The Fear Index

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

At the nexus of high finance and sophisticated computer programming, a terrifying future may be unfolding even now.

Dr. Alex Hoffmann’s name is carefully guarded from the general public, but within the secretive inner circles of the ultrarich, he is a legend. He has developed a revolutionary form of artificial intelligence that predicts movements in the financial markets with uncanny accuracy. His hedge fund, based in Geneva, makes billions. But one morning before dawn, a sinister intruder breaches the elaborate security of his lakeside mansion, and so begins a waking nightmare of paranoia and violence as Hoffmann attempts, with increasing desperation, to discover who is trying to destroy him.

Fiendishly smart and suspenseful, The Fear Index gives us a searing glimpse into an all-too-recognizable world of greed and panic. It is a novel that forces us to confront the question of what it means to be human—and it is Robert Harris’s most spellbinding and audacious novel to date.

©2012 Robert Harris (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"Unputdownable.... Harris has achieved the impossible, or at least the improbable: an explanation of the extravagantly esoteric nature of hedge funds, which normal people can understand.... I gorged myself, devouring his dystopian vision of free markets enslaved by a sinister artificial intelligence in one breakneck sitting.” ( The Daily Telegraph)

“Reminiscent of everyone from Michael Crichton to Ian Fleming, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock.” ( Financial Times)

“A virtuoso specimen.... Inventively exploiting current anxieties about algorithmic trading to update the Frankenstein story, The Fear Index is both cutting edge and keenly conscious of its literary predecessors.... A tour de force.” ( The Sunday Times, London)

Great, enjoyed every minute.

Another riveting discovery for me. Good story, easy listen, and fast takeoff. Fun and fast, but not a mindblower.

Slow start, but great finish

This book had a slow start and I was not sure if I would listen to the whole book. Christian's narration put into the story. I felt like I was in the mind if Alex. Good listen worth the credit!!!!

Pass on It

Was very sorry I bought this
Hard to get thru the whole thing
Cannot recommend it the narrator does not do it any good either

Not Robert Harris's best

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, unfortunately not. The writing is great, but the plot is not. I love Robert Harris, especially his historical novels, but this is one of his weakest.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Hot Money, Dick Francis

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

He really brought the tension alive.

Do you think The Fear Index needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Perhaps. It might work better as a series. This one was just thin.

Any additional comments?

no

A disappointment from a Great author

This story tried taking on a dystopian future of finance run by algorithms and artificial intelligence . All very well but the drama, chase and potboiler elements are heavy handed and crudely conceived. Robert Harris can write much better than this lumbering tale.
Narrator superb with all accents except educated American accent. The book’s hero, a Princeton mathematician would never speak like a gruff and grumpy longshoreman!

Bonfire of the Vanities meets HAL.

Would you listen to The Fear Index again? Why?

Best Harris ever. I love Robert Harris, but this book was the most fast moving and suspenseful of the books by him that I have read. I really enjoyed the character development.

You have to love Robert Harris

This book is a little different from Harris is typical historical take. But considering it was written in 2012 it’s pretty prescient. The plot gets a little disjointed, but the whole concept demands that. So stick with it. The narration is excellent.

naive

Would you try another book from Robert Harris and/or Christian Rodska?

Harris' other books have believable stories.

Has The Fear Index turned you off from other books in this genre?

It more a science fiction story than a psychological drama.

A Disappointment.

Having read and so thoroughly enjoyed "The Ghost", I was extremely pleased to get another Robert Harris book. I ended up genuinely surprised these two works were from the same author.

From the beginning of this "mystery", there was an overly obvious ending that suggested itself at every turn. For that reason, I assumed that it must be some sort of reverse psychology attempt, to draw the reader's attention to one possibility, so we'd be surprised when the clues left for the actual resolution were laid out.

As the story progressed, I started to get nervous; my hopes for a clever ending started slipping away as the hints became increasingly clumsy and heavy-handed. Sure enough, the "plot twist" ended up being no twist at all, but rather the unoriginal concept so clear from the beginning.

I didn't hate my time with this book, but it left me bewildered and disappointed. There are certainly worse ways to spend your time; but there are better ways as well. For that reason, this won't be one of the selections I end up passing on a recommendation for.

Not Harris’s best work

Dated, main character not very believable, plot cribbed from 1970’s sci fi, give it a pass