I'm back after a two-week furlough. Here's another great non-Star Wars book.

Infoquake by David Louis Edelman

Recommended For Fans Of: Couldn't really find an EU book that's a business thriller, so none yet.

Cautions: Strong* Language

Picture a world where, instead of programming machines, we program ourselves. You want your eyes to periodically change color? You got it. You want to be able to read a word and instantly know its definition? No problem. You want to be able to go with no sleep, never forget anything, teleport from one place to another? Sure thing. It's called the science of bio/logics.

Enter the main character, a programmer called Natch who's a genius programmer and obsessed with success. He's a borderline sociopath, extremely gifted with unconventional business strategies and personal manipulation, and willing to do anything short of murder to obtain his goals. So when he gets a chance to merchandise a ground-breaking new technology called MultiReal, he of course says yes-even though he has no idea what it is. Natch quickly discovers that, to complete and launch this new project, he and his friends must avoid their totalitarian government's armies and run through the development cycle, then launch it to the public. All in three days. Meanwhile, a mysterious threat called the infoquake is hanging over the the bio/logic networks. It's a lethal burst of energy that could send us back to the Dark Ages.

The book's concept of bio/logics is fascinating. The possibilities for upgrading yourself are limitless, as long as the programmers are good enough. Natch is also engrossing; aren't all good villains? Only in this case, the sociopath isn't a villain. Or a hero. He's just an incredibly bright, well-manered, and vindictive businessman. He's creepy, true, but the reader finds themselves almost liking him at the same time as being creeped out by his actions. I can't wait to read the next volume of the Jump 225 trilogy to see how this all turns out. Definitely one of the better sci-fi novels I've read.

Final Score: 5 out of 5