3 out of 4 stars
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Superhighway by Alex Fayman narrates the story of Alex Fine, who discovers his extraordinary talent of traveling through the pathways of the internet while in an orphanage. Clicking on a website link and unplugging the cable at the back of a computer, the cable's tip burns his palm. As electrical shock hits his body, he is sent through the dark tunnels of the internet in a breakneck pace, flying like a fast-moving projectile of light through a complex maze composed of intersections, branches and angles. With the ability to see the data carried by the packets of light in his extraordinary trip, he manipulates these colossal data, steals from the Swiss accounts of ruthless criminals and shares the money to those in need. Superhighway takes us to Alex Fine's experiences, from his first inexplicable route to a Hawaiian beach to meeting good and bad people who will change his life and will bring him pain and happiness in the process. The book presents Alex as a modern Robin Hood who gives huge sums of money to unfortunate people even as he basks in an extremely comfortable life on his private Caribbean island.
While reading the first part of book, I was left wondering about the process involved in what was to be termed later on in the book as electroportation. Since the story was told in the first person and by the principal character, I thought this part will be unexplained and I was just to enjoy the book as it was, a science-fiction novel that in my perception involves magic. It was nice to realize there would be enlightenment much later in the book, not only about electroportation but Alex's exceptional intelligence as well. And there were other big revelations.
What I liked about the book was Alex Fayman’s ability to engage the reader in visualizing Alex Fine's travels through the web. The story was a smooth-flowing read, exciting and thrilling with its twists and turns. The identical first names and initials of the author and the main character made me wonder during my reading whether the author was playing as himself in the novel. I can see this novel being transformed into a movie or television series because of the internet’s significance in our world and Alex’s thrilling adventures. His character was likeable, his personality relatable and well-developed. His motives for his actions were unforced; they were believable, considering where he was coming from. There would be appearances of similarly likeable characters along the way. Come to think of it; the novel is basically composed of good people and even the bad ones were unable to mar the feel-good story.
There was not much to dislike about the novel. There were some grammatical errors, like use of right quotation marks instead of the left ones, words that should have been hyphenated and a few misspelled words. However, these errors did not distract the reader from the novel's entertainment value and the story's fluid flow. Thus, this book deserves a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. Only the grammatical errors prevented me from giving the highest rating.
Superhighway will appeal to fans of science fiction. People who share Alex Fine's family issue will be able to connect with him on the emotional level. Warning is given to readers aged below 18 due to casual drug use, intimate encounters, and some graphic violence depicted in the book.
Prepare to meet Alex Fine, the digital Robin Hood!
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Superhighway
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