Burn-In

By: P. W. Singer, August Cole

Narrated by: Mia Barron

An FBI agent hunts a new kind of terrorist through a Washington, DC, of the future in this ground-breaking book - at once a gripping techno-thriller and a fact-based tour of tomorrow.

America is on the brink of a revolution, one both technological and political. The science fiction of AI and robotics has finally come true, but millions are angry and fearful that the future has left them behind.

After narrowly stopping a bombing at Washington’s Union Station, FBI Special Agent Lara Keegan receives a new assignment: To field-test an advanced police robot. As a series of shocking catastrophes unfolds, the two find themselves investigating a conspiracy whose mastermind is using cutting-edge tech to rip the nation apart. To stop this new breed of terrorist, their only hope is to forge a new type of partnership.

Burn-In is especially chilling because it is something more than a pulse-pounding listen: Every tech, trend, and scene is drawn from real world research on the ways that our politics, our economy, and even our family lives will soon be transformed. Blending a techno-thriller’s excitement with nonfiction’s insight, Singer and Cole illuminate the darkest corners of the world soon to come.

©2020 P.W. Singer and Redoubt LLC (P)2020 Recorded Books

Future possibilities

Your story gives future possibilities and power at candy cane by the government in private industry is gone unchecked

Starts awkward but overall great

Once you get the foundation of the story and the technology this a great story with good characters. Looking forward to next book. Narrator did a great job.

Great story!

This was an entertaining book that makes you think, but, I think he gives too much credit to the ideological power of one of the antagonist groups. I dont really want to say more because I dont want to ruin a surprise but, I think his personal politics probably made him massively overemphasize the staying power and influence, present and future, or a particular very small subcategory of a larger movement that wouldve done just fine as the antagonist in this case. However, I urge the reader to look past that, because it is a great and intriguing story and, doing so makes this book not really be that politically divisive, even if it does have to lean on an annoying trope pretty hard to be able to do that. To do otherwise would have been way more divisive even if it might have been a more probable potential prognostication for the scenario he outlines.

Almost a Prequel

Considering the scientific narrative, tone and detail, along with performance, this book is like listening to a very early prequel to Murderbot--in terms of evolution of robots. Theme is similar. Good adventure, engaging story.. Appreciate Mia Barron as narrator. Will listen again.

This is a great listen!

I loved everything about this book; the narrator, the story, and the production were all just wonderful. I hated to come to the end.

Storyline ok; The “voices” unnecessary

The story line was intriguing but it could have done without the F*words,as they did not add to the story realism. The reader also did not need to speak in a little girl’s, man’s, or robot’s voice. That took away from the story rather than adding detail.

Over all it was a middle of the road audio book that I will not listen to again or recommend for anyone else.

It was OK

I read this because I really enjoyed Ghost Fleet, but this book was not as good. Ghost Fleet stayed pretty neutral politics wise and told a great story. This book had some interesting parts and made you think about where technology will take us in the future, however it had little political one liners throughout that were annoying and didn’t really add to the book. Felt like the authors were just trying to let everyone know where they stand politically with these one liners.

1Timely in many ways in mid 2020

Well written, well paced and very credible, especially in terms of different factions and their dramas

Good. Not great.

Good listen but a far cry from Ghost Fleet. I liked the main character but the plot only had momentum at the very end.

Returning - not holding my interest

AI fiction books have had my attention. There's been some very good ones in the sci-fi genre and I really enjoy them. Especially the Murderbot series and the Union Station/EarthCent series by EM Foner recently, and others before those - most of them have some humor though. A different, lighter approach to this serious topic.

As fascinating as the information coming through about near-future implications and applications of AI are in this book, I keep turning off this audio book and finding other things to do. Coming back, I have switched to other books and avoided coming back to this one.

Perhaps it's the dystopian setting - not helping me to escape through entertainment. But, I think it is more to do with the arms-length distance the main character is from me, the reader/listener. There is no connection to this main character - nor to any character in the book. They are shallow rather than 3-D, and not likeable. Recognizable types, yes. Likeable, relatable, or holding my interest to see what happens next . . . no.

Maybe the time isn't right and in the future this book would keep me interested. I see the author has also written non-fiction books on this tech - I could always get informed through those, and find entertainment in other books.