Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding speculative fiction
Review: In Acts of the Apostles, John F. X. Sundman considers the conflict of values between rapidly advancing technology and human ethics within the framework of a compelling, entertaining thriller. His characters are varied and realistic, far richer and more engaging than, say, Ludlum's or Clancy's, and he balances multiple simultaneous story threads as well as any author I've read. The characters and the plot will keep you turning pages long into the night, and the bigger questions Sundman addresses will keep you thinking long after you've closed the book. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectually challenging techno-thriller
Review: So you enjoy novels like, say, Cryptonomicon? You can pick Vernor Vinge out of a crowd? Acts of the Apostles is just what you're looking for. It takes you to the dark side of the computer revolution, where nothing is as it seems and no one is as they seem. Sundman is an outstanding writer who can do more than paint a picture in your mind -- he can start a cinema sequence rolling. So, has someone in Hollywood optioned this property? Enquiring minds want to know!
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, hip, significant, and mega-geeky - GREAT!
Review: 'Acts of the Apostles' reminds me of a couple other recent books on similar themes -- Neal Stephenson's 'Snow Crash' and John Barnes's 'Candle', both of which are excellent! The common theme in these three works is possibility of merging computer technology with the human mind to yeild ... a higher level of consciousness? A new form of mind control? World peace? Universal slavery? I view 'Acts' is a very worthy contribution to that science-fictional dialog.The characterization and plotting in 'Acts' is really good. The strength of any story -- including science fiction -- lies not in the futuristic sci-fi speculations, but in the human elements, and 'Acts' does not disappoint. The editing is notably bad, but if you don't mind interpolating an omitted word here and there, or ignoring a few repeated words, you'll enjoy the ideas and the characters beneath the words. Finally, female readers might not buy the parts that are written from a female POV -- women admiring their own breasts, that sort of thing, as written by a straight male. Yet still, the female characters also struck me as fleshed-out, complex characters with a realistic inner life, so perhaps the female POV critique is just a nit. If you like good science fiction, then purchase and enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A great book for anyone who has been there...
Review: ...As the other reviewers observe, comparison to Neal Stephenson is inevitable: Cryptonomicon meets Zodiac. "Acts" is nearly impossible to put down -- but when you're done you'll wish you hadn't rushed. As other reviewers also note Sundman has obviously been around the technology that forms the background for the story. I found it all pretty plausible, which is way more than I can say for a lot of books. What other reviews may have missed is that Sundman was also, clearly, close to the Boston area tech biz scene during the last ten years. References to people, projects, and buildings are unmistakable. If you ever spent time in the Mill or had anything to do with creating souls for new machines, you are quite likely to recognize a lot of the setting. The point is that, if you appreciate inside references to 128 and might be willing to modify your basement to fit a $100 computer rack, this book is definitely for you. I absolutely recommend that you follow your impulse to buy a copy.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: Took it to the beach last summer and couldn't put it down. It reminds me quite a bit of Stephenson's _Snow Crash_ or _Zodiac_, but not in a derivative way. It finds a nice middle ground between simpleminded plot-driven storytelling and over-arty incomprehensible postmodern glop - it's got enough of both to be interesting, not so much of either that you wouldn't read it just for fun. It's a neat little book that hasn't had a lot of mainstream media attention but will richly reward a few hours' investment.
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but a first-rate read regardless
Review: I picked this book up about a year ago, and I'll explain it this way: John is a natively talented writer. It's a first-rate story, with an interesting hero and very satisfyingly evil villains (thinly disguised, but nicely so). The accounts of what looks like the old DEC buildings are neat, and the plot is just wacky enough to be plausible. John knows his subject matter, and detail is important to the...readers who will gobble this up more than anything. I really enjoyed it a lot, and I'm hoping that John takes the plunge and tries writing another thriller - I think he's got a knack for it. Where it falls slightly short to nitpickers like me is in areas where he might have been better off if this could have caught on with a mojor publisher rather than being self-published. An editor might have helped with those areas. There are some typos and narrative glitches, and I think none of the female characters are that well-established compared to all the men. None of this detracts from the enjoyment of the book, and were I not a nitpicker by nature (aren't all sysadmins?), I'd not have even noticed. If you are the sort of person who can't even turn on a Macintosh, this book isn't for you. But if you're sufficiently technical to have gotten to Amazon in the first place, you're probably technical enough to enjoy Acts of the Apostles. And I suggest you do so.
Rating:
Summary: Where's my tinfoil hat?!
Review: This is one of the best tech-thrillers I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I was absolutely thrilled with the fact that the technicl aspects weren't limited to cool sounding buzzwords; actual *real* bio-tech and chip design facts are involved! The characters are built very well and have just the right amount of conflict. Excellent usage of languages in the book. I have even recommended this book to several of my non-tech inclined friends. Truly a good read. This book has left me even more paranoid than I already was - which is quite a remarkable feat!
Rating:
Summary: High Tech Thriller
Review: Where do you find the convergence of computers and genetics, the portrayal of the Gulf War as a lab experiment, and a page-turning thriller all in one book? Try John Sundman's Acts of the Apostles. He has added new dimensions to the "lets take over the world" gambit. His ending is priceless - enough to upset countless interest groups. It was a special treat to experience Sundman's thinly disguised Mill as someone who spent time in the real Mill.
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Summary: great technothriller
Review: I can't imagine why this book isn't more popular. I only found out about it after the author promoted it on a website I frequent. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. To use the cliche, a real "page-turner". The biggest problem I had was that I read too quickly, trying to find out what happened in the end. It's also nice to see a book that gets the computer tech right. Usually books concerning Trojan horses in computer chips are written by people who obviously don't know what the hell they are talking about. Not so, here. Sundman's clearly worked with the technology he writes about. A comparison to Neal Stephanson is obvious. This is a bit more serious and a bit more mature.
Rating:
Summary: spot-on technology, page-turning thrills
Review: Some techno-thrillers bog down when they hit the technology parts. Not Sundman's book! He brings you into the chip-designer's world and the biochemist's lab, and never skips a beat in this fast-moving story. The comparisons to Neil Stephenson cannot be avoided, but not to worry -- he's no Stephenson clone. Sundman has a unique voice and goes places that may not be on Stephenson's map (and vice versa). Sundman has great facility with the written word, and tells a thoughful yet thrilling story. Definitely worth the read.
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