Scan barcode
A review by hedonicbooks
The Passengers by John Marrs
5.0
Stop whatever you're doing. I need to tell you about this book, ok?
First of all, I'd like to congratulate myself for picking it as my first read of 2022. I honestly don't know why I've waited so long to read my second book by John Marrs. It's been over a year since I read The One, which I loved and became one of my favourite books. What a grave error I've made. But nevermind, I'm currently embarking on a binge read and I'll probably be done with all of his published books in a couple of months.
The Passengers has quite the terrifying premise, to be honest. We have 8 driverless cars, all of them carrying 8 seemingly innocent people. The cars have been hacked and now the passengers' lives are in the hands of their peers and the public.
Here's how I see it. The book is obviously about the influence of technological advancement, artificial intelligence and social media on humankind, but more than that I think it's about people, their flaws and insecurities, their ability to make decisions and suffer the consequences. It's just so clever and perfectly balanced, and while some of the plot twists I've managed to guess, most of them left me feeling breathless. I do enjoy a good plot twist. :D
I absolutely love the structure of the book. Everything is nicely played out, we start by hating the Hacker for abducting these poor people, but then as the plot progresses we begin to understand that they're not that innocent after all. We get to know every passenger individually, there's a shocking discovery thrown at us and then they're cut off, unable to defend themselves only to have the truth come out later. I think it's brilliant and it shows how easily people judge without thinking about the other side of the story or the consequences of their decisions. And it makes you think how hungry for power we all are, even if we don't acknowledge it.
I'm just in awe of this author and I hope you give his books a chance. If you're a fan of thrillers, you're definitely not going to be disappointed.
There are a lot of quotes I really liked, but this one made me chuckle:
"Bringing the death back to life; travelling at the speed of light; standing at a supermarket checkout and not looking at what the person in front of you has put on the conveyer belt - they are impossible things. Voting for someone to die whom you've never met? Not so impossible."
First of all, I'd like to congratulate myself for picking it as my first read of 2022. I honestly don't know why I've waited so long to read my second book by John Marrs. It's been over a year since I read The One, which I loved and became one of my favourite books. What a grave error I've made. But nevermind, I'm currently embarking on a binge read and I'll probably be done with all of his published books in a couple of months.
The Passengers has quite the terrifying premise, to be honest. We have 8 driverless cars, all of them carrying 8 seemingly innocent people. The cars have been hacked and now the passengers' lives are in the hands of their peers and the public.
Here's how I see it. The book is obviously about the influence of technological advancement, artificial intelligence and social media on humankind, but more than that I think it's about people, their flaws and insecurities, their ability to make decisions and suffer the consequences. It's just so clever and perfectly balanced, and while some of the plot twists I've managed to guess, most of them left me feeling breathless. I do enjoy a good plot twist. :D
I absolutely love the structure of the book. Everything is nicely played out, we start by hating the Hacker for abducting these poor people, but then as the plot progresses we begin to understand that they're not that innocent after all. We get to know every passenger individually, there's a shocking discovery thrown at us and then they're cut off, unable to defend themselves only to have the truth come out later. I think it's brilliant and it shows how easily people judge without thinking about the other side of the story or the consequences of their decisions. And it makes you think how hungry for power we all are, even if we don't acknowledge it.
I'm just in awe of this author and I hope you give his books a chance. If you're a fan of thrillers, you're definitely not going to be disappointed.
There are a lot of quotes I really liked, but this one made me chuckle:
"Bringing the death back to life; travelling at the speed of light; standing at a supermarket checkout and not looking at what the person in front of you has put on the conveyer belt - they are impossible things. Voting for someone to die whom you've never met? Not so impossible."