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Eric Silberstein

Autor/a de The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev

1 obres 35 Membres 5 Ressenyes

Obres de Eric Silberstein

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This was a well-paced (until the end, when it all felt a bit rapidly wrapped up) novel, but its vision of the future was too right-here, right-now. The US: torn apart (50 years from now IRL, 100 years in the past in the book) by the exact same issues, expressed in more-or-less the exact same way, as were front-and-center 2016-2021. Korea is unified and democratic (sort of), until... it turns into North Korea.

Other parts of it just seem implausible: The US has ripped itself apart in civil-war, but Israel is sitting pretty, China and Russia seem to be ticking along (having rolled right over their utter demographic implosions...), and India is barely an afterthought... I can't remember if it got mentioned 1 time or 0 times.

AI determines what is true, albeit with some (high-level..?) human oversight. Which both works and is globally accepted (outside of China and, essentially, the Confederate States of America.)

Anyway, the book takes a particular view of circa 2020 and just says, "Now, it's circa 2200, and brain implants are a thing."

None of which ruins the book, per se (hey, still 3 stars), that kind of thing can work. But I found the glaring... inconsistencies... a recurring source of distraction in a book that was written as real-world projection into the future.

This was a fun read, but I'm not quite sure why (well, other than this was a *very* 2021 book released in 2021) this was so hailed in the reviews and whatnot that filtered through to me. This seemed like a reasonably good first novel, maybe even a very good first novel, and that is "it."
… (més)
 
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dcunning11235 | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Aug 12, 2023 |
I read the NetGalley ARC. This is my review:

What an annoyingly detailed novel, just interesting enough that I finished reading it--but only because I started skimming all the descriptions and the awful Sunny speeches and so on. In the end, I wish I'd bailed, because ultimately it's a tech hubris/manipulations/detective story with too many characters I didn't care about. It all hangs together well enough, it all feels plausible enough although I think the science is destined to be much slower in the real world. The bad guy (Sunny) is awful and that's good, but I hated her sections. The three stars are for writing a readable novel. Some people will love it, and I hope those readers find it.… (més)
 
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terriaminute | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Dec 4, 2022 |
Definitely an interesting read! Have you ever read a book that showed a future that you absolutely see happening? It's kinda crazy but it's also an attention grabber! There's a great futuristic world & a lot of technology! The characters are realistic & likeable! They have faults just like us! There really isn't anything that I disliked about the book! It's well written, the pace stays consistent, it's engaging, & thought provoking! It was a nice way to spend the evening!
 
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jacashjoh | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Jun 26, 2022 |
The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev by Eric Silberstein is a highly recommended speculative/science fiction novel set in 2100.

Neural Implants are now a normal part of life and people are connected all the time with each other, and the media. The Board of Reality Overseers blocks false information from spreading through the implants. In this future world, graduate student Sergei Kraev, along with two other students, Karima and Daniel, are given the task of writing code that will work with neural implants to provide an olfactory experience. When Karima turns down Sergei's advances and starts a relationship with and later marries Daniel, Sergei leaves the program early for the private sector. At the same time Sunny Kim (think K-pop star) is a spoiled, self centered, evil dancer whose family pays for her acceptance into a popular dance troupe. She is later forced to leave and starts her own group/cult, which Sergei is tricked into joining.

Good news and bad news: The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev opens with a horrifying, shocking event called the 4-17 apocalypse. This event, which is actually foreshadows the climax of the book, will keep you reading to discover the backstory of what happened and why. The bad news is that the opening event might have had an even greater impact had it followed the backstory leading up to the terrifying event. The plot is set mainly in Israel, Korea, and Singapore. The narrative is told through the point of view of several different characters and there are several twists along the way.

The cast of characters is truly diverse and international. All the characters are well developed and portrayed as individuals with distinct voices and personalities. Their actions and reactions tell the story of the events that lead up to 4-17, which means well developed characters are essential for the story.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/11/the-insecure-mind-of-sergei-kraev.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4324892722
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SheTreadsSoftly | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Nov 6, 2021 |

Estadístiques

Obres
1
Membres
35
Popularitat
#405,584
Valoració
½ 3.6
Ressenyes
5
ISBN
5