evolved a writing style and through life experience,rather through the mimic of successful media strategies.Additionally the ease allowed by word processing software has replaced a writer's necessity to preconceive, plan and visualize in the mind beforehand. The venerable author hovering over his mechanical typewriter, rewriting passages or longhand rewrites had an effective value both subtle and powerful; STYLE.It seems style has been undermined by entertainment media.The 'good stuff' takes time to create and experience.When one is immersed in a fine fiction,one wants to reduce the pace not accelerate it.There is hundred story high junk heap of `novels' which are actually movie/TV scripts manuscripts,with zero tenancy as literary works. The trash cans on the corner and The New York Times bestseller enlist in equal proportion; easily conceived and executed, lacking reflection, editorship or life experience. It always shows through in Art,because it sells is simply not a complete definition of success.We the audience of course share the blame. Our swelling appetite for the effortless cultural stimulation drives this condition.I believe one can and should learn from an author.The author is learned wise or possess something we do not.The life experience must be there for him to have something meaningful to say to the readership.An 'artist has to suffer',the saying goes,the audience too,but not this way! There is another old saying that applies; pier group looks at form, non-pier group looks at content. The audience is not seeing or responding to the form elements of written fiction in WIRED because we have been watching television, going to movies,probably not reading enough classic fiction and philosophy as students.As a result we crave only what happens next,not how it is written. Like visual art , the literary market is being merely entertained or manipulated by ,not bestowed by the authors genius.`No rules' is nice revolutionary art school mentality but when student authors don't learn from what has preceded them eventually the teachers are incompetent as the fundamentals were lost upon them as students.The forum itself ultimately suffers.
The reader feels like the hungry man in search of a good meal and finds only another fast food joint. -
A fascinating story and a look at what mankind's capabilities might be if we could fully utilize our brain power. Richards does an excellent job of developing his characters and balancing action with a little down time so that the story can be developed. There are plenty of twists and turns in the book to keep one guessing as to what is going to happen next and should the hero trust anyone. Is the female character good or evil? Is there truly a terrorist plot planned if the right conditions are not met and will we all survive? It is the twists and turns that make this book so readable and makes it difficult to put down once you start reading it.
I enjoy this type of conspiracy book. You want to know if you have figured out what is going to happen. Who is involved in the conspiracy? And once you find out you are sort of left wondering where did that come from. The characters are strong and interesting and help keep you reading. I hope that Richards will keep these characters alive in upcoming books. I enjoyed this one immensely. Very good job. ( ) -
Loved this one too! each book was better than the last. The ending was not what i expected. much better!
I would highly recommend this author and this series.
Fast paced, love, a bit of paranormal and magic with a big dose of thrills and suspense. -
Two-haiku review:
He's retired spec ops
Sent for her, brilliant, evil
But is she really?
Exactly my type
Action, science, twisty turns
Too bad end not great
3-1/2 stars -
A fascinating blend of thrilling action, intriguing mystery, and curious ethical dilemmas, Douglas E. Richards’ Wired pits a retired Special Forces operative against a brilliant beautiful scientist in a battle for the future of the world. There’s just enough scientific explanation to keep the reader interested, even if not always convinced; just enough ethics and faith to keep you furiously asking questions; plenty of action to keep those pages turning through the night; and more than enough twists and turns to satisfy the most discerning mystery-thriller devotee. There’s also a slightly off-kilter prolog and some slightly odd descriptions, but the story was enough to carry me through and I was quickly hooked.
Kira Miller’s past is littered with skeletons. She’s fled the scene of too many crimes, and she’s implicated in more. With terrorist threats, super-intelligence, and the secret of eternal life on the line, David Desh knows he’ll have to find and catch her, soon. But David’s skeletons are his own butchered team, betrayed and left in Iran. Like everyone else, he’s a wounded character in search of his own healing as he strives to save the world.
The story raises some truly fascinating questions. Will intelligence pills make everyone a genius or just amplify the skills already learned? Will knowing too much turn the wise into sociopaths? Will ultimate knowledge turn mortals into gods? The questions are huge, the characters pleasingly flawed, the bad guys and good guys convincingly hard to tell apart, and the action thoroughly exciting. Add a wholly satisfying conclusion that answers and adds to all the readers’ questions, and you have an excellent sci-fi action thriller for the new century. I really enjoyed it.
Disclosure: I won a free ecopy of this novel. Lucky me! -
Wired by Douglas E. Richards
January 27 to January 30, 2015
Search of Prime Lending Library
Wow! What an exciting and fun book to read. Never a dull moment with David Desh (ex-Special Forces, good looking, all American man, who could ask for any thing more), our protagonist. From kidnappings, murders, truth drugs, pass out drugs, mind enhancing gel caps to cars, trucks, helicopters, RV's...you can count on Mr. Richards to give a fast paced yet bumpy read. Lots of twist and turns in this one that I know I was not expecting.
Richards' give excellent descriptions for his characters and their surroundings. I could feel myself there at the mall scenes and could almost smell the pizza. The story only covers a few days, so there is not a lot of room for character development in a true literary sense. There are back stories for a few of the characters helping to explain their current situation and actions.
I see there is a sequel to Wired. I will be reading that one and see where this exciting story takes us next.
A well thought out and organized story with few grammar errors. I assigned this book 4.5 stars, but will round up to 5.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a fun, fast and interesting story. -
"Kira Miller is a highly gifted engineer working in the field of gene therapy; she manages to enhance the function of the brain to such a degree that makes immortality a real possibility through a savant like consciousness. But what secrets could be unlocked by playing god with the human brain?
Wired is at its heart a high tech conspiracy thriller that makes effective use of the latest knowledge of biotechnology and creating intelligent arguments about just were this research could go. The characters are very well fleshed out, if a little clichéd and not really very original but non-the-less realistic enough to form a bond and written in delicious shades of grey.
David Desh is the ex-special forces soldier who is brought in to track down Kira - the deadly attractive wunder genius who has been tagged as a mass-murderer and associate of terrorists. It's one of those books that keeps you guessing just who is the good guy and who the bad, perhaps they are all as good or bad as each other.
The plot is pretty gripping and fast paced with plenty of twists and turns while there is a real maturity to the book, a confident voice that manages to project the story in a considered and intelligent manner.
I loved the idea of using gene therapy to unlock the full potential of the old grey matter and for a layperson the execution seemed perfectly and quite unnervingly plausible. The story really does keep you glued to the pages and there is little let up from all the action and intrigue. The ending is also very well played out and much more satisfying than I imagined it would be.
Wired is a fantastic futuristic and high tech game of cat and mouse - a well written thriller that will leave you at the very edge of your seat with your heart racing faster than Usain Bolt being chased by a bear, recommended." -
Book Info: Genre: Biotechnological Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
My Thoughts: It’s pretty clear right from the start that this book is going to be about one thing: action. Which is unfortunate, because, as a bio-techno-thriller, the science/technology needed to hold together as well, and it did not do so. Swallow a pill and genetically altered viruses rush to your brain? I don’t think so – how about the blood/brain barrier? It’s in place to help prevent things that you, say, swallow from working their way into your central nervous system. That’s why it is so incredibly difficult to treat brain tumors and other brain-related diseases. I mean, I get that Kira is a super-genius and that she’s working on things most of the rest of us can barely comprehend, but truly, it would not have hurt for the author to have acknowledged this in some way, explained it away, rather than just assuming the readers weren’t smart enough to know about this basic precept in neurological medicine. Adding to my irritation while I was reading was a plethora of exclamation point abuses – every sentence that could possibly be surprising was ended by one! Someone moved! A gun fired! A grenade! Wheee! Really annoying. Then there was the point of view, which I think was supposed to be omniscient, but which occasionally would branch off into someone’s inner mind. I think it would have worked better to have either had it be partially omniscient, just reporting the actions and dialogue of the people in the scene, or fully omniscient within a particular character’s thoughts, maybe changing with the scene, but not head-hopping.
Fortunately, otherwise it’s a fast-moving, fast-paced story that keeps the reader distracted with endless tech-talk and action. The ideas presented are fairly interesting, and the series seems like it might be trying to make some sort of point about the human condition. That said, I just really didn’t like it that much – my abject apologies to the author, who was nice enough to give me a copy through LibraryThing – and had to basically force myself to finish. It seems to be pretty popular among the thriller crowd, and if you are willing to radically suspend disbelief, I’m sure you’d find it entertaining enough – it’s certainly capably written. There is a sequel out now called AMPED if you are interested in pursuing this book, so be sure to watch for both of them.
I have a couple other books by this author from his young-adult books and will let you know what I think once I’ve read them; thinking about it, this type of writing style will probably work better in that format. I’ll let you know.
Disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book from the LibraryThing Member’s Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Kira Miller is a brilliant genetic engineer who discovers how to temporarily achieve savant-like capabilities in all areas of thought and creativity. But what if this transcendent level of intelligence brings with it a ruthless megalomania?
David Desh left the special forces after his team was brutally butchered in Iran. Now he has been reactivated for one last mission: find Kira Miller, the enigmatic genius behind a bioterror plot that threatens millions. But when Desh learns that the bioterror plot is just the tip of the iceberg, he is thrust into a byzantine maze of deception and intrigue, and he becomes a key player in a deadly game he can't begin to understand. A game that is certain to have a dramatic impact on the future course of human history. . . -
I just finished reading my copy of “Wired” by author Douglas E. Richards and...wow, what a riveting read! To sum up in one sentence or less...Richards is an amazing writer. “Wired” is an enjoyable yet gripping read that keeps you on the edge of your seat and the book’s characters practically jump out of the story and into your living room. Did I mention that Richards holds a master’s degree in molecular biology? I’ll be honest; having reviewed books by other authors who also hold degrees in the scientific field, I was initially concerned that “Wired” might be dry, long-winded and tedious. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to find that “Wired” was anything but boring and I was extremely impressed to find an author who could incorporate a subject like molecular biology into a fictional tale and wind up with a book as well-written and interesting as “Wired.” As an aside, even though this particular book is not labeled as science fiction, I do believe that Isaac Asimov himself would be complimentary about Richards' subject and writing technique.
About the book... Kira Miller, one of the main characters in “Wired,” is a brilliant genetic engineer. And by brilliant I mean brilliant. She graduated from high-school at sixteen, received her BS in molecular biology at nineteen and then went on to obtain a Ph.D. in molecular neurobiology from Stanford at the tender age of twenty-three. Kira’s intentions in her field, and with her research, are initially for the betterment of mankind. She learns how to achieve short-term “savant-like” capabilities, and using herself as a test subject, she is able to temporarily increase her brain’s ability to think, reason, and create. However, this advancement is not without a price...
David Desh, the book’s other main character, has left the US Army’s Special Forces division after being forced to watch his team being brutally tortured and murdered while stationed in Iran. Not knowing what to do with himself after he retired; David joined an executive bodyguard service but gets recalled to duty for one final mission: find Kira Miller who has put together a bio-terror plot that threatens the entire planet.
I’m not going to give any more of the story away... If you want to know what happens then I suggest that you read the book – it’s definitely well worth it.
In closing I give “Wired” a five-star rating and place it in the “must read” category.
(Reviewed in association with Rebecca's Reads). -
I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.
I have to start by saying this is one of the best books I have read in a very long time! The subject material is astounding and very imaginative. This book is one that will make you want to keep reading and never put it down.
Enhancing human intelligence is the subject of this book. The main characters are Kira Miller, a genius who works in gene therapy, and David Desh, who is a retired Special Forces agent who served overseas. The government and military believe that Kira is engineering a plot to wipe out the entire population with an Ebola virus and is working with terrorists. David (who goes by Desh in the book) is being hired to go after her and capture her to bring her to justice for the plot and for killing several people from her past, including her parents, two teachers and her brother. There are a few twists and turns, and eventually, Desh figures out that Kira is telling him the truth - that she is being set up to take the fall. They, together with a few trusted friends of Desh's, find the person(s) responsible and go after them. The book is very exciting and there's always something new. The detail that goes into this book is wonderful and gives a reader a very good understanding of what exactly gene therapy is and how it can either help or hinder society.
Kira and Desh eventually meet up by way of Kira kidnapping Desh and she tries to get Desh to believe her that she is being set up. I don't want to go into any more of the subject material of this book, as it will give too much away, however, I will say that there is so much action in this book, you won't want to put it down! At the end of the book, the author leaves open the possibility of a sequel, which I do hope he does!! Fantastic, brilliant book and I very highly recommend this to everyone!! -
I was describing Douglas E. Richard’s book, Wired, to a friend recommending that she read. At that time I was about 50% done and described it as thriller/spy/mystery novel. I have to correct myself. Finishing book, I have discovered that this book is much deeper than that.
I fell in love the book by the end of chapter one. It was action from the beginning. I was hooked. A pretty girl suddenly is much more than that with guns, stealth, and a price on her head. A special-ops man is called to hunt her down. I am only in when I find that everyone could be lying. Who is the guilty? Who is really the innocent? Is there anyone innocent?
All those that know me well, know that I can peg the ‘secret’ in a movie or book pretty well. I have to admit that this has not been the year for that. Also, Mr. Richard’s book is the one that tripped most. I had no idea who was really behind stuff and why. It was a solution of the darkness. I applaud loudly Mr. Richard’s work. His intricate plot had me unable to put the book down at any chapter though I was literally forced to many times.
There is a very small amount of language with the F-bomb dropped a few times. Other than that, there were no embarrassing scenes, and the violence though strong was not bad at all. The intensity of the story came from the plot of genetics, biology, and chemistry. It was all about the unknown and who could be trusted.
I have had a few books this year that I have said are the must-reads of 2012. This book just shot up to the very top of that list! You will be missing out on so much if you don’t get this book and read it. But only start when you can finish it. It’s that good and I don’t give such praise on a book if I’m not sincere.
Note: This book was provided by the author with no expectation of a positive review. -
Some parts of this book felt too much like teaching/lecturing about philosophy and science, etc...which I absolutely hate in books. Otherwise it was a good story line when it dealt with the characters, dialogue, events and such it was pretty good. If you like pondering things like superior intellect and theories of this and that then you will enjoy this book. If you prefer to read more character interaction and banter between characters all while unfolding whatever events are taking place then this may not be for you. Overall this book comes down to preference so I'd say give it a shot.
-
With characters that came straight from central casting it was hard to personalize the book. Like the proverbial onion the story continually reveals layers and twists, many of which surprised me. the smart pills reminded me of LSD. when the author tries to explain quantum theory in 4 pages of epilogue it's a lot like LSD.
The book has the annoying part where the antagonist explains the whole thing to the bound and helpless heroes only to have everything go wrong in the last chapter. However in this case it fits because the bad guy is a sociopathic egomaniac -
Gawd Awful! How does this crap become a NY Times best seller? I read Split Second as I have an interest in time travel fiction. It was Gawd Awful but I thought maybe it was just a stinker. Shakespeare wrote Titus Andronicus, a stinker. So, to be fair, I decided to read Wired. It’s the same story as Split Second with a few changes in plot. Don’t waste your time.
-
A Fun Read…but Maybe Too Much Voila Science
Wired is story of brilliant genetic engineer Kira Miller, who is accused of a diabolical bioterror plot, and ex-special forces operative David Desh, who is tasked with finding and stopping her.
Let me jump right to the conclusion. If you’re a fan of fast-paced thrillers with plenty of twists, you’ll like Wired. The novel is one of Richards’ first books and follows a formula that he repeats later, i.e., a world-changing technology developed for altruistic reasons has a dark side and the protagonist(s) must find a way to make sure it is not used for evil. But even so, Richards puts a great deal into this novel besides the pace and twists – a bit of romance, some thought-provoking science, and even some light philosophy (meaning of life, existence of God kinds of topics).
Several other reviews have mentioned the lack of depth in the characters, and true, the author does use what has become the techno-thriller stereotypes – a scientist years if not generations ahead of his/her peers and a special forces/military/spy type, also far superior to his peers in his combat/investigative skills. Yes, this kind of combination is a bit trite, but it still makes for some fun reading from time to time. And Richards does it well.
For me, the primary downside of this book was its use of what I’ve called voila science – something so far removed from current theory and research as to make anything possible. Yes, Richards’ twists are very good, but if you step back and consider the possibilities arising from the technology, there are countless others that were also possible and equally surprising. In effect, when anything is possible, nothing is surprising. But giving Richards his due, he does pick an interesting path through the alternatives.
I would suggest that if you want a good introduction to Douglas Richards’ work, this is a great place to start. Fun, fast, full of twists…and some material to think about as well. -
This book held my interest all the way through, and these days that's all I ask for in a book. The story line has happened before in the imagination of many authors in the past, but there are still a few surprises lurking about.
The heroes are likable and the bad guys are disgusting, so there isn't a fine line between the two but a gaping abyss, but I like the good guys good and the bad guys turned to the dark side, so I don't have a problem with the storyline.
The way my brain has been working, I would love one or two of those pills. -
Must read.
This author's books must be read. This book is amazing, suspenseful, fascinating, agonizing and touching. Scientists living longer, discovering cheap energy, traveling to earth like galaxies, cure for every disease. And evil characters wanted all this just for themselves so they have the power to control everything.
Also check out Daniel Keyes "Flowers for Algernon" recently added to Amazon, first published 1966. -
I enjoyed the first third of the book but the story quickly deteriorated into a series of related activities and revelations that ultimately and somewhat coincidentally, or at the behest of a superhuman, culminated in everything turning out all right after all, after death-defying escapes, break-ins and thrilling skirmishes!! Oh hey.
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