Πρόκειται για το βιβλίο στο οποίο βασίστηκε η γνωστή ταινία του 1998 με πρωταγωνιστή τον Μπρους Γουίλις και πρωτοκυκλοφόρησε με τον τίτλο Simple Simon (που κολλάει το Μέρκιουρυ δεν πολυκατάλαβα). Το βιβλίο έχει μεγάλες και βασικές διαφορές σε σχέση με την ταινία, αλλά το γενικό σενάριο είναι ίδιο. Ο 16χρονος Σάιμον Λιντς είναι αυτιστικός, αλλά άσος στο να λύνει γρίφους, να συναρμολογεί παζλ, να παίζει ντόμινο κλπ. Με τα πολλά πέφτει στα χέρια του ένα περιοδικό που απευθύνεται σε ανθρώπους με υψηλό IQ και καταφέρνει και λύνει έναν απίστευτης δυσκολίας γρίφο. Στην λύση του γρίφου βλέπει ότι πρέπει να καλέσει ένα νούμερο για να παραλάβει το βραβείο του. Όπως καταλάβατε, ο Σάιμον αποκρυπτογράφησε έναν κώδικα του νέου αποκρυπτογραφικού συστήματος Κίουι με το οποίο θα φυλάγονται όλες οι ευαίσθητες πληροφορίες όλων των κρατικών υπηρεσιών των ΗΠΑ. Οι υπεύθυνοι του Κίουι, χάκερς και ανώτατα στελέχη της NSA, θορυβήθηκαν από αυτήν την εξέλιξη και έπρεπε να λάβουν τα μέτρα τους. Γι'αυτό ο Κάντροου, ο υπεύθυνος του τομέα, έστειλε έναν πληρωμένο δολοφόνο στο σπίτι του μικρού. Αλλά κάτι πήγε στραβά. Και κάπου εκεί μπλέκει ο πράκτορας του FBI Αρτ Τζέφερσον. Η ζωή του αυτιστικού εφήβου και του πράκτορα Τζέφερσον θα γίνει δύσκολη, χάρη στην παράνοια κάποιων κυβερνητικών μελών. Και στην μέση βρίσκεται και μια ψυχοπαθής Γιαπωνέζα δολοφόνος που σκοτώνει τα αρσενικά θύματα της με φρικιαστικούς και σαδομαζοχιστικούς τρόπους... Οι διαφορές με την ταινία: Ο Αρτ Τζέφερσον είναι μαύρος και όχι λευκός, παντρεμένος με μια επίσης μαύρη ψυχολόγο και γιατρό του μικρού Σάιμον, έχουμε μια τρελή Γιαπωνέζα που βασανίζει τα θύματα της με ευνουχισμούς, σπάσιμο ποδιών και χεριών, ξεντεριάσματα κλπ, ο Σάιμον είναι στην εφηβεία και όχι εννιά χρονών και στο τέλος δεν υπάρχει μάχη με τον κακό της NSA αλλά με την τρελή Γιαπωνέζα. Να σας πω την αλήθεια μου άρεσε περισσότερο το σενάριο και η πλοκή του βιβλίου. Η γραφή του Πίρσον μου φάνηκε πάρα πολύ καλή, με λίγες πινελιές χιούμορ στις περιγραφές εδώ και κει, οι χαρακτήρες δεν είχαν ιδιαίτερο βάθος αλλά για θρίλερ μικρού μεγέθους ήταν μια χαρά ικανοποιητικοί και η δράση σίγουρα ήταν μπόλικη, με πολλές σκηνές γραφικής βίας. Το βιβλίο το τσίμπησα από το παζάρι του 2010 με μόλις τέσσερα ευρώ και σίγουρα είναι μια πάρα πολύ καλή επιλογή για το καλοκαίρι. Ο συγγραφέας είναι ένας ενδιαφέρων τύπος που έχει γράψει κάποια πολύ συναρπαστικά βιβλία δράσης, ανάμεσα στα οποία και το Top Ten, ένα από τα καλύτερα θρίλερ με σίριαλ κίλερ που κυκλοφορούν εκεί έξω. Δεν έχει μεταφραστεί, δυστυχώς, στα ελληνικά, αλλά έχω το αγγλικό κείμενο σε pdf μορφή στον υπολογιστή μου. Θα του ρίξω μια ματιά στο άμεσο μέλλον.
Amazon Description: “He's brilliant. Innocent. Helpless. And he's marked for death...It took years to develop. Cost billions to perfect. A cryptographic system so advanced it safeguards the United States' most vital secrets. It is secure. Impenetrable.Until sixteen year old autistic savant Simon Lynch happens upon a forgotten snippet of code, his damaged brilliance breaking the cipher with ease and unwittingly marking him for death. Soon, elements of a pathological government security apparatus are hunting him, as is a beautiful, sadistic Japanese assassin working for enemies who will stop at nothing to learn the secret locked in Simon's mind. Only FBI Agent Art Jefferson stands between the innocent young man and these corrupt forces, putting his career, his freedom, and his life on the line to save Simon.”My Review:I picked up this book because of its focus on an autistic teen and because I like thrillers. The autistic character was written with depth and understanding without becoming a study in how to write a “special” character. “Simple” Simon was anything but, and his key involvement in the plot was natural and engaging. Art Jefferson, the veteran FBI agent whose latest investigation introduces him to Simon, is a strong figure with the right attributes to meet the challenges presented to him. His short but intense relationship with Simon was moving and really made me care about what happened to these characters.Simon was not the only special one in the book, however. One of the villains, Keiko Kimura, was quite mentally disturbed. Anyone who enjoys torturing another that much is in need of some serious help. Her sadistic nature was treated as just an evil manifestation, however, without any reasons for her proclivities explored to add depth. Scenes involving Keiko made me squirm, as the torture is quite graphically described.The pacing was intense, and the plot drove forward in a way that kept me going, if not compelling me to stay up all night reading it. Some pieces detracted from the overall quality, specifically:-A paragraph describing the Chicago Field Office of the FBI is in present tense, while everything else is in past tense. This was a jarring anomaly, though not really a big deal and not repeated.-This sentence was awkward and had a redundant description of action: “Kudrow entered quickly, with some haste Rothchild noted, and planted himself a few feet away, hands folded behind his back.” (Ch. 8, p. 91 of Kindle version).-Typos increased for awhile halfway through, as if the editing/proofreading process was rushed or whoever was doing it was tired.-The analogies got a little intrusive, especially towards the end as the climax drew near. This description in particular was superflous and slowed the action down: “The whites of Sander’s eyes grew around the dark centers until they looked like plates of alabaster china with dollops of thick gravy in the middle of each.” (Ch. 21 p. 210). A nice exercise in writing but it did not serve the plot one bit. Craft and technique are great, but if you notice them instead of the plot something’s wrong.Bottom Line:While not inspired to read the other books in the Art Jefferson series, I enjoyed this one. If you are looking for an escapist ride, this just may be for you.
What do You think about Simple Simon (2011)?
Perhaps you saw the movie "Mercury Rising" staring Bruce Willis? Director Ron Howard bought the rights to turn this engaging thriller into a movie, and it's no wonder: the story of a 16-year-old autistic genius being protected by a renegade FBI operative against a secret government agency has all the elements of his kind of humanistic blockbuster. The movie was good; the book is better!Ryne Douglas Pearson had me hooked on the first page of "Simple Simon"! I was skimming various books to pick a novel to start reading when I suddenly realized that I had read over 30 pages; yes, it appears the book picked me! The book is well written with good, believable characters, even the evil ones. The story starts fast, and it has a good rising action throughout which continues to the end of the book. Various nerve wracking twists kept me reading this book; it really is one that was hard to put down. The plot and action is filled with tension and you are kept guessing. The thrill of what's going to happen next really keeps you reading "just one more chapter"! I didn't expect some of the last few twists - although some of the plot I could guess - and the ending quite surprised me. "Simple Simon" is a well written and well developed book; if you are a thriller or mystery fan, this is a book for you!Sixteen-year-old autistic savant Simon Lynch is a genius with numbers, capable of unraveling any mathematical problem placed before him. He is a lonely and solitary child who lives with his parents in his own peculiar world that no one can understand. Therapists discover that he is good at puzzles, and he is given an "old" book of puzzles for geniuses. He solves it and calls the phone number which the puzzle tells him to do; the Puzzle Center is stunned by the phone call. In reality he has broken the National Security Agency's (NSA) "new" and unbreakable computer code - an "unbreakable" code that goes by the name of KIWI. He is instantly perceived as a threat. After the NSA's first attempt kills his parents, Simon is befriended by a Chicago FBI agent, Art Jefferson. The NSA then tries to eliminate Jefferson by manipulating FBI charges against him and then arranging for Jefferson and his wife's (Simon's new therapist) arrest. Running from the NSA and the FBI, Jefferson and Simon are then beset by a female Japanese sadistic assassin. The rising action builds into a shoot-out on top of Chicago's Sears Tower.
—Carl
If you don't know this already, Simple Simon was made into the Bruce Willis movie, Mercury Rising. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the movie doesn't hold a candle to the book - as is the case most of the time a novel is changed for the big screen. If you've seen the movie, don't let that deter you from reading the book. There are enough major differences (more than I can count right now) to keep the reading of this novel fresh and suspenseful...If you don't know the story, there are plenty of reviews that will reveal it for you, but I'm just going to point out what I liked without giving anything else away. The main character, Art Jefferson, is a guy you can't help liking. His tenderness towards the autistic Simon is more than touching, and the relationship with his wife (yes, in the book he is married) helps make him more of a real person than the gung-ho, punch-my-boss-in-the-face, tough guy character played by Willis. I didn't know that there were three previous Art Jefferson books and, once I figured it out, I got the impression that the character would be even more engrossing once his previous experiences and relationships with other characters were taken into consideration. Those books, Cloud Burst, October's Ghost, and Capital Punishment are now on my read list to be sure. The side of the story that deals with "Simple Simon", the autistic boy that has unknowingly cracked an ultra-secret NSA code named KIWI (Mercury in the movie, though before I watched the movie again, I thought the title just meant "Things Are Heating Up!") is very emotional. Without given anything away, there were parts in the book where my heart just broke for Simon, and all autistic children for that matter. Pearson does a great job at making that portion of the story very human.There's also the matter of a certain character that didn't make the film, a bad guy...er...girl, that added something quite twisted and dark to the story, making it even more emotional and gripping. The whole NSA side of the story was great, making it the techno-thriller it is and topping it off with a twist of government conspiracy so believable that it may leave you uncomfortable next time you watch C-Span or read about certain clandestine operations and DoD budgets...How Art ends up protecting Simon is much more believable and less Die Hard 2 than the movie. Everything fits together beautifully, from the FBI to the dark corners of the NSA, from Simon to the sadistic third-party killer after him, from Autism to super codes, and everything in between. This was a great read. Dark, emotional, suspenseful, scary, and... worth reading to be sure.
—Shawn Hopkins
I stand by my other comments that the Keiko character's atrocities were unnecessary to the plot of this particular story. She would be threatening enough as a regular old assassin without the nipple-carving and other sexual stuff. It was nice to actually have more than one heroic figure in this story. The ending was good, but left completely unresolved what happened to KIWI and whether the governmental agencies were at risk or not. I would give it four stars if the Keiko character was not so atrocious.
—Nancy
