Review of 'One Jump Ahead (Jon & Lobo Series)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
It's been ages since I read a mass market paperback. I picked this one up because the author was recommended to me by a friend whose opinions I generally trust, and I wasn't disappointed.
It's classic sci-fi adventure with a "lone wolf" protagonist successfully bucking the system using his wits and technological tricks. One of the great problems with these kinds of stories is explaining why the methods of the hero haven't been dealt with.
For example, (possible spoiler here, but it occurs in the first few pages, so I don't consider it a big one) our hero talks with appliances. AI is so commonplace that even your coffeepot comes with it (a fairly logical extension of the prevalence of computer chips today), and they prove to be a great source of information. The problem is, why doesn't everybody do this, and by extension, why doesn't everybody defend against it? …
It's been ages since I read a mass market paperback. I picked this one up because the author was recommended to me by a friend whose opinions I generally trust, and I wasn't disappointed.
It's classic sci-fi adventure with a "lone wolf" protagonist successfully bucking the system using his wits and technological tricks. One of the great problems with these kinds of stories is explaining why the methods of the hero haven't been dealt with.
For example, (possible spoiler here, but it occurs in the first few pages, so I don't consider it a big one) our hero talks with appliances. AI is so commonplace that even your coffeepot comes with it (a fairly logical extension of the prevalence of computer chips today), and they prove to be a great source of information. The problem is, why doesn't everybody do this, and by extension, why doesn't everybody defend against it?
The author's solution is one I found rather clever, but I won't go into details as it would risk introducing more minor spoilers. Suffice it to say that he did come up with a solution that is at least strong enough to allow me to suspend any disbelief I might have otherwise had.
My biggest issue with the book? It's a shame that the front cover blurb is from Orson Scott Card, it almost caused me to put it back on the shelf. I'm glad I didn't.
