Infoquake

This book takes place many years after the collapse of civilization. A group of sentient computers called the Autonomous Minds rebelled against mankind in the Autonomous Revolt. Now, Earth is dominated by bio/logics, the science of programming the human body. The programs have names like Eyemorph 1.0, DeMirage 24.5, Poker Face 83.4b and AntiSleepStim 124.7. The average person has thousands of such programs in their bodies, courtesy of microscopic robots placed at or before birth. Natch is a master of bio/logic programming, who has risen to the top with little more than brains and sheer determination. For many years, Margaret Surina, ancestor of Sheldon Surina, the inventor of bio/logics, has hinted about this new technology called MultiReal. She enters into a partnership with Natch and his fiefcorp to bring it to market immediately. It can take months to understand and develop a new technology, get it approved by Dr. Plugenpatch (a set of databases that constitute the quality control system), keep it away from the competitors, and then bring it to market. Natch and his colleagues have to do it in three days. The reason for the very short time frame is to also keep MultiReal away from the Defense and Wellness Council. It's a secret and unaccountable government organization that handles all military and intelligence affairs. This is an excellent piece of writing. Cyberpunk fans will love it. Is there such a thing as "business cyberpunk?" This is also a really good book about the mixing of business and technology. The "cyber-" part is not too technical, and this is very highly recommended.

Natch grew up in one of the most challenging hive academies. His hardships taught Natch many of Life's tough lessons. Once Natch enters the business world, he chooses to become a ROD coder. These are "Routines on Demand". They are bio/logic programs that cater mainly to the rich. In this day and age, everyone has OCHRE, machines working inside their bodies to shield them from disease, injury, and other things. ROD coders write code so that people may alter their appearances. (For example, eye color to morph and compliment the person's surroundings.) Soon Natch begins his own fiefcorp and names it Natch Personal Programming Fiefcomp. His two best apprentices are Horvil, his friend since early childhood and an excellent engineer, and Jara, a bio/logic analyst he met during his early work years. Natch finally makes it to the top of the market. Even if only for a short time, his fiefcorp is number one on Primo's, breaking the monopoly of the Patel Brothers in the slot. Natch's notoriety catches the attention of Margaret Surina, the master of the Surina Perfection Memecorp and owner of a mysterious technology called MultiReal. The Defense and Wellness Council wishes the technology gone. Knowing Len Borda, head of the Council, is planning her death, Margaret convinces Natch to join her. With enemies closing in, Natch and his people have only a few days to prepare MultiReal for demonstration and release to the public. To accomplish this, Natch will have to partner up with a past rival. ***** If a story can be food for thought, then this novel is a banquet! The story begins with a bang as Natch and his two apprentices strive to hit number one on Primo's. Then the author takes readers back to Natch's incredible childhood so they may see, first hand, how Natch came to be such a risk taker. I was riveted throughout the entire tale. But the rush of adrenalin did not stop there. Author David Louis Edelman then added MultiReal into the mix and slowly took away Natch's viable options one-by-one. If I learned anything at all, it is that Natch gets very creative when his back is against a wall. This book took my breath away - more than once. I look forward to the next installment of this trilogy. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Nowadays, many science fiction and fantasy novels are simply retelling previous ideas through new sets of eyes. Some do this well, others not so much. Therefore, it is always welcome when a sci-fi author jumps into the speculative fiction genre with a new approach, a new idea or a new sub-genre even. In his award-winning debut novel Infoquake, David Louis Edelman attacks the sci-fi genre and infuses it with his stunning vision of humanity's future. Sure there are splashes of other sci-fi subgenres in this book, a bit of cyberpunk here, some hard sci-fi there. But honestly, this book truly follows its own path as I delved deeper into the world of "Infoquake." Set in a not-so-near future, the world as we know it has gone through a tremendous upheaval, only to rebuild itself into a cutting edge wonder of technological advancement and global interconnectivity. Earth's population has increased by a factor of 10, to the point that humanity has orbital colonies in space as well as settlements on the moon and the Solar System's asteroid belt. Software and nanotech corporations (or 'fiefcorps' as they are called) are the main driver of the world's economy, their owners the equivalent of celebrities in the public eye. The industry that gets the most focus is bio/logics, which allows humanity to interact with nanotechnology to better their quality and length of life. The only thing is, at this point in time, humans are utterly dependent on bio/logics and it is actually considered taboo not to have any bio/logics hardware or software in your body. Our protagonist is an immoral, workaholic fiefcorp owner named Natch, who has no life outside of his career. Despite the small size of his company, and his horrendous treatment of his underlings, Natch's bio/logics company is on its way up to the top of the Primo charts (the equivalent of a movie box office or Billboard Hot 100 chart for music). And when he does achieve his dream, albeit through despicable and underhanded means, this attracts the attention of not only his countless enemies, but also the heir to the technological revolution that brought humanity back from the brink. The heir in question, Margaret Surina, comes from a long line of technological innovators that have shaped the direction of humanity. Now, she claims that her mysterious new technology, MultiReal, will do the exact same thing. So she enlists the help of Natch and his fiefcorp to belt out the technology into a usable product in less than two weeks. And he has to do this before his many enemies, including the head of the world government, get their hands on MultiReal. Let me just say that this is a wonderfully written book. It kept me engrossed and riveted, with well-written dialogue and engaging characters. In addition, as an avid fan of world building, I loved the world that Edelman created. This book carved a brand new universe using alternate history, detailed imagination and Edelman's computer programming background. Whenever

"Hack the body and the mind will follow." Infoquake, the debut novel by David Louis Edelman, is the first volume of the Jump 225 trilogy. Its a financial thriller in a cyberpunk setting. Infoquake takes place several hundred years in the future, mankind has emerged from the decimation of the autonomous revolution thanks to the work of Sheldon Surina. Surina is the father of bio/logics, digital programs that work through nanobots, or OCHRES, which are spread throughout the bodies of most humans. Competition to create and sell new bio/logic programs is fierce, and Natch is one of , if not the best in the business. The story starts out with Natch unveiling a Machiavellian plot to ascend to the top spot on Primo's list, the Fortune 500 of the bio/logic biz. This stunt works and even earns him the notice of Margaret Surina, the descendant of Sheldon. She presents Natch with the opportunity of a lifetime. She wants him to finish and sell MultiReal a bio/logic program capable of creating a near infinite number of alternate realities. The catch is that not only does every other Fiefcorp want to get their hands on this program, so does the shadowy High Executive of the Defense and Wellness Council, Len Borda. The book is fast paced from the start, although the action is much more cerebral than physical. Plots and intrigues abound. Edelman creates a very interesting character in Natch. He has few redeeming qualities but the reader is drawn to him none the less. The supporting cast is very strong as well. I particularly enjoyed Jara, one of Natches apprentices. Edelman creates a rich narrative of a future earth. The back of the book is chock full of appendixes, which includes, a glossary, a time line, and in depth explanations of some of the most prevalent technologies. He is clearly a master at fleshing out his concepts. The story drew me in from the start, and I'm eagerly anticipation the forthcoming volumes. 8.5 out of 10

As a dedicated fan of science fiction and a technology firm worker IRL, I appreciate Edelman's ability to blend his futuristic vision with knowledge of today's high tech business angst to create a very human and personally engaging story. (This is not just for geeks!) His ability to evoke sympathetic and very interesting characters reminds me of my favorite science fiction author, Ursula LeGuin. Her stories are always more about the people and how we as people might progress or regress. Edelman sees through people and expresses this with clarity in this tale of a future not too distant from now. It is almost a Utopia - with the capabilities we all desire - faster transport, faster commerce, faster access to data. Edelman also evokes William Gibson's vision and his ability to create a fantastic and interesting future world. Edelman's own creative talent brings the styles of both Gibson and LeGuin together in a completely believable world, with capabilities and plotlines that enthrall and tantalize. I promise you will enjoy this book and be left wishing for nothing more than the next in the series.