Review: Let's call it 3.5 stars rounded up
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2012
Note: I was provided a copy of Resistance for review purposes.Resistance, formerly called Absorption, is a very interesting take on sci-fi space opera that blends elements of classical imperialism with ideas about nanotechnology. The protagonist, Brett Johnson, is first introduced to the reader while he examines a survivor of a massacre supposedly masterminded by the political elite of Oceania, a non-federated planet that relies on nanotechnology and an overmind for political rule. Weisman develops the plot by jumping forward in time, promoting his protagonist and having him inserted into Oceanian politics ten years after the massacre. This is where he falls in love with Ariel, an Oceanian socialite and member of the elite ruling class, who are called Neurons. Oceanians participate in the hive mind at varying levels of intensity, with Neurons being the highest level.In a twist, Major Johnson realizes that the true enemy is not who he thought, and has to decide how to react. Overall, I found Resistance to be an engaging and thought provoking tale. It did, however, fall somewhat short in a few key areas - some of the character relationships seemed to develop suddenly, and ended abruptly in unexpected ways. The antagonists were a bit cliche. I found these issues to be offset by interesting scenes, and inventive imagining of what a future living with nanotechnology might mean. The importance of exploring the ideas of always on, ubiquitous information cannot be understated. Resistance was good enough at exploring nanotechnology concepts that I'll keep my eyes open for more work from Weisman. At .99 cents, the e-book is a good value, and comes recommended, especially to value minded readers who enjoy technology speculative (tech-spec) science fiction.