Influx

Publisher's Summary

What if our civilization is more advanced than we know?

The New York Times best-selling author of Daemon - "the cyberthriller against which all others will be measured" (Publishers Weekly) - imagines a world in which decades of technological advances have been suppressed in an effort to prevent disruptive change.

Are smartphones really humanity's most significant innovation since the moon landings? Or can something else explain why the bold visions of the 20th century - fusion power, genetic enhancements, artificial intelligence, cures for common diseases, extended human life, and a host of other world-changing advances - have remained beyond our grasp? Why has the high-tech future that seemed imminent in the 1960s failed to arrive?

Perhaps it did arrive…but only for a select few.

Particle physicist Jon Grady is ecstatic when his team achieves what they've been working toward for years: A device that can reflect gravity. Their research will revolutionize the field of physics - the crowning achievement of a career. Grady expects widespread acclaim for his entire team. The Nobel Prize. Instead, his lab is locked down by a shadowy organization whose mission is to prevent at all costs the social upheaval sudden technological advances bring. This Bureau of Technology Control uses the advanced technologies they have harvested over the decades to fulfill their mission.

They are living in our future.

Presented with the opportunity to join the BTC and improve his own technology in secret, Grady balks, and is instead thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison built to hold rebellious geniuses like himself. With so many great intellects confined together, can Grady and his fellow prisoners conceive of a way to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age?

And when they do, is it possible to defeat an enemy that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making?

©2014 Daniel Suarez (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"You'll hear a lot of reviewers compare Suarez to [Michael] Crichton, including me for his previous book Kill Decision. And Suarez deserved the honor in the truest sense...he had achieved a truly Crichton-level of storytelling. But with Influx, Suarez becomes the master, and Crichton is the one who is honored by the comparison." (Stephen L. Macknik, Scientific American)

"[Influx is] done with the dazzling sophistication, the play of ideas, the hints of a new understanding almost within our grasp that characterize sci-fi in the cybertronic age." (The Wall Street Journal)

“With this terrifying thriller, Suarez provides further support for the proposition that he’s a worthy successor to the late Michael Crichton… Suarez once again mixes science and fiction perfectly.”(Publishers Weekly, starred review)  

Solid to Silly to Inane

At the opening the premise was solid; there is a secret government organization responsible for monitoring and controlling global technological innovations. It is very powerful and deeply off the books. Then, just when you have bitten a big bite of the apple, enter the dark forces that mimic the evil characters in a Marvel comic sans the mutant superpowers (our antagonists use technology to that end).

Eventually the entire sic-fi thriller degrades into silly dialogue and revenge-driven mania.

This audiobook should only be downloaded in those desperate moments (from your Wish List) when you are late for work and your iPod is empty. If you have the time, search around for a more viable futuristic battle of good vs. holier-than-thou-technocrat.

82 of 93 people found this review helpful

Too over the top. Wish it had been more serious.

STORY (futuristic thriller) - The main character, Grady, is a particle physicist who has invented a gravity mirror. He and other geniuses are imprisoned by a rogue federal agency supposedly trying to keep futuristic technology from upsetting humanity and the balance of world power. The thrust of the story is Grady trying to escape from the prison, rescue his fellow scientists and get their inventions back into the proper hands, save the world, etc.

This book is full of awesome scientific thinking and gadgets, but IMHO it goes way too far, to the point of being like the action hero cartoons kids watch on TV. What starts as fascinating applications of reflecting gravity soon turns into prolonged action scenes with good guys fighting bad guys as huge buildings rip out of the ground and disappear into outer space. There is so much gravity reflection and manipulation during the action scene at the end that I gave up trying to envision who was moving where and what was up or down. I just wanted the book to end.

PERFORMANCE - I plan to check into other books performed by Jeff Gurner. This book has great multi-character differentiation, accents, sound effects, etc. I loved the futuristic voices he gives the artificial intelligence characters. There is also suspenseful music played during critical scenes.

OVERALL - If you're looking for something serious and weighty, look elsewhere. This is more of a light, futuristic action story. There is no sex, but there is quite a bit of cursing. There is fighting and killing but it is fairly light and not gory or overly descriptive. Not recommended for people under 18, only because of the detailed descriptions of scientific gadgets and the cursing.

30 of 34 people found this review helpful

Entertaining Physics SciFi

Influx is a fun read, though not as gripping as his Daemon series. The first half of the book is slower paced with a lot of technical information, but the pacing picks up in the 2nd half with the exciting action we've come to expect from Suarez.

The world of Influx is not as strongly developed as the augmented-reality gamer paradise of Daemon, and as another reviewer noted, the suspension of disbelief is more difficult with this story. However, the humor and lighter tone helped me to just go with it and enjoy the fun, silly ride.

Even though the beginning was slower paced, I found the scientific explanations of new technology and the psychological explorations of futuristic interrogation quite interesting.

Things really get fun when the action turns on. I loved the manipulated-gravity combat tactics that took Ender Game's "the enemy's gate is down" concept to entirely new levels.

While the story is about a secretive and ruthless government division suppressing miraculous breakthroughs in physics and technology, Suarez continues to acknowledge his gamer geek cred with a shout out to Leeroy Jenkins, and a nod to the greatest first-person-non-shooter (that would be Portal of course). One of the many enjoyable characters was a GladOS-like female AI that ran a secret facility and tried to kill people while cheerfully engaging them in friendly conversation. She even used laser-turrets for security.

The story ties up neatly, but there are rogue AIs left that could make for an interesting sequel (please).

As a big Suarez fan, I pre-ordered Influx and started listening within minutes of it being available after midnight. While it was different than his other books, I was definitely not disappointed and eagerly look forward to his next release.

32 of 41 people found this review helpful

An excellent book well read

Influx is not quite as interesting as Suarez's first work, Daemon (and Freedom tm, which was really just the second half of Daemon rather than a second book) but I enjoyed it more than Kill Decision.

The characters are nicely drawn, the story never lags. Definitely a page-turner... and Suarez is never afraid to dip into "hard sci-fi" levels of technical descriptions that are the result of copious research.

The best part by far is the scene in which the main character is being interrogated. I don't want to spoil anything, but it is a brilliantly conceived bit of drama that there's no way to describe without spoiling. Suffice it to say that it alone justifies reading the entire book, and it is beautifully written.

If there is a single problem with Influx it's that it requires a greater level of suspension of disbelief than the closer-to-current-reality books that precede it. Daemon and Freedom were almost as far-fetched, but they baby-stepped you towards accepting each new piece rather than demanding you to accept everything all at once. Influx throws you immediately into a universe that's far removed from our current levels of technological achievements without giving you time to adapt. However, the concepts are so well researched that they still feel real, and if you can suspend disbelief on some of the more exotic technologies presented (which, again, Suarez explains expertly) you're in for a great ride.

Daemon (and its sequel Freedom) stands as my favorite fiction book in the last 20 years. Influx doesn't quite reach that bar, but is close... and is a fantastic book.

Also, worth mentioning that the narration by Gurner was excellent as always. I wound up reading about a third of the book and listening to ⅔... I found that when I was reading I was hearing Gurner's voices. He's a great narrator.

33 of 44 people found this review helpful

Disapointed

Any additional comments?

Daniel Suarez's previous works were amazing. This feels like something written much earlier (like High School) and published now due to the success of his other books. The story was terrible.

24 of 32 people found this review helpful

Influx is so bad, I want to cry...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If it were 100% better quality of writing and more adherent to Suarez's previous style. I excused a lot of the quality of his writing before due to my interest in his vision of future technology. However, Influx is inexcusable.

What was most disappointing about Daniel Suarez’s story?

I began the Suarez collection with Daemon, followed that up with Freedom, and backtracked to Kill Decision. I enjoyed all those books because (as Suarez readily admits on his Google talk) he had always written about technology that's on the brink. This made the stories have an air of realism, futuristic possibility, a vision of a potential world. However, with Influx, he ventures into "deeper" sci-fi, but in such a way that feels like a caricaturization, rather than a serious undertaking.

The dialogue is staid, names are inert, and action scenes are indulgent. I'm so disappointed that I highly doubt I'll return to any future Suarez novel.

Which scene was your favorite?

The beginning of the novel was good because I thought it was going to be like his other novels. Once I discovered that Suarez has journeyed into so much sci-fi that it's almost a caricature of sci-fi, then I lost interest.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger that I wasted my time.

Any additional comments?

I forced myself to finish the novel but hated every minute.

30 of 41 people found this review helpful

INSCRUTABLE DEVICES, MACHINE PARTS, INSIGNA

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW, UNTIL WE KNOW
Once I got through the first two chapters, which was full of pseudo sounding science talk, I loved most of the book. It was very entertaining, shifts gears a lot, and a reminder of many classics.

I WILL HELP YOU, BUT I WILL ALSO HAVE TO TRY AND KILL YOU.
The story has lots of elements of classic Science Fiction. While listening there were times when I was reminded of the following: This Island Earth, From Here To Eternity, Prisoner, Project 731, Buck Rogers, Colossus, Mary Poppins, and even Anime. The book does change gears a lot, and the book in the end does not sound like the same book it was in the beginning. I believe this did throw some readers who were enjoying one type of experience to have it replaced with another totally different experience. I will admit toward the end it started to turn into a sort of Marvel Comics super hero theme, which I am not crazy about. The story is never very believable, although an interesting theme, which was well explored. Many times it gave cause for thought. Then toward the end there was the usual, chase, explode, and go a little over board stuff, but all in all I really loved it as a whole and want to read more from Suarez. MY HISTORY IS NOT YOUR FUTURE.

A WISE COWARD IS MORE VALUABLE THEN A BRAVE FOOL
The story if full of advance science, including super fluids, robots, AI's, positron gun, etc.

THE THREE LETTER GROUPS
Besides all the science, there is a secret government bureau, which even the president is unaware. They are so powerful, that the FBI, CIA, Home Land Security, etc. don't mess with them. There is also a plot to take over the world.

BETTER TO BEG FOR FORGIVENESS, THEN ASK FOR PERMISSION
This is my second Suarez book and I will getting lots more. If your a SCI/FI fan you have to give him a try.

24 of 35 people found this review helpful

Intriguing concept, decent plot, poor execution

Daniel Suarez' Influx started with an engaging concept that a secret government agency, the BTC, has been withholding major scientific breakthroughs to prevent inevitable social disruption. The plot centers on a physicist, Grady, who develops a gravity mirrors. What follows is an adjustment bureau like scenario. Grady resists and must endure torture and imprisonment until rescued by other inmates in the prison who cannot escape. Grady is released to assist BTC, but manages to escape and attempts to take them down.

The sci-fi elements are a combination of physics, biology, and computers, although nothing novel or unique. The story construction is a bit awkward with some detailed infodumps, such as learning how to use gravity boots, occurring late and out of place. The BTC splinter groups were thrown in, but hardly used. Ultimately, the BTC devolving into an organization run by a megalomanical lunatic with a sadist for their only henchman who has been cloned, a professional thief who understands advanced science better than most, and only one female enhanced for maximum pheromone release just made little sense. Grady also possessed an interesting brain in the way he saw colors and numbers, but this was rarely used to advance the story. Combined with the senseless killing of solid supporting characters and the cheezy end homecoming scene, the story simply doesn't live up to the potential of the plot resulting in the feel of poorly made for TV movie.

The narration is quite respectable with a solid range of voices and good pacing.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Don't give up on this book!!

I loved all of Daniel Suarez's previous books. They were brilliant techno-thrillers based on technologies that are not far removed from reality. Anyone who enjoyed "Daemon" now looks at Google Glass from a different perspective. He's a brilliant author. That's why I was worried when "Influx" was too techie for me, a 30-year veteran of the high-tech industry. Suarez introduces the technology in his story with a degree of accuracy and information that can overwhelm the casual reader or listener. DO NOT LET THIS TURN YOU AWAY!

Very quickly, the engineering lesson is over and a first-rate thriller emerges. This is a very entertaining story if you can get past the initial lecture. I feel this story will not be as popular as his previous books because some people will be turned off by first few chapters. That's too bad, because "Influx" has all of the brilliance we've come to expect from Daniel Suarez.

15 of 22 people found this review helpful

Never really bought into the story.

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

I loved the first 3 Daniel Suarez books. This one however seemed to take a reach too far in the story line. The story telling like all of Daniel's books is exact and exceptional, I just never really bought into the premise of the story.

Do you think Influx needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

15 of 22 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!!!!

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

Absolutely bloody brilliant

What other book might you compare Influx to, and why?

Non,

Which scene did you most enjoy?

To many to list, on the edge from beginning to the end.

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

In Hibernian prison.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to any one who enjoys futurism, Daniel Suarez wrote this in a marvelous way that brought vivid images through out. Jeff Gunner as narrator made the book come alive and his reading skills are second to none.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent sci-fi

I have to say that this book is one of the best I have read (well technically listened to) in ages. It is science fiction but deeply rooted in fact, and so believable that you start to ask yourself if this could account for the lack of technological leaps forward over the last decade or two!

I tend not to pay a lot of attention to books before I buy them and didn't know what to expect. The action starts almost straight away, but the narrative draws you in from the opening paragraph. There are goodies and baddies in this story, and better still lots of technology (even artificial intelligences!) There are plot turns and twists and you never see which way the plot is going to turn.

Other reviewers have said that parts of this book are a little far fetched and that might be the case but they don't detract from an excellent story. The plot is very well conceived and extremely well told. The hallmark of a good book is that you reflect on it when you aren't reading it, and I certainly gave this one a lot of thought.

Would I recommend this book? Without hesitation. If you like science fiction or thrillers then you are likely to enjoy this book. I will be looking at the other titles by the same author - I enjoyed the book that much :)

Love it !!

Love it , I have listened it about a million-ish times still one of my favourite books I've listened to on audible. This is well read and is a good book , I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and I'm probably going to start listening to it again tomorrow .

Enjoyable

Found myself going to bed early to continue listening. Nice, subtle use of ambient effects. Initially found Jeff Gerner's narration a little uninvolving but warmed to it. Based on this I would listen to one of the author's other books.

Zapp Brannigan reads a book...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Different narrator

What was most disappointing about Daniel Suarez’s story?

Didn't make it past first chapter ! He speaks like he's reading a bunch of 'bullet points' ! Really bad and un-listenable. Think Zapp Brannigan from futurama trying to read you a book !

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Zapp Brannigan from futurama really detracts from the book

What audiobooks ought to be

What made the experience of listening to Influx the most enjoyable?

A brilliant story, around a great idea, read superbly.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The whole story has a very cinematic feel but without losing the beauty of a book.

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

Jeff Gurner is a consummate reader and performer, pitching the delivery perfectly. He really adds to the already 'action movie' feel of the story.

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

Has everything you need for a ripping escapist yarn.

Sadly, a genuinely disappointing effort

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More depth to the characters. Less predictable and simplistic.

What could Daniel Suarez have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not spend hours describing theoretical physics in an attempt to provide realism to a ludicrous storyline.

What three words best describe Jeff Gurner’s voice?

Pleasing, limited and naive.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Nope

Any additional comments?

Daniel Suarez started brilliantly with Daemon, and its sequel, FreedomTM (neither of which are available in the UK on Audible!). His follow up Kill Decision was just ok but this book is probably the poorest book I have listened to in several years.

Beware the Bureau of Technology Control.

This is a good dystopia story with good characters and a plot that is well-paced and enjoyably narrated. I listened to it over three days and it kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of the new technologies are engaging without being too detailed, which is important as they are integral to the book itself.
The AI character in the BTC reminds me of VIKI, the central computer in the movie 'I Robot'.
The 'baddies' are bad and the 'goodies' are good, just as they should be without being too predictable.

Brilliant! Exciting! Very Compelling Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It is a techno-thriller, with brilliant characters that you care about. The narration and production is superb and easily some of the best I've every heard from Audible.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Influx?

John's time in Hibernity, talk about powerful! Those images will stay with me for a very long time! I'll say no more, lest I ruin it.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Gurner – was your favourite?

John (obviously), but Morrison and Hedrick were brilliant.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed (William Gibson)

Any additional comments?

I cannot recommend the audio book highly enough! It is a fantastic story that keeps you hooked until the very end. There is a solid story-arc that ends in a satisfying way. Unlike many books of the sci-fi thriller genre it doesn't fall foul of its own premise. A thoroughly good read/listen!

Superb SciFi

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is the first time I've written a review. After listening to this book I simply had to say, this is one of the best and most well researched stories I've heard.