Interface

By: Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning success of his latest novel, Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson has quickly become the voice of a generation.

In this now-classic thriller, he and fellow author J. Frederick George tell a shocking tale with an all-too plausible premise. There's no way William A. Cozzano can lose the upcoming presidential election. He's a likable midwestern governor with one insidious advantage - an advantage provided by a shadowy group of backers. A biochip implanted in his head hardwires him to a computerized polling system. The mood of the electorate is channeled directly into his brain. Forget issues. Forget policy. Cozzano is more than the perfect candidate. He's a special effect.

©2005 Neal Stephenson & J. Frederick George (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee - Best Thriller/Suspense Audiobook, 2011

"As he deftly conveys the authors' chilling dramatization of the national political process, Wyman's voice sounds fresh and contemporary but seasoned with enough maturity to render him a believable newscaster. The authors' and narrator's storytelling skills mesh perfectly in a thriller of the sort that keeps one sitting in the driveway long after arriving home." ( AudioFile)

a great play on the paranoid ideas we throw around

The piece constructs an elaborate and entertaining conspiracy driven by a secretive and power hungry organization.

An interesting tale, mostly well-read

Neal Stephenson is one of my favourite authors, and Oliver Wyman is one of my favourite readers. And as expected, I really enjoyed this book. I love the whole "Digital Manchurian Candidate" theme. Everything, in fact, was excellent, save for one truly grating thing: Mr. Wyman doesn't know the correct pronunciation of downstate Illinois towns. The worst is how he pronounces the name of Governor Cozzano's hometown of Tuscola. He pronounces it TOO-skuh-luh. Unfortunately, the local pronunciation is tuh-SKOL-uh. So every time I heard him read the name of the town, I mentally muttered the correct pronunciation in my head. Most distracting.

Still, this was an excellent performance of a well-written book.

Michael Crichton’s “Terminal Man” meets Sarah Palin

Neal Stephenson’s novels are generally long with many different threads, some of which are tenuously connected to the main story. The partnership with J. Frederick George has not moderated this trend. The book is funny and insightful. I will give the authors credit for predicting the future tenor of presidential campaigns. I gave up trying to predict plot turns. There are many of them. This was an enjoyable book.

Awesome speculative fiction

Written 30 years ago, it stands up amazingly well as a modern election intrigue novel. Little things that have not been invented yet (like personal computers and the internet) are the only tip-offs that this is not current-day. Stephenson is my favorite author; his style is imaginative but believable, well researched, and funny as hell in places. The narrator on this edition does a fantastic job (easy to understand, does not put me to sleep, has recognizable voices for the many characters). 10 Stars!

Interface

I confess I am biased, because I do like long and detailed books and I am happy to say that I think I have just found a new author to add to my list of favourites, this being my first Stephenson read. I found this book an absolutely ripper read, a good rollicking conspiracy yarn cleverly punctuated with wry humour, unpretentious but not inelegant use of vernacular in amusing asides to the reader. Some lovely quirky characters and even the baddies are amusing, the goodies not too sickly sweet! Now, which Stephenson to read next...? Oh, and an important addition, the narrator was excellent, none of the voices jarred, his timing,pacing and savouring of the language of the book perfect!

Political intrigue from Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson does not disappoint. Even thought is is one of his first books the plot and character development are very well done. This is a very long book and I think the editing could have been a bit tighter. It could have been trimmed by a few hundred pages and been an even better book.

The story is about a fictional 1996 presidential election. Mysterious forces referred to as the Network have decided that leaving the selection of the president to the whims of the American public and the existing political parties is no longer a viable method of choosing the president. The network needs a method of ensuring they can elect whomever they want and then have complete control over the president (and government).

What I enjoyed most about the book was seeing how the technology that Stephenson saw as science fiction in 1995 is now almost common place and is certainly available, although not being used in the manner he imagined.

This was the first book I have heard narrated by Oliver Wyman. He did a great job! This book has a huge cast of characters and Mr Wyman was able to give each one a unique voice (even the women) and consistent emotional tone. I will look for other books he has narrated.

A Coup in the Capital

This is from back in 1994, but pretty spooky when played in the shadow of the 6 Jan Trump Insurrection. The book was insightful, funny, and peppered with the technology issues which make Stephenson's work so interesting. The technical side was great and the political drama, though exaggerated, rang true. Thank goodness the Trump gang did not have any technical tricks lined up, just riot and violence Great book.

Not Stephenson's finest but still fascinating

I try to read everything by Neal Stephenson, not just for his skill at spinning a story, but especially for his ideas and insights. The partnerships tend the be weaker on both points. Interface bogs down in outdated detail at times, but where the Stephenson touches flair out this story rises to the occasion. Well worth the listen. The performance is better than many audio books, and the pace and voices are usually right on.

get the names right!

loved the story, but as a native Central Illinoisan, was vexed by incorrect location pronunciations.

Maybe the schizophrenics are right

The authors accuracy with regard to the neurological details, clinical manifestations and Neuroanatomy were excellent.