Kill Decision

By: Daniel Suarez

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The shocking techno-thriller that cements Daniel Suarez's status as the heir to Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy - a terrifying, breathtaking, and all-too-plausible vision of the world's near future.

Unmanned weaponized drones already exist: they're widely used by America in our war efforts in the Middle East. In Kill Decision, best-selling author Daniel Suarez takes that fact and the real science behind it one step further, with frightening results.

Linda McKinney is a myrmecologist, a scientist who studies the social structure of ants. Her academic career has left her entirely unprepared for the day her sophisticated research is conscripted by unknown forces to help run an unmanned - and thanks to her research, automated - drone army. Odin is the secretive Special Ops soldier with a unique insight into the faceless enemy who has begun to attack the American homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets without human intervention.

Together, McKinney and Odin must slow this advance long enough for the world to recognize its destructive power, because for thousands of years the "kill decision" during battle has remained in the hands of humans - and off-loading that responsibility to machines will bring unintended, possibly irreversible, consequences.

But as forces even McKinney and Odin don't understand begin to gather, and death rains down from above, it may already be too late to save humankind from destruction at the hands of our own technology.

©2012 Daniel Suarez (P)2012 Penguin Audio

As good as Crichton, maybe better

Suarez' prose is about as clean as Crichton's. Both have compelling ideas, interesting technology, and plenty of action. But Suarez' characters are better. This book reminds me of Crichton's PREY, though it in no way borrows from it. KILL DECISION is completely original, and twists in unexpected directions. Now I am listening to Suarez' CHANGE AGENT,. which reminds me of Crichton's NEXT. Whereas iCrichton's book is a mishmash of loose plot threads that fail to connect, CHANGE AGENT is, so far, more coherent and better plotted. Though comparisons between thriller authors and Crichton are annoyingly frequent and have, in my opinion, lost all credibility, Suarez demands comparison because, frankly, they are so very similar. Suarez is that one author who, for me, stands out from the rest. My only criticism, which is a criticism of Crichton's later work too, is that there are too many F-bombs. Other than that, bravo!

Enjoyable for my first audiobook experience

This is the first audiobook I've listened to, so my review is biased by impressions of the narrator and new experience with the format.

Daniel Suarez goes into a lot of environmental, contextual and technical detail which makes the comparison with Tom Clancy credible. I found the level of detail useful from the perspective of picturing the scenes (easier when you have your eyes closed while listening to the book) and also from an interest in technology, and military tactics and hardware.

I enjoyed Kill Decision and will definitely be reading Daniel Suarez's other books, although I think I will try a written version next for comparison. I found that the male narrator made one of the lead characters Professor McKenney somewhat unlikeable because of the voice he read her lines in - a problem I wouldn't have had with the written book.

it was okay

it was a little predictable, lacked motivation of protagonist, not his best work. finishing the book felt more like an obligation than something I was looking forward to.

Almost but not quite

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

Entertaining, thought provoking, unrefined

Who was your favorite character and why?

The leader of the SW team developing the "situation recognition software", early in the book. He was an interesting character, and I was a bit disappointed with the team's abrupt and unfortunate demise.

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

Pronounciation of foreign languages, which sounded very convincing (until I heard his Swedish, being Norwegian myself ;) ) Gurner did a very good job over all, but he can tone down the female voices a little bit.

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

Not really, the book's major flaw is its inability to get me involved with the characters. Even at the end, I wouldn't really have cared that much about McKinney or Odin being killed, which is a bad sign. Their love story wasn't very convincing either.

Any additional comments?

I liked the book's premise, and very much enjoy a techno thriller. However, I find a bit to be lacking in Suarez' writing (language as well as character development). That said, I am very eager to "read" Daemon and Suarez' other book, and hope they will be available in my area soon.

best modern author!

I have one more to read of his but I'm confident already in saying he is my favorite author.

Great story!

Really loving Suarez, his technology detail and writing keep you captivated and wanting to turn the next page or listen to Jeff Read it.

I want more.

Odin is a total badass. Such a modern thriller, loved all the high tech.

Fun Light Page Turner

What did you like best about Kill Decision? What did you like least?

Suarez basically writes contemporary political thrillers that use cutting edge computer and military technology as the engine for page-turning action adventure. In the case of kill decision, its the prospect of autonomous drones with swarming behavior. No deep characters or compelling speculation here (one of the 2 main characters here is annoyingly simple). But lots of fun techno-action. I preferred his "Daemon" and would recommend it as a better place to start with Suarez.

One tiny nit to pick...

Would you consider the audio edition of Kill Decision to be better than the print version?

When a parachute is deployed, the passenger does not shoot up. Only in relation to another free-faller does it appear so.

Now then -- back to the book. To me as credible as can be, and Jeff's reading -- unsurpassable.

This Pun Should Make You Drone

Hopefully I got your attention with the lighthearted headline, but my actual point was to again commend Daniel Suarez for writing another engaging story. Kill Decision is much more of a techno-thriller than his previous works Daemon & Freedom(TM) (which I've come to find out from interviews were actually written as a single book and then separated on advice from the publisher). The plot here is more concise, and doesn't have some of the plot lines that start good and disappear through the narrative. Here its very focused on the subject at hand and the unlikely protagonist who is indirectly responsible for the ensuing crisis.

I'm sure you've discovered, so it shouldn't be a spoiler, that this book focuses on Drone technology. I've you've watched any of the coverage of US involvement in Middle East conflict, the use of reconnaissance and target drones may already be a familiar topic. Currently, these drones are controlled and monitored by soldiers outside the area of engagement, sometimes literally in bunkers on the other side of the world. Kill Decision takes this real-world technology and projects it forward into a plausible future.

What if there were huge advances in this technology? To what lengths would the government and industry go to protect this technology and maintain secrecy about it? What place do natural systems play in the field of artificial intelligence and what are the consequences of doing so? Does the interdependence of the military and technology industries make for a safer or more threatening world? These are among the many questions the book approaches in a fast-paced action thriller format that will make you want to consume the entire story in a single sitting.

The production is extremely good and Jeff Garner is an outstanding presenter. He is also the voice of Daemon and Freedom(TM) among many other great Audible titles, and his ability to make characters, both male and female, as well as ones with specific ethnic backgrounds seem vibrant and believable. Strong performers, like Jeff, are one of the most compelling reasons to engage in the audiobook format.

I enjoyed this, and hope you do as well.