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)

Slam dunk

Awesome performance, incredible story that makes you think. Keeps you intently paying attention the entire way.

Is it bad that I want this world?

Society is full of problems and it seems like few people are doing anything about them. I read this book and feel a sense of longing to be part of the society the Deamon is spawning. The murders are horrible but the change is important.

Well crafted modern sci-fi, great story

What did you love best about Daemon?

The book was well thought out. The technology concepts, terms, tools and historical references are all accurate. This speaks well of the author. Additionally, he spent time with digging deep into characters through detailed (not too many details) behavioral patterns, that are true to real world people. Additionally, these people didn't - for the most part - fall out of character. The story reviews and describes technology in detail, not too much, but enough to help the reader 'get' what is important. These technology concepts, IT tools and security concerns are accurate relative to today's information technology world. None of the concepts are using 'far out' literary license where you have to 'go along' with it because it is mostly feasible.

What did you like best about this story?

Not only did the characters stay in character, but the story stayed focused, the style NEVER changed (a common flaw in fiction is for stories to creep in strange directions - maybe when authors seemed to be pressed to complete their works?), the plot build up well paced, and motives of each character are plausible.

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

Actually all the characters seemed well performed - except for the female voices.

Jeff did a great job with the different dialects of Southern US people, Eastern US, differing socio-economic classes, and his German accent was fun as well. "I do love my job!"

I honestly think it is better to have a woman affect the female voices. This is a common complaint from me, since it seems to jerk me out of the story when I hear a man perform a woman's voice. Again, this is not Jeff, but every male performer.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The initial scene where they approached the house and started to fight it. I also loved the two characters who were driven to fight hard, stemming from their backgrounds, but almost fearless in their approach.

Any additional comments?

Great book, and an instant scifi classic.

Very Impressed

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already told my son he should listen to this book. The story is very good and all the technology in it is technically possible in today's world.

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

Yes, I never knew what the daemon's objective was. I also didn't know what fate awaited all the characters

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

Ross

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

A tech-mare you won't wake up from!

Any additional comments?

Great book. I can't wait to listen to the next one. Though, that's because Daemon is a little cliffhangery. I appreciate leaving the door open to the next story, but I wish there had been a little more wrap-up so I didn't feel compelled to immediately go to the next book to have a fulfilling enough conclusion.

Great listen....

Right down my alley... got me thinking about this whole cloud computing movement that we are in today... Great first book Daniel!

Cured my Good Book Craving

Was a little scared to get this book as I was expecting it to be intended for the geek squad. I am in the trenches with technology but not quite obsessed with it so I was curios what "techno thriller" is. Turns out this book was amazing with never a dull moment. It did take a few chapters to get my interest addicted but once it did...watch out! considering when this book was written it does amaze me how much knowledge the author had at the time on where we were going.

I feel the second book was a little better than the first but still super enjoyable and lost of action with new ideas and insights on how technology can intertwine with our world.

This would be an amazing movie... hope to see it out one day.

Amazing... yet very scary.

I zipped through this book in a little over a week. From the first chapter I was hooked. I had to listen to it everywhere I went - catching a moment here and there just to find out what happens next. It just doesn't let up. Someone commented on a weak finish. All I have to say about that is the ending was pure adrenalin. All the characters were very genuine - the heroes are flawed and even the villains have admirable traits. About 3/4 through the book you begin to wonder which cause is truly righteous. As I read I was amazed at how the abstract world (dimensions) can have a drastic effect on the physical world through the daemon's utilization of technology. The shocking part is that these technologies exist today and are constantly monitoring our digital activity. This book is highly entertaining and though provoking - I can't wait to read Freedom.

Awesome story that slowed pace at the end

this is a great story with complicated characters and a story line that defy's an individual's ability to understand how the mastermind could have for-saw the possibly eventualities. that said, the story does sort of close up at the end and leaves and opening but you're left going, "what? Is that is? Is there no closure." I guess that's why he wrote a sequel. Otherwise, if you like technical writers like Isaac Asimov, Dan Brown and Michael Chrichton then you won't be disappointed.

Best technical thriller

What made the experience of listening to Daemon the most enjoyable?

Suarez surely knows his way with computer networking and computer games ;-)

Have you listened to any of Jeff Gurner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

It is my first performance by Jeff Gurner, he is one of the best narrators for me

Daemon - a brief review

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes - and I have. There are potions of the storyline that are clever.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Move it along a bit.

What does Jeff Gurner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a nice job in the narration.

Was Daemon worth the listening time?

Yes - at times I questioned it, but overall I think yes.

Any additional comments?

Overall, a good book and a very good listen. Thank you Audible!