Review: Couldn't put it down
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 23, 2013
Information Cloud by Peter J. West is an action packed science fiction novel that takes place in a technologically advanced future where a decades old government is under attack by a terrorist organization called the Kamari. Cinnamon City is ruled by the Council of Lords which no one has seen for several years and they are under the protection of Central Command. The head of Central command, Gail Thompson has just sent a transmission to Commander Nick Chambers stating where the Kamari base is along with orders to attack.Unbeknownst to Central Command the message has been intercepted by Riser Trent, a hacker working for  the Mekinet News corporation. At Riser's disposal is the information cloud which is a swarm of remote control droids that he can use to give himself enhanced powers and let him have awareness of everything that the droids sense. Riser's new power has made him an enemy of both Central Command and the Kamari. A three way battle for Cinnamon City has begun and there may be no survivors.Information Cloud is a fast paced novel that is hard to put down. It has a great story, interesting characters and the descriptions of all the futuristic technology is fascinating. I loved the explanation on how the information cloud works as well as the description of the equipment that they use such as the crocs, roaches, crab scanners and the bull rangers. The scenes where the Bull Rangers are tearing up the Kamari base were my favorite and I loved the way the Kamari deal with the problemAlong with the political commentary and great battle scenes. Information Cloud also has a good human interest story. Under Nick Chamber's command is his former lover Rachel Henson. The couple has a daughter named Lisa who is in a building thats close to the battlezone. The two parents have to put aside their differences and decide how to save their daughter and follow orders at the same time. I enjoyed how the couple both come up with different solutions to their problem and both doubted that they made the right decision.Another thing I liked about Information Cloud is how the author lets the reader decide who the villain is. Both the Kamari and Central Command have their good points and bad points. Neither side is presented as being good, the leaders of both organizations come across as uncaring and power hungry while the people in the middle of the battle are put in a sympathetic light.One complaint that I've read about Information Cloud was that there was not enough backstory  to The Cinnamon City government and the Kamari, but I think if the author would have focused more on the backstory it would have taken away from the action and the human element of the story. While there are political elements to the story, its more about the people who are affected by the two organizations and how they react to the world around them. Information Cloud is an excellent book and I can't wait for future installments in the story.