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Summary: impressive
Review: "The Truth Machine" is unlike any novel you've ever read. It is IMPOSSIBLE to convey in words how wonderful this book is, so I'll just say this: read it, and don't put it down until at least chapter three, which is where the real sotry begins.
Rating: 
Summary: In response to criticism...
Review: I agree that Halperin's writing seems poor on the surface. He has a somewhat unconventional style, but I get the impression that the predictability of the plot, for example, is intentional--it gives the reader a sense that the events of the novel are intuitive and natural. The admittedly wooden dialogue gets the point across clearly and efficiently. Halperin is more interested in sharing his ideas than producing an effective story, and the result is very interesting, if not entirely intriguing.
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Summary: The Truth Machine
Review: If there was any premise of a book I would like to see come true - it would be this one!!
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Summary: A superb futurist tells a riviting tale
Review: I believe that James Halperin is an extraordinarily talented futurist. The concepts put forth in this plea for sanity in our world dangerously teetering into the new millenium are important and beautifully stated and played out by the characters in "The Truth Machine".It is a remarkable first novel. The characterization is excellent and compelling. The story is an equal partner to the ideas that abound. There are several sub-plots that are almost as satisfying as the major theme about the societal impact of a device that compells truthfulness in all aspects of human interaction. Pete's complex character and his relationships with women and with his life long friends David and Diana West are well portrayed as are his relationships and interaction with his demons Reece and Scoggins. I even enjoyed the character of 22g CP-TLMos, the super computer reporter who relates the major part of this work. My great regret is that we don't have our own phenomenally gifted Pete Robinson to create a Truth Machine for us and to usher in the new era of world wide understanding and communication. This is a thoughtful, absorbing, highly readable and most important statement about our possible future or lack thereof. Very highly recommended.
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Summary: Nostradamus of the XX Century
Review: This book provides good food for thought when it comes to future advancements. It can be another Nostradamus guide. It would be fun to check it every decade or so and see how many things the book predicted that have become reality. In fact, the idea of a truth machine is not totally without basis. A few months ago i saw something on TV that was also called The Truth Machine. In the program, a professor from a university in the Midwest (i should have been paying more attention! Sorry for the lack of specifics) explained that when the suspect of a crime reads information that would only be known to the perpetrator, the brain has a response that can be measured with his machine, therefore suggesting that the suspect might be guilty indeed. An innocent person, when reading the same information, would not show that same kind of brain activity. This machine is being studied by prosecutors as one more tool to use in the evaluation of crimes. The same way that electric cars and organ transplant were science fiction a few years ago, the truth machine can be a reality soon. I only hope they do offer amnesty, like in the book! Story-wise, though, this book is a lightweight. The redeeming quality of this book is its vision of the future, certainly neither the plot nor the characters.
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Summary: Thought provoking
Review: This is indeed a fascinating novel and the kind of SF we unfortunately get to read all to seldom. How would we live if noone could lie anymore ? This is what the book is about. Intelligent writing, fascinating story, twist and turns and a fast paced tempo keeps this book glued in your hands until you've read the last word.
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Summary: Interesting. But only interesting.
Review: People claim that this book is incredibly prophetic. I dunno, perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, but I do think that this book places much more faith in mankind when placed in the "truth machine" situation than I would. But the point of a fiction book is not to tell the future, or be 100 percent factual. That is why it is called fiction. Look past all of that, and you've got yourself an interesting book. The notion of a truth machine is a tantalizing one, and that's what drew me to the book, the title. As it turns out, Halperin does a better than decent job at tackling the issue, with interesting characters, and a story line that will keep you reading. I guess I just think you could get more out of this topic. Maybe not. Anyway, this is an overly decent book, and I do recommend reading it.
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Summary: Maybe the movie will be better...
Review: The Truth Machine is a book of ideas. Like a lot of SF, that's the best part. Great SF, though, like any other great literature, contains more than interesting ideas - it drops you into an entire world. In good fiction the world wraps around you like a vivid dream, one you're unwilling to wake up from. I didn't feel that way at all with The Truth Machine, unfortunately. Think of it this way - a lot of movies adapted from books are disappointing because the "feel" of the writing is gone, right? And what you're left with is plot, action sequences, and characters you don't get to see from the inside. Well, in this case, I actually think a movie adaptation might ADD something - some atmosphere, some much-needed depth. I felt as though I'd lost my sense of smell, and though the world was still dazzling, all my favorite foods had lost their flavor. Halperin has some great ideas, and maybe after a few more books, some of the dirt and fumes of the real world will creep into his writing, and we'll see some really great fiction.
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Summary: The Truth Machine
Review: The Truth Machine is the first genuinely thought provoking piece of fiction I have read in quite some time. Mr. Halperin infuses his vision of the future with characters of depth rarely found in modern literature.
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Summary: Halperin's Biggest Error
Review: Besides the lame plot, celluloid characters and constant political preaching, Halperin's made a bigger blunder: he hasn't thought thorough his technology well enough. The basic premise is that there's a machine that can detect lies 100% of the time. Okay, but so what? You invent such a machine, and someone else will invent another to counter it--what I call "defeater technology." Let's say I'm guilty of a crime and am going before the machine; why not just use another machine on myself beforehand that will, via brain manipulation, make me sincerely believe that I'm _not_ guilty? Then the truth machine has a snowball's chance in hell of uncovering me because I'm not really lying; I'm telling what I honestly believe is the truth. Even if such tech were illegal, it would still come about; illegality does little to counter progress. Now, a book about the effects of the defeater machine--how criminals would have to resort to hiding their crimes even from themselves--would have been much better than Halperin's fake utopian mess. Halperin made the mistake of ending his book before the real story began.
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