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Published in 1984, this novella is a decent horror/tech story for its time.

Surprisingly, the author knew very little about computers at the time of writing. His research worked, because the lingo feels right, if the capabilities are a little beyond the CPUs of the time. The main characters are flawed by their experiences in back-to-back wars. Kluge, though dead, is also an interesting character, a lone hacker.

The plot moves along at the start and end of this book, but sags in the middle. While a computer-illiterate character allows the author to show more than tell, it still feels a bit forced. In the decade after 1984, I would have given this 4 stars for originality and sheer horror.