Review by KristyKhem -- Superhighway by Alex Fayman

Kristy Khem · Post by **Kristy Khem** » 08 May 2018, 21:51

[Following is a volunteer review of "Superhighway" by Alex Fayman.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Superhighway is a sci-fi novel written by Alex Fayman. The story follows Alex Fine, an orphan with incredible technological abilities. He accidentally discovers his remarkable talent for traveling through the digital pathways of the internet at age eighteen. Alex soon has the digital world at his fingertips as he travels wirelessly to exotic places such as Hawaii, St. Lucia and Amsterdam. His newfound power also guides him through the world of online banking where he effortlessly secures his own wealth from criminal accounts. Unfortunately, his thrill-seeking lifestyle goes awry as he rubs shoulders with a Dutch gangster and his dinner date gets killed. Furthermore, his past catches up with him as he meets more beings like himself. Are they somehow all connected to Alex’s biological family?

This book was different from those in the genre of sci-fi. It contained bits of romance, drama, and adventure, in addition to the main sci-fi theme. The storyline is also vastly different from anything I have ever read. This made it quite interesting as I could not guess what would happen next in the story. I also liked the vivid descriptions of the places in the book such as St. Lucia’s landscape and the complexity of Dutch cities. The settings were definitely well researched.

The character’s observations about cyberspace were a big part of the story, but it was not as complex as I expected. It was simple and easy to understand, which I appreciated. It was easy to put myself in Alex’s shoes and imagine the digital passageways, packets of light and cyberspace portals because they were described in simple terms, rather than in complicated tech jargon.

I did not like a few things about this book. Firstly, too much emphasis was placed on the fact that Alex becomes hungry after traveling through cyberspace. After he arrives at a new destination, the author reminds the audience of this. Additionally, the foods described were usually mundane foods such as eggs and coffee. Since the main character travels to such exotic countries, it would have been great to read about native dishes.

Another thing I disliked was the author’s expression of sexuality. Alex has one night stands with at least two girls and cheats on his girlfriend. As a girl reading this book, I honestly began to dislike the main character because of this. In addition, the female characters lacked any personality traits other than their physical beauty and a vague description of their ‘positive energy.’ They had no real purpose than to simply pleasure the main character.

I noticed several errors including lack of full stops and the use of ‘waive’ instead of ‘wave.’ I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars for poor female characterization and a few grammatical errors which I mentioned previously. Superhighway will appeal to male young adults who enjoy sci-fi novels. I don’t think girls would like this book as they may find it difficult to relate to the main character. I also would not recommend it to younger audiences because of the erotic scenes and positive descriptions of marijuana use.

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Superhighway
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kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 11 May 2018, 15:53

I liked this book overall. The food issue becomes a bit more relevant in the second installment. Also in the second installment, Alex becomes an even more unlikable character, in particular regarding his relationships with women. I was frustrated by him in Superhighway but truly despised him in Superhighway 2.

I think the author should have made this a stand-alone and really put a little bit more effort into developing Alex and his relationships in this book.

Nice, balanced review.

Kristy Khem · Post by **Kristy Khem** » 14 May 2018, 14:36

kfwilson6 wrote: ↑11 May 2018, 15:53 I liked this book overall. The food issue becomes a bit more relevant in the second installment. Also in the second installment, Alex becomes an even more unlikable character, in particular regarding his relationships with women. I was frustrated by him in Superhighway but truly despised him in Superhighway 2.

I think the author should have made this a stand-alone and really put a little bit more effort into developing Alex and his relationships in this book.

Nice, balanced review.

Thankfully I did not read Superhighway 2 and based on what you said, I won't be reading it!