4 out of 4 stars
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Superhighway 2 continues the story of Alex, a young man who can teleport through the use of cables connected to the internet. As scientists perform experiments to learn more about his power, Alex reflects on the path that lead him to this point, including his experiences with women, drugs, and alcohol. Can Alex atone for his past transgressions, regardless of his good intentions, and make a better life for his son than his father made for him?
This book keeps the same feeling as the first, with the nostalgia for the 1990s setting in quite quickly. Many people have memories of watching daytime game shows (Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right), and character Alex Fine is no different. Another detail that evokes this borderline-millennial's memory is the mention of the Ginsu knife, which I remember as one of the sharpest kitchen knives heavily advertised during my childhood. The small details make it easier for some readers to relate to Alex and shows that the author has either experienced or done research (perhaps even both) into the time of Alex Fine's childhood.
Alex Fayman manages to keep his prose eloquent but not overly complicated. Because of his obstacle-filled upbringing as an orphan, character Alex has more maturity than most would expect of a teenager; this maturity enables him to understand how his past actions have lead to his current situation, even if he has to think further back than his first journey through the internet. He recognizes that he is both the wrecking ball and the wreck, the cause and the result of his own choices.
The summary provided early in the book is concise enough for a refresher and does not take up more than a few paragraphs, allowing the second part of his story to be more than just a mere rehashing of the first part. One of the other details that sets this story apart from similar ones revolving around laboratory research is that instead of the subjects being rotated, the scientists performing the experiments are replaced upon failure.
I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There are few errors in the text, making it easy to get lost in the story. Instead of blaming others or simply accepting life as it is, Alex's desire to understand why and how he made his decisions that lead to his situation makes this book stand out from other novels.
I recommend this book to readers of the first installment. Because this is the second entry in a series, I would first tell fans of science-fiction and technology to read the previous book in order to fully understand Alex's journey, and the only limitation I would put on it is to emphasize that Alex encounters mature themes throughout both books, including drug and alcohol use as well as sexual interactions. I would also add the caveat that the third entry has not been published yet, so readers who want a complete story may prefer to wait a little while.
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Superhighway 2
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