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Radio Freefall
In the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress but with a healthy dose of Radio Freefall is about a plot to take over the Earth by power-mad, sociopathic computer-geek billionaire, Walter Cheeseman. It's up to a strange cast of rock stars and oddballs to stop him. Aqualung, a mysterious blues musician who also has superhuman tech skills, might be the catalyst for the resistance--or he might just be the pawn of artificial intelligences. To thwart the takeover, the orbitals and the moon colonies secede from Earth. And then something like the Singularity happens, but no one is quite sure. This is a novel of cyberpunk and rock and roll, of technology, artificial intelligence, and wild riffs off of Heinlein all mixed into an explosive debut. Matthew Jarpe launches his SF career with a bang!
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2007
About the author
Matthew Jarpe
9 books13 followersI was born in St. Joseph, Michigan in 1966 but I grew up on a "farm" in Los Lunas, New Mexico. I use the scare quotes because we didn't actually raise much food, we just kept farm animals as pets. Well, we did eat the pigs and the chicken's eggs. I have a BS in Biology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, a well known party school in the Big Ten (where Big Ten refers to the ten biggest mining schools, of which there are actually only two, and they're not that big). I have a PhD in Biochemistry from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and I use that PhD on a daily basis as Director of Biology at Acetylon.
I wrote Radio Freefall when I was working on my postdoctoral fellowship in Denver. I found writing to be a good way to relax after a long day doing experiments. I didn't know at the time how unlikely it was I would get it published. Looking back I realize how lucky I was to get input from published authors and professional agents, and how lucky I was to meet David Hartwell, who bought and published it.
You can find out more about me at my blog.
I wrote Radio Freefall when I was working on my postdoctoral fellowship in Denver. I found writing to be a good way to relax after a long day doing experiments. I didn't know at the time how unlikely it was I would get it published. Looking back I realize how lucky I was to get input from published authors and professional agents, and how lucky I was to meet David Hartwell, who bought and published it.
You can find out more about me at my blog.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 17, 2008
(hardback). The book crams a lot of ideas: AI, evolved computer virus, music, a Bill Gates/Google stand-in, and even a space station and Lunar colony. It generally works well, and since the ideas are interesting, it makes a good read.
The story follows 2 characters as they grapple with the onset of a unified Earth government headed by the Gates surrogate. We have a rock star as one protagonist, and a geek programmer who worked for the evil corporation before getting canned. Both of them have links to the Digital Carnivore, which has turned from a Napster (1.0) like program into a super intelligence living in the Internet.
The rock star is part of a movement called Feedback; the idea is that the band can shape their performance based on the emotional and cognitive real-time feedback from the audience - as the show happens. The programmer investigates the nature of the DC. Both take the lead, however unwillingly, to fight against a world dominated by one company that knows everything about your life.
(It didn't affect how I thought of this book; my wife worked with the author. That's how I found out about the book.)
The story follows 2 characters as they grapple with the onset of a unified Earth government headed by the Gates surrogate. We have a rock star as one protagonist, and a geek programmer who worked for the evil corporation before getting canned. Both of them have links to the Digital Carnivore, which has turned from a Napster (1.0) like program into a super intelligence living in the Internet.
The rock star is part of a movement called Feedback; the idea is that the band can shape their performance based on the emotional and cognitive real-time feedback from the audience - as the show happens. The programmer investigates the nature of the DC. Both take the lead, however unwillingly, to fight against a world dominated by one company that knows everything about your life.
(It didn't affect how I thought of this book; my wife worked with the author. That's how I found out about the book.)
June 1, 2018
3 out of 5 stars
I stumbled upon Radio Freefall by Matthew Jarpe at the library recently. It isn’t a new release, I hadn’t been familiar with the author, and I can’t recall ever hearing about the novel. So, naturally, I checked it out immediately, knowing nothing but what the flap copy said – this this was a cyberpunk story with rock and roll, AIs, and technology. And you know what? It was a lot of fun.
There is a lot going on in Radio Freefall. It is the story of an Earth coming together under one government, of political unrest, of billionaires controlling everyone and everything they can, sentient computer viruses, and autonomous AIs. It is also the story of a musician finally getting the fame he deserves, of a new band shooting towards stardom, and of learning to trust. I loved reading about Aqualung and the success of the band. I also loved reading about the AIs, Digital Carnivore, and WebCense’s takeover. And I loved when these two seemingly separate plots wove together.
These many threads start out as several separate plot lines, with the narrative switching between Aqualung and Quin, especially in the beginning of the novel. However, all of these threads come together to weave a complex tale of music, technology, and politics. Our main characters are not saints, though. Despite being extraordinarily gifted at their respective careers, both have their flaws. Quin is paranoid. Aqualung is slow to trust and uncomfortable giving out advice to his younger band mates, even when the advice is looked for.
The novel was a fun read. The Freefall technology was interesting. The concept of a world government coming together was fun to read about and would probably appeal to fans of Malka Older’s Centennal Cycle series. The AIs, their autonomy, and subculture was also fascinating. Some of the world building could have been fleshed out a bit. For all of the AIs in the story, we don’t know much about them or their culture. Walter Cheeseman, head of WebCense, seems to have no motives for his actions other than greed, and feels a bit two dimensional.
While the conclusion left little to the imagination, wrapping all the threads of the story together quite nicely, it did feel just a little rushed. We learn what happens to Aqualung and the rest of his band members through a news article, not through the dialogue or prose that comprised the majority of the rest of the novel. This certainly provided proper closure to multiple character’s story lines, but it created a certain distance that wasn’t present in the rest of the novel.
Despite this, Radio Freefall was a fun read overall. I enjoyed my time with this book, and would definitely read more books by Matthew Jarpe. If you like cyberpunk or rock and roll I would suggest giving this book a read.
This review can be originally found on Looking Glass Reads.
I stumbled upon Radio Freefall by Matthew Jarpe at the library recently. It isn’t a new release, I hadn’t been familiar with the author, and I can’t recall ever hearing about the novel. So, naturally, I checked it out immediately, knowing nothing but what the flap copy said – this this was a cyberpunk story with rock and roll, AIs, and technology. And you know what? It was a lot of fun.
There is a lot going on in Radio Freefall. It is the story of an Earth coming together under one government, of political unrest, of billionaires controlling everyone and everything they can, sentient computer viruses, and autonomous AIs. It is also the story of a musician finally getting the fame he deserves, of a new band shooting towards stardom, and of learning to trust. I loved reading about Aqualung and the success of the band. I also loved reading about the AIs, Digital Carnivore, and WebCense’s takeover. And I loved when these two seemingly separate plots wove together.
These many threads start out as several separate plot lines, with the narrative switching between Aqualung and Quin, especially in the beginning of the novel. However, all of these threads come together to weave a complex tale of music, technology, and politics. Our main characters are not saints, though. Despite being extraordinarily gifted at their respective careers, both have their flaws. Quin is paranoid. Aqualung is slow to trust and uncomfortable giving out advice to his younger band mates, even when the advice is looked for.
The novel was a fun read. The Freefall technology was interesting. The concept of a world government coming together was fun to read about and would probably appeal to fans of Malka Older’s Centennal Cycle series. The AIs, their autonomy, and subculture was also fascinating. Some of the world building could have been fleshed out a bit. For all of the AIs in the story, we don’t know much about them or their culture. Walter Cheeseman, head of WebCense, seems to have no motives for his actions other than greed, and feels a bit two dimensional.
While the conclusion left little to the imagination, wrapping all the threads of the story together quite nicely, it did feel just a little rushed. We learn what happens to Aqualung and the rest of his band members through a news article, not through the dialogue or prose that comprised the majority of the rest of the novel. This certainly provided proper closure to multiple character’s story lines, but it created a certain distance that wasn’t present in the rest of the novel.
Despite this, Radio Freefall was a fun read overall. I enjoyed my time with this book, and would definitely read more books by Matthew Jarpe. If you like cyberpunk or rock and roll I would suggest giving this book a read.
This review can be originally found on Looking Glass Reads.
December 4, 2014
This delightful SF novel's action ranges from Des Moines to space station Freefall. The CEO of a computer company (motto: "be evil") wants to take over the Earth (and the Moon). His embittered ex-employee wants his stolen invention back. The lead singer of a rock band is on the run from the mob. Add artificial intelligences and revolution, and the result is a fine first novel and a fun ride. Recommended for fans of nets 'n' drugs 'n' rock'n'roll.
January 25, 2020
Jarpe, Matthew. Radio Freefall. Tor, 2007.
Matthew Jarpe seems to have passed up a promising start as a science fiction author for a no-doubt more lucrative job in the straight world, but Radio Freefall gives us a good hint at what we are missing. In a near-future world, a number of AIs have become sentient, as has a virus that has infected almost every chip on the planet. Corporate bigwigs want control, and to get it they have to track down the hackers who originally created the virus. We also follow the career of an aging blues-rock musician with tech skills who uses a computer program to read and control the mood of his audience. The tech is believable and the whole thing reads like a William Gibson novel mashed up with the 1984 film Eddie and the Cruisers about the musician who pulls a Rimbaud-like disappearing act. Maybe it is time for Jarpe to make his comeback.
Matthew Jarpe seems to have passed up a promising start as a science fiction author for a no-doubt more lucrative job in the straight world, but Radio Freefall gives us a good hint at what we are missing. In a near-future world, a number of AIs have become sentient, as has a virus that has infected almost every chip on the planet. Corporate bigwigs want control, and to get it they have to track down the hackers who originally created the virus. We also follow the career of an aging blues-rock musician with tech skills who uses a computer program to read and control the mood of his audience. The tech is believable and the whole thing reads like a William Gibson novel mashed up with the 1984 film Eddie and the Cruisers about the musician who pulls a Rimbaud-like disappearing act. Maybe it is time for Jarpe to make his comeback.
April 12, 2020
A surprisingly insightful read, perhaps even a bit clairvoyant. But, ultimately, it's primarily a fun sci-fi romp through rock concerts, corporate espionage, global unification in Guadalajara, Moon and satellite nations, AIs, and false identities.
Radio Freefall has at its heart a question of the nuts and bolts of what makes us who we are: our origins, our personality, our moods, our tastes? It refrains from giving a clear answer, but it certainly takes joy in its individualism.
Radio Freefall has at its heart a question of the nuts and bolts of what makes us who we are: our origins, our personality, our moods, our tastes? It refrains from giving a clear answer, but it certainly takes joy in its individualism.
August 18, 2020
This is a quiet book, with a beating heart, a portrait of a lived-in future. The story is adequate, the setting convincing and the characters sympathetic. This is not a story which will set the world ablaze with revolution and mayhem, rather a thoughtful future scenario that explores human choices in a technological complex. Dystopias get all the press because they are sensational, but this is the sort of story that actually helps people cope in a world which can seem out of control.
April 24, 2023
rock and roll music as a weapon of war in space?? such a weird concept gives as weird a scifi novel as you'd imagine, but there are cool characters and an interesting anti-corporation theme throughout, so would generally recommend :)
January 29, 2008
The author is a former student of my advisor's, as can be told by a number of biological chemistry references in the story, such as the hit band Sex Lethal (a famous gene in sex determination in Drosophila) or the evil corporation LDL (low-density lipoprotein, colloquially known as "bad cholesterol").
Pleasant enough to read, if you like science fiction, but best not scrutinize the plot too carefully.
Pleasant enough to read, if you like science fiction, but best not scrutinize the plot too carefully.
January 16, 2016
In Matthew Jarpe's debut, a megalomaniac software billionaire wants to take over the world. Arrayed against this dastardly plan are a disparate bunch of rock stars and genius hackers who just might be able to mount a resistance, if they could keep off the drugs long enough to plan coherently. But with the assistance of our hero Quin Taber's very illegal AI sidekick, and a sentient computer virus, they might just pull the irons out of the fire. A pretty decent first novel.
January 1, 2008
"Radio Freefall" was recommended to me by a friend who has read hundreds of books. I did not have a musical/band background, so much of that aspect of the book was new to me, but the futuristic picture painted by Jarpe was very realistic, as was his insight into geek culture. I enjoyed reading this book, and recommend it to any sci-fi or music fans.
August 27, 2008
Mix geek culture with rock band culture with drug culture, and put it all in the near-ish future, and you have a good read. This book is oddly compelling, and I look forward to more from this author.
I love it when I find such an original work at the local library. I make it a point to try a new author each time I head over there. This book made me continue the practice.
I love it when I find such an original work at the local library. I make it a point to try a new author each time I head over there. This book made me continue the practice.
July 26, 2009
This turned out to be a great book. I'm not usually impressed with character based books (verses plot/world/galaxy builders) but this book's characters gripped me from the first page to the last.
I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of (semi)-cyber-punk and music in general.
- Brad
January 22, 2016
This was a very fun read, well written and interesting. It is very approachable and is even non-sci-fi fans will find a lot to love. It would also make a great movie. I challenge anyone to read it and not think of Jeff Bridges as Aqualung.
June 19, 2009
A fun read. Nice mix of music, sci fi, and politics.
April 10, 2010
Maybe it's just me, but Radio Freefall felt like a fresh look at the future, well needed. Really enjoyable read, good fun. I am now afraid of the internet(irrational paranoia).
Want to read
December 21, 2010xmas present from friend
November 7, 2011
Quick read. The story was engaging and through proving. Set in the not too distant future this novel explores the dynamics of technology, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.
November 23, 2011
Easy to read. Not too bad for a first book. Aqualung was too good to be true. Plot was kind of predictable.
July 15, 2012
I admit, a lot of the jargon went right over my head, but this was an intriguing look at what the future could be like.
Read
October 21, 2014Radio Free Fall 11212007
Ok si-fi
Ok si-fi
July 13, 2010
Sex, Drugs, 'n' Rock 'n' Roll. In the future. In space. I cyberspace! Sounds like a plan to me.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews