The Isaac Project by Joe Vadalma

Submit Your Own Review

This very interesting book poses the question: Is the creation of a human-like robot possible with today’s technology? Joe Vadalma asks this question and through his original and realistic characters delves into the scientific field of artificial intelligence to find the answer to such a question. The language that Vadalma uses can be quite technical throughout the book, but all of the technical terminology used is explained well so even the most computer illiterate person can understand what is being said by the characters without too much confusion. The book is quite largely based around AI (Artificial Intelligence) and is very interesting to read about in a fiction novel, all of it being very realistic, none of the AI discussed is either farfetched nor is it over exaggerated at any point.

The thing that caught my attention the most was how realistic and different each character in the novel was. You have many different characters each with their own perspectives and views on the project and not all characters are meant to be loved by the reader. Vadalma has very cleverly planned each character to suit his story and each character comes out through many different interactions. Having so many unique characters can be a very positive thing if used properly, it allows the author to create diverse relationships and this is seen throughout the book. The story unfolds with the professional life each character leads, but also their private and social life is also revealed. It is also very interesting to see that there is not just one character that tells the whole story. Each character has their own part in telling the story which I feel makes the story more realistic, more personal and more interesting to the reader. Another great thing about this book is how there is real information from the everyday world incorporated and woven into the plot, sometimes in a very subtle manner but gives the reader even more to value as they read the story.

The only fault that I could find in the book was whilst reading this book I noticed consistant spelling errors or incomplete words throughout. Though this doesn’t take too much away from the story itself, it is noticeable and it may have a negative impact on those reading the novel. It is only a minimal discrepancy that can easily be fixed to enhance the quality of Vadalma’s work.

The end of the book is somewhat unexpected and quite abrupt. All in all, this book was very interesting and the author, who is a retired technical computer writer, puts together a good story with good characters, interesting views on technology and a good answer to the question is the creation of a human-like robot possible with today’s technology? With conflict between the department of defence and the people who made the android, you will definitely enjoy everything that this book has to offer. For all those science fiction fans that enjoy stories about androids and technology stepping into the unknown, you will find this book very entertaining.

Review by Jason Damman

Note: This review is subject to copyright. This review may not be used for reproduction or other purposes unknown to the author of this review.

© 2005 Jason Damman

Sponsor ads