Review of Father
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Review of Father
Elizabeth Kory has grown resentful of the sacrifice of privacy in an increasingly technology-dependent society. Her ire is mostly aimed at George Robert Creighton III, who she sees as the embodiment of these digital threats to people’s rights. George Creighton is at the cusp of realizing his most ambitious dream yet. He designs and launches Father, a virtual reality system accessible by means of tech glasses and available for free worldwide, using only biometrically identifiable data for its users. He tries to locate a ‘Weatherman’, a random individual whose influence is so great that they affect global outcomes. Kory’s fear of Creighton’s ambitions might be more accurate than she realizes, as the network has God-like potential. They soon discover that Father, if misused, can predict and trigger events of apocalyptic magnitudes. Father, written by Michael J. Riesin and Guy Kosinski, is an intriguing science fiction book you need to add to your reading list.
How many times have you agreed to those terms and conditions without first reading them? There’s a free giveaway at your favourite tech store, so you immediately sign up for a program, unknowing and uncaring of what it requires of you. Tying in conspiracy theory with causal links and the very real issues of our digital age, Father combines a great number of my all-time favourite science fiction tropes. Most science fiction books that feature artificial intelligence tend to position them as the enemy, but I was glad to see Father trying out another avenue – one in which AI is a formidable weapon, yes, but one that is used by the good guys.
I believe this book to be thoroughly well edited. Only six errors were present, which were minor and could have been corrected with another round of editing.
As soon as I saw that Father started with death – by poison at that – I was already on board, kicking up my feet in delightful expectation. Morbid? Not yet. The characters involve themselves in some situations that place their moral codes in grey, not easily traversable areas. The ending also deserves mention, as, despite the story not being left on a suspenseful, nail-biting note, it is cut off at a point where you just have to know what comes next. I didn’t feel as if there were any loose ends or any plot points that required resolutions. Instead, readers will be left simply looking forward to a continuation of events.
The best thing about the book was that the antagonists acted like unseen chess players. Misdirection is a key plot device that leaves you questioning who the true villain is, and the thoughts and actions of certain characters frequently and easily set them up as the bad guy. The book has an undercurrent of manipulation and machination, where people are used as pawns with no predictable endgame. There are even characters who are aptly named ‘Rook’ and ‘Bishop.’
At first, I really was on board with hating – or at least seriously judging – George Robert Creighton III. He’s the perfect antihero: charismatic, eccentric, ambitious, and ridiculously wealthy. He became more multidimensional with the progression of the story, and I take my hat off in reverence to Kosinski and Riesin for a backstory that, though slightly cliché, was not overdone. Elizabeth’s almost whiny, I-hate-everything attitude has a redemption arc near the final pages of the book, which I sent up a prayer or two in thanks for.
Delving deeper into the plot, there were several contrasts and arguments that saw the characters adopting different roles and sides. Free will wrestled with determinism, security punched privacy in the face, and the life of one questioned the lives of many. These are the backdrops to the main storyline and are played out in a way I greatly enjoyed. All in all, there was nothing I disliked in the story.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. With a gripping narrative, multifaceted characters, and both a satisfying premise and ending, Father takes the cake for one of the best science fiction novels I’ve read recently. I recommend this book to people who enjoy realistic science fiction with a wide range of characters. People who prefer science fiction with high fantasy elements or artificially intelligent antagonists would perhaps not find this book entertaining.
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Father
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