Review by Sasha Walker -- Superhighway by Alex Fayman
Posted: 22 Dec 2017, 00:03
[Following is a volunteer review of "Superhighway" by Alex Fayman.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Superhighway is a science fiction novel written by Alex Fayman. For most people, instantaneous travel and endless amounts of money are pipe dreams that will never come true. For eighteen-year-old orphan, Alex Fine, these dreams become reality when he discovers he has the ability to travel the web. Having grown up in an orphanage in Los Angeles, Alex has never known the extravagance that is constantly on display around him. One night when looking up a picture of a Porsche on a beach, Alex finds himself transported to Hawaii through the network cable of the computer. With his newfound ability, Alex travels around the world, stripping criminals of their fortunes and exploring the character of the man he is becoming.
Unlike most novels in this genre, there is no ultimate goal driving the story. Instead, the story is led primarily by Alex’s journey into manhood. The lack of direction made the story seem endless, and I wondered whether I would be following Alex on his random exploits until he got killed. That being said, the layout of the story could have been an artistic choice of the author that was meant to highlight the adventitious wonderings of youth. In that case, the storyline closely resembles reality, where the main goal of an adolescent is to simply survive in society.
Alex’s youthful carelessness and misguided morality is reinforced continuously throughout the book when he has to make important ethical decisions. He justifies his theft by only stealing from criminals and giving large amounts of money to the poor. Furthermore, when his date is killed by a mobster he robbed, he doesn’t stop stealing. In fact after escaping the mobster he commits an even bigger robbery and begins dating another girl. To make Alex’s faulty morality even more obvious, he goes on to cheat on his new girlfriend.
I thought that Alex’s slow journey that eventually led to his capture and depression was done extremely well and reminded me a lot of Holden’s journey in The Catcher in the Rye. Both characters are outsiders and in their attempt to join the main fold of society they face questions of morality and sexuality that cause them to be discontent with humanity. The key difference between the two books is that Holden chooses “phonies” as the reflection of society that he holds in contempt, whereas Alex chooses himself. Although I do not find either character likeable, both of them are compelling subjects to read about. I strongly recommend this book to people who are fans of The Catcher in the Rye.
Lastly, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The story was interesting even though it had no clear guide. The writing seemed professionally edited and no mistakes jumped out at me. I would suggest this book to young adults, keeping in mind that there is some cursing and non-explicit sex scenes.
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Superhighway
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Sasha Walker's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Superhighway is a science fiction novel written by Alex Fayman. For most people, instantaneous travel and endless amounts of money are pipe dreams that will never come true. For eighteen-year-old orphan, Alex Fine, these dreams become reality when he discovers he has the ability to travel the web. Having grown up in an orphanage in Los Angeles, Alex has never known the extravagance that is constantly on display around him. One night when looking up a picture of a Porsche on a beach, Alex finds himself transported to Hawaii through the network cable of the computer. With his newfound ability, Alex travels around the world, stripping criminals of their fortunes and exploring the character of the man he is becoming.
Unlike most novels in this genre, there is no ultimate goal driving the story. Instead, the story is led primarily by Alex’s journey into manhood. The lack of direction made the story seem endless, and I wondered whether I would be following Alex on his random exploits until he got killed. That being said, the layout of the story could have been an artistic choice of the author that was meant to highlight the adventitious wonderings of youth. In that case, the storyline closely resembles reality, where the main goal of an adolescent is to simply survive in society.
Alex’s youthful carelessness and misguided morality is reinforced continuously throughout the book when he has to make important ethical decisions. He justifies his theft by only stealing from criminals and giving large amounts of money to the poor. Furthermore, when his date is killed by a mobster he robbed, he doesn’t stop stealing. In fact after escaping the mobster he commits an even bigger robbery and begins dating another girl. To make Alex’s faulty morality even more obvious, he goes on to cheat on his new girlfriend.
I thought that Alex’s slow journey that eventually led to his capture and depression was done extremely well and reminded me a lot of Holden’s journey in The Catcher in the Rye. Both characters are outsiders and in their attempt to join the main fold of society they face questions of morality and sexuality that cause them to be discontent with humanity. The key difference between the two books is that Holden chooses “phonies” as the reflection of society that he holds in contempt, whereas Alex chooses himself. Although I do not find either character likeable, both of them are compelling subjects to read about. I strongly recommend this book to people who are fans of The Catcher in the Rye.
Lastly, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The story was interesting even though it had no clear guide. The writing seemed professionally edited and no mistakes jumped out at me. I would suggest this book to young adults, keeping in mind that there is some cursing and non-explicit sex scenes.
******
Superhighway
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Sasha Walker's review? Post a comment saying so!