Freedom (TM)

Daniel Suarez

Jan 2010 · Penguin

About this ebook

The New York Times bestseller Daemon unleashed a terrifying technological vision of an all-powerful, malicious computer program. Now, our world is the Daemon's world—unless someone stops it once and for all...

The Daemon is in absolute control, using an expanded network of shadowy operatives to tear apart civilization and build it anew. Even as civil war breaks out in the American Midwest in a wave of nightmarish violence, former detective Pete Sebeck—the Daemon's most powerful, though reluctant, operative—must lead a small band of enlightened humans in a movement designed to protect the new world order.  

But the private armies of global business are preparing to crush the Daemon once and for all. In a world of shattered loyalties, collapsing societies, and seemingly endless betrayal, the only thing worth fighting for may be nothing less than the freedom of all humankind.

Ratings and reviews

Like ultra-computerized stock trading, D-Space can replace corporations, governments, or armies in the time that it takes to load an augmented reality application. A social darknet game managed by an AI virus offers better economic and emotional rewards than actual society. It recruits skilled professionals and support staff by pointing out how corrupt predators have distorted the standard public system and how a non-ideological automation can compensate. Each side infiltrates and manipulates the other. In this sequel to The Daemon, players are given nicknames and scores for reputation stars and base factor. The Major has to figure out how to kill the botnet to preserve the natural order before it eliminates him as it did CEO Hollis. Pete Sebeck has to make a quest to justify the freedom of humanity. Loki Stormsbringer is the top-level network operative who has a host of high-tech tricks at hand such as HUD glasses, automated armored Razorback motorcycles, gestural shamanic interface, Herr Boerner, physical avatars, crowdsourced characters, holon team cells, hypersonic audio projection, and free energy. In three parts, the book counts fiscal quarters, as the price of gold and gas climb, the unemployment rate reaches the tipping point, and USD/Darknet credits increase by a couple orders of magnitude. Chapters are introduced by posts from darknet users. The bibliography cites Bamford, Brin, Singer, Robb, Tapscott and Williams, which add authenticity to this dramatic rendering. Thanks.

I started this series when the first book was still self published. Suarez has since proved himself and continues to do so in the subsequent shorelines. His books are non stop, just one more page, books you devour because the story is fantastic in every sense of the word.

I tend to like books that are either exciting page turners even if not very deep (eg James Patterson), or books that are thought provoking. This book was definitely the former, with a little bit of the latter. A bit hand wavy, but interesting to think about alternative ways that people could organize themselves through technology. Plus it was a fun read!

About the author

Daniel Suarez is a New York Times bestselling author, TEDGlobal speaker, and former systems analyst. His unique brand of high-tech fiction explores the causes and impacts of rapid technological change. The author of seven novels, his latest, Critical Mass (second in the Delta-v series), is a realistic space-tech adventure depicting humanity's transition from a climate-imperiled, Earthbound civilization to one that utilizes resources and energy from space to secure a promising, sustainable future.