3 out of 4 stars
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In Superhighway by Alex Fayman, we first meet Alex Fine lying on an exclusive beach recovering from severe injuries. When he collapses, we are taken back to the beginning his life as a child growing up in an orphanage. After two unsuccessful attempts at being adopted by a family, Alex resigns himself to grow up and stay in the orphanage until he gets old enough to be on his own. Ms. Jenkins is the closest person he has to family and with her loving support, he turns to books and school as his comfort zones. Alex thrives in academia and his path seems to be set towards a full scholarship to an elite college.
Yet, things change for Alex when a new set of computers are set up in the orphanage. An accidental discovery into the threads of the information superhighway leads Alex down a path from where he is never able to look back. When things take a dark turn, Alex is forced to take a look at his past, himself, and what truly matters. This book is a wild journey that is as fast-paced as Alex's unusual new method of travel.
I personally love science fiction with a thriller element, which is why I wanted to read this book. What I enjoyed the most was the author's descriptions of settings and sensations. Whether it was Alex Fine's private island or a stopover in Switzerland, I felt like I was really there in each destination. I was eating the food, drinking the wine, sipping the coffee, and enjoying the ambiance. In fact, reading this book made me incredibly hungry and really made me want to travel. Also what captured me was the fast pace. This book was so easy to read through in just the course of a couple of days. I was pulled in the second Alex found out about his new found abilities and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. It was quite the adventure!
Unfortunately, what I didn't like was how easy things came to the character. I didn't see much consequence to what Alex was doing aside from intense hunger and exhaustion. Sure, he made some poor choices and the consequences of those choices were constantly bubbling under the surface, especially towards the end. However, the intense and unusual way he was travelling seemed to me like it should carry with it a major downside or backlash. I couldn't imagine someone sustaining what he was doing for long term without an enormous side effect physically. The last thing that bothered me was the portrayal of women in the book. This also was an easy gain for the character as any woman the character wanted or was interested in were quick to reciprocate and most female characters were quite provocative. I did like the character Eva, Alex's major love interest, and she wasn't quite like the other women Alex Fine went out with, which helped balance out how the other women were portrayed in the book.
Despite the downsides I mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. My love for this genre, the fast-paced story that pulled me in and the vivid settings and descriptions helped influence my rating. However, the downsides I mentioned did influence my decision to rate this a bit lower. I also wanted to mention, I noticed minimal spelling and grammar issues with the book, which is always appreciated. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller or loves the kind of science fiction that leaves one foot in the real world, as this one did.
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Superhighway
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