3 out of 4 stars
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Alex Fayman’s book, Superhighway, is the story of a young man who discovers an ability to dematerialize himself and travel through the digital network of the internet. While in this state, he can access and download information stored on various computers and servers, and even manipulate that data. It is an ability the young man, also called Alex, uses to steal wealth from those who obtained it illicitly. To satisfy his conscience, he uses much of the stolen wealth to fund charity efforts around the world, giving to other underprivileged people.
To me, the story was bogged down by the everyday, slice-of-life stuff. Details of his meals were important right up to the end. We were treated to constant shopping trips for clothes appropriate to his locations. When things became interesting, the narrative fell back into the ordinary, such as when he discovered others traveling through the net; they brought him back to their place for answers, but those answers were put on hold while they lounged about the house, then took a trip to a restaurant, then to a club.
Other adventures and dramatic moments were quickly resolved. Materializing in a hotel in Virginia, he was caught by security and talked his way out of it rather easily. In a later adventure, he materializes in the offices of a New York investment bank, running from their security up several floors and quickly finding another computer to use for escape. Even his capture by a Dutch mobster felt to me like it didn’t get the attention it deserved.
All the mundane activities served their purposes, providing the reader with insight into Alex’s character. Certainly audiences today appreciate such character development, and most readers won’t find fault with that, but for me, it went on a little too much. At the one-third point in the book, I was ready for the narrative to move on and focus more on his abilities and plant us firmly in the main story; but that didn’t seem to happen. What was more disappointing, when the plot and action really started to take off, the book abruptly ended. This was billed as the first in a series, so I knew there would be elements unresolved and carried over. Still, it felt a little jarring to me when I reached the end of this installment.
What made this book, in my opinion, was the narrative itself. Strangely enough, all the mundane, day-to-day stuff felt interesting. I was roped in and couldn’t put the book down. Fayman wasn’t the first author to do this to me, reminding me of the work of another American, C. Litka, who writes space opera with the same heavy emphasis on the mundane aspects of his main character’s life and adventures. What was more, while reading Superhighway, I was constantly reminded of a Ukrainian born author living in Israel. Nik Krasno also writes about a hard-luck case turned billionaire, focusing on the extravagance of the character’s new lifestyle. Even the style of writing felt similar and familiar.
Because I was looking for more action and more adventure derived from the hero’s superpower, I can’t give this story four stars. However, I can’t give it one or two stars because the story hooked me and wouldn’t let me go. For me, Superhighway rates a very solid 3 out of 4 stars.
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Superhighway
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