Rating: 
Summary: Far-fetched piffle in the hands of a hack
Review: A skilled writer might be able to engage an audience with a premise as far-fetched as transferring human personalities into computers. Unfortunately, John Darnton hasn't done this. The writing is hardly inspiring, and the plot wanders needlessly. This plodding pot-boiler may be accurate in its presentation of brain physiology. I can't say, since I'm not a physician. But I am a photographer, and the section in which one of the protagonists shoots photos on 4x5 roll film raises doubt regarding the technical knowledge of the author and his editors. The point here is that, as far as I know, 4x5 roll film is not available, at least to the casual photographer. When faced with such bloopers, I always wonder why authors feel they should blunder around in areas where they are obviously uninformed, and why editors don't double check this sort of thng.
Rating:
Summary: Far-fetched piffle in the hands of a hack
Review: A skilled writer might be able to engage an audience with a premise as far-fetched as transferring human personalities into computers. Unfortunately, John Darnton hasn't done this. The writing is hardly inspiring, and the plot wanders needlessly. This plodding pot-boiler may be accurate in its presentation of brain physiology. I can't say, since I'm not a physician. But I am a photographer, and the section in which one of the protagonists shoots photos on 4x5 roll film raises doubt regarding the technical knowledge of the author and his editors. The point here is that, as far as I know, 4x5 roll film is not available, at least to the casual photographer. When faced with such bloopers, I always wonder why authors feel they should blunder around in areas where they are obviously uninformed, and why editors don't double check this sort of thng.
Rating: 
Summary: Fatally flawed for me.
Review: Darnton is a good writer and explores interesting ideas in his novels, but MindCatcher is a fatally flawed story for me, praise from the NYTimes book reviewer notwithstanding. (Darnton is, perhaps coincidentally, a NYTimes editor.) The pivotal character in this novel is the young neurosurgeon Kate Willet yet her behavior is truly unbelievable and this infects the entire storyline. Fresh from 4 years of medical school and a 7 year neurosurgery residency at a major hospital, Kate is hired by the nation's, perhaps the planet's, most eminent neurosurgeon as a junior associate, but never operates once in the book and has plenty of time to mope about her apartment, suddenly discover the inhuman and unethical character of modern medicine, meet the father of the brain-damaged boy who is the vehicle of the story in bars all over Manhattan, and take it upon herself to right wrongs. Kate should have been an operating room nurse, but they work very hard, too, which still would have complicated the time problem. If that doesn't bother you, then the ending should: it's ridiculous, on a par with the ending of the film Total Recall. Suddenly, from the basement of a decrepit lunatic asylum on New York's Roosevelt Island, cyberspace becomes as crowded with consciousnesses as a subway train at rush hour. The villainous computer scientist is punished precisely as he deserves, virtue is rewarded, the morally weak but technically brilliant neurosurgeon repents and is given a second chance, the gutsy little boy recovers his brain, and the hero and heroine realize that their future is colored 'love'. I donated my copy to the public library. My recommendation is that if you insist on reading this book, take it out of your public library or borrow it.
Rating:
Summary: Trouble
Review: From the bizarre early sequence lifted almost verbatim from Hemmingway's "Big Two-Hearted River" (an homage? A joke? either way I don't get it) to the rambling, depressing, Connie Willis-meets-cyberpunk conclusion, "Mind Catcher" is a work in search of a point.It is an odd take on the mad scientist/doctor genre, I'll give it that, but the premise at the heart of the book--a PET-type scanner that can suck your soul out through your eyes (seriously!)--is ludicrous to be beyond the possibilty of suspension of disbelief. This really epitomises a bad techno-horror-thriller. The ideas are utterly unoriginal and the plot telegraphes its moves half a book ahead. It was really only morbid curiosity and insomnia which got me to the end. In case you're curious, they all live happily ever after. Yuck.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: I didn't enjoy this book. It was very boring, and very predictable, in terms of the plot. Despite the topic matter.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good book.
Review: I didn't enjoy this book. It was very boring, and very predictable, in terms of the plot. Despite the topic matter.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Concept - Fast Read - Lacking Substance
Review: I had a hard time putting this down. Other reviews on this site have detailed the story enough already so no point in re-stating.
Good points - Fascinating concept, fast pace.
Bad points - Too predictable. I was anticipating a twist or surprise that never occurred. The character development was somewhat lacking.
Summary - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book though I can't explain why.
Rating:
Summary: Great Concept - Fast Read - Lacking Substance
Review: I had a hard time putting this down. Other reviews on this site have detailed the story enough already so no point in re-stating.
Good points - Fascinating concept, fast pace.
Bad points - Too predictable. I was anticipating a twist or surprise that never occurred. The character development was somewhat lacking.
Summary - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book though I can't explain why.
Rating: 
Summary: MIND CATCHER
Review: I have just finished the last page of John Darnton's, MIND CATCHER, and can report that it kept me sitting on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. What an astonishing yet eerily credible concept! This is thinking man's fiction, with complex, heart stopping plot twists. For many years I have toyed with the idea of the existence of "anima", having found a personal version of proof, but not a proof that strayed beyond an article of faith. I have read extensively on this topic, yet never before have I found anything that made the connection between the concept of a soul, or center of life, and our contempory world of cyberspace. The connections between this spiritual precept, that all things, all ideas, all people may exist at all times, and the web, are indeed compelling. Darnton's premise is of course, at once thrilling and frightening. I've read his previous books(being interested in the collision of science, the human condition and ethics), but believe MIND CATCHER to be his best work yet. And even more impressive, through this intricate web of science and medicine, Darnton has drawn deeply sympathetic, believable characters (human, flawed in love and life). MIND CATCHER is not only a great read, but a dramatic and chilling call to all of us, as we embark on this newest century.
Rating:
Summary: John Darnton Mind Catcher
Review: I have read all of Darnton's books and Mind Catcher (as did Neanderthal and The Experiment) kept me rivoted from the first page to the last. Darnton has the talent to combine scientific and precise technical writing with enticing and captivating character plot and development. Anyone interested in philosophical end of life issues from a medical viewpoint and where it perhaps intersects with religious and spiritual notions will find Darton's book addressing some of the most important questions of our time. A great read and an intelligent surprising ending leaving you wanting more Darnton best sellers available as fast as he can write them! I am eagerly awaiting your next novel!
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