This book should never have been made into a novel. It's clear that Papadimitriou has many interesting ideas about mathematics, computer science and artificial intelligence. But when it comes to writing fiction, this work falls flat. Everything in this book (characters, plot, dialogue) simply serves as a thinly veiled excuse to lecture on the history of computers. The result is a string of wooden characters, a plot that goes nowhere, and academic speeches that masquerade as "dialogue". It would have been better if these ideas were presented as part of a straightforward academic work, rather than a poor third-rate work of fiction.
1 1/2 out of 5 stars
