Still wrapping my head around it...

I'm a huge fan of Suarez previous work, and his set of Daemon and Freedom TM is my favorite story. That being said, I must say I never got attached to the main character in this book. He is a bit of a bleeding heart, who I personally would never see eye to eye with... but I'm leaving that out of my criticism here, being that's a personal taste thing.
It's the tactical errors he makes I'm mostly bothered by. I can't divulge without giving up plot points, but I will say he places himself in some precarious positions through sheer stupidity, and blind faith.
I would have enjoyed a little more development from the partner's (Yi) investigative side.
With the bleeding heart male figure, and women who lead by force, and the main characters metamorphosis resembling a very 'active' Hollywood Star currently making movies at a feverish pace (you smell what I'm cookin?) it Feels as if it were written for the big screen, which I'm hoping for Suarez sake that happens. He absolutely deserves it. I just wish someone would make a big budget version of Daemon for the big screen instead.

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37 people found this helpful

A terrifying look into our future

I really enjoyed Daemon by Daniel Suarez so when I saw that Change Agent was coming out, I had to get it. I pre-ordered it from Audible (something I rarely do) and the day that it arrived I was lucky that I was just about to finish the last book I started.

Change Agent is a story about Kenneth Durand an Interpol agent who is mysteriously changed into someone that he is not. Not just a small change either, but a full change. So much so that he quickly realizes that he is a wanted man and that this will forever change the way that the police will be able to solve crimes.

There are two authors that I read that remind me of Michael Crichton. Douglas E Richards and Daniel Suarez. Suarez is able to weave what is going on today with what he thinks will come in the future and it's terrifying. I work in a technology firm and he's not wrong with what he's thinking. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of what was written in Change Agent comes true at one time or another.

Durand as a character allowed the reader to follow along with someone as their own opinions of people and things they fought for so long was changing. Kenneth grew many times throughout Change Agent and really became one of the more dynamic characters I've read in a long time.

The overall story was one of the best I've read this year. It kept me wondering throughout and I honestly couldn't put this book down. I kept saying "one more chapter" late into the night. Each chapter brought me closer to the end, but I promise that this book will have a hold on my mind for a while.

A fast-paced technothriller on par with every Crichton novel I've ever read, maybe even a little more terrifying. Suarez took things that are real today and showed us what could happen in the future if we're not careful.

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19 people found this helpful

The weakest story from famed Daemon author

What did you like best about Change Agent? What did you like least?

Change Agent had the same technical style has the other books from Mr. Suarez. He gives you just enough of world building details without boring you. The problem is unlike his other books, there aren't enough huge battles (practically none at the climax). There are also too many characters in this story and most of them don't play much of a role to the story.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Probably Daemon or Freedom TM just so I can forget about this mediocre work.

What does Jeff Gurner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Gurner always brings a solid performance to everything I have heard, including Change Agent. He was held back by the lack action sequences in the book and couldn't really make it as interesting as previous novels from Mr. Suarez.

Do you think Change Agent needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. The story ties up pretty well at the end, to the disappointment of most readers, I'm afraid.

Any additional comments?

Deathless meat will be a thing.

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12 people found this helpful

Great story with a seemingly rushed ending.

I loved the progression of the story, but the end felt rushed to the degree that when the antagonist finally gets his due, its anticlimactic. Bummer.

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9 people found this helpful

I loved all his other works

I loved everything else Suarez has written. And the elements are here but it just does not come together. A lot of long dialogs describing an scene or item. Also he uses the concierge/pageant/show room floor method of story telling way too many times.

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8 people found this helpful

Simply awful

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Absolutely nothing. The pseudo sci-fi/dystopian premise that a person's entire genome can be switched with someone else's is ridiculous on it's face. And the absurd situations our hero-turned super villain encounters are just boring comic book Pow! Wham! Absurdities.

What was most disappointing about Daniel Suarez’s story?

The entire premise

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

I actually saw this book on a New Yorker website, and since I trust the New Yorker I bought it without much pre-knowledge. I enjoy sci-fi, but this is not sci-fi, has no "sci" just "fi."

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6 people found this helpful

Great premise, setup...disappointing finish

I was very excited about the concepts being portrayed in this book and have been a fan of the author for awhile. However, after some great setup the plot simply meanders from place to place and secondary characters have little to no development enough to care about anyone's fate. The climax of the book felt like a rush to the finish with the protagonist, being presented with an enormous moral and utilitarian dilemma, still acting on his own superficial self interests. A disappointing and predictable end to a book with a very cutting edge concept.

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5 people found this helpful

Biological Techno Thriller

This book is a bit of a departure for Daniel Suarez but it is in keeping with his other techno-thriller novels. All of his novels are significant excursions into an extrapolation of a current cutting edge technology. His other novels rely heavily upon Information Technology and computers to tell their story. This novel deals with an even more threatening technology, that of genetics. Some listeners may be alienated by this leap from bits and bytes to DNA and RNA but in the end the same tense action and taught plot are on display. I heartily recommend this novel as do I all of the books by Suarez.

Jeff Gurner gives a stand out performance. He is one of the best narrators in the business.

P.S. for those Genetics geeks out there you may be interested in the technology that is behind this novel. My list of recommended books for aspiring geneticists and ethicists:

INHERITANCE by Sharon Moalem
THE EDGE OF EVOLUTION by Michael Behe
UNDERSTANDING GENETICS by David Sadava
THE SPORTS GENE by David Epstein
THE VIRAL STORM by Nathan Wolfe
THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY by Siddhartha Mukherjee
THE DOUBLE HELIX by James D. Watson

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4 people found this helpful

Really disappointed

I loved Daemon, Freedom and Kill Decision but this one just didn't work for me. I did not find the Durand character likable or believable and really didn't care what happened to him. I found myself switching to music on the drive home after chapters ended.

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4 people found this helpful

Fantasy not science

Suarez has shown in previous books that his biology is poor, but here it matters and as a result the story truly fails. The idea of a criminal organization eclipsing all other organizations with their biotech is completely unbelievable. Especially considering the complexities are significantly greater than Suarez realizes.Even with the deus ex machina of a secret government program. It comes off as if he read a newspaper article on CRISPR and then wrote the whole thing without any true understanding. And the chirality garbage was just ridiculous. It comes across as poor man's Frankenstein.

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3 people found this helpful