Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Ballantine Books (2004), Hardcover, 246 pages
Description
In the near future, wireless bandwidth for data transmission is at a premium, with demand outstripping supply. Then a brand-new channel is discovered that allows almost infinite volumes of data to be transmitted instantaneously. But strange things are happening to the users of this bandwidth, and the most likely explanation is scariest of all: This new channel may well be the pathway the dead use to get from this life to the next. If true, and the world continues to clog it with spam, mp3s, and phone calls, what will happen to the most important journey humanity's souls will ever make?
User reviews
LibraryThing member PghDragonMan
To call a book about a bunch of dead people not being able to be pass on to wherever it is dead people are supposed to go a good fun read seems almost perverse, yet that is exactly Greg Bear’s Dead Lines is. The lines, in this case, are lines of communication, both on this plane of existence and
Part of the premise is easy enough to believe: with the proliferation of cellular cell phones and other wireless devices, we are running out of bandwidth for these devices to operate in. Enter a bizarre scientist as brilliant, misunderstood and eccentric as Nikola Tesla with a solution: he has hit upon a scheme to utilize some previously unknown, “forbidden”, frequencies that will provide unlimited bandwidth and instant communication across the entire planet. The secret to this instantaneous communication described in a manner very reminiscent of interstellar travel used in Dune, folded space. Problems arise as it becomes apparent this dimensional folding is preventing spirits of the deceased from completing their final journey and channeling some less than desirable entities back into this world.
What follows is a captivating story that, while predictable in the outcome, has just enough twists to keep the reader from being bored. Formalized religion is left out of the plot lines, but spirituality and karma heavily influences the action. While clearly a work of fiction meant to entertain readers, Greg Bear provides a lot of thought provoking material to ponder here about what happens when we die.
Filled with eccentric, well-developed and unforgettable characters, good dialog and a semi-original plot, Dead Lines weighs in at a solid four stars. If offbeat spirit filled fiction is your thing, you will enjoy this work. If you’ve ever attended a séance or seen shadow things in the corner of your eye while telling spooky stories, you will readily identify with this story.
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whatever lies beyond this world.Part of the premise is easy enough to believe: with the proliferation of cellular cell phones and other wireless devices, we are running out of bandwidth for these devices to operate in. Enter a bizarre scientist as brilliant, misunderstood and eccentric as Nikola Tesla with a solution: he has hit upon a scheme to utilize some previously unknown, “forbidden”, frequencies that will provide unlimited bandwidth and instant communication across the entire planet. The secret to this instantaneous communication described in a manner very reminiscent of interstellar travel used in Dune, folded space. Problems arise as it becomes apparent this dimensional folding is preventing spirits of the deceased from completing their final journey and channeling some less than desirable entities back into this world.
What follows is a captivating story that, while predictable in the outcome, has just enough twists to keep the reader from being bored. Formalized religion is left out of the plot lines, but spirituality and karma heavily influences the action. While clearly a work of fiction meant to entertain readers, Greg Bear provides a lot of thought provoking material to ponder here about what happens when we die.
Filled with eccentric, well-developed and unforgettable characters, good dialog and a semi-original plot, Dead Lines weighs in at a solid four stars. If offbeat spirit filled fiction is your thing, you will enjoy this work. If you’ve ever attended a séance or seen shadow things in the corner of your eye while telling spooky stories, you will readily identify with this story.
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LibraryThing member cmoore
2/5. More of a later midlife regret-filled memoir than anything else. There's little in the way of arc or character development. It's better than a doorstop, but only just.
LibraryThing member fpagan
Bear seems to have completed his evolution from a master hard-SF novelist (_Eon_, _Eternity_) to a teller of ghost stories -- Stephen-King-like stuff. Not normally my kind of thing, but I was still captured by it.
LibraryThing member tursach_anam
Like an M Night Shyamalan movie, it starts out slow and interesting and very slowly builds. That's where it diverges, as it takes a long time for it to get to the part where it's supposed to be scary... but never quite makes it. The climax takes on more of a murder mystery feel, which wasn't what I
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was looking for. Still, I always enjoy Bear's writing style and was a welcome change my my usual Sci-Fi fare. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookinmind
average for this author, but kept my attention
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
Not a bad book, but not a particularly brilliant one either. A middle-aged former softcore porn director gets roped into helping to market a new wireless phone technology. About the same time, he starts seeing ghosts, while pondering the deaths of his daughter and his best friend, and helping other
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friends deal with their own mortality. The story is engaging, but takes a long time to lead up to the climax that is already described on the back cover. Decent airplane reading, but nothing profound. The "science" is just fantasy, not anything even remotely based on reality. Show Less
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
Though he made his name in the 80s and early 90s as a hard SF writer, Greg Bear has more recently branched out into that catch-all mainstream category of techno-thriller. In this case, the SF part of things is just a means to get the ghost story that makes up most of the plot underway. This book
I must say I enjoyed this book a fair deal more than I thought I would. Its light, but well told. The characters are well drawn and though it takes a while for the creepy parts to kick in, the story of Peter Russell, an ex-softcore director and his tribulations are compelling enough reading to get you through. There is a genuine enough scary bit towards the end, and the conclusion, while not unexpected, is satisfying. Overall, this was a quick, entertaining read.
One thing I would like to point out is that the blurb at the back gives way too much away. Seeing as I picked this up because I like the author, I didn't bother reading the blurb until I was about 1/5th of the way into the book - and it STILL gave away way too much. Anyone wanting to avoid spoilers should stay away from the back cover!
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really belongs in the horror genre than anywhere else.I must say I enjoyed this book a fair deal more than I thought I would. Its light, but well told. The characters are well drawn and though it takes a while for the creepy parts to kick in, the story of Peter Russell, an ex-softcore director and his tribulations are compelling enough reading to get you through. There is a genuine enough scary bit towards the end, and the conclusion, while not unexpected, is satisfying. Overall, this was a quick, entertaining read.
One thing I would like to point out is that the blurb at the back gives way too much away. Seeing as I picked this up because I like the author, I didn't bother reading the blurb until I was about 1/5th of the way into the book - and it STILL gave away way too much. Anyone wanting to avoid spoilers should stay away from the back cover!
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Awards
Locus Recommended Reading (2004)
Language
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
320 p.; 6.89 inches
ISBN
0345448375 / 9780345448378