Interface

I confess I am biased, because I do like long and detailed books and I am happy to say that I think I have just found a new author to add to my list of favourites, this being my first Stephenson read. I found this book an absolutely ripper read, a good rollicking conspiracy yarn cleverly punctuated with wry humour, unpretentious but not inelegant use of vernacular in amusing asides to the reader. Some lovely quirky characters and even the baddies are amusing, the goodies not too sickly sweet! Now, which Stephenson to read next...? Oh, and an important addition, the narrator was excellent, none of the voices jarred, his timing,pacing and savouring of the language of the book perfect!

54 people found this helpful

Interface

An excellent read. Incredibly detailed which would usually be boring for me. These authors are masters at painting pictures. All the details were relevant and added depth to characters or scenes. A great test for any read is the chapter change. If you don't want to move on to another chapter purely because you just want to know (right now!) whats going to happen next in the current scene, well: it's a really good sign that you've been drawn right in. Stephenson and George manage to make the bizarre and incredible, well - credible and feasible. Sure, I had a couple of moments where I thought 'Come on, guys - too far!' But then they'd just keep going and justify the entire premise. A very long piece of work that I didn't want to end. Great sense of comedic timing and irony. Unusual for a thriller/drama. Thanks guys. I'll be listening to Cobweb next.

33 people found this helpful

Best narrator ever

Even if "Interface" didn't provide such a good story, Oliver Wyman's narration would justify the purchase. I don't think that any other actor has such a wide range of voices -- from soft feminine to gravely gruff -- and such a wide range of accents -- from west Texas to East Indian. He gives such a good narration of this book that I am considering buying other novels that he has performed, site-unseen, so-to-speak. The story itself satisfies, as well. Even though it was published 'way back in 1994, it does not feel too dated ... which says a lot for the plot concept. I am just discovering Neal Stephenson -- thanks to Audible -- and now I'm wondering how I missed him all these years. He writes intelligent thrillers -- kind of like Michael Crichton used to do -- and seems to know a lot about a plethora of topics and places, interweaving them all together into an exhilarating fabric. "Interface" postulates a somewhat scary hypothesis about manipulating politicians through electronic brain implants. The technology involved to do so certainly exists now, making the reader wonder if this kind of conspiracy may actually be happening .... I don't think that any thriller-lover would regret purchasing this audiobook.

21 people found this helpful

Political intrigue from Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson does not disappoint. Even thought is is one of his first books the plot and character development are very well done. This is a very long book and I think the editing could have been a bit tighter. It could have been trimmed by a few hundred pages and been an even better book.

The story is about a fictional 1996 presidential election. Mysterious forces referred to as the Network have decided that leaving the selection of the president to the whims of the American public and the existing political parties is no longer a viable method of choosing the president. The network needs a method of ensuring they can elect whomever they want and then have complete control over the president (and government).

What I enjoyed most about the book was seeing how the technology that Stephenson saw as science fiction in 1995 is now almost common place and is certainly available, although not being used in the manner he imagined.

This was the first book I have heard narrated by Oliver Wyman. He did a great job! This book has a huge cast of characters and Mr Wyman was able to give each one a unique voice (even the women) and consistent emotional tone. I will look for other books he has narrated.

16 people found this helpful

A Great Read

I am ever a Neil Stephenson fan and this book didn't fail me. It is fast-paced, high-energy and mind-bending in its scope and complexity. There is the quentisential Stephenson mix of humor, science, and excitement tied together by an amazing focus on characters. The only things holding this book back from a fifth star are the minor quibbles about the voices (the attempts at mid-west/southern, old man voices just don't quite hit home) and less scientific explanation than Stephenson usually adds to his stories (you can decide if that is good or bad in your own preferences. I felt left wanting more depth in the explanations, but overall it is most certainly worth the listen!

15 people found this helpful

Politics

This being an election year this is the year to read this book, if you are a political junkie. A lot of the book takes place during the primaries. Even though it was written in 1994, it is amazing how many of the issues are still important today. The economy is bad and the federal debt is high. The book starts out with the president making his State of The Union address. In the speech he announces that the United States will no longer pay the interest on the debt and that this is the age of forgiveness and we expect to be forgiven our debts. This sets the markets to crashing and to put the people who actually run the country (The Network) into action. They plant a biochip into the governor of Illinois and get him into the race. With the biochip they can control his thoughts and actions.

After reading Snow Crash I thought this would be a cyber-book with lots of tech. The biochip and a sort of emotional detector are the extent of high tech. Written in 1994 there are no CD's, everything is on video tape.

The book is so bogged down in detail I almost gave up on it. I don't know what editors get paid for, but evidently no one edited this book. For examples: we meet a taxi driver, the taxi driver has nothing to do with the story, yet we get a total description of his looks, his dress and his motivations for living and we get the same for a female message carrier. We are told what type of undies a character wares, even though it has nothing to do with her character. We meet a lot of characters and then never hear from them again. If you have bought the book and are about to give up, skip over until you meet Elanor. This character is fantastic, you will fall in love with her. She really starts hitting her stride about chapter 23.

There is a lot of interesting stuff about stereotypes, polling, statistics, liberals, conservatives, conspiracies, etc. Some of the political comments are spot on, no matter what side of the fence you are on.

At 12 hours this could have been a 5 star book, but at 26 hours I have to go with three and a half. I am getting tired of writers who think every little thing they write is great literature and wasting my time.

14 people found this helpful

So very disappointing...

I really, really wanted to like this book, but it was so disappointing. So many things were telegraphed or just plain wrong and made the book hard to listen to. Motives of the secondary characters were just not realistic (they all appear to be stupid.) The last few hours of the book just made me roll my eyes and I had to really push my self to finish.

14 people found this helpful

Back to what we love

The last Stephenson I listened to was disappointing, but this was not. A relatively early novel, it shows all the promise that the author has since delivered in titles such as the Baroque Cycle and Cryptomnicon. True it is co-written with Stephenson's uncle (a historian and teacher of history, albeit under a pseudonym), but the detail and the thought that is apparent in the narrative and the plot is pure Stephenson, as we now know him.
The plot is complex and clever. Having just returned from India, I found the Institute's trials particularly ominous, conscious as I am of how easily this could occur (if it has not already). Similarly the main plot line - how easily might this occur? Having just read Chris Mooney's, "Republican Brain", the GOP - Democratic nuance was entertaining, too.
Most of all I loved the characterisation. With a book this long there is no excuse for bad character development and you will not find this one wanting. William A Cozzano is a terrific character (he appeared in my mind's eye as a benevolent incarnation of the Commodore from Boardwalk Empire), as is Ffloyd Wayne Vishniak. Despite his status (as a Jedi of the Dark Force), I like Cy Ogle, too.
As to the performance, Oliver Wyman is an inspired choice. Besides the incidental double meaning his name brings to a well know management consulting house (not without significance in the context of Ogle's operations), his voices were spot on; entertaining, comic or sinister, as the need dictated.
I thoroughly enjoyed the returned to this genre. If you are a Stephenson fan, I think you will too. If you haven't read him, this is a good place to start.

12 people found this helpful

Should have been much shorter

Would you try another book from Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George and/or Oliver Wyman?

I like much of Stephenson's work. His style tends to be long and overly bogged down in details at times. The imaginative plot often makes up for it, but this was too much. There was an interesting story buried in a seemingly endless sea of tedium. I would try other Stephenson titles based on my previous reads (Anathem, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon were great). I'm not familiar with Frederick George... i would possibly consider giving another of his works a shot.Wyman's narration was good. Good voice acting for different characters even if his regular reading voice is not the most inviting.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The underlaying story about technology and a deep conspiracy were great. There was just sooooooo much detail given in the most trivial passages that it was torture to get through at times. An Abridged version might be great. I was also disappointed with the ending but others may disagree.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I think this title could make a decent movie.... it wouldn't get me out to the theatre (few movies do) but i would definitely watch it on bluray.

Any additional comments?

This was one of the least satisfying Stephenson titles i've listened to... second only to Diamond Age and perhaps some parts of the Baroque Cycle. If you enjoy tech and sci-fi, his better offerings include (as listed above) : Anathem, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. Don't know anything about J. Frederick George

8 people found this helpful

Audible, please do your research

Please note, this is not a full review!!! I am a Neal Stephenson fan, and I just began listening to this book this morning on the way to work. I don't believe the issue I'm writing about will ruin the book for me, but it is a pretty annoying failure on the part of Audible, the producer of the audible version of this book.

To the point, the initial character, Cozzano, is from a place in Central Illinois named Tuscola. I grew up in Central Illinois, and know of what I speak.

In the Audible production, narrator Oliver Wyman pronounces "Tuscola" as "TOOS - ca - la". The proper pronunciation is "tuss - KO - la" (with a long oh sound).

In preparing for this production, all it would have taken is a quick call to the Tuscola, IL city hall to ensure that the audio experience was satisfying. As an audio experience, this mispronunciation makes me cringe a little each time I hear it. Audible, please do your research before releasing an audio book.

As I said, this small issue will not prevent me from continuing to read the book, but it is an example of sloppy production. Otherwise, Mr. Wyman has, so far, done a wonderful job narrating, and do not necessarily hold this issue against him (unless, of course, it was his responsibility to ensure proper pronunciations). Wyman's voice is easily listened to and understandable, enhancing the audio experience thus far.

I am excited to continue listening to this book, and once completed, I promise to write a proper review.

8 people found this helpful