The Passengers
By John Marrs
Published Year : 2019
Page Count: 400 pages
Medium Used: Kindle PW
Genre : Scifi, Driverless Cars, Science and Technology, Thriller, Murder, Romance, 2024-read.
Rating : 4/5 😀😀😀😀
Reading this is like watching an episode of Black Mirror TV series🤑. Overall, it's a regular revenge story with some interesting twists. The writing is good and kept me hooked. I slept light last night and whenever I woke up, I picked up this book to send me back to sleep😴. It's an easy read that also managed to put a technology scare in me. Especially about self driving cars of level 5 .. where the complete control goes to AI😨 🙀!! This story is also an eye opener 🤔 to how much diligence is needed before governments can release and mandate the use of a certain technology for public use🤨. I have always maintained that there should be corporate or government regulating bodies for verification and validation of the claims of tech companies. Some people have questioned why and this book will give them a convincing example👍. The loopholes in the software are overlooked, leaving the cars open to hackers. The algorithm behind choosing an option in the event of an accident is shielded off from public knowledge and is developed to the benefit of those at the top.
Libby is a trained mental health nurse and has chosen this profession because of her brother's suicidal death to depression. On a partying occasion she meets a Jude Harrison whom she immediately forms a connection to. They are both wildly attracted to each other. But due to not exchanging proper information, they lose touch. She scrounges and trawls the internet for him but comes up with a blank. She is also a vociferous opponent to the self driving car technology and the way in which the inquests of accidents always put the humans to blame. To one such inquest, she is selected a juror. And while the inquest is going on and as usual the human victim is pushed to blame, they receive an incoming video which shows eight self driving cars hacked and their passengers being driven to a remote location and possibly to their deaths. What knocks off her breath is one of the passenger is the same guy she has been addictively searching for thr past 6 months - Jude Harrison !
The jury in the room are sealed off from leaving and they are given choice to choose a favorite candidate based on some manipulating, superficial information. The chosen person will be spared while others will be killed. One of the passengers is a pregnant woman who is taking the dead body of her husband in her trunk. Another is an old actress that has been supporting and tolerating her husband's pedophilic overtures for a long time. Another are a couple who have been backstabbing each other with lies and blackmail. The hacker doesn't reveal more than these superficial details .. although the reasons and explanations would have vindicated all of the passengers. So whom do they chose? What happens ? Will they be killed or spared? What is the grievance that took the hacker to such lengths and how much further is he going to go? What happens to Libby and her lover Jude harrison ?
I thought the surprise twist with Jude and Libby is very breathtaking and impressive. Libby's persona undergoes a change with the traumatic experience of losing so many people and I liked the tough version of her. I just thought the theme of revenge game is played too many times and had nothing new to offer. Hence one point off from the full 5. Cheers! 🍻 🥂
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