Truth Machine

Rating:
Summary: Interesting vision, poor execution
Review: Blatantly optimistic view of the future, with wooden prose and 2-dimensional characters. The part about a computer narrator was a pure cop out to cover the fact that the author can't write with any style or emotion.

I can't understand why everyone's raving about this: maybe the ultra-rosy future depicted soothes people's concerns for what will come.

3 points for an interesting view of what could happen should a Truth Machine be built, but even that view falls short. Would everyone give away all privacy so willingly? Wouldn't various politicians, world leaders, and crime figures do anything in their power to stop it? Wouldn't these scenarios have made a much more interesting novel?

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I just finished reading The Truth Machine. I enjoyed the book very much. The current event updates at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch, as well as the length of each chapter. I have little time to read so it was nice to be able to read whole chapters instead of stopping in the middle of one. One thing I am critical about is the end of the story. After the conciseness of the majority of the story (because it was written by the 22g CP), the ending, written by "Thomas L. Mosely", seemed long and drawn out by comparison. I would have preferred the whole story to be "written" by the 22g CP. James L. Halperin is supposedly a first-time writer, but I would swear that I've heard his name before. Oh well, all I really care about is when his next book is due out. I can hardly wait!

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking - one of the best books I've read in years
Review: Gives rise to thoughts of just how often we tell those "little white lies" to protect someone's feelings or ourselves for that matter. A life with such a device is almost incomprehensible given the state of society today.

Rating:
Summary: Good plot idea. Muddled execution.
Review: The idea is great but the author spends most of his time pushing his own technological agenda. He never digs into the implications of the "truth machine" on indiviuals in our society.

Rating:
Summary: A very good first book, very inventive
Review: Halperin definitely put himself on a par with King and Crichton, not quite with Wells and Orwell--yet. It's a great read, intricately plotted. The only problems I had was with the dialog and characterization, although that didn't detract from its premises which were ground breaking. I thought of one flaw no one caught. These teraflop processors which make the Truth Machine work could also be used to design software . I would think it's a little strange that a human being, Armstrong, is the only person or machine capable of producing the enabling software. I would think that Armstrong would've turned to a Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) program, perhaps of his own creation, to produce the Truth Machines algorithms. This would have meant that a machine would've been the actual creator of the Truth Machine not a man. Now there is a interesting conjecture. Nonetheless, aside from that point, the plot and details fit together nicely. Certainly a book to own and keep.

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant and thought provoking work.
Review: An incredible read! It is worthy of reading over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: Will look forward to Halperin's next offering!
Review: In my life, I have read literally hundreds of books of all descriptions. A handful have struck home and left a lasting impression--in no particular order: Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), The Stand (Stephen King), The Andromeda Strain (Michael Chrichton) and now I can add The Truth Machine and James Halperin to my list. I include this work in this august company because all four painted a picture of a world that could and might come to pass given the right circumstances. The use of the "news of the day" format was most effective. Of course, like many authors -- certainly Rand, and King in The Stand -- Halperin is guilty of painting his heroes a bit too white and his villans a bit too black, but that is a forgivable sin to be sure. Really enjoyed the concepts and the book was an excellent vehicle. I have not seen it available many places -- I have looked at local Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks -- not there, at least not in General Fiction. I did not check out Science Fiction and it might be there, which, I propose, is the wrong section for it.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book.
Review: An infallible Truth Machine would, I think, pose a great threat to a lot of vested interests in our society - dishonest politicians, unscrupulous business executives, and assorted other manipulators and cheaters. As a psychologist, I should add I have no doubt such a machine is possible. Researchers using EEG's (electroencephalograms) are in fact trying to identify brain wave patterns that could show if a person is deliberately concealing information (not exactly the same thing as lying, but you have to start somewhere). Anyway, in one study the researchers identified a brain-wave pattern that was 87.5% accurate in identifying whether or not subjects in the study were holding back or denying recognition of information that they had in fact seen. Such research leads me to believe a Truth Machine could exist even before the date given in the book. The only question is whether enough people in society really want such a machine to be a reality. Great book. James Halperin obviously has a very strong grasp of major trends and possible developments in many scientific fields.

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, the gung-ho, wholesome co-hero, because of his moral behavior. But, this character acts this 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: The Truth Machine grabbed my attention.
Review: It was the quickest read I've ever had due to its exciting plot and intriguing characters. The predictions are believable and scary. I want to see a film that stays close to the book. While reading, I could picture the characters and actions in vivid color.