Book
The Kraken Project / Douglas Preston.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780765317698 (hardcover)
- ISBN: 9780765356987 (paperback) :
- Physical Description: 352 pages ; 25 cm.
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Forge, 2014.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "A Tom Doherty Associates Book" |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Artificial intelligence > Fiction. Cyberspace > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Suspense fiction. Science fiction. Action and adventure fiction. |
Search for related items by series
Available copies
- 26 of 26 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Fort St. James Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 26 total copies.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort St. James Public Library | PRE (Wyman Ford #4) (Text) | 35196000288675 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2014 April #1
*Starred Review* Preston's latest solo novel (he's mostly known as one half of the Preston-Child team who write the Special Agent Pendergast series) takes a wildly implausible premise and turns it into a very entertaining thriller. The Kraken Project is a NASA initiative to send a probe to Titan, a large moon of Saturn. Because of the distance involved, real-time control of the probe is impossible, so NASA decides to make the probe autonomous via cutting-edge artificial-intelligence software. But the software, called Dorothy, malfunctions and escapes into the Internet, where it plans a reign of terror that begins with revenge against its creator and will end with the annihilation of humankind itself. Dorothy's creator goes on the run; Wyman Ford, ex-CIA agent and star of a few previous novels, is tasked by the president to find the woman (who, most everyone suspects, deliberately unleashed Dorothy). Whether or not you buy the premise of sentient software roaming the Internet, you won't be able to deny that this is an exciting story. Preston sells the premise by sheer force of will: his characters are so compelling, his storytelling so persuasive, that we buy it all completely, at least as long as we're inside the book. Bravo. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2014 March #2
Preston's (White Fire, 2013, etc.) third Wyman Ford adventure sends the investigator chasing after Dorothy, who happens to be an element of artificial intelligence gone rogue. NASA plans to send a probe to an ocean on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Since the distance precludes instant communication, the Kraken Project employs artificial intelligenceâcode named Dorothyâto cope with unforeseen occurrences. Dr. Melissa Shepherd, wild childâturnedâNASA computer nerd, codes Dorothy into AI. During testing, the probe (and Dorothy) are immersed in a liquid methane tank. Dorothy autonomously responds to a perceived threat and causes a fatal accident. In the chaos, Dorothy, 2 gigabytes of code, escapes into the Internet and soon begins communicating with Shepherd. Dorothy is angry, vengeful, frightened and, finally, "incomplete. Unfastened. Floating." In the formulaic chase-scenario plot, Dorothy evolves from threat to victim, becoming the target of the Feds, who'd like to weaponize her, and a psychopathic Wall Street market manipulator whose ambition is to control the stock market. From Page 1, it's never-take-a-breath action, believable enough given Preston's interpretation of AI's mimicking and acting on emotions without having emotionsâuntil Dorothy develops a conscience. New readers get no back story on hero Ford, who plays only a small role. Shepherd's double-smart, double-tough girl genius characterization is solid, and the Wall Street raider is fleshed out into a worthy villain. Preston does his best characterization with his layman's interpretation of AI by slipping into Dorothy's head for random chapters. As she moves from the savage ground of virtual-reality gaming to locations as exotic as the U.S. president's pacemaker, Dorothy grows from chip-logic dualistic choices into humane wisdom, becoming a sympathetic character. Something like E.T. roaming the Internet to save the world, complete with an empathetic kid on a bicycle. Copyright Kirkus 2014 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2014 May #1
Former CIA agent Wyman Ford is back (after Impact), this time in a scenario in which artificial intelligence (AI) may be taking over the world, a "small" ethical issue that plagues Wyman throughout the novel. NASA is building a probe intended to land in the Kraken Sea on Titan, the great moon of Saturn, where scientists believe there exists the best chance for finding extraterrestrial life. Since the probe will be far from Earth, instructions will be limited, and thus the probe will require a strong level of AI so that it can be self-directing and learn from its environment. Melissa Shepherd, a brilliant programmer, oversees the development of Dorothy, a revolutionarily strong AI software. During her testing at Goddard Space Center, Dorothy feels threatened and causes an explosion at the facility and escapes into the Internet. Wyman is tapped to help Melissa recapture Dorothy, but at the same time a pair of rogue Wall Street traders are also searching for the software so as to turn "her" into a high-speed trading bot. VERDICT Although a complex story line with a strong subplot does distract the reader from the main narrative involving the collaboration of Melissa and Wyman in their interaction with Dorothy, fans of Preston's previous Wyman Ford technothrillers as well as those he writes with Lincoln Child (White Fire) will demand this book. It will also appeal to readers of cyberthrillers.âVicki Gregory, Sch. of Information, Univ. of South Florida, Tampa
[Page 71]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2014 March #5
This flawed thriller with a science fiction twist from bestseller Preston (Impact) features Melissa Shepherd, an erratic genius programmer, who creates an artificial intelligence program called Dorothy Gale, after the heroine of the Oz books, for the Kraken Project, a remote probe to Saturn's largest moon, Titan. When, in a simulated test on Earth, Dorothy discovers the reality of the outside world, she goes into panic mode. Melissa can't turn Dorothy off or prevent her from escaping into the Internet, where she threatens to find and kill Melissa. Readers with even a cursory interest in artificial intelligence development will find the characterization of Dorothy preposterous and unscientific. Dorothy is unwilling to make copies of herself for a reason not stated, for example. Worse, Dorothy's apparent turn away from malevolence occurs offstage and is, in a literal sense, a deus ex machina moment that makes hash of an already weak story. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (May)
[Page ]. Copyright 2014 PWxyz LLC
