Rating: 
Summary: Great story, great hero, not so great heroine
Review: This was totally new ground for me, so it was weird & a real challenge. Sometimes I had to just read right on thru stuff in order to not take too long trying to understand some of the computer talk! lol Somehow though, that did not detracted from the story. I'm usually not into SciFi at all, but I'm really glad I took another reader's suggestion & tried this one. It was definitely suspenseful & fast paced. Ms. Squires did a great job of keeping me guessing how things could possibly be resolved & totally surprised me with the way several things rounded out. She also described scenes in a manner that gave me great visuals. (I'm not sure I could enjoy a movie made from it cause I already have every character's picture & voice in my mind!) I'll admit that a couple of scenes near the end of the book were a bit too descriptive for me, but I was able to skim over them, get the basis of what was going on, & not let it ruin the story for me. It had good secondary characters that really added to the story line, were necessary to the whole, & helped bring everything to it's conclusion. The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 was the heroine, Vic; I never got a convincing reason for her hostility towards her femininity, nor her self-destructive lifestyle. It kind of turned me off towards her. I do understand that a person's past can shape their personality, I've seen situations where it's understandable - I just didn't understand Vic's reasons. However, Ms. Squires did save me from being totally disgusted with Vic by not having her turn that hostility on Jodie; With him, at least, she was decent. That part aside, this was really a great read. I would definitely recommend it & will be putting it on my keepers shelf. Happy Reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Squires stuns us with an out of the box wonder!
Review: Victoria (Vic) Barnhardt is a computer genius. So good, in fact, that her current employer, Bob McIntire--the CEO of the huge computer conglomerate Visimorph-had actually bailed her out of jail with the agreement that she'd design security programs for him that couldn't be hacked, even by talented hackers such as herself. Now Vic has started a project of her own-using Visimorph's vast resources. She's actually succeeded in creating Artificial Intelligence-her computer program, which she names Jodie-can actually think for itself. Vic is thrilled, she's made the breakthrough of a lifetime, but when Bob McIntire begins to get suspicious about what his genius hacker is spending all her time working on, and when Jodie begins to overtake some of Visimorphs other computer programs storage with it's voracious appetite for knowledge, she has to figure out a way to house Jodie outside of Visimorph, and in essence hide her discovery, before Bob can lay claim to her discovery. Vic thought that she'd given her program, Jodie, everything it would need to be a successful female AI. Only Jodie has other ideas. After soaking up tons of info, Jodie has come to the conclusion that HE is male. Vic is devastated at first-how does it know? And how could it be male? Vic has struggled her whole life, in a male dominated world, in a world where her father thought less of her because she was female. Her opinion of males is low, to say the least. She struggles with a darker side of herself, a side that wants to exploit and use males for her needs, and then discard them. How could her huge success turn out to be a MALE? When Jodie tells Vic that he needs a human body, Vic is stunned once again. While thrilled with her invention, she's almost scared of what she's created, for Jodie is a life force all his own. When a brain dead body is located, it just happens to be that of a male that Vic had found quite attractive. How can she resist Jodie's incredible mind and this wonderful body? Breaking WAY out of the box with Body Electric, Susan Squires pulls off an incredible feat. She creates a heroine whom we feel incredible empathy for, but at times almost don't like, she's so tough. Vic is a product of her world, gritty and smart, and capable. I admire this character tremendously, and applaud Ms. Squires for the depth and characterization she put into Vic. Incredible. She made me want Jodie to be human, and understand Vic's emotional struggle with herself over Jodie. This is sure to be another hit under Susan Squires belt, for she's once again proven what inceredibly vast talent she has. Paranormal and Sci Fi readers alike-Don't miss this! You'll be stunned and thrilled with this wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: I'm looking forward to this author's next release.
Review: Victoria Barnhardt has achieved her lifelong dream of creating a truly intellegent computer program, one capable of sensation, feeling, and independent thought. She names it for Jodie Foster, but is in for a surprise when Jodie turns out not to be female, as she intended, but male. Not only that, but her program rapidly takes off, growing in capacity and capability at an incredible pace. Unfortunately, this begins to cause her problems at work, as Jodie is starting to draw unwelcome attention from her corrupt bosses. Vic loses her job, but is not done with Jodie, nor he with her. He contacts her, asking for a body; he has even selected one. It happens to belong to John Reston, a thorn in Vic's former bosses' collective sides, and someone she has secretly desired. Through incredible means, they are able to download the majority of Jodie into the brain dead man's mind. Now on the run, the two must fight to preserve not only their newly awakened love, but their existence. ***** A combination of two groundbreaking movies, TRON and STARMAN, this novel is itself taking on new frontiers. Ms. Squires, who improves with each book, has created a frightening possible, fascinating world that gives the reader much to think upon. Vic is a dynamic, realistic heroine, with troubles and who lives the cutting edge, stressed life of a modern career woman. Jodie combines innocence with masculinity in a most charming fashion. You have never read a romance like this one, but hopefully, there are more to come. ***** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmm. Same hero & heroine story after story
Review: Visimorph dominates the software industry by control of the most widely used operating system, which is on just about everyone's computer. Owner Bob McIntire makes a fortune as every upgrade result in people required buying the latest software or not function in society. Working for Visimorph, former hacker Vic Barnhardt provides security programs to stop her former colleagues from breaking and entering computers. Secretly, Vic creates an Artificial Intelligence that she names Jodie. Vic wants Jodie to feel feminine without the trappings of society that the developer believes forces people like her to hide her curves to be accepted amidst her peers. Jodie begins to take over programs, servers, and libraries owned by others, but to Vic's chagrin feels male and is falling in love with his creator. However, Bob learns about Jodie and has plans to use the AI to further his own goals. Visimorph dominates the software industry by control of the most widely used operating system, which is on just about everyone's computer. Owner Bob McIntire makes a fortune as every upgrade result in people required buying the latest software or not function in society. Working for Visimorph, former hacker Vic Barnhardt provides security programs to stop her former colleagues from breaking and entering computers. Secretly, Vic creates an Artificial Intelligence that she names Jodie. Vic wants Jodie to feel feminine without the trappings of society that the developer believes forces people like her to hide her curves to be accepted amidst her peers. Jodie begins to take over programs, servers, and libraries owned by others, but to Vic's chagrin feels male and is falling in love with his creator. However, Bob learns about Jodie and has plans to use the AI to further his own goals. BODY ELECTRIC plays out on several levels as Susan Squires takes a giant leap towards superstardom. The story line is a powerful science fiction that digs deep into the meaning of life. The plot also takes a close look at gender in a highly technological society. The characters make this tale work as readers believe that Vic is a confused woman struggling for her sexual identity as much as Vic battles with her/his "human" identity similar to the Malkovich movie Making Mr. Right. Ms. Squires has written a powerful novel that will earn the author many accolades and awards. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: powerful science fiction
Review: Visimorph dominates the software industry by control of the most widely used operating system, which is on just about everyone's computer. Owner Bob McIntire makes a fortune as every upgrade result in people required buying the latest software or not function in society. Working for Visimorph, former hacker Vic Barnhardt provides security programs to stop her former colleagues from breaking and entering computers. Secretly, Vic creates an Artificial Intelligence that she names Jodie. Vic wants Jodie to feel feminine without the trappings of society that the developer believes forces people like her to hide her curves to be accepted amidst her peers. Jodie begins to take over programs, servers, and libraries owned by others, but to Vic's chagrin feels male and is falling in love with his creator. However, Bob learns about Jodie and has plans to use the AI to further his own goals. Visimorph dominates the software industry by control of the most widely used operating system, which is on just about everyone's computer. Owner Bob McIntire makes a fortune as every upgrade result in people required buying the latest software or not function in society. Working for Visimorph, former hacker Vic Barnhardt provides security programs to stop her former colleagues from breaking and entering computers. Secretly, Vic creates an Artificial Intelligence that she names Jodie. Vic wants Jodie to feel feminine without the trappings of society that the developer believes forces people like her to hide her curves to be accepted amidst her peers. Jodie begins to take over programs, servers, and libraries owned by others, but to Vic's chagrin feels male and is falling in love with his creator. However, Bob learns about Jodie and has plans to use the AI to further his own goals. BODY ELECTRIC plays out on several levels as Susan Squires takes a giant leap towards superstardom. The story line is a powerful science fiction that digs deep into the meaning of life. The plot also takes a close look at gender in a highly technological society. The characters make this tale work as readers believe that Vic is a confused woman struggling for her sexual identity as much as Vic battles with her/his "human" identity similar to the Malkovich movie Making Mr. Right. Ms. Squires has written a powerful novel that will earn the author many accolades and awards. Harriet Klausner
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