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Neuropath | 
| Author: Scott Bakker
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £9.09
You Save: £3.90 (30%)
New (23) Used (4) from £4.71
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 43313
Media: Paperback
Edition: Export Ed
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0752891510
EAN: 9780752891514
ASIN: 0752891510
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 A fascinating read. Thought provoking! October 30, 2008
Having read The Prince of Nothing series, I was eager to read this neuro thriller by Scott Bakker, and I daresay he didn't let me down. From start to finish, in two days, I was thoroughly gripped by both the horrific crime scenery and the ever so thought provoking Argument. The complaint uttered by another reviewer that the book bogs down during endless conversations on the topic of consciousness and free will did not held sway with me. It is in fact what the book is about and Bakker weaves a tight tale wherein the dialogue never feels forced. As for it being too graphic and too horrific, well, how else would you convey the atrocities committed? Things like murder, rape and mutilation are for real and in real life there are people dealing with it on a daily basis while we are most often comfortably at home, where we hear it on the news. I applaud Scott Bakker for his "in your face" method of confronting us with the crimes (well in context of the Argument they aren't even crimes). It makes it all more tangible and makes the Argument even more compelling.
Thumbs up to Scott. I don't know if " to enjoy" is the right verb here but I did find Neuropath, from cover to cover, to be a thought refreshing read.
Mind Your Own Business October 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
'Controversial' is a hollow concept in the company of Scott Bakker's magnificent intellect. Most probably know him as author of the seminal "The Prince of Nothing" trilogy, which in its own way investigated one of the fundamental Pillars of Faith of fantasy literature, the anthropomorphizing of a meaningless world. In his slightly futuristic thriller, "Neuropath", Bakker goes even further; aiming the surgical light of science at the murky bogs of human self-conceptualization, perception and consciousness.
With a fairly normal thriller plot structure and progression as its vehicle, "Neuropath" stands out not because of its characters, its prose (although this is fragmentarily brilliant--uncommon in thrillers), or any feeling of absolution, but because it fundamentally challenges the reader with caustic claims as to the nature of human experience, exacted with the utmost eloquence, to the point where putting the book down to take a mental and physical breather is almost inevitable.
Along with visceral scenes of torture, sex, various traditionally negative aspects of the human condition, and the clear sense of urgency, "Neuropath" makes for a literally unforgettable read. Your limbic system isn't going to let you off the hook that easily.
This is a book for every human being, but be advised: it is a rollercoaster of one's own understanding. If you have a mind, it will be blown.
 a very uncomfortable mix August 13, 2008
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
I bought this because it had quite good reviews and it sounded an intelligent thriller grounded in neuroscience, but it has proved a disappointment and I don't think I can bring myself to finish it.
Partly, that's because it is very sick in its descriptions of what the killers do to their victims. Okay, I only read the occasional airport bookshop thriller, but I found this one shockingly sick in its quest to be different.
The other reason I'm going to give up is that the book keeps lurching into pages of clodhopping dialogue between the FBI team and the psychologist hero, which sound like a regurgitated A-level essay on the meaning of consciousness. There was no damned way Scott Bakker was going to waste the hours he spent researching this subject in the library - and he clumsily shoehorns it in at every opportunity.
So, unless you see yourself flicking over pages of ovedrwrought dialogue to get to the sick bits, this is a book to avoid.
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