3 out of 4 stars
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Superhighway by Alex Fayman is a science fiction novel about an 18-year-old named Alex Fine, who discovers that he has a very unusual gift. Alex can travel through the Internet to any destination, and manipulate the ones and zeros of all data fields. While inside the web, Alex figures out how to go from poor orphan boy to the wealthiest Robin Hood of the modern era. While Alex believes he is using his powers for good, he has no idea what kind of consequences his actions will create.
I enjoyed the idea of traveling through the computer combined with the Robin Hood. The fact that Alex was affected by his travels in the form of severe hunger and exhaustion made the possibility more realistic. It also gave Alex a weakness, like other “gifted” individuals. However, the development of Alex and his actions really hit a sour note with me. I couldn’t engage with Alex on a personal level because he didn’t seem to make much sense. When he first acquires his money, he spends it on such trivial items. The rest of the time I found Alex to be plain and somewhat childish.
As for Alex’s relationships, I was also left bereft. I fully expected a young adult to want to make connections, and be a part of something. Instead the only relationship that I felt any kind of emotional connection with was his caretaker Mrs. Jenkins, and even then, his response to her concern left a lot to be desired. Alex’s actions, and even, thought patterns towards girls was off-putting in a sense. He starts off sweet and shy like a teenage boy who has never been with the opposite sex. However, he changes almost too quickly to a casual, shallow boy who cares little for the people around him. The exchanges between Alex and the women are brief, which does make it hard to truly judge the extent of Alex’s feelings.
There are a few grammatical errors and awkward sentences. For example, “I figured a few minutes would painlessly cease the pain” (p. 1). I want to believe that the author meant to use the word ease and not cease. There are also the occasions where a word appears to be missing, i.e. “graduates, most of whom would never be able afford the luxury” (p. 15). The word missing here is “to”, that “would never be able to afford” makes more sense. There is also the structure of the story at the beginning, where I can’t help but wonder if chapter one should really be considered more of a prologue. It certainly grabs the reader’s attention, but the next chapter must go back to the character’s beginning for the reader to truly understand their plight.
I am giving the rating of 3 out of 4 stars because of the few grammatical errors, awkwardly worded phrases, and robotic emotions I felt were portrayed by the main character. If it were possible to give 3 out of 5 stars, then I would as I do feel like this series has the potential to get better. Maybe if Alex and the other characters were more developed with realistic emotions then I might be willing to give the story a second shot. Unfortunately, I found myself reading a few chapters before moving onto another book to escape the monotony. I will, however, read the sequel in the hopes that Alex Fine is more developed both emotionally and maturely.
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Superhighway
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