Thursday, August 2, 2012

Daniel H. Wilson's "Amped"

Daniel H. Wilson earned a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. His books include How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Where’s My Jetpack?, How to Build a Robot Army, The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame, Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown, A Boy and His Bot, and Robopocalypse.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, Amped:
Amped is a techno-thriller about a guy living through a civil rights movement that is sparked when people with disabilities start using neural implants that make them smarter and faster than average people. The protagonist, Owen Gray, starts out as a wimpy high school teacher, but pretty soon figures out that he has a weaponized neural implant that gives him the power to do really great things -- or really terrible things. A few days ago I found out that Chris Hemsworth is likely starring in the movie based on my novel Robopocalypse, and so I went and watched his movie Thor. I came away really impressed with Chris, but also with the character of Loki, played by an actor named Tom Hiddleston. I recognized him from another great movie, War Horse. Hiddleston has this way of transforming from a vulnerable, inoffensive guy into an icewater-veined badass on the spot. It's a transformation that would be perfect for Owen Gray.
Learn more about the book and author at Daniel Wilson's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Boy and His Bot.

Writers Read: Daniel H. Wilson.

The Page 69 Test: Robopocalypse.

--Marshal Zeringue