I got this one at SDCC, after answering some questions for the book-recommendation robot at the publisher’s table. The robot promised that The Passengers was a thriller, and it didn’t seem like it would be too gory for me.

In the near future of The Passengers, self-driving cars are becoming the norm in Britain. Although they have a few critics, most people love the convenience and safety of the new technology.

One morning, 8 of those self-driving cars are hijacked by a hacker, and reprogrammed to crash horrifically. When I first read it, I thought it was a bit strange that there are no failsafes, no ways to locate self-driving cars or shut malfunctioning cars down.  But I didn’t have time to post it right then, because I needed to go into work on a Saturday morning, troubleshooting certain GIGO errors in the student database, and actually, it seems pretty believable that everyone in management just assumed someone else was building and testing the failsafes…

The hacker hosts a twisted reality show, putting these eight cars on TV and social media and then offering viewers a chance to save or kill a passengers by voting for them. Each of the eight passengers is hiding a secret, and the hacker reveals these dramatically to viewers, before demanding votes.  The hacker, of course, has discovered these secrets through Big Data, CCTVs, and information on social media. The premise, that everyone has secrets, that nothing is private, and that everyone is unsympathetic with every mistake revealed, is believable but slighted weakened by one really extreme revelation (A SECOND SECRET FAMILY WITH DUPLICATE NAMES?!?!?). In general, we learn just enough about the passengers to care about their safety when the dark secrets are revealed.

The novel really captured the inane responses on social media, with tweeters delightedly voting for their favorites or against their un-favorites. Rampant racism and sexism, endless personal attacks, with the vast majority uselessly #sendingpositivevibes. This is part of what makes this future so believable, even though the drama is pretty intense.  This novel has a Twilight Zone feel, where the world is just different enough to highlight certain parts of own society, and it’s so suspenseful that I missed my subway stop.

Really enjoyed this book. Good job, Book Recommendation Robot!