WWW: Watch

By: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Marc Vietor, Oliver Wyman, Jennifer Van Dyck, Robert J. Sawyer

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

Webmind is an emerging consciousness that has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH - the secret government agency that monitors the Internet for any threat to the United States - and they're fully aware of Caitlin's involvement in its awakening. WATCH is convinced that Webmind represents a risk to national security and wants it purged from cyberspace. But Caitlin believes in Webmind's capacity for compassion - and she will do anything and everything necessary to protect her friend.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Robert J. Sawyer.

©2010 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee - Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Audiobook, 2011

"Original and intriguing. Sawyer makes complex sci-fi understandable and thoroughly entertaining." (Romantic Times BOOKReviews)

"Watch is a helluva fun read and an excellent science fiction book." (SF Signal)

"Cast members complement one another and are effective in differentiating the various characters and story threads. They drive forward the momentum of the plot and flesh out the novel’s distinct personalities." (AudioFile)

Fun and Intriguing

The author says be believes this second book in the trilogy is the best of the three. I just downloaded the third book so we will see. I will say that Watch was better than Wake because there was more intrigue involved when governments start hunting for the source of internet autonomous intelligence. It is a well used theme in ScFi for governments to see everything they don't understand as a threat, the fun part is that in this case its a benevolent intelligence and that surely would raise the suspicions of any government don't you think? There is no doubt in my mind that these books are well worth the reading, they are light but just thought provoking enough to hold my interest and for me as a retired network engineer, not a bad basic primer on the fundamental workings of the internet. Fun, entertaining and a bit thought provoking - good SciFi to me.

This is another HUGO for Sawyer!

I just finished listening to it. Now I'm running out to buy the book. It's a keeper. It's a classic (never mind it's newly printed). It's Sawyer brilliance.

What happened here?

I am not sure this series has enough plot to support 3 books. Not much happened in this middle book, and I was disappointed in the lack of story line. I will listen to the third book after reading the reviews first to see if it has some substance. The premise is good but too much 'teenage girl stuff' took away from the plot. I am guessing it should have been a 2 book story, but that isn't Sawyer's style, is it?

Continued awakening

This is the continuing story of the artificial intelligence discovered in the interspices of the web. Its focus is the defeat on an attempt by the US intelligence agencies to destroy the AI.

Love this series so far!

So far I really love this series. It has lots of great information amongst the character development and a stirring plot. Will definitely be going on to Book 3!

Pretty good story

I was not expecting much, but this turned out to be a pretty good book. It was interesting and new. But the rest of the series goes down hill in my opinion.

Love the Story / Hate that it’s a Trilogy

What can I say about the middle-book of a trilogy?

I disagree with the notion that this book can stand alone – it’s like picking up a book from Chapter 7! I liked Book 1, so I predictably moved on to Book 2… and of course will finish the story in Book 3…

It’s a boring review, I know – but the story is not over so what can I say? Great story, very interesting, I love it but really I wish it was all just one volume.

Has Caitlyn Created an Angel or a Monster?

The second volume of Robert Sawyer's "WWW" trilogy picks up right where we left off at the end of "Wake". The once blind, now sighted hero Caitlyn struggles to deal with the exponentially expanding intelligence of an unknown and non-corporeal entity. Their bond is strong, but as much trust as Caitlyn puts into her new friend, there are dangerous others who fear for the destiny of the world as the entity becomes more and more omniscient. Plotlines that hang from "Wake" start to coalesce in a meaningful way and many questions are answered, while others remain for the final volume.

This book, the best of the series, moves at a brisk pace as the entity contemplates "his" role in his "new" world. Excellent narration propels this story beyond theatre of the mind into a whole new stratosphere. As perspective changes among the players, the readers are able to make each character distinctive.

Like the first book, this one ends without a definitive climax, rather sets up the pieces for the final book. Plenty happens,and if you enjoy cyber-thrillers with smart, sound science to back it up, you'll find this enjoyable.

Never Finished It

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

Not really, I never finished listening. The story and science are certainly intriguing but I couldn't stomach the teenage genius with the maturity level of a 5th grader, nor the political hammer, anymore.

Excellent. Thought provoking!

The background research, references and speculation involved are excellent. The story is well thought out and the performance rendered is addictive. Could not stop buying all three books and having a marathon listening session.