One is the Loneliest Number

by Diane Duane

Book Overview

In this new adventure, a fellow student makes life miserable for the rest of the Net Force by sabotaging a virtual simulation program. But when a Force exiles him from the group, the brilliant outcast creates a virtual playroom that will blow them all away. Based on the major mini-series from ABC-TV.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425164179
• ISBN13: 9780425164174
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

NET FORCE "One is the loneliest number" by Tom Clancy

My name is Mike from 1st period English II, and I am reviewing NET FORCE "One is the loneliest number" by Tom Clancy. It is basically your general science fiction novel where computers rule the world in the future. I liked this book not only because I like science fiction, but because it is an outstanding piece of literature. It is so outstanding because it is a thinker. You are not supposed to under stand everything as soon as it happens. A couple of pages later, the it all clicks together. In the begining, the characters talk of simulations, North American XB-70 Valkyries, and Spitfires. When it is put into words in such a matter, the words have no meaning. In later pages, however, you soon find out that the kids are virtually simulating well known wars such as WWII, and the Battle of Gettysburg. Also, the NA XB-70 Valkyrie is a super virtual jet that Maj,a main character, brought back to life. Finally, a Spitfire is a log-lived aircraft in their virtual world. I also like this book because it is extremely descriptive. There are adjictives that paint much more than a picture. The auther, Tom Clancy, tells the story as if he is living it at that point in time. He really knows how to stay in the moment. "It stood silhouetted against the brightening crimson line of dawn, a shadow that could as yet cast no shadow of its own"(1). Tom Clancy could have simply said, "It made a silhouette when the sun came up." "Very suddenly, and Maj hoped showily, they appeared on the tarmac as they were mentioned: A threesomeof F-104 Starfighters, their brushed chrome gleaming blindingly in the sun and their engines already wound up and screaming with mechanical enthusiasm"(21). The words, "Three planes showed up," would have covered that 38 word sentence. I am not sure wheather it is the discription or what they are describing that caught my eye. The third and final reason why I like this book is because it is all about kids. It really puts things in perspective and helped me relate to the characters ans situations better. "In the future, computers rule the world. The et Force was formed to protect us fro any and all criminal activity on-line. But there is a group of teenage whiz kids who sometimes know more about computers than their adult superiors"(back cover). That showes that kids are running the show. I give this book four out of five stars because it is only 175 pages long. I reccomend this read to teenagers that watch Star Trek, and was first in line for Star Wars Episode II.

Net Force Explorers: One is the Loneliest Number

Madeleine Green, called Maj, has spent a year perfecting one of her latest virtual sims. She decides to present it to her friends who calls themselves the Group of Seven, seven teens who are all computer whiz kids. But all it took was a few moments for one of the Group, Roddy L'Officer, to sabotage her sim program! Since Roddy has done plenty of damaging 'pranks' before, the rest of the Group decides to exile Roddy, meaning no virtmails and no sims between the friends and him. But Roddy has something up his sleeve, a new 'playroom' he has recently created. But the 'playroom' is not all he's done, he's also discovered something of pure genius, something that can be used for good... or for evil.The Net Force Explorers is a great Young Adult fiction series, especially those with a love for computers and the Internet. Since the Net presented in the books have no boundaries, you will never know what to expect next. With well-thought out plots, the stories have plenty of twists and turns, having the whole plot well balanced with mystery, excitement, and adventure. Unfortunately for me, "One is the Loneliest Number" isn't one of my favorite Net Force Explorer's books. The reason is because the back of the book did not explain what the story was about very well so the first half of the book was very slow and a bit dull for me. I think the reason is because though in the back it says that the Group of Seven are Net Force Explorers, it's not necessarily true. Only Maj is an Explorer so Net Force doesn't appear for a while in the story. But as soon as things began to pick up, I must admit that the story was incredibly exciting! My tip is, though maybe a bit slow at first, keep reading. The last few chapters are EXTREMELY exciting!The character of Maj Green is pretty average, has a temper that flairs up occasionally but soon simmers down. But for me my favorite character was Mark Grideley, who appears later in the book. He is fairly young, thirteen years old, but since he is the Net Force director's son, he's very smart. As stubborn as a rock, he is in a way a good leader. I LOVE the part where he, Maj, and Charlie (another Explorer) confront Roddy. But of course I can't say too much! The series is for Young Adults and I strongly recommend only older kids read it since there are many occasions where a few bad words are sprinkled here and there. Not that bad but still in a way a bit annoying to have them in the book. But I still highly recommend it for older kids for I'm sure you'll love it!

REALLY GOOD

I believe that this book is a really good book, and I would certainly want to buy the whole series after just this first book. I really want to go out and buy the rest of these books. Two Thumbs Up! :-))