Call number
FIC SHA
Collection
Publication
Mulholland Books (2014), Edition: 1St Edition, 432 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:Three young adults grapple with the usual thirty-something problems �?? boredom, authenticity, an omnipotent online oligarchy �?? in David Shafer's darkly comic debut novel. The Committee, an international cabal of industrialists and media barons, is on the verge of privatizing all information. Dear Diary, an idealistic online Underground, stands in the way of that takeover, using radical politics, classic spycraft, and technology that makes Big Data look like dial-up. Into this secret battle stumbles an unlikely trio: Leila Majnoun, a disillusioned non-profit worker; Leo Crane, an unhinged trustafarian; and Mark Deveraux, a phony self-betterment guru who works for the Committee. Leo and Mark were best friends in college, but early adulthood has set them on diverging paths. Growing increasingly disdainful of Mark's platitudes, Leo publishes a withering takedown of his ideas online. But the Committee is reading �?? and erasing �?? Leo's words. On the other side of the world, Leila's discoveries about the Committee's far-reaching ambitions threaten to ruin those who are closest to her. In the spirit of William Gibson and Chuck Palahniuk, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is both a suspenseful global thriller and an emotionally truthful novel about the struggle to change the world in- and outsid… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Isisunit
I would like to thank NetGalley & Mulholland Books for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.
Goodreads Blurb:
William Gibson meets Chuck Palahniuk in an ambitious novel of international
The Committee, an international cabal of techno-industrialists and media barons, is on the verge of privatizing all information. Dear Diary, an idealistic online Underground, stands in the way of that takeover, using radical politics, classic spycraft, and technology that makes Big Data look like dial-up. Into this pitched and secret battle tumbles an unlikely trio: Leila Majnoun, a disenchanted non-profiteer; Leo Crane, a bipolar trustafarian; and Mark Devreaux, a wracked and fraudulent self-betterment guru.
David Shafer's WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT is both a suspenseful global thriller and an emotionally realistic novel about the struggle to change the world in and outside of your head. In the spirit of Chuck Palahniuk, it is a remarkable debut that announces a captivating new voice in literary suspense.
This book was a slow starter for me. A very slow starter. By the time I was 30% into the book I was ready to call it quits, but decided I'd give it just a bit more time as I hate to leave books unfinished once I've begun reading them. Thankfully things did get substantially better as I got deeper into the story, but it was an uphill battle.
Though I didn't find the book to be great I could give it 'good,' and that's because the third quarter of the book did a miraculous job of turning things up, but it simply wasn't enough for me to feel that I'd enjoyed the book. It took too long for me to feel involved with the characters, or the characters with the plot. I felt that the author was trying a bit too hard to keep the plans of this international cabal under wraps, not just from the unsuspecting characters but also from the reader. And that was problematic for me.
Not being able to get a grasp on this terrible 'thing' being planned made it very challenging for me to remain invested. It didn't help that the three main characters are kept in their own chapters for quite some time, with limited, if any, interaction. Having to bounce between each character's individual story without a cohesive plot to hang things on just tired me out. Granted that changed, but for me it was too little, too late. But I do think that this author has potential, and fully expect to enjoy future works better.
The main characters were interesting, and Schafer did an excellent job of getting into their heads, and showing us what they were going through in their very different lives. The frustration of running up against red-tape and corrupt governments and organizations every day while trying to improve the lives of others; the fear and self-doubt of someone who has always had an elevated opinion of themselves but never had it reconcile with how they felt the world viewed them; and the depth of depression book-ending manic highs of such euphoria that you are willing to endure the lows just to touch the highs one more time. Each of these personalities has such authenticity that it almost makes me wonder just how much experience Shafer has had with these personality traits and personas.
I must admit this book description is what caught my attention, citing two of my favorite authors and likening this new author's voice to their seminal works. I figured it must be quality if both these author's were mentioned, heck even if one had been mentioned I'd have tried the book! I just need to remember that reviews are subjective, and not to be swayed when reviewers draw correlations between a new author and a favorite established author(s). Frankly I saw less William Gibson in this than Neal Stephenson, but then that is just my own subjective opinion, and even then I'm referring to Stephenson's early works, before he really found his stride, but his potential still shone through. I anticipate that this will someday be Shafer's version of The Big U.
Goodreads Blurb:
William Gibson meets Chuck Palahniuk in an ambitious novel of international
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techno conspiracy and dark comedy.The Committee, an international cabal of techno-industrialists and media barons, is on the verge of privatizing all information. Dear Diary, an idealistic online Underground, stands in the way of that takeover, using radical politics, classic spycraft, and technology that makes Big Data look like dial-up. Into this pitched and secret battle tumbles an unlikely trio: Leila Majnoun, a disenchanted non-profiteer; Leo Crane, a bipolar trustafarian; and Mark Devreaux, a wracked and fraudulent self-betterment guru.
David Shafer's WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT is both a suspenseful global thriller and an emotionally realistic novel about the struggle to change the world in and outside of your head. In the spirit of Chuck Palahniuk, it is a remarkable debut that announces a captivating new voice in literary suspense.
This book was a slow starter for me. A very slow starter. By the time I was 30% into the book I was ready to call it quits, but decided I'd give it just a bit more time as I hate to leave books unfinished once I've begun reading them. Thankfully things did get substantially better as I got deeper into the story, but it was an uphill battle.
Though I didn't find the book to be great I could give it 'good,' and that's because the third quarter of the book did a miraculous job of turning things up, but it simply wasn't enough for me to feel that I'd enjoyed the book. It took too long for me to feel involved with the characters, or the characters with the plot. I felt that the author was trying a bit too hard to keep the plans of this international cabal under wraps, not just from the unsuspecting characters but also from the reader. And that was problematic for me.
Not being able to get a grasp on this terrible 'thing' being planned made it very challenging for me to remain invested. It didn't help that the three main characters are kept in their own chapters for quite some time, with limited, if any, interaction. Having to bounce between each character's individual story without a cohesive plot to hang things on just tired me out. Granted that changed, but for me it was too little, too late. But I do think that this author has potential, and fully expect to enjoy future works better.
The main characters were interesting, and Schafer did an excellent job of getting into their heads, and showing us what they were going through in their very different lives. The frustration of running up against red-tape and corrupt governments and organizations every day while trying to improve the lives of others; the fear and self-doubt of someone who has always had an elevated opinion of themselves but never had it reconcile with how they felt the world viewed them; and the depth of depression book-ending manic highs of such euphoria that you are willing to endure the lows just to touch the highs one more time. Each of these personalities has such authenticity that it almost makes me wonder just how much experience Shafer has had with these personality traits and personas.
I must admit this book description is what caught my attention, citing two of my favorite authors and likening this new author's voice to their seminal works. I figured it must be quality if both these author's were mentioned, heck even if one had been mentioned I'd have tried the book! I just need to remember that reviews are subjective, and not to be swayed when reviewers draw correlations between a new author and a favorite established author(s). Frankly I saw less William Gibson in this than Neal Stephenson, but then that is just my own subjective opinion, and even then I'm referring to Stephenson's early works, before he really found his stride, but his potential still shone through. I anticipate that this will someday be Shafer's version of The Big U.
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LibraryThing member dpappas
And something in the shell of his mind was saying, Just because you've made a hash of your own life doesn't mean someone else's ideas are any better. Especially not those of a man with a pen cup marked Pens. Was this guy even a doctor?
This review might be a bit hard for me to write because while I
The book switches point-of-view mostly between the three main characters (Leila, Leo, and Mark). I immediately connected with both Leila and Leo and loved reading the chapters that were from their point-of-view. I loved Leo's sense of humor and really felt sorry for him. I thought Leila's work was really interesting and loved reading more about her family. I just didn't like Mark at first, I felt he was a fraud and a jerk. The more that I read about him the more complex he seemed and the more I actually started to feel bad for him. No matter how long the plot seemed to drag on those three characters were really what kept me reading.
My first thought after I finished reading this was: "Was this book supposed to be the first book of a series?" The plot just seemed to drag on for so long that the really important events seemed to start in the last fourth of the book. The book just kept building to these events that I thought this book would end with something big but it just fizzled out when things were about to go down. That is why I was questioning in my mind whether this was going to be a series because there seemed to be no resolution at the end (or at least no satisfying resolution).
I would recommend this book if you are interested in a book with great characters that are easy to connect to, but would warn that if you don't like a book with a slowly moving plot (or a lack of resolution) than this probably isn't for you. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.
This review might be a bit hard for me to write because while I
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really enjoyed the main characters and was able to connect with them, I felt like the first half of the book was a lot of character development and building of the story so that things that were prominently mentioned in the book description weren't really discussed until the second half. So pretty much the characters shined in this book while the plot was slow and you were definitely left hanging at the end with no real resolution.The book switches point-of-view mostly between the three main characters (Leila, Leo, and Mark). I immediately connected with both Leila and Leo and loved reading the chapters that were from their point-of-view. I loved Leo's sense of humor and really felt sorry for him. I thought Leila's work was really interesting and loved reading more about her family. I just didn't like Mark at first, I felt he was a fraud and a jerk. The more that I read about him the more complex he seemed and the more I actually started to feel bad for him. No matter how long the plot seemed to drag on those three characters were really what kept me reading.
My first thought after I finished reading this was: "Was this book supposed to be the first book of a series?" The plot just seemed to drag on for so long that the really important events seemed to start in the last fourth of the book. The book just kept building to these events that I thought this book would end with something big but it just fizzled out when things were about to go down. That is why I was questioning in my mind whether this was going to be a series because there seemed to be no resolution at the end (or at least no satisfying resolution).
I would recommend this book if you are interested in a book with great characters that are easy to connect to, but would warn that if you don't like a book with a slowly moving plot (or a lack of resolution) than this probably isn't for you. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.
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LibraryThing member dmclane
This was a NetGalley book; so here's the requested review. The character development was, in my opinion, excellent with the majority of the characters well grounded and believable, glaringly however, the “bad guys” did not get the same attention and therefore appear to be evil for the sake of
I am thankful that had the opportunity to read the book, that NetGalley provided me means to acquire it, and that the author and publisher provided the work. This is a wonderful system, and while this book has, in my opinion, some issues, never-the-less, I enjoyed the experience.
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being evil. Not a great spoiler but not a plus. Plot development is slow, plodding, and struggles from the beginning to the three-quarter point, at which time the conflict between the good guys and the bad takes off and becomes interesting. Again, I did not find this a spoiler, but it was not a plus. Finally, the book ends without resolution, in true cliff-hanger manner, leaving the reader wondering when the next installment in the series will be available. For me, this was the spoiler.I am thankful that had the opportunity to read the book, that NetGalley provided me means to acquire it, and that the author and publisher provided the work. This is a wonderful system, and while this book has, in my opinion, some issues, never-the-less, I enjoyed the experience.
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LibraryThing member KelMunger
The title of David Shafer’s novel (Mulholland Books, $26) is the military radio phonetic spelling of that slang staple, WTF. That’s fitting, because this thriller is about a small group of disaffected 30-somethings who are out to prevent a shadowy international conspiracy to put the entire
Reviewed in Sacramento News & Review, 8/28/14.
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Internet behind a paywall that will make its creators even richer than they already are. Shafer, a journalist, creates some outstanding characters including Leila, a nonprofit do-gooder working in Myanmar, and Mark, a self-help guru in New York who’s got plenty to fix in himself. In Shafer’s hands, they’re as funny and as paranoid as can be, which makes this an entertaining and smart book.Reviewed in Sacramento News & Review, 8/28/14.
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LibraryThing member Daneece
Shafer the author does an excellent job of portraying young adults pondering their future in a Utopian world. Plus the Author is from Portland, Oregon. Being an Oregonian myself I give him a hats off !David Shafer was born and raised in New York City. Before the millennium he self-exiled and moved
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to the Pacific Northwest. He has traveled widely. Educated at Harvard and Columbia, he has worked a string of odd jobs. He loves his wife and daughter and son and dog, all of whom live with him in Portland Oregon. He hopes you will enjoy Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. It is his first novel. But there will be more. Oh there will be more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Richj
About a bad corporatist plot to takeover the world and the good guys who oppose them. One of the problems of this book is the sharp divide between good and bad - sort of Ian Flemingish. The author has occasional flashes of great dark humor (the book may be worth reading just for the guided
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meditation on bass boats) but it's not enough to sustain the book. The book opens with some good character sketches then a lot of slow going with occasional action, some well written. By the end of the book the writer has forgotten the whole plot and has to introduce a science fiction world to finish - although with a good Spinozan touch. Read it for the bass boat meditation then put it down. Show Less
LibraryThing member kgriffith
The premise of this book showed a lot of promise, but after several attempts, I simply could not get into the story. The writing was stilted, the "American in Asia" references too heavy-handed, the plot barely there. While there was plenty of character development, none of it caused me to actually
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care what happened to the characters. Perhaps a stronger storyline and better editing would prove David Shafer a decent storyteller. I would give him another shot, but this one missed the mark. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
Three main characters in their mid-thirties, seemingly unconnected, become unwitting players in a control for online information. This edgy, dark but also comedic novel describes a potential dystopian state of affairs in which personal data becomes the property of large corporations, who want to
Leila Majnoun is an attractive American woman trying to make a difference in health care in Myanmar, who inadvertently stumbles upon the U.S. Government involved in something she shouldn’t have seen. Leo Crane, a good-hearted but misguided and substance-abusing neer-do-well, has just lost his job as a preschool teacher in Portland, Oregon. And Mark Deveraux is a drug-addled, alcohol-addicted self-help guru in New York who has come to the attention of wealthy and powerful James Straw, the “squillionaire” of SineCo, a digital search-and-storage conglomerate.
SineCo is supported by a clandestine U.S. intelligence organization called the Central Security Service, or CSS, the mission of which, since 9/11, has been “to build and maintain the world’s supreme electronic intelligence-gathering apparatus and cyberdefense infrastructure.” The CSS uses a few private-sector endeavors for intellectual capital and leading-edge technology. In return, the CSS provides cover for the companies’ R& D “that, in order to be valuable and effective, must take place in zones unattached to a particular jurisdiction.”
With the help of the CSS, SineCo has formed “The Committee,” dedicated to privatizing any and all information found anywhere online, and putting it to their own uses. A secret counter-movement, called “Dear Diary” has also arisen to try and stop The Committee.
What Leila found in Myanmar was an operation run by The Committee. Even though she had no idea what she saw, she was curious about it, and emailed a few reporter friends with questions. This was enough for the CSS to arrange for her eviction from Myanmar.
Before leaving however, she receives a cryptic warning from Ned Swain. Ned is a CSS operative who has been a little shocked and disaffected by the increasingly nefarious direction CSS has been taking. He advises Leila to contact Dear Diary. Dear Diary is afraid that The Committee wants to do more than just influence the thought and language and culture and social order. They have seen documents indicating that The Committee is considering a “targeted genocide" program. In ten years or so, they will have collected enough biological and genetic material to have computers determine which five percent of the population should live so they can begin the world again with “Enhanced Humanity.”
With Dear Diary's help, soon Leila connects with both Leo and Mark, and the three of them get involved in a scheme to help take down The Committee.
But Leila, Leo and Mark have to grapple with a critically important question: how do they know that Dear Diary won’t also turn into an organization like The Committee? As Mark points out, revolutionaries usually end up eating their children, or as he phrases it, “distributors always become the assholes.”
Dear Diary alleges it has a way to help keep its adherents honest, called “The Test.” All three of them take it, and it gives them a new perspective on reality, and on each other. But is it enough to save the world?
Discussion: This is one of the growing number of books in a genre that looks at the (invariably deleterious) repercussions of the proliferation of online information and diminution of privacy. It is similar in a way to Dave Eggers’ book The Circle, but this one is less allegorical. I like to wonder if it is more or less over the top than Eggers, but that’s because I like to pretend that these cautionary tales are all over the top.
There are some very funny satirical moments in this book, both subtle and overt - I especially loved the insider Proust joke. But I thought there was a bit too much rehashing of the main characters’ inner angst, and not enough development of some of the side characters, like Ned and James Straw, neither of whom I felt I really understood.
Evaluation: While this book just brushes the edges of being a thriller, I would categorize it more as political fiction, with a dark, satirical edge. Recommended for those who like to think about the possibilities for abuses of information collection and privacy.
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use it as they wish, and sell it back to you for a price.Leila Majnoun is an attractive American woman trying to make a difference in health care in Myanmar, who inadvertently stumbles upon the U.S. Government involved in something she shouldn’t have seen. Leo Crane, a good-hearted but misguided and substance-abusing neer-do-well, has just lost his job as a preschool teacher in Portland, Oregon. And Mark Deveraux is a drug-addled, alcohol-addicted self-help guru in New York who has come to the attention of wealthy and powerful James Straw, the “squillionaire” of SineCo, a digital search-and-storage conglomerate.
SineCo is supported by a clandestine U.S. intelligence organization called the Central Security Service, or CSS, the mission of which, since 9/11, has been “to build and maintain the world’s supreme electronic intelligence-gathering apparatus and cyberdefense infrastructure.” The CSS uses a few private-sector endeavors for intellectual capital and leading-edge technology. In return, the CSS provides cover for the companies’ R& D “that, in order to be valuable and effective, must take place in zones unattached to a particular jurisdiction.”
With the help of the CSS, SineCo has formed “The Committee,” dedicated to privatizing any and all information found anywhere online, and putting it to their own uses. A secret counter-movement, called “Dear Diary” has also arisen to try and stop The Committee.
What Leila found in Myanmar was an operation run by The Committee. Even though she had no idea what she saw, she was curious about it, and emailed a few reporter friends with questions. This was enough for the CSS to arrange for her eviction from Myanmar.
Before leaving however, she receives a cryptic warning from Ned Swain. Ned is a CSS operative who has been a little shocked and disaffected by the increasingly nefarious direction CSS has been taking. He advises Leila to contact Dear Diary. Dear Diary is afraid that The Committee wants to do more than just influence the thought and language and culture and social order. They have seen documents indicating that The Committee is considering a “targeted genocide" program. In ten years or so, they will have collected enough biological and genetic material to have computers determine which five percent of the population should live so they can begin the world again with “Enhanced Humanity.”
With Dear Diary's help, soon Leila connects with both Leo and Mark, and the three of them get involved in a scheme to help take down The Committee.
But Leila, Leo and Mark have to grapple with a critically important question: how do they know that Dear Diary won’t also turn into an organization like The Committee? As Mark points out, revolutionaries usually end up eating their children, or as he phrases it, “distributors always become the assholes.”
Dear Diary alleges it has a way to help keep its adherents honest, called “The Test.” All three of them take it, and it gives them a new perspective on reality, and on each other. But is it enough to save the world?
Discussion: This is one of the growing number of books in a genre that looks at the (invariably deleterious) repercussions of the proliferation of online information and diminution of privacy. It is similar in a way to Dave Eggers’ book The Circle, but this one is less allegorical. I like to wonder if it is more or less over the top than Eggers, but that’s because I like to pretend that these cautionary tales are all over the top.
There are some very funny satirical moments in this book, both subtle and overt - I especially loved the insider Proust joke. But I thought there was a bit too much rehashing of the main characters’ inner angst, and not enough development of some of the side characters, like Ned and James Straw, neither of whom I felt I really understood.
Evaluation: While this book just brushes the edges of being a thriller, I would categorize it more as political fiction, with a dark, satirical edge. Recommended for those who like to think about the possibilities for abuses of information collection and privacy.
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LibraryThing member mhanlon
I had a few people recommend this book to me, raving about it, but I'm not so sure I'd pass on the same way.
I liked that start well enough, Leila seemed to be written well and have an interesting story -- a lady working for a nonprofit health organization struggling to get a foothold in Burma
The first paragraph of Leo's story, the first sentence, just slopped out, for me. "Turning his head to look at the Fremont Bridge sparkling in the sharp light of the November morning, Leo felt his chin rasp across the collars of his two woolen shirts and his canvas work coat." I just think I'm not a big fan of third person subjective, especially when it seems like we get only one (fairly boring) dimension of a character.
When I emerged into the Mark Deveraux chapter I felt like I could breath again and the narrative jolted to life a little for me, the prose seemed to flow a little better, but I did worry that a third of the book would be spent with a character I just didn't believe.
The conspiracy at the heart of the book coalesces, it doesn't race, and that's kind of enjoyable. But I just found myself getting frustrated by some clunky dialogue and lengthy descriptions and the fact that much of the story hinged on Leo just didn't work for me.
I liked that start well enough, Leila seemed to be written well and have an interesting story -- a lady working for a nonprofit health organization struggling to get a foothold in Burma
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seemed ripe with possibilities. But when the reader is thrust into the fairly shallow and scattered straits of Leo's head on a bike ride into his job at a day care I ran aground.The first paragraph of Leo's story, the first sentence, just slopped out, for me. "Turning his head to look at the Fremont Bridge sparkling in the sharp light of the November morning, Leo felt his chin rasp across the collars of his two woolen shirts and his canvas work coat." I just think I'm not a big fan of third person subjective, especially when it seems like we get only one (fairly boring) dimension of a character.
When I emerged into the Mark Deveraux chapter I felt like I could breath again and the narrative jolted to life a little for me, the prose seemed to flow a little better, but I did worry that a third of the book would be spent with a character I just didn't believe.
The conspiracy at the heart of the book coalesces, it doesn't race, and that's kind of enjoyable. But I just found myself getting frustrated by some clunky dialogue and lengthy descriptions and the fact that much of the story hinged on Leo just didn't work for me.
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LibraryThing member mamzel
This story is about a megalomaniac who intends to intercept and record every piece of information transmitted and eventually hold this information hostage if it suited him. There are, however, (and of course), those who wish to stop him and they recruit a young woman who happened across one of the
The story was rather slow in building and the author's voice came through periodically as rants. The story ended abruptly and I hope this doesn't mean a sequel is coming.
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huge server farms in the jungles of Burma (who has a genius sister) and the writer of a self-help book that was being wooed to be the Storywriter-in-Chief for the Committee. The story was rather slow in building and the author's voice came through periodically as rants. The story ended abruptly and I hope this doesn't mean a sequel is coming.
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LibraryThing member GranitePeakPubs
Such a slow start (perhaps the first 100 pages), but then I couldn't put it down.
LibraryThing member gmmartz
This book was maddening. The first half was great, the 2nd drug on a bit and then....poof. The author takes a current tech trend (Big Data) to an extreme, pitting a good side against a bad side for what amounts to world domination. There are Gen Xers, evil business people, drugs, an international
Well, when you're reading a physical (hardback) book and the pages remaining are dwindling to the point where there are just a few left, and you know that what's been laid out in the story could take another, oh, couple hundred pages to come to some sort of conclusion, and it just peters out.... that's what not to like.
When I review books, I look at writing, dialogue, plot, character development, and conclusion, and WTF was great on all counts except for the conclusion. You know how a movie may end abruptly, but you actually kind of know what's going to happen because it's been baked into the plot? Well, that doesn't happen here. It ends and it's anyone's guess that happens to the guy who could save humanity. Or not.
Loved the writing, loved the technology stuff (both real and imagined), but WTF?
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charity, monolithic computing power, sex, strange processes, and Lord knows what else involved. The writing is excellent, the dialogue great, and the story interesting. What's not to like? Well, when you're reading a physical (hardback) book and the pages remaining are dwindling to the point where there are just a few left, and you know that what's been laid out in the story could take another, oh, couple hundred pages to come to some sort of conclusion, and it just peters out.... that's what not to like.
When I review books, I look at writing, dialogue, plot, character development, and conclusion, and WTF was great on all counts except for the conclusion. You know how a movie may end abruptly, but you actually kind of know what's going to happen because it's been baked into the plot? Well, that doesn't happen here. It ends and it's anyone's guess that happens to the guy who could save humanity. Or not.
Loved the writing, loved the technology stuff (both real and imagined), but WTF?
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
This was one of those odd cases where I think the novel was very clever, with an intricate, well thought out plot, but I just couldn’t make myself like it.
There are three separate plot lines revolving around a young Persian-American woman working for an NGO in Burma, a young man who has just lost
I think my difficulties with this book arose from the narrative tone – the plot was potentially strong, but it just didn’t hang together as a book. I wonder whether the author was too concerned with how it might be filmed.
There are three separate plot lines revolving around a young Persian-American woman working for an NGO in Burma, a young man who has just lost
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his job working for a childcare setting in Portland, Oregon, and an author of a self-help manual who is working the promotional chat show circuit. There is no apparent connection between them … except that they might be subject to scrutiny by a secret ‘shadow government’. From there it trundles on as a conspiracy thriller.I think my difficulties with this book arose from the narrative tone – the plot was potentially strong, but it just didn’t hang together as a book. I wonder whether the author was too concerned with how it might be filmed.
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LibraryThing member alwright1
I received this as an ARC from the publisher and got incredibly busy after I read it, so I apologize for the late start here.
The story starts with the establishing of three separate disaffected 30-somethings in seemingly disparate situations. The three become entangled as a mysterious cabal works
The ideas about the ethics of the current technology landscape might have hit a little harder without the semi-mystical nature of the "good-guys," but it was ultimately a fun, emotionally satisfying read.
The story starts with the establishing of three separate disaffected 30-somethings in seemingly disparate situations. The three become entangled as a mysterious cabal works
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to gain control of the personal information and communications of the developed world. While the three characters were sufficiently developed and entertaining, I would have enjoyed digging deeper into both the evil tech cabal and the secret organization that contacts our heroes and enlists them in the fight. The ideas about the ethics of the current technology landscape might have hit a little harder without the semi-mystical nature of the "good-guys," but it was ultimately a fun, emotionally satisfying read.
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LibraryThing member Pferdina
I enjoyed reading this book, although I had no idea what was going on for at least the first half. The three main characters' stories were completed separate at first. My only complaint is that the book ended too soon, just as things were getting interesting.
LibraryThing member SoubhiKiewiet
I was pretty interested in this book at the beginning, but towards the middle it got really muddy and I found myself fighting to keep interested. Gave up about 3/5 of the way through. It's too bad, I know a lot of people loved it. Not me.
LibraryThing member asxz
Super fun literary romp. Satisfyingly meaty modern novel. This is why I read first novels - occasionally you get something this brash and jolly without the usual self-important introspective pomposity. Fun, fun, fun.
LibraryThing member usuallee
Very enjoyable & accomplished debut. It was as if T. C. Boyle, William Gibson, and Carl Hiassen decided to collaborate on a humorous, character driven, bleeding edge, sci-fi tinged conspiracy thriller. It was fascinating, well plotted, the character development was out of this world (the
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characters' vividly rendered inner monologues were very reminiscent of Boyle), and it was peppered with laugh-out-loud-funny one liners. I'm okay with the ambiguous conclusion but I'm also hoping for a sequel. The author's bio says "there will be more. Oh yes, there WILL be more." Yes, please. Show Less
Awards
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (Shortlist — 2015)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
Pages
432
ISBN
0316252638 / 9780316252638