Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: WWW: Wonder

By Sandy Amazeen Apr 21, 2011, 2:48 GMT

"A writer of boundless confidence and bold scientific extrapolation" (New York Times) concludes his mindbending trilogy. Webmind-the vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged from the infrastructure of the World Wide Web-has proven its worth to humanity by aiding in everything from curing cancer to easing international tensions. But the brass at the Pentagon see Webmind as a threat that needs to be eliminated. Caitlin Decter-the once-blind sixteen-year-old math ...more

Sawyer’s final installment of the WWW trilogy finds Caitlin Decter, the previously blind sixteen-year-old math whiz who first discovered and bonded with an artificial intelligence known as Webmind, making a dramatic public announcement revealing Webmind’s presence. Evolved from the Internet, Webmind is seen as a serious threat and Pentagon artificial intelligence expert Colonel Peyton Hume is determined to destroy it by any means necessary. This despite Webmind’s obvious aid in finding a possible cancer cure and assisting people with a range of problems worldwide. Caitlin is desperate to protect her friend but when the hackers charged with dismantling Webmind from the inside begin disappearing, keeping the evolving A.I. safe may prove beyond her.

In the tradition of the best science fiction, this provides a thought-provoking look at humanity’s reaction to one possible future scenario while allowing Sawyer a format to express his personal ideologies. The many subplots of Wake and Watch are neatly tied up while delivering plenty of action making this a solid conclusion to the trilogy.