The Kraken Project

Wyman Ford, Book 4

By: Douglas Preston

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Wyman Ford is back again in The Kraken Project, the thrilling new novel from New York Times best-selling author Douglas Preston.

NASA is building a probe to be splashed down in the Kraken Mare, the largest sea on Saturn’s great moon, Titan. It is one of the most promising habitats for extraterrestrial life in the solar system, but the surface is unpredictable and dangerous, requiring the probe to contain artificial intelligence software. To this end, Melissa Shepherd, a brilliant programmer, has developed "Dorothy", a powerful, self-modifying AI whose true potential is both revolutionary and terrifying. When miscalculations lead to a catastrophe during testing, Dorothy flees into the Internet.

Former CIA agent Wyman Ford is tapped to track down the rogue AI. As Ford and Shepherd search for Dorothy, they realize that her horrific experiences in the wasteland of the Internet have changed her in ways they can barely imagine. And they’re not the only ones looking for the wayward software: The AI is also being pursued by a pair of Wall Street traders, who want to capture her code and turn her into a high-speed trading bot. Traumatized, angry, and relentlessly hunted, Dorothy has an extraordinary revelation - and devises a plan. As the pursuit of Dorothy converges on a deserted house on the coast of Northern California, Ford must face the ultimate question: Is rescuing Dorothy the right thing? Is the AI bent on saving the world…or on wiping out the cancer that is humankind?

©2014 Splendide Mendax, Inc. (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Just not that good.

I have read most of Douglas Preston's books. This one was kind of silly except when it was quite violent. Just not that good.

Woukd be great but badly needs editing

This would be a great audiobook, just like all the Preston and/or Child audiobooks. Sowers does a great job, but the editing is subpar. There are random and unnecessarily long gaps in the middle of dialogs that really affect the flow of the story and become an annoying distraction. This should have been an easy fix so I have no idea why it is so bad.

The Kraken Project

Excellent and timely storyline reminiscent of "The Terminator ". Plodded slightly in places; could have been "Hemingwayed".

Clever and exciting story.

A fantastic ride on modern technology. The plot line is clever and timely with a twist of an ending. A great read.

Very timely and engaging

A serious look at these times that is hard to put down before the end

Too YA

The author is starting to veer off too much into religious territory. Not interested. Do like his Wyman Ford character but he needs to flesh him out more.

Not his best outing..but hey, we all mess up!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

A Preston fanatic, or someone of similar ilk.

Would you ever listen to anything by Douglas Preston again?

Sure. Preston misses the mark here on several fronts, but hey, not eveything works. Let's give him a break here. ( That said, this book is rather childish and predictable.)

What about Scott Sowers’s performance did you like?

All of it.He is a professional.

What character would you cut from The Kraken Project?

Dorothy.

Any additional comments?

OK I admit this was not ideal, but it passed the time. Maybe not worth a credit, but I enjoyed some of it.

Rip Off

Would you try another book from Douglas Preston and/or Scott Sowers?

Yes

What was most disappointing about Douglas Preston’s story?

It was already released as another book, Tyrannosaur Canyon . I bought it under that title in 2014 and then Audible had the temerity to sell to me again as a new and different book. The book is excellent, as is the reading, just as they were the first time I bought the book! I am not criticizing them; I am extremely disappointed in Audible.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He did not

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Kraken Project?

None

Any additional comments?

I repeat, I am disappointed with Audible. I guess I have to watch them more closely.

PLOT HOLES - that should have been the title

I rarely review book on Audible. Most are enjoyable and I rate them, but do not review them. This book was so horridly written, that I felt compelled to warn other potential listeners. The start of the book was fine as it sets the plot, but it didn't take long for gaping plot holes to develop. Buy the end of the book, they were coming in at one per chapter. Granted, I work in the Telecom business and understand the technology of the Internet better than the average listener. But, even the technically illiterate would catch on to some of them. It's clear the author and his editor didn't have anyone review this book. Beyond this point, there will be SPOILERS: so caveat emptor.

SPOILERS to illustrate some of the plot holes:
A audio board removed from the robot is able to receive wireless signals and play audio without any radio or power source.
A 2 GB file transmits out of a robots hands into a electrical outlet instantaneously to some nebulous destination.
A program is written that can execute natively on any computer platform without modification.
And the most offensive - Once the AI program is told that it leaves a 'digital fingerprint' everywhere it goes, AND neither the AI program nor its developer thinks to just write a 'bot' that spreads that fingerprint everywhere on the Internet, thus hiding the location or path of the AI program as it moves.

These are only a few of the problems. In my opinion, this book was the worst ever written by Douglas Preston.

Hard to Swallow

For some reason I have an easier time believing in the monster in Relic than I do in an A.I. that talks about sex and wants a kiss from a young boy. Also expected more about Wyman Ford and there was really nothing. The story started out to be promising but by the end was disappointing.