The year is 2023, and much of the world enjoys great wealth generated by the triumph of information technology. However, the staphylococcus plague of 2006 wiped out 40 million people, and the 2020 assassination of American President Emily Forrester traumatized the nation. Through it all, the internet remains the main source of information, bombarding people with news, rumors and allegations twenty-four hours a day -- while creating enormous possibilities for the manipulation of mankind.
Into this world of deception wanders Dr. Gideon Wolfe, a New York psychiatrist, criminal profiler, and historian. Wolfe comes into possession of a computer disc that contains startling evidence that the now-famous visual record of President Forrester's assassination was digitally altered.
Stunned and enraged, Wolfe sets out to unravel the full tale of the Forrester hoax. His journey leads him to a secret group of scientific and military experts who seek to expose the astonishing degree to which the public can be deceived and manipulated in the Information Age. Wolfe joins the team and discovers that their efforts instigate the most horrendous single act of mass murder in world history. Relentlessly suspenseful, Killing Time reveals a new side of a master novelist.
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"I liked the premise of this book. It is about a group of people who try to change the future by altering the past. They plant artifacts and things to change the perception of famous figures in history. It's a good read and very well thought out."
— Thomas.harrop (4 out of 5 stars)
“Fans of Caleb Carr will be astounding by Killing Time, a techno-terrifying tale of the information age run amok. It’s a high-speed connection to our most paranoid thoughts where our wired world is heading…With the acumen of George Orwell and the vision of Jules Verne, Carr offers a feasible pop-up prediction for the future…This is a daring departure from the successful Alienist formula, but Carr is still a master of the cliffhanger, serving up a nonstop thrill ride as the story builds to a surprising finish.”
— USA Today“A rocket ride…Carr’s imagination is in overdrive…His novel moves like greased lightning.”
— Baltimore Sun“Carr’s work is as tension-fraught and complex as ever…[His] elegant sentences give aesthetic pleasure as they push you through the plot. His predictions about life in 2023 are disturbingly plausible.”
— Time Out New York“Killing Time is an extraordinary novel. I don’t think I’ve ever read one like it.”
— Observer (London)" It's hard to believe that a futuristic techno-thriller like this could be so deadly dull. Full of contradictions and simplistic thinking on the part of the supposed geniuses in the story. Interesting concept, poor execution. "
— Linda, 2/18/2014" Kind of a futuristic "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." When the information revolution threatens to coopt the world's independent thought through mis-information, a band of rebels join together aboard a futuristic ship which can travel through air and sea, and they try to thwart the information tyrants. "
— Tom, 2/15/2014" An interesting take on the not-so-distant future, that explores what can happen when the "information" age gets totally out of control. This was my first read of this author, and while I may read others by him in the future, I wasn't as impressed as I had expected to be - I've heard only good things about this author, and I *did* enjoy the tale.... "
— Maurean, 2/14/2014" A very well thought out plot, properly delivered, with just enough misdirection to keep one interested. "
— Steven, 2/9/2014" Amazingly awful. Got 30 pages. It reads like a parody of a cyberpunk novel except not funny. Or maybe the author read a William Gibson novel and didn't get the part about making it even believable by the stretched standards of the genre. The first ten pages feature 40 product name drops, a flying saucer, black helicopters, two assasinations, and a prison break. Really, I think I'll go lie down now. "
— Brian, 1/27/2014" This is a very different work from what I've come to expect from Mr. Carr, but it was well written and certainly thought provoking. "
— Jennifer, 1/24/2014" My first thoughts when I finished this book was, "Really? Are you kidding me?" Carr spends the whole book getting the main characters into more and more trouble and then in the last few pages inserts a deus ex machina into the picture and all of a sudden the world is magically all better. The ending felt forced and tacked on and I probably would have liked the book better had it ended unhappily. Especially since the authors apparent intent in writing the book was to show the dangers of having too much information and ignoring critical thinking. By giving the characters an easy button it dissolved them of all responsibility and showed that it doesn't matter what we do, someone smarter than us can come by later and fixed everything we've messed up. "
— Mindy, 1/24/2014" An interesting tale of the age of information... or is it the age of misinformation? Carr's novel takes place in 2024 and many of the issues he talks about in the past tense are happening now. I found it a very good read. "
— Lynne, 1/20/2014" Take it as you may, but this book wants to deceive the world. That being said,I abhor it. Ack. =p "
— Mark, 12/4/2013" Okay. I got kind of sucked in. I don't typically enjoy future science fiction, but this worked. "
— Melissa, 11/5/2013" Suspense, and sci-fi from what I thought was a mystery writer. Evokes the mad captain from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. "
— Stephanie, 10/31/2013" This book was published before 9/11, but nonetheless some of its predictions of the future seems surprisingly (and distressingly) accurate. Hated the end, though. "
— Celiavg, 10/24/2013" Ok, I thought I was the only one who didn't like this book. But apparently I wasn't. It's an ok but not great book. Definitely not as good as his other books. "
— TJ, 10/20/2013" Worthless book. I can't believe the same guy who wrote The Alienist, a very good book, wrote this. "
— Karen, 10/13/2013" Just bad. CC should stick to historical fiction. "
— Mary, 9/9/2013" So disappointed in Caleb Carr. One of my favorite authors, who has written 2 fantastic historical crime thrillers, made an attempt at a futuristic, sci-fi story. Horrible. "
— Nancy, 8/29/2013" Not my favorite audio book... this one was just a little too weird for me. "
— Beth, 6/7/2013" Good sci-fi but a little depressing. Not such a good outlook for our information age. "
— Dustin, 11/29/2012" Caleb Carr usually writes awesome stuff (The Alienist), but this was underwhelming. "
— Pjtibbetts, 9/28/2012" This one is pretty interesting. "
— Chris, 8/18/2012" I didn't like this book. To many reasons to tell why. Now I'll pass it on to my husband. He will say, "Yuck where did you find this one?" Or maybe he will surprise me. "
— Janet, 8/9/2012" Weak and Cliched. Felt like a rush job. Fill out a contract after the Alienist? "
— W, 4/30/2012" First Audible book, December 2000 "
— Mark, 12/11/2011" The term mindless drivel was created to describe this book "
— Mark, 12/4/2011" a very good story of the future, the worry of over infomation from the internet, and how a group of people with ultra-tech goodies try to stop it. loved this book. "
— Jimbo, 6/17/2011" A HUGE disappointment after the brilliance of The Alienist. Doesn't seem possible that the same man wrote both. "
— Cindy, 6/15/2011" I simply could not connect with any of the characters in this book. Carr has a clunker in this one. "
— Mark, 5/8/2011" This is a very different work from what I've come to expect from Mr. Carr, but it was well written and certainly thought provoking. "
— Jennifer, 3/12/2011" Great book providing insightful view of our current media driven society. Very thought provoking even if a bit outlandish at times. "
— Douglas, 3/7/2011" I've enjoyed some of Carr's historical novels and this started as an interesting idea but went nowhere. I gave up. "
— Dennis, 1/11/2011" Interesting premise, raises good questions re: morality, enlightened despotism, gullibility of masses, info v knowledge etc. Disappointing at times in writing construction/style. "
— Lana, 1/6/2011" Science fiction, in my opinion, is not Caleb Carr's strong suit. I read this and forgot it the moment I put it down. "
— Anthony, 12/15/2010" Quite crappy. I found myself laughing, and not in a good way. "
— Cissy, 12/4/2010" Picked this up at a book sale. I saw from reviews that it's not so good. But...I liked it overall. Not at all what I expected, but interesting enough.<br/><br/> "
— Sharon, 11/7/2010Caleb Carr is the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness, The Lessons of Terror, and Surrender, New York, among numerous other novels. His journalism has been published in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He holds a degree in military and diplomatic history and has taught at Bard College.