daniel suarez ( author )
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daniel suarez voted for influx as best science fiction in the final round of the 2014 goodreads choice awards .
today i am joined by daniel suarez, author of tech thrillers and near future sci fi. i learned about daniel through his book daemon, and was instantly hooked. daniel’s ability to weave believable characters with white knuckle plots, sprinkled with a little bit of “what if” leaves you exhausted but satisfied at the end .
daniel suarez is the new york times bestselling author of daemon, freedom™, kill decision, influx, and change agent. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. he lives in los angeles, … more about daniel suarez
what if human civilization is more advanced than you know? in his latest scifi thriller new york times bestselling author, daniel suarez, depicts a world where the future has already happened ...
daniel suarez has done it again. once again he explores the possible ramifications of new technology, this time dna editing. an excellent book. .
daniel suarez is the author of five books, including daemon, freedom (tm), and influx. his latest book, change agent, depicts a near - future world where genetic editing technology has become commonplace. daniel talks to leo laporte about his writing process and how he develops characters. for the full episode, visit urltoken
“biopunk has been waiting for its william gibson, to bring a whole new vision of the future... and daniel suarez has done it. ”
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from the new york times bestselling author of daemon comes a terrifying glimpse at the next phase in drone warfare .
daniel suarez is the new york times bestselling author of daemon, freedom™, kill decision, influx, and change agent. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. he lives in los angeles, california .
daniel suarez is the author of the new york times bestseller daemon, freedom™, kill decision, and influx. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on the impact of technology - driven change. he lives in los angeles, california .
praise for the novels of daniel suarez “so frightening, even the government has taken note. ”— entertainment weekly “the tom clancy of cyber security…a hell of a fun read. ”— businessweek “an eyes - wide - open, eyebrows - raised, head - shaking warning. ”— wired “ambitious. …i came away from this novel with a…new fear of computer capability. ”— new york times bestselling author robin cook “fiendishly clever…an almost perfect guilty - pleasure novel. ”— the dallas morning news “ [ daniel suarez ] is the best author of tech fiction since bruce sterling and neal stephenson. ”—john robb, futurist & author of brave new war “greatest. technothriller. period. ”—william o’brien, former director of cybersecurity and communications policy, the white house
new york times bestselling author... babblegenuinely arresting... required reading for journalists, politicians, ...
daniel suarez on twitter :
finally! i' m thrilled to say change agent is now on sale (u. s. / u. k. / canada). urltoken
daniel suarez is the author of five books, including daemon, freedom (tm), and influx. his latest book, change agent, depicts a near - future world where genetic editing technology has become commonplace. daniel talks to leo laporte about how he writes, how biotech like crispr is poised to create the next industrial revolution, and what it will be like when your steak is grown in a vat instead of raised in a pen .
the path from story idea to bookshelf is different for every writer. author stories podcast brings books to life for the reader by shining a light on the creative process .
– karen m. mcmanus new york times bestselling author of one of us is lying
“... suarez’s fiction is closer to reality than most people think. ”
daniel suarez is the author of the new york times bestseller daemon, freedom ™, kill decision, and influx. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. he lives in los angeles, california. - - this text refers to the hardcover edition .
i fell in love with daniel' s writing and work starting with daemon and have been a huge fan of his ever since .
“with cinematic flair, daniel suarez spins a wholly new, original science fiction scenario: that there is nothing so evil as well - meaning people trying to stop technology. his tale is a high - concept thrill ride. ”
new york times bestselling author... babblegenuinely arresting... required reading for journalists, politicians, academics, and anyone who listens to them. —steven pinker, author of how the mind works we are awash in predictions. in newspapers, blogs, and books; on radio ...
while not the best from daniel it tells a good picture of the future of genetic engineering. no spoiler but the finale could be improved
as any anagram enthusiast (or mirror gazer) will have deduced, the author' s real name is daniel suarez. wired tracked down the 43 - year - old database consultant at his home in glendale, california. why the pseudonym ?
part of it is that i have a day job, and i wanted to keep the two worlds separate ,
he says .
also, a google search returns any number of daniel suarezes, but as far as i can tell i' m the only leinad zeraus .
daniel suarez is the author of the new york times bestseller daemon, freedom™, kill decision, and influx. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed mission - critical software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. with a lifelong interest in both it systems and creative writing, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven
daniel suarez, 43, doesn’t look like a harbinger of doom. but his new novel, daemon, paints a bleak picture of a society in which technology, far from being the great enabler, becomes the problem rather than the solution .
nyt bestselling author. writes high - tech / sci - fi thrillers: daemon, freedom™, kill decision, influx & change agent. * tedglobal speaker .
the author stories podcast illuminates the story behind the story. hank' s exploration into the process of writing - - the challenges, rewards, and heartbreaks - - brings an added layer to the novel that only serves to deepen the reader' s experience .
– fiona davis bestselling author of the dollhouse and the address
“suarez continues his popular technothriller, and daemon fans will be well be pleased with the exciting conclusion. ”
“a natural at making future shocks seem perfectly believable, suarez delivers his most entertaining high - tech thriller yet. ”
books to read. influx was just as good as all the others, wish i picked it up sooner. i think he' s my favourite author who isn' t patrick rothfuss .
like michael crichton, the author he is compared to on the cover, daniel suarez has his sights on the forefront of society and technology. he takes cutting edge ideas and wonders
what if ?
,
how exactly ?
, and
then what would happen ?
, and writes down the fictionalized results. suarez isn' t trying to be
literary ,
he is writing thought experiments on current hot - button issues. in his previous book, kill decision, it was about drones, in this one, it' s anti - gravity - - among other technology th
i interviewed suarez about influx, the real reason that technological innovation has slowed down and why he has reservations about bitcoin .
i very much enjoyed my interview with hank garner for the author stories podcast. the questions were incisive, fun and entertaining, and we shared many laughs. i enjoyed being able to talk about the writing process. great accent, too, and one i appreciated having grown up in a neighboring state! thanks for having me on !
– lenora chu author of little soldiers .
daniel suarez is a new york times bestselling author whose books include daemon, freedom tm, kill decision, influx, and change agent. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. with a lifelong interest in both it systems and creative writing, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. suarez is a past speaker at ted global, mit media lab, and the long now foundation - - among many others. self - taught in software development, he is a graduate from the university of delaware with a ba in english literature. an avid pc and console gamer, his own world - building skills were bolstered through years as a pen & paper role - playing game moderator. he lives in los angeles, california. for more info visit, www. daniel - suarez. com .
i like daniel suarez' s books. his genre is technology thrillers, and his perspective and knowledge is different from any other author that i have read. he could be a chronicler of our possible dark future. one doesn' t expect much from this genre other than some mind - stretching ideas and a passable plot. influx has as its premise the invention of anti - gravity by a young genius, grady, and the evil rogue government entity that tries to steal it from him. the plot is right out of count of monte cris
20th century fox has struck a preemptive deal for daniel suarez' s upcoming tech thriller influx, the hollywood reporter has learned exclusively. the book - - which will hit stores on feb. 20 via the publishing house dutton - - centers on a world in which decades of technological advances have been suppressed in an effort to prevent disruptive change .
2. 5 of 5 stars at the bibliosanctum urltoken daniel suarez has made a name for himself when it comes to techno - thrillers, and his talent for combining science with action has garnered him much praise and comparisons to the late michael crichton. and also, let' s not forget how much i enjoyed suarez' s daemon duology. all of this made me pretty excited for influx, so now that i' m done i still find myself stunned to admit i was disappointed. many theories for generating
the propulsive, shockingly plausible sequel to new york times bestseller daemon, the
greatest. techno - thriller. period .
* * william o' brien, former director of cybersecurity and communications systems policy at the white house 2009 saw one of the most inventive techno - thriller debuts in decades as daniel suarez introduced his terrifying and tantalizing vision of a new wo
freedom (tm )
is a beautiful and awe - inspiring sequel to daniel suarez highly successful
daemon
. having laid all the groundwork in
daemon
, suarez uses most of this book to use this foundation in order to explore a new concept of social organization based on empowering information technology. the new society emerging in
freedom (tm )
is based on the darknet, an alternative to the internet using fast wireless meshes in order to increase the durability and availability of the network. people
it was a pleasure to be able to talk about my writing world with hank garner for the author stories podcast. hank’s questions made me think in different directions about my stories and my craft, and the common threads that might manifest through different things i’ve done. and he made me laugh as well, which is always a friendly thing on a school - day morning. thanks for having me from the other side of the world. — ashley hay, author of a hundred small lessons
daniel suarez is the author of the new york times bestseller daemon, freedom™, kill decision, and influx. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed mission - critical software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. with a lifelong interest in both it systems and creative writing, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. suarez is a past speaker at ted global, mit media lab, nasa ames, the long now foundation, and the headquarters of google, microsoft, and amazon - - among many others. self - taught in software development, he is a graduate from university of delaware with a ba in english literature. an avid pc and console gamer, his own world - building skills
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i’m hank and i’m a writer. i write stories about life, but with a supernatural twist. i love the art of writing so much that i started a podcast called author stories. i’d love to hear from you. check out my books at urltoken
i always enjoy talking to someone who’s passionate about books and the craft of writing. hank’s podcast will introduce you to fascinating personalities, both traditionally published and indie. a great place for discovery .
– kyle mills, author of enemy of the state
in his sequel to the cult - favorite daemon, daniel suarez continues the story of matthew sobol' s electronic
entity
unleashed on the world. like a virus, the daemon is now beginning to remake human society. but, unlike the first book, the second one is less a technology thriller than a political screed. now, i don' t necessarily disagree with anything suarez says in this book. all my food probably * is * made from corn, and cheap food probably * is * a foundation for keeping low - wage employees happy w
suarez: i definitely, for the record, don’t believe that there is a btc squelching progress. but to me it was a fun thought for a story .
daniel suarez is a new york times bestselling author whose books include daemon, freedom tm, kill decision, influx, and change agent. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. with a lifelong interest in both it systems and creative writing, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. suarez is a past speaker at ted global, mit media lab, and the long now foundation — among many others. self - taught in software development, he is a graduate from the university of delaware with a ba in english literature. an avid pc and console gamer, his own world - building skills were bolstered through years as a pen & paper role - playing game moderator. he lives in los angeles, california .
“perfectly blending nail - biting suspense with accessible science, bestseller suarez establishes himself as a legitimate heir to michael crichton with this gripping present - day thriller... ”
daniel suarez self - published his first novel, daemon, in 2006. the book and its sequel freedom™ chronicled the rise of a botnet that uses self - driving cars to kill humans, crashes the stock market, and creates a new society in its own image. his next novel, kill decision, published by dutton in 2012, was about aerial drones that could decide when to use lethal force independently of any human .
daniel suarez is the author of the new york times bestseller daemon, freedom™, kill decision, and influx. a former systems consultant to fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed mission - critical software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. with a lifelong interest in both it systems and creative writing, his high - tech and sci - fi thrillers focus on technology - driven change. suarez is a past speaker at ted global, mit media lab, nasa ames, the long now foundation, and the headquarters of google, microsoft, and amazon - - among many others. self - taught in software development, he is a graduate from university of delaware with a ba in english literature. an avid pc and console gamer, his own world - building skills were bolstered through years as a pen & paper role - playing game moderator. he lives in los angeles, california .
* * grand prize winner of the 2017 nautilus book award * * are you struggling to deal with conflict in your life? in negotiating the nonnegotiable, harvard negotiation expert daniel shapiro introduces a groundbreaking method to bridge the toughest divides—whether with family members, ...
“the characters (even the not - strictly - human ones) are vivid, the pacing is perfect, the villain is capital - e evil, and the author’s near - future world is so well developed that you completely buy even his wildest speculations. a magnificent tour de force. ”
what happens when the decision to kill in battle can suddenly be shifted from human to machine? america is under attack by drones programmed to seek out and execute targets, and special ops soldier odin is trying to stop the carnage with the help of linda mckinney, a scientist whose research on ant societies has been preempted by the unknown enemy to run the marauding drones. techno - thriller author suarez goes beyond the new york times best - selling daemon to get at some big issues .
a scientist and a soldier must join forces when combat drones zero in on targets on american soil in this gripping technological thriller from new york times bestselling author daniel suarez. linda mckinney studies the social behavior of insects—which leaves her entirely unprepared for the day her research is conscripted to help run an unmanned and automated drone army. odin is the secretive special ops soldier with a unique insight into a faceless enemy who has begun to attack the american homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets without human intervention. together, mckinney and odin must slow this advance long enough for the world to recognize its destructive power. but as enigmatic forces press the advantage, and death rains down from above, it may already be too late to save mankind from destruction .
dr. strangelove for the modern age. to be clear, this is not a reboot of stanley kubrick’s brilliant 1964 film. however, kubrick was mentioned and there are many similarities – apprehension of new and dangerous technology, rogue government agencies, and tension involving a new world order versus maintaining the status quo. there is even an eerily similar scene reminiscent of slim pickens’ infamous bomb ride. daniel “i know i’m the coolest writer since william gibson or neal stephenson” suarez blen
i was a fan of the authors stories podcast long before i was lucky enough to be a guest on the show. hank never fails to deliver interesting and entertaining interviews that shine a light on what it’s like to live the life of a working writer regardless of whether or not you’re on the bestseller lists. it’s one of my top go - to shows for author interviews and i can’t recommend it highly enough to both writers and readers who want to see another side to their favorite authors. everyone should check it out .
– c. steven manley author of the paragons trilogy and the brace cordova series
daniel suarez discusses his latest work ,
kill decision .
from google books: unmanned weaponized drones already exist—they' re widely used by america in our war efforts in the middle east. in kill decision, bestselling author daniel suarez takes that fact and the real science behind it one step further, with frightening results. linda mckinney is a myrmecologist, a scientist who studies the social structure of ants. her academic career has left her entirely unprepared for the day her sophisticated research is conscripted by unknown forces to help run an unmanned—and thanks to her research, automated—drone army. odin is the secretive special ops soldier with a unique insight into the faceless enemy who has begun to attack the american homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets without human intervention. together, mckinney and odin must slow this advance long enough for the world to recognize its destructive power, because for thousands of years the
kill decision
during battle has remained in the hands of humans—and off - loading that responsibility to machines will bring unintended, possibly irreversible, consequences. but as forces even mckinney and odin don' t understand begin to gather, and death rains down from above, it may already be too late to save humankind from destruction at the hands of our own technology .
it' s rare and lovely to get interviewed by someone who both knows their subject inside and out while being so adept at drawing knowledge (and laughs) from the person they' re interviewing. i kind of want to move in with him .
– dave rudden author of knights of the borrowed dark
written by daemon author daniel suarez, change agent is supposed to be a workmanlike beach read that presents big ideas through a fast - paced plot. it' s set in 2045, in a world where gene therapy and designer babies are commonplace. protagonist kenneth durand is one of the people in charge of shutting down black market clinics that offer unauthorized improvements like super - strength or intelligence, instead of fixes for genetic diseases. after durand agrees to look for a gene therapy criminal kingpin named marcus wyckes, he' s attacked by an unknown, syringe - wielding assailant. when he wakes from a coma five weeks later, he learns that wyckes can change living humans as well as embryos, and he' s turned durand into his doppelgänger — hoping to fake his own death by getting durand killed .
so suarez did what any self - respecting geek would do, and turned to the internet for a solution. he decided to self - publish the book through lightning source, a us - based print - on - demand service which plugs in to a number of online retailers, including amazon. “it was ideal, ” says suarez. “all i had to worry about was marketing, not packing and labelling. ”
gizmodo :
daniel suarez has earned not one, but two spots in our reading room. these techno - thrillers not only use every bit of jargon from the hacker’s cookbook, and a fair amount of william gibson and neal stephenson to boot, they also feature deadly autonomous motorcycles with spinning katanas instead of handlebars. a worst - case - scenario tale of computer takeover, daemon was one of the most talked about high - tech thrillers in recent times, but it ended with a cliffhanger. thankfully, its sequ
there are many technologies at play in this novel and suarez made great use of them for some good suspense and actions sequences using them. the only small gripe i had with the novel is that the technologies work
i like daniel suarez' s books. his genre is technology thrillers, and his perspective and knowledge is different from any other author that i have read. he could be a chronicler of our possible dark future. one doesn' t expect much from this genre other than some mind - stretching ideas and a passable plot. influx has as its premise the invention of anti - gravity by a young genius, grady, and the evil rogue government entity that tries to steal it from him. the plot is right out of count of monte cristo. . our hero is unjustly imprisoned. he languished in solitary. a mysterious neighbor in another cell makes contact. mysterious neighbor engineers our hero' s escape. our hero sets out for revenge. in influx though it is all about the technology, which, in this book, suarez doesn' t even make seem plausible. grady, as a character, has a checklist of attributes: genius? check. loves freedom? check. resourceful? check. defeats the villain? check. gets the beautiful girl at the end? check. the parts of this book that thrilled me were the descriptions of how it feels to fly around in an anti - gravity suit. these are made for the movies. in fact this whole book reads like a movie script. if you like tom clancy or michael crichton, chances are you' ll like daniel suarez. if you like erudite, stylish sci - fi, pass by in haste. find neal stephenson' s books instead. especial anathem. you won' t be sorry .
daniel suarez: i’m not sure i would say that it’s a change of direction. let me revisit how you describe what i do. i actually love technology. i worked for 18 years as systems analyst in technology. if we are going to be addressing the very major problems that you see before humanity, it is going to be technology that’s going to rescue us, basically. we are going to have to think our way through this and that’s going to involve obviously a lot of people and all these conflicting ideas .
but suarez isn' t just taking on one big idea, he' s meticulously building a world, complete with new cryptocurrencies, crowdsourced surveillance methods, and other moderately interesting extrapolations of present - day technology. this often means dragging the action to a standstill to prove he' s done his homework. change agent fixates on the minutiae of payment processing, security authentication, and display technology with more verve than action sequences or character development. if daniel suarez had written marathon man, it would be a novel about choosing the best long - distance running attire. meanwhile, the book’s anemic, redundant prose ruins tense moments. when a character names a villain while quaking in terror, the narrative assures us that “the man was greatly feared” a paragraph later .
another great tech - thriller by daniel suarez. after reading daemon a book i could barely put down, freedom its follow - up, and kill decision a decidedly wicked view at drones i was looking forward at more .
influx
delivers in the techno and science part. the thriller is not as evident until later in the book. but its there when its needed. the ideas posted by the book about technology being dangerous is interesting in its own. i would have liked more exploring there. the book would rate a 3. 5 stars and i am giving the extra. 5 for entertainment value. this is a story that is hard to describe without giving away too much. but you can really see how interesting the idea of technology being regulated and the reasons really is. the book starts strong gets bogged down a little but finishes relatively well. using ultimate weapons always makes me a bit ambivalent about plot issues. here it fits but you will need to read to opine. good book and i am looking forward to the next story by daniel suarez .
there are certain things you learn to expect from a daniel suarez novel. it will be fun. it will be steeped in technology. it will remind you that he is paying closer attention to emerging issues than you are .
influx
does not disappoint on any of these expectations. it is a bit of a departure in that it has more of a science fiction bent than his previous books. i was curious how someone so grounded in the technology of today and the near future would fare looking further out. he does just fine
first off, i love daniel suarez' s books. i read and loved daemon under his nom de plume leinad zeraus, and gobbled up freedom (tm) and kill decision. this book, influx, was no different. while not quite as packed with tantalizingly plausible technology as his previous books (freedom made me lust after its tech, kill decision terrified me with its plausibility), influx is a consistently fun ride into a future that could actually be right here with us now, with us blissfully ignorant. or not. no ma
another great tech - thriller by daniel suarez. after reading daemon a book i could barely put down, freedom its follow - up, and kill decision a decidedly wicked view at drones i was looking forward at more .
influx
delivers in the techno and science part. the thriller is not as evident until later in the book. but its there when its needed. the ideas posted by the book about technology being dangerous is interesting in its own. i would have liked more exploring there. the book would rate a 3. 5 st
i was lucky to get an advance copy of this to read and of course i couldn' t put it down once i opened the first page. once again daniel suarez tells a story that while labeled fiction, is close enough to be possible that it scares you. your first reaction is to think that it could never happen and then the more you read and the more you think you start to realize just how real it could be. if an agency existed to regulate what innovation humans were allowed to have, would that much power go to the
first off, i love daniel suarez' s books. i read and loved daemon under his nom de plume leinad zeraus, and gobbled up freedom (tm) and kill decision. this book, influx, was no different. while not quite as packed with tantalizingly plausible technology as his previous books (freedom made me lust after its tech, kill decision terrified me with its plausibility), influx is a consistently fun ride into a future that could actually be right here with us now, with us blissfully ignorant. or not. no matter which side of the
tends to believe in conspiracy theories
line you fall on, this is a great high tech thriller and a great book. still love suarez, can' t wait to read whatever' s next from him .
gizmodo :
daniel suarez has earned not one, but two spots in our reading room. these techno - thrillers not only use every bit of jargon from the hacker’s cookbook, and a fair amount of william gibson and neal stephenson to boot, they also feature deadly autonomous motorcycles with spinning katanas instead of handlebars. a worst - case - scenario tale of computer takeover, daemon was one of the most talked about high - tech thrillers in recent times, but it ended with a cliffhanger. thankfully, its sequel, freedom, is just hitting stores .
ironically, the very mechanisms of which suarez is so understandably wary are also the very tools by which his book came to be. although daemon was released earlier this month, it has actually been around for far longer than that .
his career as an author began with a pair of techno - thriller novels. the first novel, daemon, was self - published under his own company, verdugo press, in late 2006. it was later picked up by the major publishing house dutton and re - released on january 8, 2009. his follow - up book freedom tm was released on january 7, 2010. the wall street journal has reported that walter f. parkes, who produced the 1983 film wargames, has optioned the film rights to daemon with paramount pictures, but the rights likely reverted to suarez on 8 december 2012 .
the epiphany for suarez came in the late 1990s when he was writing a program called weather master, which created weather patterns for fictional worlds. he sold the program online, offering users a free 30 - day trial before they had to buy the software. payments were automatically swept in to an account, which suarez left unchecked for several months. when he finally did remember to see how much money had accrued, he was struck by the strangeness of the situation .
the first place i go for the story behind the stories. always a great interview, whether i' m on the other side of the mic, or tuning in to one of the dozens of authors that i look up to. hank garner and his team have rounded up the most exciting voices writing today .
– hugh howey new york times bestselling author of wool
efficiency, says suarez, is all well and good, but there’s a fundamental need to balance it with a robustness and resilience that means society can benefit from the interoperability of systems without ever becoming entirely reliant on a single set - up .
whenever i read / listen to a techno - thriller, there is this anticipation of what the technology at work is and how it has become this terrible thing that must be defeated or survived for the rest of the book. that anticipation almost always delivers but some books slow down after that reveal happens. there was a moment or two with influx that i thought that could happen but daniel suarez did a great job of keeping parts interesting that could have been pretty dry. it does mention the prison in the description of the book and i didn' t know if i was in store for a
it' s a nifty concept, a kind of alternative history tale embedded in our own world. it lets suarez have fun with intelligence agencies as they try (and fail) to bring btc to heel. there' s also hard sf delights in seeing which inventions have already occurred - strong ai! antigravity! human lifespan extension! suarez also gives btc a fun villain in its leader, a power - crazed guy with a dry (perhaps accidental) sense of humor. a very good dystopia boss .
a new york times bestselling author rights optioned by netflix in 2045 kenneth durand leads interpol’s top genetic crime team, hunting black market labs that perform “vanity edits” on human embryos for a price and experiment on human - trafficking victims to advance their technology. the team discovers one figure looms behind it all. then, on a crowded train platform, durand feels the sting of a needle ― and his transformation begins .
suarez finished daemon in late 2004, then submitted it to dozens of literary agents .
three actually read it ,
he says .
one thought it was too long for the thriller genre, and the other two thought it was too complex .
“the daemon activates a series of other programs that begin to leverage all these interconnections of the modern world to basically tear it apart, ” says suarez. “i’ve used very realistic technology in this book, well within the bounds of possibility. it’s a cautionary tale. ”
suarez: i’m going to be going to various locations up north and pretty much west coast. i do a very abbreviated book tours. i’m going south by southwest in march, i’m going to be on a sci - fi panel there that mit media lab is hosting .
book review (non - fiction) if you’re looking for an enlightening non - fiction read about our unpredictable future, check out whiplash by mit media lab director, joichi ito, and author jeff howe. the thesis of whiplash is that rapid innovation coupled with the increasing complexity of the modern world will bring an ever - increasing pace of change and leave traditional hierarchical organizations in the dust. to operate successfully in this environment, organizations need to embr
suarez: i’ve been full - time writing for a number of years. and it’s been quite a change because i used to work with teams of people on a very knotty, very complex technology problems and that was kind of cool in a way. i really miss that social element .
the fragility of the technical infrastructure that lies at the heart of daemon’s plot is of very real concern to suarez. “but i didn’t want to write a high - concept story that scares people for no reason, simply to shine a light on these fairly complex issues, ” he says .
there are certain things you learn to expect from a daniel suarez novel. it will be fun. it will be steeped in technology. it will remind you that he is paying closer attention to emerging issues than you are .
influx
does not disappoint on any of these expectations. it is a bit of a departure in that it has more of a science fiction bent than his previous books. i was curious how someone so grounded in the technology of today and the near future would fare looking further out. he does just fine, as it turns out. the technology is partially extrapolated from modern and fringe science of today, but even the bits that he has made up are clever and fun to consider. there is an increasingly cinematic appeal to daniel' s books. this one in particular evokes such compelling images, i cannot wait to see it realized someday in film. it would be a disservice to provide any spoilers, but know that even in this fantastic futuristic setting, the point of the book is crucially relevant to our world today. but, this warning is couched within a hell of an imaginative ride that can be enjoyed on its own merits .
“we hand - picked a few people we thought would find daemon interesting and timely, ” says suarez. “we got a really enthusiastic response. ” he made an extract of the book freely available online, and soon attracted the interest of wired magazine. “from there it started to snowball, ” he says .
suarez first started penning the novel in 2002, and when he finished the book two years later, set about finding an agent and publisher. “most said it was too long for a first novel, ” he recalls. “but i thought the message was important, and i didn’t want to cut it too much. ”
suarez believes daemon’s lengthy gestation period and slow - burning popularity have proven invaluable. “the virtue of self - publishing is that the book got a chance to find its audience, ” he says. “the way modern publishing works makes it difficult to find that amount of time or exposure in stores to grab people’s attention. ”
indeed, without wanting to give too much away, the book’s ending leaves the path clear for a sequel, which suarez says he is finishing up now: “freedom is due out early next year. i don’t want to reveal too much, but let’s just say it will definitely go in a direction that will surprise people. ”
influx is a really different kind of read. it was selected for the techno - thriller group read for the action / adventure group on goodreads, and it definitely fits the bill. the author conceived of a concept that is very novel, and i was immersed in this story. what if there is a secret group that suppresses and appropriates new technology, so that things are a lot more advanced than we think? that' s what happens to jon grady when he comes up with a device that can bend and manipulate gravity in a
despite his sometimes gloomy technology world - view, suarez says his intention is not to spark panic, but to “imbue a sense of urgency” in people. “i don’t want to be a cassandra, ” he says. “i don’t want to say we’re doomed, i just want to increase awareness through a thrilling story that people find interesting. ”
suarez: something i’ve always wanted to do. i have an english literature degree, and of course when i was young i wanted to be the next great american novelist. and then i just got busy doing other things. life intrudes. i tried to write a novel early on. i think i didn’t have the discipline at the time .
i was lucky to get an advance copy of this to read and of course i couldn' t put it down once i opened the first page. once again daniel suarez tells a story that while labeled fiction, is close enough to be possible that it scares you. your first reaction is to think that it could never happen and then the more you read and the more you think you start to realize just how real it could be. if an agency existed to regulate what innovation humans were allowed to have, would that much power go to their head? who could stop them if that happened? i don' t want to say anything more to spoil the book, but plain and simple anyone who loves a scientific and technology focused thriller will love this book. the beginning might be a bit painful, but you' ll quickly be flipping the pages as quick as you can to see how it all turns out .
if suarez’s stance is simple, then his message is perhaps harder to implement. “we need to build change in to our systems and let these systems evolve as circumstances change, ” he says. “change is inevitable, but we need to do a better job of dealing with it, because when we start building huge gleaming monoliths, i think we start getting in to trouble. ”
i just felt it would be a travesty if a lot of people didn' t read it ,
klau says. a new colleague at google, algorithm wrangler matt cutts, gave daemon a shout - out on his blog. cyberwar pundit john robb mentioned it on his site, and ito wrote that it was
believable and realistic and still mind - blowing .
brand blurbed it on amazon, saying suarez was
better than early tom clancy .
as of march, more than 1, 200 copies had been shipped, and zeraus nee suarez is planning to release a sequel, freedom ™, later this year .
when i finished the book ,
brand says ,
my feeling was that the sequel is not only desirable, but necessary .
i have to say, i' m sadly disappointed. i' ve come to rely on suarez as a' near' fiction writer. his previous books were largely based on manipulation of existing technology, or close future invocations. that was his strong selling point to me. the books were full of technical descriptions making the reality and feasibility of them compelling. this book... throws all that to the wind, and pics up a an anti - matter gun. defying gravity? why not! ? well... because it lumps you in with all the other' amazing technology see this awesome flashing light' sci - fi. mr. suarez attempts too much, too fast, causing the whole thing to just feel... anti - climactic. even the very end is... well it almost feels like a mistake .
i' m not quite as optimistic as the author. yes, i have seen online sites regulate themselves nicely with popular opinion keeping trolls in line and such. do i think that would work on a societal level and do i think that this new structure would work any better than previous regimes? no, i don' t. there are flaws and the biggest problem with any human community is that it involves people. people are capable of doing amazing things and just as capable at being horrific and when you put them all together, you probably get some sort of weird balance, one that defies all attempts at imposing order and harmony because that just cannot exist absolutely when people are involved .
finally, he and his wife, michelle sites, also an it consultant, decided to take a page from the daemon playbook and infiltrate the internet' s power grid. in fall 2006, they approached bloggers whose writings on gaming, warfare, ai, and social media suarez had mined for the book. the couple formed their own publishing firm, verdugo press, and began producing copies through the print - on - demand service lightning source .
perfectly blending nail - biting suspense with accessible science, bestseller suarez establishes himself as a legitimate heir to michael crichton with this gripping present - day thriller. ”—publisher' s weekly (starred review) “a terrifyingly real scenario. ”—the washington post “a confident thriller that leaves us wondering not whether its fictional premise will one day become reality, but when. ”—kirkus reviews “kill decision is an eyes - wide - open, eyebrows raised, head - shaking warning. ”—wired
suarez, a systems analyst and software developer living in california, has become increasingly uncomfortable with what he sees as the growing homogeny of our computer systems and infrastructures. “in the last 15 years of so, i’ve seen a tremendous centralisation and uniformity in all the systems in the modern world, ” he says. “it seems like in the pursuit of efficiency, we’ve given up a lot of the robustness. we’ve made our civilisation more fragile as a result. ”
sci - fi novels and techno - thrillers often go heavy on exposition. but it works best when used to describe something that' s difficult to imagine, like a far - flung space station, or thematically important, like tom clancy’s fetishized military tech. beyond the extreme genetic modification, change agent is future - by - numbers, although it offers a few evocative ideas — like drug dealers who 3d - print custom narcotics from formulae tattooed on junkies’ arms, or a biomechanical shark used for international smuggling. i know this sounds cool, but you’ll only reach it after reading about characters taking endless minor actions on their “lfp glasses, ” which is as irritating as an author appending “with a smartphone” to every digital interaction in a contemporary novel .
suarez announced that he was writing his third novel ,
which deals with autonomous drones and next - gen, anonymous warfare
via his google plus account on 20 november 2011. that novel, kill decision, was released on july 19, 2012. his next book, influx, was released on february 20, 2014. influx won the 2015 prometheus award. his latest book, change agent, was released on april 18, 2017 and uses crispr as its theme .
i listened to the audio version. when i finished daemon, i was somewhat dissatisfied with the conclusion, as reflected in my review. i subsequently learned that mr. suarez could not find a publisher for daemon, so published it himself, and it became an internet sensation. i feel that freedom was better than daemon, less repetitive and even more relevant to the financial crisis of 2008 and its aftermath, including the response of the obama administration. the story moves along quickly toward a sa
daniel suarez ( born december 21 , 1964 ) is a us information technology consultant-turned-author . he initially published under the pseudonym leinad zeraus ( his name spelled backwards ) . 
daniel suarez (born december 21, 1964) is a us information technology consultant-turned-author. he initially published under the pseudonym leinad zeraus (his name spelled backwards).
daniel suarez (born december 21, 1964) is a us information technology consultant-turned-author. he initially published under the pseudonym leinad zeraus (his name spelled backwards).