∎ Libro Digital Divide Rachel Peng Book 1 eBook KB Spangler

Digital Divide Rachel Peng Book 1 eBook KB Spangler

Download As PDF : Digital Divide Rachel Peng Book 1 eBook KB Spangler

Digital Divide Rachel Peng Book 1 eBook KB Spangler

So the Kindle app has managed to add a feature that basically lets you chainsmoke a series - when you get to the end of a sample, there's a "buy now" link for the book, and then at the end of the first book there's a "buy now" link for the second one. I have my complaints about the user interface of the app, but that particular bit of design is brilliant.

On a related note, I just read straight through all four books in this series.

The series isn't exactly High Quality Literature, but that wasn't what I was looking for. It's framed as a police procedural, with a bunch of related mysteries to be solved: the crimes being investigated (who's doing it, how, and why), the history of the cyborg program (what happened and what the end goal was, and how it was thwarted), who is an enemy and who can be considered an ally, and of course how everything is related.

It has an interesting premise - cybernetically enhanced brains - with an interesting twist - the goal of the program was not what the cyborgs were told it was - and it's framed in a way that reminds me of the saying that "the personal is political". The technical details of the chips were glossed over in favor of examining the legal, social, and psychological impacts, which I appreciated. For one thing, I find that aspect more interesting; and for another it's really hard to get the right amount of technobabble without devolving into infodumps and bulls***.

The two big characteristics that can spoil an otherwise good book for me are grimdarkness and romance, and I am happy to say that this book has just the right amount of both. There is just enough tragedy to make the characters and the plot well rounded, and the romantic aspects are much more about relationships than about pantsfeels. The main character is a woman with a mysterious tragic backstory, and that backstory does not involve rape or even sexual assault. I am SO HAPPY to have found an author I can be sure will never include rape in her books.

If there were any flaws in this book - clunky phrasing, improbable reactions, cardboard characters, or whatever - they were subtle enough that I never noticed them. I can't think of anything that broke my suspension of disbelief or pulled me out of the story. That's not to say this book was perfect and will go on my list of Top 10 Best Books Ever, but it was just what I needed it to be. It was... nice. It made me happy. And that's exactly what I needed.


Tags : Amazon.com: Digital Divide (Rachel Peng Book 1) eBook: K.B. Spangler: Kindle Store,ebook,K.B. Spangler,Digital Divide (Rachel Peng Book 1),A Girl and Her Fed Books,FICTION Science Fiction Action & Adventure,FICTION Thrillers General

Digital Divide Rachel Peng Book 1 eBook KB Spangler Reviews

Don't miss this marvelous series! Rachel "Penguin" Peng is only a supporting character in K.B. Spangler's online graphic novel "A Girl and Her Fed" (look it up), but she really shines as a kick-ass cyborg cop in this ongoing series, which will reach 4 books in length with the release of "Brute Force". While some elements of the backstory are silly and absurd, the general background works just fine Rachel Peng is a combat veteran who volunteered to participate in an experimental program supposedly designed to make military and law enforcement personnel more effective through neural enhancements. This was essentially true, but the program's aims were both larger and more sinister; the designers aimed to turn talented young soldiers and cops into a corps of mind-controlled super-agents with no volition of their own. This plan was thwarted prior to "Digital Divide", but the cyborgs that survived the program are still struggling to learn the full truth behind the experimental program, to define who they are, and find a place in the world. Through her work with the Washington DC Metropolitan PD, Rachel Peng is determined to show regular folks that scary cyborgs are good people with something special to contribute, and, what's more, that she has the skills and toughness to solve difficult mysteries and overcome prejudice. While far from perfect, the Rachel Peng novels are suspenseful, fast-moving, and hard to put down. Highly recommended.
This was a very fun book. It had some ups and downs for me, but this roller coaster was much more about ups than downs.

First of all, I love this world. It's been five years since every cyborg in the world - all 350 of them - came out and said they were here, they were made by an act of Congress, no other country has people with computer chip brains, they came in peace but oh, by the way, no information is beyond their grasp.

How great is that?

It carries through, too. We get lots of delicious moments in which the cyborgs just accidentally stop acting like people laughing at jokes no one else can hear (because they're basically on the phone constantly with 349 best friends) or staring too long at nothing, because they're looking through walls at something happening two rooms over. I loved the unintended creepiness of existing beyond human capability. I also love the constant fight against doing illegal things. If you could look through walls just by thinking about it, how hard would it be not to do that without being asked first? But if you're a cop, that'd be illegal search unless you came with a valid warrant, and even then, you'd have to limit your scope to the things mere humans would consider when agreeing to the warrant. Spangler did a lot of research on 4th Amendment law, and it shows.

The main character is both non-white and gay, which is very refreshing to see, and to see handled (what seemed to me at least!) honestly and openly.

And the story. There were so many little twists and turns and details that I never quite saw what was coming next. Definitely a fun read, and parts were quite riveting.

I do wish it had been a little heavier, though. Thinking about the implications for society, the law, interpersonal relationships, including romantic ones...those were the things that had me re-reading bits that wow-ed me. Spangler really thought things out, and I wanted more of that. Also, I am a little sensitive to how the law and police procedures work, as well as mental health considerations. As with most procedurals, this one wasn't entirely accurate, but it was better than most! And there was a throwaway bit about OCD and cleanliness which just happens to hit my own obsessive buttons. It is possible that this is something the author experiences and this is how she experiences it, but it read in a way that played into a narrative I find a little frustrating.

These were minor moments, however, and did not detract overmuch from my enjoyment of this book. I will absolutely be reading the next one, and have already recommended Digital Divide to several people for the wonderful atmosphere it builds and maintains.
So the app has managed to add a feature that basically lets you chainsmoke a series - when you get to the end of a sample, there's a "buy now" link for the book, and then at the end of the first book there's a "buy now" link for the second one. I have my complaints about the user interface of the app, but that particular bit of design is brilliant.

On a related note, I just read straight through all four books in this series.

The series isn't exactly High Quality Literature, but that wasn't what I was looking for. It's framed as a police procedural, with a bunch of related mysteries to be solved the crimes being investigated (who's doing it, how, and why), the history of the cyborg program (what happened and what the end goal was, and how it was thwarted), who is an enemy and who can be considered an ally, and of course how everything is related.

It has an interesting premise - cybernetically enhanced brains - with an interesting twist - the goal of the program was not what the cyborgs were told it was - and it's framed in a way that reminds me of the saying that "the personal is political". The technical details of the chips were glossed over in favor of examining the legal, social, and psychological impacts, which I appreciated. For one thing, I find that aspect more interesting; and for another it's really hard to get the right amount of technobabble without devolving into infodumps and bulls***.

The two big characteristics that can spoil an otherwise good book for me are grimdarkness and romance, and I am happy to say that this book has just the right amount of both. There is just enough tragedy to make the characters and the plot well rounded, and the romantic aspects are much more about relationships than about pantsfeels. The main character is a woman with a mysterious tragic backstory, and that backstory does not involve rape or even sexual assault. I am SO HAPPY to have found an author I can be sure will never include rape in her books.

If there were any flaws in this book - clunky phrasing, improbable reactions, cardboard characters, or whatever - they were subtle enough that I never noticed them. I can't think of anything that broke my suspension of disbelief or pulled me out of the story. That's not to say this book was perfect and will go on my list of Top 10 Best Books Ever, but it was just what I needed it to be. It was... nice. It made me happy. And that's exactly what I needed.