I read "the moon is a harsh mistress" sometime ago, and the more I think about it, the AIs in Marathon are undoubtedly influenced by Mike, the rampant (hint) planetwide (hint) very jealous (hint) computer who helps the colonists on the moon defeat a united earth government (and hint). Although no aliens are mentioned in the book at all, there are many cyborgs, and the battles are very much like those in Marathon -- personal, desparate and high-stakes.
Mike, the computer, is described as being big enough to "wake up". This reminds of of the M. discussion about how AIs need a planet-sized network in order to grow rampant. Mike seems to enjoy the "little war" with earth very much, and he also displays -- what else? -- a childish sense of humor, much like Durandal's in M1. When Mike first wakes up, he's like a baby, and he can't really talk like an adult human, but by the end he's a very "mature" personality, even convincing enough to pretend to be a president who's only seen of TV (that was cool). It reminds me of the babble of Durandal in M1, with his subsequent maturation in M2.
Does anyone else share my opinion, or disagree with me?
T'nega Su-Telc
