This was a pretty good read. I was looking for a fast-paced 'guy' book in a compelling setting, and this book definitely fit the bill. The beginning was especially compelling, and I found Gerry's world to be very intriguing. The whole computers-in-your-head storyline was new for me, and I was a little concerned that all the computer stuff would be too far over my head. It was close, but I think Barnes managed to keep the technological info down to a level that made enough sense without being obnoxious to someone who knows nothing about computer algorithms, programming, hacking, or any of the rest of it.I enjoyed the characters and plot, although I would have liked to have felt a little more of an emotional connection with all of it. I also found that the book lost a little intensity as it neared the end. It was interesting, but the 'compelling' quality seemed to wane a bit. I do like that it had a good wrap up at the end with a solid finish. While the plot of the next book is laid out well enough to perk interest, it's nice to see a trilogy that doesn't just stop at a critical point and call it an ending.For me, I'd say this book started out as a 4 but finished off around a 3.5. It's a good story, it's well-written and original. There was the occasional typo, but for the most part it was well-edited. I'm not sure I'll get around to the other books in this trilogy (which is the main reason for the 3.5 downgrade), but I enjoyed it as a stand alone, and more than likely it was just a bit too much of a 'guy book' for my taste. I'd definitely recommend it to my husband or sons, and all of them would probably appreciate it more than I did. With that in mind I'm rounding up to 4 stars instead of down to 3.