4 out of 4 stars
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What would you do if you had the ability to travel anywhere in the world, access classified information and alter all manner of computer records? This is what Alex Fine can do; to find out how he handles this ability you’d need to read Superhighway by Alex Fayman. This is a sci-fi novel, as such, I think any sci-fi fan would enjoy reading this. I also think people who like a good thriller would enjoy this too. There are a few scenes of violence and some sexual scenes, but they are not overly graphic in scope.
Alex Fine grew up in an orphanage without a penny to his name. He lived there until he was 18, except for a few occasions where he managed to get foster parents to take him. The adoptions always fell through, so Alex was returned to the orphanage. As he was getting close to the time that he would be leaving the orphanage to go to college, the orphanage received a donation of a computer lab.
Being the oldest, Alex was allowed to stay up late the day the computers arrived, so he was left alone in the computer lab when the monitor stopped working. Not knowing why Alex started fiddling with the wires in the back of the computer. When he pulled out the network cable, he was sucked inside the wire and his adventures began.
After some trial and error, Alex worked out he could download information, bypassing all passwords and security features, from any website in the world. Being basically honest he didn’t want to hurt any normal citizen, so he became a modern day Robin Hood. He becomes very wealthy, and even though he spends some on himself, most of what he took he gives away to those people most in need.
Unfortunately, taking from bad guys, which seemed like a good thing to do, does have consequences. They don’t like losing their money, and the hunt for Alex begins.
If the book was written chronologically, the first chapter would appear right at the end. However, by starting with this chapter the author creates intrigue, which compels you to keep reading to find out how he got to that position. Without this, the opening sequence would be a tale about a young boy growing up in an orphanage, and I for one would not have got to the interesting part.
Once Alex discovers his powers the story gets much more interesting. In traveling to other places with Alex you get to discover more about the world. The description of how these places look and feel is very realistic. I almost feel as if I’ve been there. There are many characters in the story. The way they act and communicate is just about what you’d expect them to do. Though I don’t see as many young women swooning over Alex everywhere he went, that he seemed to get.
There are a few easygoing sex scenes, some violence and copious use of drugs and alcohol throughout the story. The ending is also very abrupt, making it impossible to read this as a standalone novel; you have to get the next book in the series. So if any of these things are likely to offend, then you should stay well clear. I do think that any sci-fi fan should definitely add this book to their reading list.
This story really resonated with me, I loved it. Even though I had seen some of the elements of the story elsewhere, most of it was new material. I especially loved the way that the author described being inside the World Wide Web network. Totally enthralling and made me wish I could see it for myself.
During the reading of this book, I found very few errors, though more in the latter half of the book, as though the proof-reader got more interested in the story than in looking for errors. Despite this, I have no qualms about giving this story a 4 out of 4 stars rating. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Though Amazon does claim this to be a trilogy of two books, I can only assume that the third book hasn’t been published yet. Hopefully, it will be available by the time I’ve finished the second book. I do hate having to wait for the next one.
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Superhighway
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