The Fear Index
by Robert Harris
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
75%
Critic Reviews: 30
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- User rating from iDreamBooks & iTunes
Reader Rating
74%
Reader Ratings: 503
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Synopsis
At the nexus of high finance and sophisticated computer programming, a terrifying future may be unfolding even now. Dr. Alex Hoffmann's name is carefully guarded from the general public, but within the secretive inner circles of the ultrarich he is a legend. He has developed a revolutionary form of artificial intelligence that predicts movements in the financial markets with uncanny accuracy. His hedge fund, based in Geneva, makes billions. But one morning... more
About Robert Harris
Published: January 31, 2012 by Vintage
Genre: Action & Adventure, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. Fiction. 402 pages
- All Critics: 30
- Positive: 23
- Negative: 7
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The Guardian | 30 Sep 2011
. . .a Harris novel offers a range of allusions for different audiences.
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London Evening Standard | 15 Sep 2011
. . .what makes Harris's thrillers so much more rewarding than those of his rivals is that they all. . .come out of his deep and expert interest in politics, broadly conceived. . .
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Reuters | 10 Feb 2012
The one aspect of "The Fear Index" that is tired and familiar is its depiction of the rise of the machine-to-machine economy as murderous and menacing.
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Bloomberg | 31 Jan 2012
Harris is a master of pacing -- the story moves swiftly while never feeling rushed, and the tension increases subtly chapter by chapter.
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The New York Times | 26 Jan 2012
. . .the later sections of the novel feel increasingly silly and contrived, like excerpts from a bad Michael Crichton novel.
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The Washington Post | 23 Feb 2012
. . .Run-of-the-mill fisticuffs and explosions come as a letdown after so much ingenious buildup.
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The Independent | 23 Sep 2011
. . .Harris clarifies the science behind the hedge in thoroughly accessible lay readers' terms. . .
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The New York Times | 2 Mar 2012
. . .the author revels in digressions on the operation of financial markets and Darwin’s theory of natural selection. . .Harris has done his homework on both. . .
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Seattle PI | 3 May 2012
Alexander Hoffmann is a tough main character to sympathize with.
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San Francisco Chronicle | 29 Jan 2012
VIXAL-4 will haunt the reader long into the night, making him wonder who or what is driving his stocks.
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USA Today | 30 Jan 2012
. . .it doesn't take a super-computer to know The Fear Index is a worthwhile investment of your time.
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Review (Barnes & Noble) | 8 Feb 2012
The result is an oddly triumphant hybrid: an irresistible thriller that is also a disquieting meditation on the nature of man and of man's creations.
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Reuters | 15 Jan 2012
For me, however, the greatest pleasure of this book is that it gets finance right.
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Investment Europe | 7 Nov 2011
The man v. machine idea is not new, but Harris treats it in a refreshing manner.
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The Telegraph | 29 Sep 2011
Best known for historical novels, this former political journalist proves his range with a techno-thriller that feels as topical as Newsnight.
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Salon | 5 Feb 2012
Beware taking this book to bed with you, because you will stay up too late.
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History News Network | 8 Feb 2012
It doesn't quite rank as high as Fatherland (1992) or Pompeii (2005) in the Harris canon.
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Financial Times | 23 Sep 2011
The result is a fine dystopian parable. . .
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LabLit.com | 11 Mar 2012
. . .the ending, though predictable in general, culminates on a particularly interesting note that I doubt most would see coming.
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New York Journal of Books | 31 Jan 2012
The Fear Index is a solid, competent techno-thriller, carefully researched and intelligently executed.
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New Statesman | 6 Oct 2011
Harris's great skill is to inhabit fully and convincingly the worlds he writes about. . .showing off his vast research yet never allowing the white-knuckle narrative to lose momentum.
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The Wall Street Journal | 1 Feb 2012
The author has a marvelous knack for sketching a scene or evoking a mindset and then drawing the reader in.
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Oregon Live | 4 Feb 2012
On a number of levels, Robert Harris is at the top of his game in "The Fear Index."
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Kirkus Reviews | 1 Dec 2011
Amid the welter of financial details, Harris creates a novel of tension and suspense by focusing more on the human than on the mechanistic.
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The Guardian | 17 Sep 2011
Harris is a master of pace and entertainment, and The Fear Index is a thoroughly enjoyable book.
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The Washington Times | 1 Feb 2012
Like the best novels of this genre, it offers something to chew on - and it’s entertaining.
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The Spectator | 1 Oct 2011
. . .a slow-burning story of suspense and paranoia with a climax that will delight Harris’s legion of fans.
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Publishers Weekly | 12 Dec 2011
Despite some less than engaging characters and a story that sags a bit, this novel’s philosophical underpinnings will keep most readers engrossed.
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