Nick's Reviews > Small Miracles

Published in 2009 and set in the then very near future, this book is an exercise in assuming advances in science that are too fast, an unusual problem in speculative fiction. Because of that, there are odd juxtapositions, like the nanotech, super-advanced WiFi, and apparently the inability of the U.S. Government to do simple arithmetic...I mean, if you know who has been exposed to a possible contamination, and you know the contamination is serious, then wouldn't you TEST those exposed? A test is proposed, within the story, and that seems to get forgotten, as does at least one character, who wanders back in toward the end of the epilogue.
The basic concept is that, for no apparent reason, the development of two major advances in nano-tech are worked on by a company for an advanced combat suit for police and military purposes. The suit itself is amazingly cool as a concept, but they also threw in medical nanobots that can injected from the suit in an emergency. For me, this is where a major story problem developed, because the biotech folks at the company glossed over some major details in how the system works, and how the body gets rid of the nanobots after their job is done.
Also, one of the central characters becomes less interesting and less sympathetic over the course of the story, due to plot complications after a serious injury, and that also hurts the readability of the story.
The nanotech/artificial intelligence part of the story is techno-horror of a type that writers like Michael Crichton did so well with, but here...it's scary without being convincing. Yes, IF these things happened, it would be horrible, but I came away unconvinced that they COULD happen.
So, the story was mostly good, and I finished it, but it seemed like it could have been much better.