Candle

Rating:
Summary: A Badly Underdeveloped Concept
Review: This book sets new standards for incomplete character & plot development. According to this book (written in 2000), all the major events in the book were triggered by the outbreak of widespread warfare using highly destructive and sophisticated bioweapons and the societal changes caused by this warfare. No mention is made of how these technologies came to such rapid fruition, since the negotiated peace that ends these wars occurs by 2002! The book then degenerates into generalities about ecological disasters, social decline, and wars between factions dominated by artificial intelligence programs. The whole book lacks focus, and the ending is just tacked on, as though Barnes became tired of writing. A thoroughly bad book, lightyears behind his Timeline Wars series.

Rating:
Summary: Fun read - good ideas
Review: This is the first book I've read by John Barnes and I agree with the other reviewers that it is a good place to start. Reading through the book I was impressed with the scope of the history Barnes created, but at no time did I feel I was missing anything that would force me to read previous books. Overall, I recommend Candle, but I had a couple of problems with it.

First of all, the beginning of the story is a manhunt and the reader is led to believe that Curran is the greatest tracker ever. However, he gets trapped by his prey and there is never an explanation for how that happened. I really wanted to know how he was outsmarted.

The story basically is over at this time and the rest of the book is a lengthy character history of the two men. I was very impressed, as I mentioned earlier, with the universe that has been created and loved the whole Meme War premise. However, the ending is a surprise that really doesn't make much sense and is especially dissatisfying considering the effort the two have made to harm One True (the villain).

I've read the synopsis of the other books about the Meme Wars and have decided not to read them because I feel that Candle ultimately made them unfulfilling. Also, I somehow missed what the title of the book references - I don't understand the name. If there is a new book in the series, I will read it. Feel free to email me with your comments.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Concept!
Review: What if the only conceivable solution to humanity's inadvertent attempts at Planetary Genocide is a global computer system that keeps everyone in check via a virus program running in their head and a cellular data link hard-wired to their brain? Not quite total control and domination, but enough influence that nobody is truly self-determinant. And the entire surface of the Planet is monitored almost 24 hours a day, so it is virtually impossible to remain outside the "system." John Barnes asks these questions, and the answers are not black and white at all. Through the entire book I kept trying to make a clear determination of weather the actions of One True (the global computer system) were justified or not, and I couldn't. The book deals with some dark subject matter, but I thought it ended on a very bright, positive note. If you ever shake your head at the insanity of human activity, wonder about the darker aspects of electronic surveillance and/or digital mind control, I highly recommend this book.