Burn-In

By: P. W. Singer, August Cole

Narrated by: Mia Barron

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

An FBI agent hunts a new kind of terrorist through a Washington, DC, of the future in this ground-breaking book - at once a gripping techno-thriller and a fact-based tour of tomorrow.

America is on the brink of a revolution, one both technological and political. The science fiction of AI and robotics has finally come true, but millions are angry and fearful that the future has left them behind.

After narrowly stopping a bombing at Washington’s Union Station, FBI Special Agent Lara Keegan receives a new assignment: To field-test an advanced police robot. As a series of shocking catastrophes unfolds, the two find themselves investigating a conspiracy whose mastermind is using cutting-edge tech to rip the nation apart. To stop this new breed of terrorist, their only hope is to forge a new type of partnership.

Burn-In is especially chilling because it is something more than a pulse-pounding listen: Every tech, trend, and scene is drawn from real world research on the ways that our politics, our economy, and even our family lives will soon be transformed. Blending a techno-thriller’s excitement with nonfiction’s insight, Singer and Cole illuminate the darkest corners of the world soon to come.

©2020 P.W. Singer and Redoubt LLC (P)2020 Recorded Books

Starts awkward but overall great

Once you get the foundation of the story and the technology this a great story with good characters. Looking forward to next book. Narrator did a great job.

Great story!

This was an entertaining book that makes you think, but, I think he gives too much credit to the ideological power of one of the antagonist groups. I dont really want to say more because I dont want to ruin a surprise but, I think his personal politics probably made him massively overemphasize the staying power and influence, present and future, or a particular very small subcategory of a larger movement that wouldve done just fine as the antagonist in this case. However, I urge the reader to look past that, because it is a great and intriguing story and, doing so makes this book not really be that politically divisive, even if it does have to lean on an annoying trope pretty hard to be able to do that. To do otherwise would have been way more divisive even if it might have been a more probable potential prognostication for the scenario he outlines.

Future possibilities

Your story gives future possibilities and power at candy cane by the government in private industry is gone unchecked

This is a great listen!

I loved everything about this book; the narrator, the story, and the production were all just wonderful. I hated to come to the end.

Storyline ok; The “voices” unnecessary

The story line was intriguing but it could have done without the F*words,as they did not add to the story realism. The reader also did not need to speak in a little girl’s, man’s, or robot’s voice. That took away from the story rather than adding detail.

Over all it was a middle of the road audio book that I will not listen to again or recommend for anyone else.

Good Story, AWFUL audio performance

The story was good, sometimes it drug along but on the whole a good read; the audiobook portion was horrible. The vocal affects used took you out of the story and made you question “why are they doing that?!” It was enough to force me to revert back to reading the book in order to finish.

not chewing gum for the mind.

...well written, well proformed, drive way moments as NPR would say. excellent way to educate the novice on the evolution of the world to come.

Outstanding!

Action packed, technically accurate, believable, and well delivered. Will listen to this one many more times.

felt.very long.

the book felt very long in parts and I would kind of tune out here and there. I liked what the story was trying to convey but there was so much focus on details that it was hard to catch the overarching story. not bad, I don't regret listening

Fine premise, but poor execution

To be clear, the performance was great.

It’s the rest of this book I didnt care for. While the portions regarding integration of technology were interesting, the main character was not developed well. Her relationship with the robot partner was described as deepening throughout the story, but there isn’t evidence of such - it’s as if she treats the robot the exact same, but we’re expected to believe they’re good friends toward the end. The main character is also unlikeable - an FBI agent who’s also a fugitive murderer? A world described in this book would have found her out.

The ending was anticlimactic. I don’t want to spoil anything if you decide to listen, but to me it seemed like a big build up then just a drop off - the ending didn’t fit the rest of the story.

My other dislike of this book is the blatant promotion of a political view, as if all others are ridiculous and only one is acceptable. I appreciate an author having their own opinions, but when you go out of your way to input them in every possible way you can conceive, even when not necessary or applicable to the story, it becomes tedious. It’s not even that I necessarily disagree in all part, but I was trying to listen to a sci-fi police tech thriller, not a diatribe against Donald Trump.

Overall, I do not recommend this book and will be returning it.