Rating: 
Summary: Good idea that got lost
Review: The author starts out with a great idea but got lost along the way. The ending made me throw the book across the room. As for the writing style - had I turned this in to my high school English teacher, I would have flunked.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly thought-provoking.
Review: I loved the Truth Machine; it is one of the most provacative stories that I have ever read. I think that the concept of a truth machine is a good one, but unfortunately, I don't believe that it would be so simple to integrate such a machine into society. Too many people would feel as though their privacy was being violated. Despite the fact that it would be beneficial in many aspects, I don't think that there are enough honest people in the world who would be willing to give up the "security" that their lies create for them. Using a truth machine in personal relationships would be especially risky, as there is no way to enforce a period of amnesty with your loved ones. I hope that the people in my life would be willing to submit themselves to truth machine testing for me, as I would gladly do for them, but somehow I think expecting that kind of trust from the general public is a long way off, and not neccessarily realistic. The story is fantastic, however, and provides a wonderful forum for thought and discussion of the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not great either.
Review: The first half of the book is not bad. It starts out being fairly realistic. But the second half is increasingly unbelievable. The author sets up a technological utopia where poverty, disease, hunger, crime, and all other societal ills are nearly eliminated. The result is simply not credible. An external device like the truth machine does not necessarily provide a disincentive for criminal behavior. And far too many minor details are far too implausible (the elimination of paper books, underground subways traveling at Mach 3, and a couple that has sex at least once a day for two years straight). Sorry, but the author's imagination got a little carried away here.
Rating:
Summary: Read this one twice -- at least.
Review: The Truth Machine is a fascinating book; I could NOT put it down. I picked it up cold in a bookstore, opened to a random page, and while reading it, was hooked! It was an addicting philosophical trip that I thoroughly enjoyed. Amazing first novel. I look forward to more. The concept has fascinating cultural impact. A book to read more than once. It stays on my shelf for another read within the year.
Rating:
Summary: So real.
Review: The Truth Machine played on my intelligence more than on my imagination. It seemed so real that I can no longer think about the future without thinking about this book. --Alex Kulik
Rating:
Summary: A stimulating and gratifying experience!
Review: Is a truth machine really feasible? It really would change the world! The Truth Machine offers hope to a world where people often don't see alternatives or options. But this book mostly made me think that if all people valued truth & honest intercourse we wouldn't have to wait for Pete Armstrong.
Rating: 
Summary: "The Truth Machine" best when posing questions.
Review: When "The Truth Machine" first began receiving rave reviews, I was pleased that a science-fiction work was garnering praise from audiences that might not traditionally have reviewed books from this genre. But then I pushed the praise aside and waited a few months before reading Halperin's first book for myself. Too often I find myself comparing my experiential reading to someone else's critical reading, often to the detriment of the work. But when I found myself wondering about what I was going to read next, "The Truth Machine" leaped out at me. And I must say that I am glad that I waited. I found the premise of "Truth" to be a bit simplistic; what would happen to society if everyone were compelled to tell the truth? It was a question that I have often pondered. And I thought that the resulting society that was created to be interesting, if a bit dull. The plot of the novel, which involves the creation of the machine and the desperate actions of its creator to avoid having the machine turned upon his own lies, was also interesting, although I wouldn't say that it was compelling, as most great pieces of science-fiction are. No, what I find compelling about Halperin's work are the questions that such a society would produce. Halperin rather casually deals with the question of truth. He doesn't answer or at least I didn't find a satisfactory answer for the subjective nature of truth. How can one who is shaped by a lifetime of subjective perceptions conform to a notion of objective truth? And, how could a society possibly cope with those questions that have no objective measurement of truth? Matters of faith, for example. Oh, Halperin assigns the spiritual health of the world to the Unitarians, but one cannot just wish away other religious leaders by presupposing that they are liars. Again, I was brought up by that niggling subjective truth perception. But while these questions would seem to indicate that I saw flaws with the book, I really enjoyed it simply because it prompted questions, and more importantly probably to Halperin and other futurists, it prompted conversations. I felt compelled to share with others the suggestions that were made in the story and my objections or reactions to them. I want Halperin to write more about this society, just so he can answer some of my questions. Like, if people are compelled to truthfulness, what happens to racism? I'm not sure that some racists would change their views just because they are exposed. And, if all is known about abusive behavior, as is postulated by the diagnostic abilities of the truth machine, what will that do to fashion? Literature? Theatre? And, .... Karen Turner
Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air
Review: "The Truth Machine" and Mr. Halperin's second novel, "The First Immortal," were among the best science-fiction novels I've read in several years. They stand out not only for the extensive research which made the view of the near future realistic and plausible, but also because they contain an element which is often missing from near-future works: that of hope. I would recommend these books without question. Mr. Halperin is a breath of fresh air for the genre and I look forward to learning he won a Hugo and Nebula. If you don't read them, you're missing a lot. -- Peter Honigstock, sf section head, Powells Books
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and completely plausible.
Review: I have discussed with my fellow college students the prospect of technology progressing to a point which would make it possible for the individual to possess the ultimate power, destruction of our race and species. As computers and lab equipment becomes more compact and easily attainable, it makes more and more likely that criminals and other dishonest human beings can use the power of technology to create new and deadly biological, nuclear, and conventional weaponry. This power in the hands of individuals could very well lead to anarchy, unless we can somehow sift out those people who are willing to carry out such action and either eliminate them or place them under treatment. The use of a truth machine to solve the problem is one possibility that we might consider or the reengineering of the human DNA code through a virus that removes or renders dormant those genes which causes pathological tendencies. This book, "The Truth Machine," offers a unique and perhaps viable solution to the irony of human progress and development that it might lead to the extinction of its creator.
Rating:
Summary: No room for doubt, no room for thought
Review: Halperin's "Truth Machine" is a utopian novel and would-be political tract based on some disquieting presuppositions. First, a handful of genius-heroes can not only save the world but return it to edenic splendor, all in a matter of decades. Although the characters are created with careful attention to their individual weaknesses, the political, social, economic and technological pigeons seem to drop out of the sky fully roasted onto their plates. Hardly a realistic scenario, but it does keep the story moving. Incidentally, the tension is provided by an evil genius who plots to thwart development of the Truth Machine in order to protect his career in white-collar crime. Second, "truth" can be computerized; namely a foolproof, portable lie detector is a technical, psychological and philosophical possibility. Maybe it is -- for machines. Third, social and economic progress can be hastened by capital punishment. Halperin imagines a conservative backlash against violent crime that institutes a "Swift and Sure" law: two strikes -- that is, a second "violent" crime -- and you're dead. The consequence is a daily rate of executions that would swamp Texas and rival the diabolical efficiency of a Nazi death camp. Of course, as he says, it saves on prison costs. To be fair, the dénouement of the plot hinges on a misapplication of the "Swift and Sure" law: the protagonist risks his own life to perfect the "Truth Machine" after learning that its undelayed development could have saved an innocent man who had been executed because of mistaken identity and an unverifiable alibi. It's a nice touch but a little thin considering the enormity of the issue. Halperin brings up some interesting ideas for discussion. In the meantime, though, we'll have to keep muddling through, constantly beset by doubt, trying to determine as best we can what truth and justice really are and ought to be.
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