REVIEW: MultiReal (Book 2 of the Jump 225 Trilogy) by David Louis Edelman

MultiReal by David Louis Edelman
Publishing Information: Kindle Edition; 522 Pages
Publisher: Pyr; 3 July 2008
ISBN 10: 1591026474
ISBN 13: 978-1591026471
ASIN: B002DGRRNM
Series: Book 2 in the Jump 225 Trilogy
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "David Louis Edelman's debut novel "Infoquake" was called "the love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge" and hailed as the best science fiction debut of 2006. The story continues with "MultiReal", the stunning second book in the Jump 225 trilogy. Natch has just won his first battle with the Defense and Wellness Council for control of MultiReal technology. But now the Council has unleashed the ruthless cunning of Lieutenant Executive Magan Kai Lee. Lee decides that if Natch's company can't be destroyed from without, it must be destroyed from within. As black code continues to eat away at Natch's sanity, he faces a mutiny from his own apprentices, a legal onslaught from the government, and the return of enemies old and new.In desperation, the entrepreneur turns to some unlikely allies: a radical politician with an agenda of his own, and a childhood enemy to whom he has done a terrible wrong. Natch's struggle will take him from the halls of power in Melbourne to the ruined cities of the diss. Hanging in the balance is the fate of MultiReal, a technology that could end the tyranny of the Council forever."

When I read the first book in the Jump 225 Trilogy, Infoquake, I was blown away. I am not a huge Science Fiction reader as I tend to prefer Fantasy but I knew I had to get back to this series as soon as I could. In MultiReal we return just a few weeks after the events in Infoquake and this time around it is a darker and grittier scene. I do caution you if you have not read the first book in the series as their may be some minor spoilers in this review that may ruin your reading experience if you want to get into it. I will try to keep them at a minimum.

The majority of players are back for this installment of the series and we have a few other additions but they are mainly minor characters that round out the cast. Because of the events that unfolded in the first novel, Natch, is not at his peak performance and is having a hard time focusing on his business as the black code is interfering with his life and is creating a rift between all of his co-workers and his mentality. Jara on the other hand becomes a much larger character this time around. We see a lot of her development and she has several scenes that have her grow. I must admit that in Infoquake she was a lot of fun and in MultiReal she makes a few decisions that have me cringe and want to yell at her but that just makes the ride that much more fun. Edelman does a great job of handling the villains in this book as well, as they are so well written it is hard to not like them. They are fully fleshed out and seem very real.

The world building is not as well crafted in MultiReal but then again you do not really have to build the world up this time around as it was well done in the first book. However, Edelman does bring old Chicago into the mix and we see how the people, or Diss as they are called live when they reject living with the internet or Data Sea inserted into their heads. While this is a new addition to the story and the history the author has created in his world, I would have liked to have seen more of it and perhaps I will once I get to the final installment of the series which I plan to do soon. Even though I did not get to see the way in which the Diss live it was interesting that Chicago was not rebuilt and incorporated into the world that Edelman envisioned.

My biggest complaint regarding this novel is a formatting issue. While reading this book on the Amazon Kindle there are all kinds of errors that make the read a bit of a hassle. The middle of a paragraph will be split up and start a new one. The spacing will sometimes allow ten words per line and other times it will be more like one or two words. Not sure how they port some of the books to the Amazon Kindle but there has to be a better version of it out there than the one I was reading. Not sure if Edelman will read this review but if he has any way of changing the way the book is formatted for the Kindle it needs to be done. Some of the things I saw were ridiculous and should have been corrected before it went to publication. I do not think it is the fault of the author but perhaps it was something the publisher or Amazon did that made certain parts of this book less than enjoyable to read do to various formatting errors. I have the third installment on the Kindle as well and hope that this problem is not found when I read it.

MultiReal is a similar to Empire Strikes Back in that everything that could go wrong for Natch and his company does. Despair is par for the course. While I am told that the end to the third book is amazing I am curious to see just how Natch and his cohorts will dig themselves out of the ditch they have found themselves in. A great sequel even though it was not as strong as the first installment but I am definitely hanging on for the final chapter.

Plot 8
Characters 9
Style 8

Overall 8/10

REVIEW: Infoquake (Vol. 1 of the Jump 225 trilogy) by David Louis Edelman

Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
Publishing information: Paperback; 540 pages
Publisher: Solaris; 7 July 2008
ISBN 10: 1844166457
ISBN 13: 978-1844166459
Series Volume 1 of the Jump 225 Trilogy
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book: "Natch is a master of bio/logics, the programming of the human body. He’s clawed and scraped his way to the top of the bio/logics market using little more than his wits. Now his sudden notoriety has brought him to the attention of Margaret Surina, the owner of a mysterious new technology called MultiReal. Only by enlisting Natch’s devious mind can Margaret keep MultiReal out of the hands of High Executive Len Borda and his ruthless armies.

To fend off the intricate net of enemies closing in around him, Natch and his apprentices must accomplish the impossible. They must understand this strange new technology, run through the product development cycle, and prepare MultiReal for release to the public—all in three days.

Meanwhile, hanging over everything is the specter of the infoquake, a lethal burst of energy that’s disrupting the bio/logic networks and threatening to send the world crashing back into the Dark Ages."

When you think science fiction you usually picture epic space battles and aliens that defy your imagination. Most of those books are quite good but you do not always picture a science fiction book regarding the future of the internet. That is where Infoquake comes in, it propels us into the future and let's us see what cyberspace could be like in the distant future.

Infoquake takes place in the far future where countries are of a bygone era and we now find Earth, the moon, Mars, and a few other distant planets and space stations all choosing their form of governments through their email. You can choose the amount of security and laws you want/require and how many tax breaks they will give you for your chosen profession. Edelman says nothing about are current political parties, but it looks as if he has some Libertarian leanings as our hero goes that route when choosing his government. With the current state of politics going on around the world, an email choosing your government does not sound too bad.

With humanity reaching far into the heavens and beyond, the majority of the people travel through cyberspace or what Edelman calls the Data Sea. Everyone in the future relies on bio/logics which are nanites that keep the body safe and with various programs offered in the Data Sea enhance the body beyond our wildest dreams. The law enforcement agencies of the future no longer need to carry lethal force when they have baton/guns that can enter your bloodstream and interfere with the technology that runs around your nervous system. The world building is, in a word, impressive. Edelman has a fully envisioned future which is represented in the back of the book where you can read about Earth's history and the various terms used in the book.

Infoquake follows Natch our mastermind and child prodigy as he claws his way to the top of the charts on the data sea bringing new and improved bio/logic programs for purchase so that the population can enhance their nature abilities or increase their vanity. As he is planning his next breakthrough he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime. While this is going on we are also treated to the back story of what makes Natch tick and how he came to be the head of his own company and hired his trusted employees. Natch's two top employees also bring in fresh prospectives to the story as Jara provides the voice of reason and acts like his conscience and Horvil attempts to create what Natch has envisioned. The three work as a whole to move the story forward and provide different points of view. As the company becomes more successful we are also allowed to peer into the motivations of Natch's enemies that he has created along the way. Each and every individual we encounter in Infoquake is well developed and at times mysterious at the same time. It makes for an amazing read as we are allowed to peak behind the curtain but not allowed to see everything as if the room were blanketed in darkness.

Infoquake has been compared to the classic novel Dune and the movie Wallstreet. This is a very good comparison, but I think that Infoquake stands on its own merits and allows us to envision a future that could quite possibly occur with a nudge in the right direction. The pacing and style of the novel leaves you wanting more as the book moves at break-neck speed from the corporate boardrooms to the public launch of a product. You would think that a science fiction book that focuses on the backstabbing and the planning of a new computer program would leave you yawning and sleepy, but Edelman has found a way to keep you reading way into the wee hours of the morning drinking coffee like a computer programmer behind on his product launch. A fascinating piece of literary work that is bound to be considered a classic of science fiction. One, if not THE top read of the year. A must have for any reader of science fiction. Could not recommend higher.

Plot 10
Characters 10
Style 10

Overall 10/10