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)

An Amazing Tech Thriller

This book, Daemon is an amazing technology thriller. I'm almost finished with Part 1 of the 2 Part Audio book and can't stop listening to it!

If you are interested in computers or technology this is THE book to read (listen to). The content is very smart and accurate.

The Technology press have given the book very high acclaim and reviews. Rumor from article reviews has indicated the government is carefully reviewing the book and believes its study may assist in preventing future technology threats.
This is an amazing book and the best I've listened to in a long time! Daniel Suarez is clearly an author to follow. He is the Michael Crichton of Tech Thrillers in my eyes!

Enthralling....

Couldn't get enough. The kind of book that could make you late for work because you want to stay in the car and see what's going to happen next!

Fantastic Title

Being a 'geek' myself as well as a huge Michael Crichton fan I fell right into this book and found it enjoyable beginning to end. While not as technologically thorough or intricate as most Crichton stories there is still plenty to love here.

Character development isn't deep but enough is there for you to develop a vested interest in the fate of these people.

The action towards the end of the book becomes a little far fetched but never dull and it remains compelling. By the end of the story Suarez has given the reader much more to think about that simple cyber-security.

Narration is excellent and the effects used on the Daemon really add a life to the story that you would not get otherwise.

I wanted to address the extremely shallow and unintelligent complaint a user by the name of 'Ted' wrote about a rape scene early on in the story.

Apparently this user knows the author on a personal enough level to know his exact intent with this scene, as well as his desire to partake in such actions.
In reality any competent reader will interpret the scene as relevant social commentary on the origin of a main antagonist in the story. Its relevance only grows as the novel progresses and the author expands his point of view of the current state of society through the Daemon's story.

But as 'Ted' has shown, not all readers are competent.

A 'Block User' feature would go a long way Audible!

The sequel to Daemon, Freedom(TM), is available on audible as well. I am quite thankful that it is available immediately as the end of Daemon is really just the beginning. I feel for anyone who had to wait for Suarez to complete the sequel!

Great for geeks, damn good for the rest of us!

Well narrated, well constructed, believable characters, and a fascinating story. One of the better audio books I have experienced. Abit heavy on the technobabble, and likely not a perfect book for non-conspiracy types, but even there it is a good story for most of us. I highly recommend this.

Facinating but crude

The concept was facinating but many scenes were crude and vulgar.

Technically accurate...But

OK - just because it was technically accurate (not 100% by the way, I found a few minor glitches) doesn't mean that the story holds good. I was disappointed in the ending and in a few plots about the Daemon's powers and such...After hearing it in its entirety - I feel It is more of a thriller aimed at geeks rather than a real hardline store line in it.

I think I liked the "Girl with the dragon tattoo" much more than this story...and it has a hacker in it as well....

More Than Just a Great Story

Daemon is a very political tale in the tradition of 1984. All of the reviews I have read miss this point. The ending is extremely appropriate viewed in this light and the story is particularly relevant in the light of our current social/political/economic turmoil. I can see this as a Hollywood movie that would be filled with gratuitous violence and miss the true message. This is a really really good book and lots of fun as well.

Great technical, mystery, thriller

Great book, especially if you are an IT geek. It is very refreshing to have a technology intense book where the author actually has a clue that doesn't make you cringe every time they mention something technical.

Interesting story that gets you interested and keeps you there for the full story. All in all a great technical/mystery/thriller with compelling ideas, interesting (accurate) technology, and interesting characters.

It was very well read using a number of voice actors. Highly recommended in audio or paper form.

Note that the language in this book is pretty coarse, and things get fairly graphic at times.

Great Book, Great Narrator, Great Oral Rendition

I have been on audible for a few months. I have downloaded over 6 books and this one is simply a great book. The narrator is awesome, making characters distinguishable fron one another, and Daniel Suarez backs it up with a great techno-thrilling plot. The plot gets to be a stretch, but let your mind go, and you'll enjoy it. I highly recommend it to those that are geeky gamers, to tech heads.

Great tech/gamer/geek book

I heard about this book while listening to TWiT with Leo Laporte. I couldn't stop listening, I've finished it and I'm ready to start Freedom, the squeal.