Glaze by Kim Curran

[Michelle]

PETRI QUINN is counting down the days till she turns 16 and can get on GLAZE – the ultimate social network that is bringing the whole world together into one global family. But when a peaceful government protest turns into a full-blown riot with Petri shouldering the blame, she’s handed a ban. Her life is over before it’s even started.

Desperate to be a part of the hooked-up society, Petri finds an underground hacker group and gets a black market chip fitted. But this chip has a problem: it has no filter and no off switch. Petri can see everything happening on GLAZE, all the time. Including things she was never meant to see.

 

 

If you take a look at her blog, Kim explains that she had the idea for Glaze some time ago, but with her other book deal, it had to wait. This means that the ideas were there before we were finding out about google glass. Kim takes this kind of idea, and pushes it to it's darkest extremes - paths we could well find ourselves walking if we're not careful.

For me, it was the concept behind the technology which fascinated me, alongside Kim's insights into just how much the internet is shaping us and our lives.

In this future, everyone is fitted with a chip at 16, with allows them to access Glaze.. a filtered internet which appears in front of your eyes. Communication is obviously reduced, as messages, photos etc are simply sent from one chip to another. As Petri is the youngest in the class, and still 15, you can imagine how shut out she feels, and how desperate to be connected. It's only a small step away from how I see many youngsters when their friends are allowed on facebook, but they aren't yet!

When Petri is banned from Glaze for 5 years, she turns to more desperate measures to get an illegal chip.. but this one comes without the filter. The actual filter isn't mentioned earlier, but when Petri is bombarded with everything, you begin to realise that others must have restricted access - and if so, just who is controlling it, and what are their reasons for doing so?

Glaze develops into a well paced thriller, with some good ideas. I have to admit the concepts and ideas caught my interest a little more than the thriller aspect, but that means there is something to appeal to many. It should definitely appeal to it's intended YA audience, but also anyone interested in technology, social networks, and where we could possibly end up!