Rating: 
Summary: The same old suspense plot in "new" outlandish clothing
Review: This book is described as a techno-thriller which is "like Crichton. . .a fast-paced story that's. . .irresistible." Unfortunately, the story is also so full of suspense novel cliches that I felt like I was home with my folks watching the "new" cable-tv "original" motion picture which is uncannily EXACTLY like the one from the previous week. Only the names and the "situations" have been changed. This whole story is incredibly predictable. A maverick doctor-turned-paramedic with a thing for viri (his wife died of AIDS) meets up with a young, beautiful, something-to-prove virologist while investigating the mysterious simultaneous virus-caused deaths of nine lawyers. (Nine lawyers croaking. Hum? Maybe the novel wasn't SO bad after all.) There's also a billionaire genius who's trying to Turn On and Tune In the whole planet to his new fiber optic Information Highway, his loony assistant and lots of CIA-type covert hoopla. Suffice it to say that the two lead characters fall in love in spite of themselves, the billionaire is discovered to have a secret agenda to obtain power for himself via his communications monopoly (there's a REALLY novel idea---bilionaires seeking power) and the loony assistant is responsible for the creation of a sentient computer virus (which has the power to modulate light coming out of a TV in such a way as to cause cold viri in your body to become Ebola-esque) known as the Reaper. Apart from the obviously formulaic nature of the story, this novel really got me upset for a variety of reasons. One, the story tries to be innovative by jumping onto the pop science bandwagon, mixing deadly viri (as per "The Hot Zone") with computer viri and the information highway (as per the whole cyberpunk genre). There is nothing wrong with this per se---in fact, it is why I picked up this advance copy. Fiction which speculates about the consequences of current events and ideas is often phenomenal. However, all this novel does is dress up an old plot in fancy pseudo-speculative clothing which, frankly, is garish and uninteresting. So much could really be done with the ideas here---just think of Mary Shelley describing a Frankenstein's Monster made of hexidecimal code---but they are obvious here as so much nothing more than adrenaline boosters that their whole presence simply disgusts me. Second, the whole role of the loony assistant as fanatical designer of the "the Reaper" is so overly simplistic as to be off-putting. She is a neo-Luddite who wants to destroy all technology so we can all go back to the days of the caveman. She had a bad experience with her MIT creations being used in Vietnam so she hates all technology and has joined forces with a mysterious cabal known as Pandora (whom we never get to see in action) in order to use the great Information Highway and her (she thinks) non-homicidal virus to destroy all computer technology in a nanosecond. So why didn't she just drop out of the whole rat-race if she were so anti-technology? And why is it that one has to be insane in order to be anti-technology or anti-status quo? Can't anyone actually arrive at ideas different to those foisted upon us by TV and pap novelists through SANE, rational thinking? Well this novel isn't the place to look for answers to those questions. In sum, Mezrich has failed in what could have been a brilliant retelling of the Frankenstein story, as he has decided to make a quick, sound-bite adrenaline rush bit of pap instead. Overly cliched main protagonists and under-developed antagonists (including the virus itself---the perfect mind to explore in a GOOD speculative novel) really spoil what could be an interesting story about a sentient computer virus/serial killer of sorts. This once again confirms my suspicion that although intelligent fiction can be suspenseful, suspensful fiction is rarely intelligent.
Rating:
Summary: LEAVES YOU WITH THE BIG EMPTY FEELING
Review: After enduring chapter after chapter of the same old actions, you'll wonder why you started this book in the first place. Of all the books in this kind of genre, it has little new to offer, virtually no new wrinkles, and it borrows heavily and liberally from other styles and plots. Everything is predictable and this makes for very little tension and excitement. The characters are a farce and a pale imitation of real people. The motives for each of the characters is incredibly weak, and this makes it very difficult to be persuaded with anything that they do. The ending chase is so long and drawn out that you feel no thrill when its over--just glad that the author finally moved on to the next scene. This book doesn't even read like a movie or screenplay.
Rating:
Summary: JUST ONE OF MANY IN THIS GENRE--UNREMARKABLE
Review: After finishing Reaper, I think you'll conclude that this is just one of so many books now in the medical/thriller category. Unlike the good ones, however, this book seems so formulaic that it tires easily and can't give you much thrills or excitement. The plot has some interesting aspects to it, although I found it a bit too far-fetched. The charactes in the book were so predictable and common that they must have been borrowed from other novels or TV shows. Author could have been more creative in that regard. The seemngly endless climax left little satisfaction and I agree with other reviewers who felt that somehow, the author changed his slant in the middle of the book to de-emphasize the virus and suddently go after something else that was more interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
Review: At the tender age of 32, Ben Mezrich is a writer with good skills that have yet to reach their maturity. "Reaper," while an enjoyable diversion, is full of plot holes and stereotypical characters. The leading characters of Nick Barnes and Samantha Craig are so "perfect," they are nauseating. Add to this those crises in their lives that have left them bitter, and you have two heroes that need to grow up! The plot is rather interesting: a biological virus spread through televisions and computers. We also have three over-the-top villains: Marcus Teal, a black billionaire, who wants to use his technology to "CONTROL" who gets ahead in the business world, most notably, of course, minorities and the poor guys; Melora Parkridge, who is like a modern-day Margaret Hamilton, who wants to use her technology to wipe out technology altogether, for some reason the reader is never fully told; and then we have nutso Ned Dickerson who is being "controlled" by the virus. He's a whacko who is the real culprit in this serpentine maze of incredulities. "Reaper" in the hands of a more mature writer, could have been fun, but it ends up being one of those books you would have passed on had the promotion and premise not been so intriguing. Yawn.
Rating:
Summary: YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
Review: At the tender age of 32, Ben Mezrich is a writer with good skills that have yet to reach their maturity. "Reaper," while an enjoyable diversion, is full of plot holes and stereotypical characters. The leading characters of Nick Barnes and Samantha Craig are so "perfect," they are nauseating. Add to this those crises in their lives that have left them bitter, and you have two heroes that need to grow up! The plot is rather interesting: a biological virus spread through televisions and computers. We also have three over-the-top villains: Marcus Teal, a black billionaire, who wants to use his technology to "CONTROL" who gets ahead in the business world, most notably, of course, minorities and the poor guys; Melora Parkridge, who is like a modern-day Margaret Hamilton, who wants to use her technology to wipe out technology altogether, for some reason the reader is never fully told; and then we have nutso Ned Dickerson who is being "controlled" by the virus. He's a whacko who is the real culprit in this serpentine maze of incredulities. "Reaper" in the hands of a more mature writer, could have been fun, but it ends up being one of those books you would have passed on had the promotion and premise not been so intriguing. Yawn.
Rating: 
Summary: WHOA, I MEAN WHOA!
Review: Ben Mezrich has a flair for the unpredictable, a "mez"merizing touch that kept me up well into the night. Don't miss this book. Michael Crichton watch out!
Rating:
Summary: UNBELIEVABLE -- THIS GUY IS A GENIUS
Review: Ben Mezrich is a national treasure. -- Jon Beckerman
Rating:
Summary: Superb! Medical Thriller Meets Technology
Review: Ben Mezrich, who wrote Threshold, does a fantastic job on Reaper. He uses smart language, and the book just flows. This was the definitely one of the best books I've ever read! I could not put it down from page 1. With brutally clear details, you'll think twice before turning on your TV or computer.
Rating:
Summary: BELOW AVERAGE, RUN OF THE MILL THRILLER
Review: Don't confuse this with anything from Michael Crichton--it doesn't come close on any level of originality, suspense, science, or characters. Instead, this is a very ordinary thriller that has very little impact on you after you're finished with the book. The science part is promising, but what I really don't like is the haphazzard way it is introduced, and, toward the end, it seemingly shifts to secondary importance. Really! The motivations behind the different characters is quite poor and unconvincing. The action is quite predictable so that the reader won't be thrilled or held in any suspense. In the end, this is a very very ordinary thriller with a very poor execution.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK HAS NOTHING NEW TO ADD...
Review: I agree with the others who have found that this book is unoriginal. Author evidently had other reasons for writing this book-- the plot is borrowed from countless other thrillers and he manages to update it with a computer/high tech slant. But the big issue I have with this, is that he doesn't carry this to the end. It seems the "importance" of the high tech threat fades away toward the end so that the climax and conclusions are reached without so much as a strong word about the original threat. Strikes me as if the author wasn't well organized in his thinking. Some of the action scenes are OK, most are dull and borrowed from something else. This book neither thrilled me, or frightened me.
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