The Lead Cloak (The Lattice Trilogy Book 1)

Somehow this just annoyed me like no other book. I couldn’t read it, finding the plot, dialogue, and sports-rap impossible. This type of sci fi just can’t hold a candle to what existed previously in the genre—the old time Stuff. This new breed was awful for me.

The author needs to edit, cut, tighten, explain, and loose as much of the dumb sappy love crappola and get down to business.

Also, this is like the 4th sci-fi book in a row with a character name “Ellie.” What’s the deal with that?

Also, I can NOT stand it when people “pad” into the kitchen, as these characters do—like every other book in the world. STOP it!

The rest of the book was pretty good.

From the first page I couldn't put this book down. I just finished it and can't wait for the next installment. Hanberg's world ruled by the Lattice and the end of privacy is so well done and thought provoking that it leads one to think of parallels in today's intermingling of technology and social experience. The dilemmas the characters face coupled with highly creative and seemingly plausible technologies and adaptations throughout kept me wanting to be part of the experience. Strangely, when I wasn't reading it I found myself thinking a lot about how controlled we've become by the Internet. This may well be a classic in the years to come.

Brilliant. Hanberg has created a gripping storyline that is entirely possible in our rapidly developing Information Age. Byron Shaw's character development is engaging...you become torn with the decisions he has to make along the way. There is NO end to the foresight and creativity that Hanberg brings to this novel. This is a wonderfully written Sci-Fi story that has me wishing the second installment was already available. You would be remiss to pass on this book. You will love it from the moment you get through the first page. Looking forward to Part II !!!!!!

I enjoyed this sci-fi novel, much to my surprise. Gave it a shot as it was free. The plot was different, involving a group trying to destroy the mechanisms allowing everyone to read everyone else's thoughts. The physics, as others have pointed out, is a bit dubious, but it's OK to suspend critical thought for a brief time. I was intrigued enough to pre-order the follow-on. See other more complete reviews for more detailed info.

I enjoyed this sci-fi novel, much to my surprise. Gave it a shot as it was free. The plot was different, involving a group trying to destroy the mechanisms allowing everyone to read everyone else's thoughts. The physics, as others have pointed out, is a bit dubious, but it's OK to suspend critical thought for a brief time. I was intrigued enough to pre-order the follow-on. See other more complete reviews for more detailed info.

An interesting book with a different theme. No real right or wrong, good or bad - everything depends on your view which the writer has the characters( and also the reader) change a number of times through out the tale. A solid 4.5.

It is helpful if the protagonist is likable, or interesting. It is possible that he became more so with time, but I quit after a few pages. The casual and gratuitous profanity was annoying and absurd. Obscenity loses power with overuse and people find new ways to be offensive. These were the same old ugly words, in an ugly new world. This review is for the minority who, like me, prefer to know about vulgar language in making their reading choices.

Like any genre, sci-fi has its standard tropes, characters, plots, ideas, and twists, which can start to feel stale or derivative in the hands of an uninspired author. Which makes it all the more pleasing to read a book like The Lead Cloak, which takes classic sci-fi elements and executes them in an original and thoughtful story. You want a big technology hook? Try the Lattice, a device that allows anyone to see the past and present from anyone's point of view, including their thoughts and emotions. You want social commentary? It doesn't get better than this-a logical extrapolation of the current privacy climate, taken to the extreme by this technology that essentially eliminates. Anyone, anywhere can go back and watch your entire life, assuming they have the time and the desire to do so-Mr. Hanberg deftly explores this idea by weaving it in the very fabric of the world he creates. You want mystery? A secret conspiracy, dedicated to the destruction of the Lattice, has somehow figured out how to hide their identities and actions from the rest of the world.

Mr. Hanberg creates a fully realized world, recognizable and relatable, and populates it with real people (the calling card from his earlier Beautyman mysteries), starting with Colonel Byron Shaw, the protagonist tasked with finding the people who are trying to destroy the Lattice, but extending even to the most minor characters. This is an excellent story built like all the best sci-fi: recognizable humanity dealing with the implications of fantastical technology. I highly recommend it.

Technology used by all developed countries. A technology that keeps planes flying, cars moving, and allows a user to enter the mind of any person that ever lived. You can watch the pyramids being built. You can be there when Caesar meets Cleopatra. Or you can be in someone's mind when they are having sex. Anyone can see anything. No one is safe from being watched. Everything you've ever done is layed bare for the entertainment of strangers.
Some want to destroy the Lattice. Some can't imagine life without it. Some will risk everything to save it, some will give everything they have to bring it down.
An interesting and different sci-fi novel, not quite 4 stars, but close.
Unfortunately, this is another trilogy, (sigh).
Results: different. An unusual technology, a moral dilemma. I enjoyed it, though it had some slow moments. Worth reading.

This is a Sci-Fi story of a future where a scientific breakthrough has made it possible to predict the position every atom of the universe at any time in the past. Including the very recent past. Okay, a tall order, but not too out of line with some of the predictions of quantum physics. We can suspend our disbelief.

The premise of the tale is that this ability allows a molecular-level Internet where there are no secrets, because everyone’s actions, including their thoughts, are instantly available to the world. A harder pill for the believer to swallow, but fascinating in where the author thinks this might take society.

And the society Erik Hanburg pictures is not wonderful. It is a society where people ignore a lot of the things that make us human, because the Lattice does it for them. There is a very real possibility that the whole human race is addicted to this technology.

Enter Byron Shaw, full supporter of the Lattice and all it stands for. Saved from kidnappers by the Lattice, he has become the head of security for the Lattice complex itself, protecting it from the luddites who want to destroy it.

Until he starts to wonder…

And that’s what this story is really about. Inside all the wonderful science, quasi-science, and downright fiction is the tale of a man who begins to question his strongest beliefs, how he feels as he moves through that journey, and where it takes him.

The concept of the Lattice is a powerful device for the writer, because we have a pure Omniscient point of view; we can zoom anywhere and to any thought of any character, past or present. This could lead to overkill, but Hanburg uses the technique with consummate skill, giving us just enough information on the emotions and desires of the characters to create empathy and move the plot along.

Except for that little nudge of extra belief that we must have to keep us from nit-picking about the believability of the science, this book has the perfect balance of high-tech, suspense, empathy, believable emotion, and modern application that makes a great Sci-Fi story.

Highly recommended for fans of all Sci-Fi, especially of the dystopian variety.

Meet the Lattice, a world wide web like no other. Because, when plugged into the total emersion format, via either a box or a ring, anyone can transport themselves to any known place or person from past or present, either to observe the surroundings or even to enter the minds and feelings of another specified individual. It can provide ultimate thrills, invade the most private thoughts, ideas, hopes and fears any time, any place , and there is nowhere to hide from it.
This, hopefully, unlikely concept provides the structure for this story. The main protagonist, Shaw, runs and protects the main Lattice provider tower and fully believes in the service it provides to society. But not everyone agrees. And, as well as being an exciting thriller, thie exploration of the ideas inherentl in such a facility is the mainstay of the book. Interesting and thought provoking, The Lead Cloak is quite well written although slightly deeper character development would have further enhanced the writing.
If looking for something more than simple blazing guns, this is definitely recommended
The voice of the narrator on the audio version fits the text well although there are occasional word changes or brief omissions.

It's hard to believe this is Hanberg's first attempt at sci-fi. The world he creates is thoroughly developed and completely believable, drawing upon the utterly current theme of privacy. But, you don't have to like sci-fi to get gripped by the suspenseful plot, which left me stunned by its unexpected twists. I finished the book a few days ago and still can't stop thinking about how it unfolded. My only criticism is that the next installment in the trilogy isn't written yet. I will be waiting eagerly for the next book.

The Lead Clock by Erik Hanberg is one of those rare finds that combines a high tech thriller with some serious soul searching. Set in 2081, it's a world of information options that astounds even us. But where are the boundaries if you can know what someone else is thinking without having to ask? Hanberg turns some of our current biases upside down and explores our thorniest current techno-social issues in an extreme environment while ratcheting the stakes and tension ever higher. You will not see the conclusion coming. It's a great read--and the first book of a trilogy. Yeah!

With THE LEAD CLOAK, Erik Hanberg has created a world, a story and characters that fully immerse the reader. Good characters? Yes. Exciting and briskly paced? Yes. But perhaps its greatest attribute is the future-world Hanberg has created which, like all the best science fiction, mirrors our own. Since I've read this first book of the promised LATTICE TRILOGY, I've found that much of my moment-to-moment perception of the "Information Age," technological world in which we presently live is filtered through Hanberg's observations and creativity. News about privacy issues, genetics and other sciences seem prescient of the reality Hanberg has so ably rendered. Rarely does a work of fiction so deftly balance a purely enjoyable read with one so provocative and ofttimes haunting.

I look forward to the next installment.

Hanberg's The Lead Cloak is a fabulous read that may leave a reader deep in thought about the future of social media and privacy. The characters involved in the telling of this riveting tale are relatable and though it's technically of sci fi genre one need not be a sci fi fan to delve into the unfolding of events. There's action, clever dialogue and connections made between past, present and potential future interwoven throughout. A compelling read that left me as a reader waiting eagerly for what's to happen next.