Daemon

By: Daniel Suarez

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Daniel Suarez's New York Times best-selling debut high-tech thriller is “so frightening even the government has taken note” (Entertainment Weekly).

Daemons: computer programs that silently run in the background, waiting for a specific event or time to execute. They power almost every service. They make our networked world possible. But they also make it vulnerable....

When the obituary of legendary computer game architect Matthew Sobol appears online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that begins to unravel our interconnected world. This daemon reads news headlines, recruits human followers, and orders assassinations. With Sobol’s secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it’s up to Detective Peter Sebeck to stop a self-replicating virtual killer before it achieves its ultimate purpose - one that goes far beyond anything Sebeck could have imagined....

©2009 Daniel Suarez (P)2009 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A riveting debut.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“This thrill-a-nanosecond novel is certainly faithful to the techno-traditions of Michael Crichton and should delight not only readers of the 'science gone awry' genre, but general adventure readers as well.” (Booklist)

“Suarez's not-just-for-gamers debut is a stunner.” (Kirkus Reviews)

A Techie's Techno Thriller..

Would you listen to Daemon again? Why?

Probably not, just because I got it the first time, and to be honest, the book grew gradually disappointing towards the end. I don't want to go through that again. The narration was good, but the voice acting was poor. I did purchase the sequel however... I'll give that a listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Daemon?

Brian Graag's Techno Party.

What didn’t you like about Jeff Gurner’s performance?

Interesting that this question is

Any additional comments?

Being a techie myself, I found some inconsistencies in some of the technologies involved, however I'll refrain from specific examples and leave you to come to those conclusions on your own. Allow yourself to enjoy the novel (more) by letting our guard down a bit and allow yourself to fall into a non-fictional thriller. I think Suarez did a relatively good job of capturing existing and emerging technologies ESPECIALLY consider that this novel was actually penned in 2006 and I am writing this review after listening to this novel in 2012. It's true that the branches of the technology tree has taken some different paths from what one could reasonably predict back in 2006, however, amazing are the paths that actually are accurate - 6 years is a complete life cycle for some technologies. An example of a technology used in the novel that will be finding it's way to the residential/commercial space are many of the aural (both sub frequency and positional) technologies used. My criticisms in this novel falls not on the technologies involved, but perhaps more on the development of the plot, and cliched human relationships and characters. I also found the end of the book rushed a bit.

Could have been more...

Either this was a bigger story that Suarez had to cut down to this novel, or he bit off more than he could chew. Some great ideas and interesting plot lines here, but I felt he left it unfinished. My criticism is not about some lose ends, but a feeling that the novel was on the cusp of exploring some pretty big ideas, but didn't. Instead the author gave us a monologue at the end that left me unsatisfied.

However, it wasn't all bad. Worth a listen.

Captivating! Great performance!

First off, a great performance by the narrator! Secondly, a phenomenal job by the author!!!
I'm relatively new to audio books in the novel genre. I had never heard of Daniel Suarez before. I downloaded Daemon because it was the daily deal. After listening to Daemon, being captivated and drawn into a great story. I am am now a Daniel Suarez fan!!!

Excellent book!

If you could sum up Daemon in three words, what would they be?

Disturbingly plausible plot.

Any additional comments?

From the first incident in Daemon to the final wrap-up in Freedom, this story is exciting and thought provoking.

Pleasantly surprised

Took a chance and really liked it. Thought the creative "tech" spin was very interesting and believable. A little "The Matrix" meets modern day mystery.
Definitely worth the credit.

Technotastic

Would you listen to Daemon again? Why?

Yup, already to #2

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, it was something new, with a twist

Which character – as performed by Jeff Gurner – was your favorite?

They were all believably different

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"It's not just a game....anymore"

Any additional comments?

I was totallly into it. I can see why some people might have a hard time following it if you've never played any online games, or PC video games. I was as immersed in the story as some of the characters were in their games. Great thing is, it was a totally plausible.

Glad I stuck with it

I was not fan of some of the early voices especially Grag (sp?). The story got me hooked quickly and now I need the second book.

Surpsingly Good

This book presented a great interpretations just how powerful distributed systems could because with the use of availability technology. It’s a stretch of course but a great head scratcher of what could be. Highly recommend this book.

The best of this author.

I first read this book while I was deployed in Afghanistan. I was hooked from the first page and it kickstarted a renewed interest in reading. I still think this book and Freedom are the best story he has written.

Narration: I thought the reader did an excellent job with the book. Different character's voices were distinct, and the actual reading wasn't distracting (unlike Delta-V). I have no issues with the audio. I also really liked how they had an audio cue every time a chapter was ending.

If you have never read or listened to a Daniel Suarez book, I can't recommend this title enough, though as soon as it's done you will immediately want to continue with Freedom which continues and ends the story.

not bad

it drug on too long. other than that it was good story. it brought up some real life decisions.