4 out of 4 stars
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Superhighway is the first book in a trilogy of unique science fiction novels written by Alex Fayman. It is a thrilling ride that follows eighteen-year-old Alex Fine on a unique journey that uses the internet as the main mode of transportation. Orphaned at birth, Alex devotes himself to reading books and doing well in school rather than making friends and forming emotional attachments. His focus changes one day when his orphanage receives a donation of new computers. Constantly drawn to this new technology, Alex discovers he can use it in ways he never could have imagined when he accidentally finds himself traveling through the internet. The internet gives Alex access to the entire world, including all of the knowledge ever digitally documented. As Alex begins manipulating data in his pursuit to reallocate resources from the rich to the poor, it doesn’t take long for his invisibility as a notorious loner to disappear. He unintentionally manages to attract the attention of some high-power criminals who are the target of his Robin Hood-like antics.
Alex is an admirable, yet flawed character who Fayman does a superb job of developing throughout this book. Alex is crippled by common human mistakes which make him a truly relatable character despite his less than typical ability. Alex is a joy to get to know despite his flaws and the mistakes he can’t seem to help but make. He is driven by emotion, as so many teenagers are. Despite his efforts to use his ability to benefit others, sometimes he can’t help but work towards his own benefit as well. Fayman does an excellent job of compelling the reader to continue through the book to learn more about Alex as he: develops an understanding of the link between actions and consequences, discovers the source of his ability, and learns about how he ended up in the orphanage.
Fayman kept me constantly interested wondering what Alex would choose to do with the knowledge he could acquire through the internet and his ability to travel anywhere in the world with a connected computer. He literally has the world at his fingertips and travels to many places which are wonderfully described including Amsterdam, Switzerland, and St. Lucia. Alex encounters several intriguing characters on his travels who only serve to make the story even more compelling. All of Fayman’s characters are well written, even down to each of their flaws. They are all highly realistic, especially in their variations.
The story was most compelling because of its originality. I have not come across a story quite like this one despite attempts by other reviewers to compare it to Robin Hood and some superhero stories. As the story began, I was concerned that I would never learn of Alex’s family history or of the source of his ability, but Fayman has a well thought out explanation for every question I developed. This is a well-planned story that stops at the perfect point to make me feel satisfied while still itching to read the second installation.
I grant Fayman 4 out of 4 stars for this unique endeavor. I did note quite a few missing words, mostly articles, and some words that were incorrectly spelled, but this did not distract me from the story. Overall, the writing style is excellent. This is the perfect book for teenagers who enjoy a good science fiction novel and are looking for a book about a character they can easily relate to. As an adult who considers herself a fan of science fiction, I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone over the age of 15.
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Superhighway
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I really appreciate the kind words.
