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)

Didn't bother to pronounce Tuscola corrctly.

This real town is a setting in this book. The author narrator and director didn't bother to look up the correct pronunciation of Tuscola. The emphasis is on 'Tusc'. There is a language pronunciation line that runs north and south and runs through Champaign. 'Per'u is another example. The book otherwise may be fine. A personal problem for me. And Stephenson is a great author.

Average Techno-Thriller Effort

The second book in my run up to Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle (& Cryptonomicon) was to listen to this older work. I liked this much more than D.O.D.O. Interface is a fairly straight thriller. There is a bit of an SF element in it, the technology of the brain implant, but this is no Science fiction book. I enjoyed the characterization and the foreshadowed plot. But I must say that the ending was not expected.

The Oliver Wyman narration was very good. Mr. Wyman made an extra effort to vocalize the more oddball characters, making the experience more fun.

Timely, Funny, Well Written and Well Performed

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

This book is a great read and a great commentary on our current political climate without having any overt political or ideological leaning

Scary prospects

A very interesting view of possible unintended consequences as we move into the future of combining medicine and electronics.

Freakishly Prescient

So many Simpson’s moments in this book. It’s interesting and takes its time. Best of all,the narration is fantastic - he is able to go back and forth between characters in a single conversation- brilliant.

Intriquing Concept

This book will entertain just about everyone. It's intriguing, presents some not often thought of ideas, has a great deal of humor and while touching on political aspirations, the subject is not heavy or cumbersome.

A politician high on the political list for a presidential run suffers a debilitating stroke. At the same time, medical research contemplates the ability to take over under active or inactive parts of the brain and provide the missing instructions. Tests are being done somewhat successfully on baboons.

The overall story follows several story lines that eventually come together. The medical research, the political dreams of several characters, a homeless woman looking for work and the ability to provide for her children when her husband takes the "easy" way out, an aspiring neurologist and a family with a loyal family lawyer who sometimes runs afoul of others expectations.

All together the listener is left with some interesting ideas of just how far some will go to control the will of any nation through political means.

I thoroughly enjoyed the unabridged version and was entertained for many hours.

Another winner from Stephenson!

I recently re-read (listened to) Interface and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did the first time, years ago. Stephenson is one of my favorite authors, and this book has it all- memorable, well-developed characters, brilliant plotting and a fascinating exploration of the potential uses and abuses of technology. I also enjoyed the narration- each character had a distinct and recognizable voice. Bravo!

A Great Read

I am ever a Neil Stephenson fan and this book didn't fail me. It is fast-paced, high-energy and mind-bending in its scope and complexity. There is the quentisential Stephenson mix of humor, science, and excitement tied together by an amazing focus on characters. The only things holding this book back from a fifth star are the minor quibbles about the voices (the attempts at mid-west/southern, old man voices just don't quite hit home) and less scientific explanation than Stephenson usually adds to his stories (you can decide if that is good or bad in your own preferences. I felt left wanting more depth in the explanations, but overall it is most certainly worth the listen!

Great story, Narrator needs to do research

The story was great, kept my attention and was an interesting topic. One thing drove me crazy. I grew up in central Illinois and Tuscola is pronounced Tus-co’-la, with a short u and a long o. I know this is a small thing, but so are fingernails on blackboards. If you are going to read a book with so many references to a town, please call the city hall and find out how people pronounce the city's name! It really hurt my enjoyment in the book. If you never heard of the town, I am sure you couldn't care less and the book was great.

be prepared for political intrigue

This reveiw will be biased as I am not a fan of Neal Stephenson. I know he writes well and has done his reaearch most thoroughly but I do find his books very long and take ages to actually get to the point. I tried to see if listening to it would be better and I am afraid that it still takes a long time to get anywhere. However, its a roller coaster ride and the characters are interesting and the humour very tongue-in-cheek and it is delivered expertly by the narrator, Oliver Wyman. If you like Stephensons books then you will certainly like this. He does write good adventureous stories even when based on political shenannigans. He also always has a point and it makes you think about it long after the book is finished. Which really is the point.