Rating: 
Summary: More Than Just Another Novel
Review: ...I found The Truth Machine to be more than an enjoyableread. It will forever add another path of calculation into the way I see and interpret the world. It made the reader think while reading it, and will change the way the reader thinks therafter. I would like to believe that the author had no greater goal than that, and until proven otherwise, that's The Truth, for me. To those of you who have chastised Mr. Halperin...in agreeing to allow the book be portrayed in film, (thus attracting a larger audience to the written version), ask yourself if you'd rather that the moon landing had never been broadcast or even filmed. There would still be a footprint there, after all, but only a few would be aware or be changed by that fact. If I were forced at gunpoint to find fault with the novel, it would be that the author proceeds from the assumtion that common sense would prevail in matters of justice or politics. Both institutions are made of lawyers, who would be out of a job in a world where common sense prevailed. Such swift and unanimous changes in the human condition would be stalled, if not prevented, by those that are the most deeply dependant on our current system. If nothing else, they would milk the fifth amendment for all the tears and anthems it was worth for at least a decade. A lot of people have used this forum as a soap box to discount the whole idea of individual truth, and point to the fact that no one mortal can possibly know the truth, etcetera, etcetera. I think they've all missed the point. Call it "The Honesty Machine" if it helps you see things more clearly. It's not about knowing all the facts. It's about building a world where people can trust one another. If you have a better idea of how such a world might come about, please, write a book about it. Matt Dahse
Rating:
Summary: Superb first SF Novel
Review: First-time author Jim Halperin knows how to spread memes. He first put the entire text of this speculative novel on the Web as freeware, then micropublished The Truth Machine himself in hardcover (doing an excellent job, I must say) prior to Random House making his baby their lead title for Fall '96. Now Warner Brothers has bought the movie rights. What's the magic of this book? For the memeticist, anything dealing with a fundamental change in the way ideas are communicated is prime reading material. Halperin builds an all-too-credible future around the premise of the invention of an infallible lie detector. (Trenchantly, the Truth Machine's creator is not just any inventor but the world's greatest computer programmer. It stands to reason that such a device would be largely software. And it's about time us programmers got something - we've had a hell of a time!) Halperin's style reminds me of a cross between Heinlein and Crichton. His main strength is the believability of the near-future setting, complete with amusing "news bulletins" about future current events. Neither plot nor characters are complex, but this is definitely a can't-put-it-down novel, as the societal and personal forces set in motion by the invention of the Truth Machine play out to their climax in a Hellenic foreordainment. --Richard Brodie, author, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one
Review: I strongly recommend that you don't let this one get away. The Truth Machine is in a league of it's own - much better than The Immortal. I can't remember ever having been this moved by a book or a movie for that matter. Halperin describes a truly fascinating and believable scenario: What does it take to build a Truth Machine and what effect could it have on our way of living! I'm not usually a big fan of prophecies and predictions about the future but this book really has some unique observations about the possible consequences of the introduction of a truth machine to the world. You will be surprised at the end (I know I was).
Rating:
Summary: Do Not Miss This One...
Review: I strongly recommend that you don't let this one get away. The Truth Machine is in a league of it's own. I can't remember ever having been this moved by a book, or a movie for that matter. Halperin describes a truly fascinating and believable scenario: What does it take to build a foolproof lie detector, and what effect could it have on our way of living! I'm not usually a big fan of prophecies and predictions about the future but this book really has some unique observations about the possible consequences of the introduction of a truth machine to the world. You will be surprised at the end (I know I was).
Rating: 
Summary: A shallow, one dimensional effort -- and that's the truth!
Review: One thousand words are not enough to detail all that is wrong with "The Truth Machine", both as a novel and as a work of science fiction, but I will bravely roll up my sleeves to try my hand at the task. Before I was fifty pages into "The Truth Machine" I realized it reminded me of nothing so much as Nancy Kress' "Beggars in Spain", which is not a compliment. The main thing that peeved me about this book was how the main characters were written, especially Pete Armstrong. The only thing the author has proved to me about super-geniuses is that he is not one. If he were, he would know that very gifted people don't act the way Pete does. Halperin fell into the trap of painting him as a walking stereotype, the socially awkward geek who is so introverted as to almost appear border-line autistic. Of course, the reader is made aware of a tragedy early in Pete's life that changes him, as tragedies in childhood will do, but anyone can see that the seeds for Pete's becoming a cartoon-quality nerd were there from the start. In short, Pete Armstrong is not a genius, he's a savant -- good at a small number of things, but utterly unsocialized otherwise. Halperin should have given us someone more meaty, with the scope and richness of a modern-day Leonardo Da Vinci. All the main characters were bone-thin in personality and lacking in any real depth. I couldn't work up any sympathy for any of them. My second huge quibble stems from the way the female characters were portrayed in this book. They all came across as mere foils that moved the action along between the male characters. Jennifer was absolutely pathetic in the way she slavered after Pete (everything is different in the future except smart women who make foolish choices, I suppose) and Pete's future wife was little better. They all dropped or re-ordered their lives to suit his life in Dallas. They were bit players who moved across the stage of the book with no backstory of their own. Tilly was the only halfway interesting woman in the book, and too few pages were spent on her. The one thing I did admire about the book was Halperin's ability to make realistic predictions about what could happen in the world in the new century, based on the global scene we are faced with today. I suppose his adroitness is this area makes the basic premise of the book, the truth machine, seem all the more ridiculous. There is no country on the planet, including the U.S., who would let someone who could actually construct such a device live. Another flaw is Halperin's vision of a World Government, which is incredibly Ameri-centric and myopic. I, personally, am glad to live in a representative democracy. But anyone who has traveled knows that many others honestly do not think this way. The corruption and greed that can often be found in the West, to many people, outweighs the freedoms that a democractic system can bring. And, again, there's that pesky problem of women. In a democractic system, every adult gets a vote. Does Halperin think that would really go over in countries that still keep women veiled? It's good to have grand ideas -- that's what science fiction is about. But the most creative notions are not enough without character development, passion and real depth and this book has none of the three.
Rating: 
Summary: not really science fiction but speculative writing
Review: Very good speculative book. It's about a genius that invent's a real truth-machine. Halperin just took what I just told you and speculated on and on , and wrote down EVERY possibility that branch out from having a reliable truth machine. The charecters have depth. the writing feels real , and the book as a whole is very realistic. In all , I would'nt categorize it as real sci-fi , but that aside , It's a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps you guessing, interesting ideas
Review: I enjoyed this book better than First Immortal. The plot is more cohesive, the characters are more interesting, and the ideas are truly original. Again, Halperin's style reminds me of James P. Hogan on a good day; This is top-priority recommended reading for futurists, and still enjoyable for everyone else.
Rating: 
Summary: Great concept - terrible writing
Review: This book suffers from the same ills that strike many "Sci-Fi" writings. A fascinating idea encapsulated in terrible writing, stereotyped characters, and non-sensical plot twists. Read it if you have an interest in "futurism" just try to choke down the style.
Rating:
Summary: This is a GOOD BOOK!
Review: This is by far, the best book I have ever read! I wasabsolutely enthralled by the plot, characters, ideas, and predictionsoutlined in this book. I could not put the book down. I read the entire book in a weekend and was so disappointed to be finished reading it. You must read this book. Every other novel that I have read (aside from college) has basically been for pure entertainment. They have been enjoyable enough...but this book is a landmark in fiction....it is really, really good. I am very happy to find out that this author has written another book and can not wait to read it! This book really involves all of your senses. You will remember it and it's contents for years to come! Please read!
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Summary: Definitely read this one...
Review: I loved the book and list it with the top 20 books I ever read. I read a great deal (two-three books a week). I really wish we could enact at least the parental license. We could do this and I believe it would reduce the need for "Swift and Sure..."
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