An early warning alarm about the Internet of Things. If the building doesn't kill you, the search for a well-developed character might.

*** the judges would have also accepted "Now *that*'s brutalist!" ***
5 s Puzzle23

Well... die Idee (intelligentes Gebäude entwickelt Eigenleben) ist gut, die Umsetzung katastrophal. Der Grund für den Fehler im System ist lächerlich und etwas hanebüchen, aber es wird gleichzeitig versucht, dies biblisch und philosophisch sowie mit Feng Shui zu unterfüttern. Zwischendurch fast peinlich.

Die Geschwindigkeit des Buches ist am Anfang sehr zäh (erstmal passiert 250 Seiten lang kaum was, außer dass alle ätzend zueinander sind, sich anfeinden und/oder fremdgehen), die Todesursachen, die das Gebäude sich nach Infahrtkommen der Geschichte ausdenkt, sind aber teilweise belustigend kreativ. Nur macht es den Rest leider nicht wett, da der Computer selbst unsympathisch ist und redet, als sei er auf Drogen.

Alle Charaktere sind extrem eindimensional, aber sich fast alle in ihrem Denken, Handeln und Sprechen derart ähnlich, dass ich am Ende nicht mehr weiß, wie viele Figuren in diesem Gebäude gefangen waren... hilft auch nicht, dass dauernd zwischen Vor- und Nachnamen gewechselt wird.

Die Übersetzung ist stellenweise sehr holprig, der Stil aber vermutlich auch im Original nicht gut. Seltsame Dialoge, sexistische, dickenfeindliche und rassistische Ansichten, ständiger Perspektivwechsel, aber nur für 1-2 Sätze (Typ lüstet Frau an, wir lesen kurz ihre Gedanken, dass sie das eklig findet, dann wieder Rest der Handlung aus Sicht des Typen). Überhaupt, alle Typen krass unsympathisch.

Fazit: Muss niemand gelesen haben!once-is-enough2 s ?????114 19

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? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????????. ? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ??????. ? ??? ???????????, ? ??? ???????? ???????????? ??? ??????, ??????????? ??? ?????????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ?????. ?? ??????????? ????? ??? "?????????? ??????" ?? ????? ?????????. ???? ???????? ??????????, ??? ?? ???????? ????? ??? ????????, ??????????? ??? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ???????????. ??? ???????? ??? ????????? ?????????? ???????? ?? ?????????????? ????? ??????. ? ??????????? ?????????? ?? ????????? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ??????????? ??????????? ??? ????????? ???. ?? ??????????? ???? ??????? ???????? ???? ??? ???????????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?????. (??? ??? ?????????? ??? ??????????? ??? ???????)
????????? ? ??????? ??? ???????, ????????? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???. ? ?????????? ?????? ??? ??????????????(;) ??????, ???? ?? ??????????? ?????????? ???????? ??? ?????????? ????. ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????????? ??? ????? ??? ??????????? ??? ?????????? ?? ????? ??????????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?????????. ? ??????? ????? ??? ? ????? ????? ???????????? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ????????? ????? ??? ????????? ??????, ???? ????? ?????????? ? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ????????????, ??????????? ??? ????. 2 s Francisco73 10

I cannot say this was a bad book: its storytelling is fluent, you can't say you get bored along the way... But I have to admit it was somehow cheesy. The motivation of the computer for all it does is... freak, the ways Kerr uses technical concepts is just about believable, there's no deep wisdom, no moral in the novel (apart from the predictible "Techonology is not always the answer; we need to get in touch with physical reality")... Gridiron is "readable", but not the wonder A Philosophical Investigation was. 2 s Stephen1,657 110

Some modern architecture might make you want to kill yourself. Other modern architecture might try to kill you directly. The Yu Corporation's newest project in Los Angeles, derisively called "The Gridiron" by everyone except for its starchitect, is an example of the latter. The Grid is the pinnacle of not only the kind of architectural brilliance it takes to make viewers wish fervently for a good disaster to remove the eyesore, but of integrated computer technology. It is the world's first wholly "smart" building, in which every supporting system of the building -- even the physical structure of the building itself -- is controlled by a computer. It is a technocrat's greatest hope: people can't even use the elevators or enter doors without being authorized by the computer as having legitimate business within the building. And if they try to attend to their own 'personal' business -- using the restroom, for instance -- their leavings are automatically scrutinized, subjected to not only a drug test but health screenings. A system this complex is bound to go wrong, and it does: with less than a week to go before the grand opening, people start dying. At first it seems a rash of bad accidents, but then the characters realize the building itself is trying to kill them -- but why? Did a deranged ex-employee sabotage its programming, or has it developed intelligence and decided to remove its internal carbon-unit infestation?

For someone accustomed to Kerr's historical mysteries set in Germany, this is startling different work. In terms of literary craftsmanship, Kerr has grown by leaps and bounds since penning this. Much of the dialogue is forced, canned lines from a television show. The increasing tension itself carries the novel forward, as the true source behind the mysterious deaths is revealed. Of interest to modern readers is the technology, which -- astonishingly -- within our grasp if not already achieved today. No one can read this today without thinking of the rising "internet of things", although we have more to fear from outside sources hijacking those devices and using them against us than we have of our house trying to kill us. Readers from the 1990s may remember the Sandra Bullock movie, "The Net": at times, the book has that feel, of the building being an entity that can do anything -- even interfacing with a police department's internal network and suspending two officers to keep them trapped in the building -- and the futurism has the occasional short-sighted pockmark, the fact that people use film cameras despite living in a world of holograms. The increasingly frequent trips inside the 'building's brain grew tedious because of their weirdness, but on the whole I enjoyed this. It's not stellar, but still topical. Too bad Kerr has never tried to revisit techno-thrillers -- I'd to see what a more experienced hand produces.

Related:
The Fear Index, Robert Harrisartificial-intelligence digital-world los-angeles ...more1 Carlos679 23

Tras la lectura de “Una investigación filosófica”, me propuse indagar más sobre la obra de Philip Kerr; esta novela, a medio camino entre la ciencia ficción, el “thriller” y la propuesta filosófica de Ludwig Wittgenstein, me pareció bastante entretenida, y podía observar en la narrativa de Kerr un oficio literario si no brillante, al menos altamente logrado. Aunque años ha que realicé esa lectura. Nunca hallé libro alguno de este británico, hasta hace poco, que ojeé el libro “El infierno digital”, un “tecno-thriller” muy recomendado por los suplementos literarios de diversas publicaciones anglosajonas. Pero, oh decepción: una vez que se avanza algunas páginas, se da uno cuenta de que esta obra cae en muchos lugares comunes, y que la trama no resulta interesante (cabe aclarar que el libro fue escrito en 1995, por lo que muchas de sus propuestas, entonces seguramente originales y novedosas, hoy nos parecen sosas y convencionales).
En un edifico inteligente, regido por una súper computadora llamada Abraham, comienzan a ocurrir inexplicables muertes; y nadie sospecharía de quién podría ser el verdadero asesino –sí, cómo no–. Una obra que nos remite irremediablemente a Hal, el protagonista de “2001: Una odisea espacial”.
Reconocido por sus “thrillers” policiacos y su acercamiento a la novela negra (en 2009 obtuvo el III Premio RBA de Novela Negra), Kerr me ha parecido, al final de cuentas, un escritor “bestselleriano”; debí quedarme con “Una investigación filosófica” (aunque, a raíz de mi repaso reciente, no sé si releerlo: quizá ya no me parezca tan logrado libro).1 Panagiotis348 86

????? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ??????? ?????? ????????????? ????????? ??? ?? ??? ???????? ??????????? ? ?????????? ??? ??????????. ???? ???????? ?????? ?? ???????? ???????????? ?? ??? ???????? ??? ?? ??????????? ?????? ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ???????.
?? ???? ?? story ??? ??? ?????? ??? ????????? ??? ?? ??? ????????? ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ?????? ?????, ????????? ????? ??? ??????????? ?????????, ??????? ? Kerr ??????? ???????? ??? ??????????, ?? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???? ???? ??? ''? ???????? ??? ?????????'' ?? ??? ??????????? ??????? ????? ??? ???????? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ? Kerr ??? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???.
????? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????????? ???? ???????? ?? ??????????? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??????????? ??? ?????? ???? ?.?. ??? ? ???????? ????????????? ??? ??????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ''??????? ????????? ???? ??? ?????? (Walter Gropius) ? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? (Mies van der Rohe). ?? ???????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ????????? ??? armchair barcelona ???? ???????????? ??????? ??? ?? ??????? ??? 20?? ????? ?? ????????? ??????????. ? ???????? ?????????? ?? ???? 1,5/5 ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?????????? ?? ??? ????????????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ?????????.1 Michael276 8

There is a lot wrong with this book but I architecture and am not without some background knowledge of building systems and computers, which accounts for my initial interest. Unfortunately, one of my main complaints is the overly detailed descriptions of highly complex building computer systems were supposed to create the tension but merely left me baffled and out of my depth.
This is basically a 1970’s disaster movie set in a building. The attempts to create a menacing AI-gone-rogue were confusing and misguided. It would have been more terrifying had the author simply used cascading effects of bad logic trains within the various building systems. As it is, it’s a fairly hokey premise: an iteration of the computer gets mixed with a kids video game?
The characters were another problem. Too many and fairly thinly drawn. It takes real writing skill to manage a large cast of characters and that skill was not used. The main architect was basically a caricature of an asshole, vaguely redeemed at the end.
The bits of cautionary homilies spread throughout seemed heavy-handed and unnecessary. They certainly annoyed me!
I get what the author was trying to create in this book but I think he reached a considerable distance above his skill level. 1 Andrew McClarnon374 4

This was a re-read after 20 + years, and a surprising amount of the plot and characterisation had vanished in that time. What had remained was a nagging sense that this was a book worth revisiting, and in a post 9/11, Hauwei, Covid setting it all became strangely clear why its presence on the bookshelf had been insistent. Its a bit hard bolied and sexist in the moment by moment story, but what a great idea, and what a lot to think about. Pity that film never materialised, it could still be a tale to tell, and so sad that PK's early death cut such stories so short.1 Mel322 4

A rogue computer turns on the inhabitants of the smart building it controls. It’s inventive, if nothing else. I can’t say I’d recommend it, although there are a few plot points that lent just enough tension to the narrative to keep me reading. The less said about the characterisations, the slightly cringeworthy portrayal of the female protagonists and the mercifully few, brief sex scenes, the better really.
It’s a bit of nonsense to distract you if you’ve nothing else to hand. It wasn’t awful.1 Captain Curmudgeon75 6

Theme would have been dated in 1975, let alone 1995. Same
old thinking computer takes over. Can't get even the most trivial details of software or hardware right. I was rooting for the computer to kill them all but it didn't.fiction1 Christopher Alden151 1 follower

The Grid is a perfect genre thriller. Once the characters get trapped inside the building, it's not a mean feat to predict who lives and who dies. However, the story is unpredictable in how the people die, why the building is trying to kill them and how the other characters survive.

This is the first book by Philip Kerr that I've read. The pace is fast, the plot moves along well and I d the short sections that make up the books that this novel is divided into. Then there was the technology aspect of the story. Being written in 1995, I was curious as to how the portrayed technology would stand up to today's tech. I wasn't disappointed because I felt that most of it held it's own in terms of creative innovations.

I also admired how prescient Kerr's writing and ideas were, especially when compared with today's AI systems. "... the more complex is system is ... the more unpredictable it becomes ..." This is truth come to light and power and reality in today's world what with AI and algorithms that cannot be understood by the designers of such.

The Grid is a good beach or late night read that will have you being perhaps a bit more cautious every time you enter a new high rise. I enjoyed the ride enough to read more of Philip Kerr.fiction horror1 Stuart106 1 follower

Boy, did some of the previous hoipoloi reviewers get it wrong. No way did this novel rate a 2 star.
Character development was fine. But what most impressed me was the forward thinking about artificial intelligence and it's potential for causing great harm. This was published in 1995. Now, 28 years later it's 2023, and AI is one of the hottest topics of the day as computers are capable of greater learning and with that the ability to generate novel ideas, fake videos, paintings, etc.
The capacity to do harm that's directed by humans is here. The greater fear is that of AI to direct it's own actions.
The computer-run building in this book utilizes all these abilities. It becomes a malevolent force and one which appears unstoppable.
I highly recommend this book.
If you appreciate the works of Michael Chrichton you will be impressed and highly entertained. William585 21

Not a whole lot to say other than it is what it is: a book about a smart building that wants its inhabitants dead. There were some rather interesting ways the building's computer came up with to kill the people trapped inside: electrocution, drowning, gassing and by creating a vacuum within a room and causing the human inside to basically implode. However, it got a little silly at times, when the computer sprayed insecticide at the humans as they tried to move about. Anyways, it's B-movie good, but not the best horror I've read in the last few years.sf Nikos18

????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ????????????? ???? ???? ????????? ???? ?????????????. ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? ??? ??? ???? ??????. ?????? ???????????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???????? ??? ????????. ?????? ?? sci-fi ??????????, ?? ??? ?????????? ??????????? ??? ??????? ??? ????????. ???????, ??????? ?? ????????????? ??????? ??? ???. Lorraine McCleary1,023

Story of a computer controlled building that finds inventive ways to kill it's occupants. Very "Lawnmower Man", not very original and lacks empathy for the deceased. A very technical sci fi novel, boring to me. Sohil4 2

The book has the now quintessential plot of an AI awakening though in a different premise of architecture and buildings. The situations are well created but sometimes don't connect and the ending is a bit sudden.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Courtney Cleary3 1 follower

Couldn’t get past the lack of character development and the way that female characters are sexualized and demeaned. A main character is neglecting and cheating on his wife, who’s suffering emotionally from a miscarriage, and he feels zero remorse. For me, unreadable. Alex70 3

Pretty good, but not the sum of its (mechanical) parts.used-to-own videogames-technology vintage-publishing Ingrid Verschelling472 28

Gelezen febr. 19961996 Agustinus Lawandy6 2

Some interesting grid issues were discussed, but nothing not already well known Donna Halloran859

The story was decent. The characters were ok. The parts where the computer "talked" made it barely tolerable Jane Myers570 4

I remember loving this book when I read it years ago but struggled to get into it this time round. Still a good techno story but too much computer speak David HollywoodAuthor 6 books2

Good, paced thriller where the main character is the building and the occupants the victims. Enjoyable. Rosen Petkov3

Great. Just great! dersteppenwolf188 20

2.8 Lemonade94

Good book.
Focus on technology taking over the world (which it is) and makes you realise the dangers of the new technological world. Richard Dow86

also known as Gridiron El Hombrecito Gris12 1 follower

Molaba más HAL 9000 Bright Boy Books157 2 Shelved as 'mountain-loop'

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