Rating: 
Summary: Take those negative reviews to heart!
Review: I bought "The Truth Machine" on the basis of the majority of wonderful recommendations I read here; I am sad to report that I was sorely disappointed. Halperin comes up with an interesting concept but never develops it. I have never read such a one-sided piece of science/social fiction: the machine is presented as nothing less than the savior of society as we know it. Halperin neglects to explore the dark side of a truth machine, even when events in the story call its very legitimacy into question. Also, the essential question of privacy is dismissed in what seemed like a paragraph! While the book was overly long, the main characters suffer from a similar syndrome of being underdeveloped. The author wants us to admire David West, thegung-ho, wholesome co-hero, because of his moral behavior. But, this character actsthis way in part because he anticipated the production of the "failsafe" lie detector. The ambiguities of "moral" behavior that is motivated out of the desire not to get caught are never addressed. Overall, this book contained an intriguing seed of a concept that failed to blossom. And yet it sounds like you'll be hearing more about "The Truth Machine": at the back of the novel is a survey asking you if which products (game, film, etc.) you'd like to see based on the book!
Rating: 
Summary: (Not actually rated there, but looks like at least a 9)
Review: Suppose someone designed a machine that could tell with absolute certainty whether or not aperson was telling the truth. This is the premise behind James L. Halperin's first "speculative novel,"The Truth Machine. Such a machine, for example, would facilitate a totally redesigned criminal justice system, and politicians would have to be extremely honest and forthright, as would society as a whole. In short, it would completely change civilization as we know it--a paradigm shift of epic proportions. The story itself comes in the form of a biography of the principal players in the machine's invention (complete with footnotes and an appendix), as written by a self-aware reporting computer, the Intel 22g CP-TLMos. The premise alone is good enough reason to read The Truth Machine, but when you add all the governmental plans and programs suggested by Halperin throughout the text, the result is a novel worthy of study by those of us who want a better future. (Note: I'm not advocating that we adopt everything he's outlined, but his ideas do have merit.) Moreover, the novel's many mult-dimensional characters and an intriguing plot make it a real page-turner. Finally, at a time when human society seems to be heading toward a brick wall at warp speed, Halperin's novel conveys an overwhelming sense of optimism, even in the wake of some pretty harrowing events. Read it, make your friends and families read it, then get together and discuss the implications. It really is a remarkable book, and that's the truth. --Paul M. Heffernan, from THE PLOT THICKENS -- MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKSTORE'S NEWSLETTER http://www.mystgalaxy.com/mg.html
Rating:
Summary: Great for book clubs
Review: This book is agood choice for book clubs, as it stirs up real questions. The book is highly readable, with a few stylistic warts that critically-minded book club participants will enjoy identifying. But the real reason it makes a good book club choice is the power of its premise. We are losing privacy at an accelerating rate -- is this a good thing or a bad thing? This well-done speculative fiction takes the question to its extreme in order to explore the theme -- but the trend is sufficiently important in daily life that this book isn't as far-out as some science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: No long noses in Halperin's world - too bad!
Review: Well, "The Truth Machine" turned into a major disappointment. Why do some authors feel that their characters have to be the most handsome, richest, most intelligent, most famous people on earth to be engaging? The book started off with some interesting premises and characters, but then it just became another trite pop-novel about the problems of the rich and famous. The protagonist was, of course, the richest and most moral (there's an oxymoron!) person on earth due to his super intellect and his perfect memory. All his 'girlfriends' were the most beautiful women you could imagine and, naturally, the brightest. Not to say that beautiful women and men can't be intelligent, or that rich people don't have problems. It's just that these kinds of portrayals are so much fantasy that I can't sympathize with any of it.
And the story line soon becomes ludicrous, too. The eponymous truth machine helps create a perfect world where all crime and deception are steadily eliminated and everybody lives in bliss. I would have been more entertained if Halperin had shown the truth machine taking society in a completely different direction, revealing a hidden, sinister side or some bizarre characteristic (a la "1984"). Instead his Utopia is bland and homogenous and, as a result, uninteresting. Frankly I'd be bored to tears in his kind of world.
Rating:
Summary: Very thought-provoking, somewhat optimistic.
Review: The Truth Machine was recommended to me by a fellow employee/writer who felt the novel was an excellent first novel. I enjoyed the book very
much when I read it but felt that Mr Halperin's outlook on the future was too optimistic in many ways. I agree that the idea of the truth machine is
feasable in the near future and also agreed with the book's premise that if this were invented it would surely revolutionize our culture and customs.
However, I truly believe that it this were to become a reality in the near future, the fundamentalist majority of this country would be highly oppossed to
it s wide spread use in the private sphere. Fundamentalists christian groups across the nation are predominantly anti-intellectual with a oppossition to
science, modern secular education and the secularization of life that has resulted from indusrialism and urbanization.The book also brought up a
question of globalization and a true global economy and global unity. Whether or not we can truly call it globalization sans internet or Americanization
sans internet -hmm. I felt the book was somewhat ethnocentric and if anyone responds to this comment I would be happy to elaborate. I plan to
incorporate this book into my senior thesis for my literature and nationalism class which focuses on the nationalistic tenet in every form of literature as
well as the role religion and technology plays in every nation.
Rating: 
Summary: A brillaint "history of the future", but not all it could be
Review: "The Truth Machine" is an absorbing science fiction novel by James L. Halperin which is about one man's quest to create a flawless lie detector and the events surrounding it. It is an interesting look into what may lie ahead of us in the future, and what innovations such as truth machine could entail for society - a look which takes on a surprisingly positive outlook on a world without lies. The main character, brilliant Randall Petersen Armstrong has a vision of a society where no one can lie and get away with it and nothing short of death will stop him from reaching it. In the novel, Halperin manages to expertly weave speculations about the events of the future, other innovations that Armstrong brings about, and the many personal conflicts of Armstrong in with the central story of the creation of a truth machine. The result is an amazingly believable and convincing history of the future.The real strength of the book is its ability to make you think and ask yourself questions. I found myself asking questions not only about what a truth machine could mean for society, but also questions about what the future holds for us, what the unstoppable growth of technology means for our future, and most importantly, moral questions about the difficult decisions that Armstrong is faced with. Rarely have I found a book so thought provoking and interesting, or one that manages to bring so much of a human factor into science fiction. On the other hand, I did find the language of the book to be a little bland. While the plot itself was great, the telling of the story was lacking a little. Halperin tries to get away with his lack of metaphors or imagery by claiming the book was written by a journalistic robot (in the year 2050), but in my opinion it is a poor excuse. All in all, "The Truth Machine" was an extremely good read which was thought provoking and intriguing in so many ways, but one that had potential to be even better of a book. It certainly presents an exciting and original outlook on what lies ahead of us in the future. The book is certainly one of the best science fiction novels I have read.
Rating:
Summary: Futuristic novel of epic scale
Review: James Halperin's debut science fiction novel, "The Truth Machine", is an amazing achievement. It is a story so grand and sweeping in its scale that it gives Clarke's "Childhood's End" and Haldeman's "Forever War" strong competition for the greatest novel written about Earth's future. What sets it apart from those two books, though, is how it only requires a leap of faith regarding scientific advances to imagining the future "The Truth Machine" realizes, as opposed to alien intervention affecting the futures in the "Childhood's End" and "Forever War". The author, Halperin, is Harvard educated posits fascinating theories about perilous future of Earth and how the events in this book helped avoid it.
"The Truth Machine" has been termed "'1984' for our generation". While there are similarities, each book takes a decidedly different view of people having absolute knowledge and no privacy. "1984" is about how the government controls the populace through the use of 'big brother', a system with which none of the country's citizens are safe from government surveillance and manipulation. This dark view is contrasted dramatically by Halperin's much more positive view of full disclosure and the methods of achieving it.
"The Truth Machine" primarily focuses on the life story of Randall Peterson "Pete" Armstrong, a child prodigy with total recall memory, whose entire life's outlook has been defined the tragic murder of his younger brother, Leonard, by an ex-convict who was believed to be capable of committing violent crimes again, but could not be imprisoned any longer under the current law structure. Pete is committed to making a difference for humanity that will atone for his brother's death and help millions of others, too. In his first year at Harvard (at just age 13!), Pete is recruited to enroll in a small, but exclusive, class of the brightest and most agile students on campus. In that class, he meets people and establishes friendships that will further his identity. It is there that the idea of a 'truth machine' is conceived and Pete realizes that its existence is possible and that he could do it. The 'truth machine' would be a mechanism that would be 100% accurate in determining if a person was lying or telling the truth. It could help eliminate crime and dishonesty in general. As long as it is employed universally (and not just by government officials), the 'truth machine' could revolutionize humanity and take it to that next evolutionary step which would help it avert its coming self-destruction.
The premise is fascinating and, had it just focused on the development and application of the 'truth machine', this would have been a very solid book. However, "The Truth Machine" achieves transcendence by becoming a social history of our future. Over 60 years of time and events are covered in this novel. Halperin realizes that the company Pete established to design the 'truth machine', Armstrong Technologies Inc. (ATI), will have to produce other products in order to keep functioning during the two decade quest to develop its premier product. Halperin skillfully depicts the formative years of ATI, its development, and the development and growth of the principle people involved. Halperin also frames each of the story's events masterfully by beginning each chapter with a brief synopsis of world events at that particular point in time. It enables the reader to put this future into a proper context and understand the urgency and importance that creating the 'truth machine' possesses.
What would the impact of such a machine be? Halperin makes that case that it will help usher the world into period of unprecedented peace and prosperity. The future is too variable to predict, but dangers and benefits of the future put forth in "The Truth Machine" are dealt with equally and fairly. This vision for the future is a remarkable and inspiring one and the journey to get there is rich and full. Few books are as satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Might be a bit biased...
Review: A few years ago, after this book first came out, I had a short exchange of emails with Jim Halperin after posting a review of this novel in a Usenet group. My opinion of the book hasn't changed much. For starters, I think that the central premise of the book -- the technology that changes everything (perfect lie detectors) -- is one of the most novel ideas in speculative fiction in the last twenty years. The characters are pretty memorable -- I can still recount the basics of all major parties, and I haven't picked the book up in 3-4 years. There are some that point to the "flaw" of the main character being a genius but being stupid. Here's the catch -- this is written extremely well. Most geniuses lack common sense and have very poor social skills. As for the writing style -- Halperin's book reads nicely. Some have called it "dry", but it's written in the form of a creative non-fiction work (see the explanation for why this is at the beginning of the book). As someone with a writing degree, I couldn't find fault with it. This is one of those books that's going to remain on my bookshelf, long-term. Good premise, interesting (and human/flawed) characters, and not so heavy on the science that a layperson couldn't understand what's going on... All in all, a recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: Smart People Doing Dumb Things
Review: Do you know that feeling you get when you are watching a TV show and one of the characters is about to do some predictably stupid thing that will get them in all sorts of trouble? In a nutshell, that is the bad part of this book. The main character builds, and then painfully tears down, an extraordinary life via an avalanche of emotional and mental gaffs that left me groaning like I was watching Seinfeld--but not as funny. How could this guy (the main character) be such a genius and also be so stupid? However, I couldn't put it down. Halperin's storytelling, regardless of major plotline, is fantastic. His characters, minor plotlines, and pacing are great. His predictions of the future (quite often NOW) are uncanny in some respects. By and large, however, his political and technological predictions are a little far-fetched, at least in the short time he anticipates them coming about (I half expected him to say we would have flying cars in 20 years). But hey, this is smart fiction, predictable in parts, but very good nonetheless. Buy it. Read it. Maybe you're not so smart either.
Rating:
Summary: 10 Stars for this thought-provoking and highly entertaining
Review: The Truth Machine is not only a fast entertaining read, but will make you pause with questions of your own regarding how this society would be able to deal with the inability to lie.
A young genius is present when his little brother is kidnapped and brutally murdered. With this impact on his life and his brilliant mind, he sets off to create a machine that will make it impossible for anyone to lie ever again. With a deadline facing him in the form of the Swift and Sure Anti-Crime Bill, and some stubborn code he cannot overcome without dishonesty, he must make a choice. Committing treachery and facing execution if he is ever found out, he plants code into his machine that allows him and only him to lie, by reciting a specific poem in his head.
The truth machine is made reality, and eventually becomes the size of a wristwatch. Imagine corporate meetings, trade bartering, the Court and Judicial system, politics; all that and more to be negotiated and worked out around the reality of absolutely no lying.
This is an intriguing tale, with fully fleshed out characters and realistic quandaries, that will leave you satisfied and full of questions. What if.......
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