Friday, September 19, 2014

Book Review: City: The Mind in the Machine vol #1


Book: City: The Mind in the Machine volume #1 (issues #1-4) by Eric Garcia with illustrations by Javier Fernandez

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: October 21, 2014

Description:

Ben Fischer helped build the world's greatest surveillance system, Golden Shield, which utilizes every camera, cell phone, and computer in San Francisco to battle crime. There is only one problem: Golden Shield can't work without a human mind to operate it, resulting in a controversial melding of man and machine. Writer Eric Garcia delivers an action-packed story that questions the roles of security and technology in our modern society.


Rating: 4 stars

Review:

At first glance, the premise might seem like something you've seen before but the story is good enough to see the material in a new light. There is nothing new about technology being used to spy on people but it's the human element of the story that really drives it.

Ben Fischer was just a regular guy working for a tech firm, he even created this amazing surveillance system. But there was a huge problem with it, the system couldn't distinguish between a real problem or not. It didn't have that human factor to gauge the problem.

However, a solution to the problem came but at the expense of Ben who was injured when someone attacked the bus he was riding on. He was talked into a surprising surgery that not only restored his sight (in a way) but as well as let him connect to the surveillance system.

Ben's personality wasn't the only change but so did his connection with the surveillance system. Things were going as planned until Ben uncovered information that he wasn't supposed to and was now considered enemy number #1. Ben stumbling upon that information showed that there was more going on than just protecting people.

Despite this starting out a little slow, I found myself very interested in the story. There's action and even a little romance but definitely a thrilling story.

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