Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Wendig (Blackbirds) piles on the thrills and chills in this fast-paced near-future novel about human frailty and inhuman ambition. Five American hackers grabbed by the Feds are given a choice: a jail sentence, or a job working on a secret NSA program run by the mysterious Typhon. The diverse hackers-a morally indifferent thrill seeker, an activist hacking for the Arab Spring, a teen vigilante, a multitalented smart-ass who steals in order to escape the streets, and an aging conspiracy theorist-are united only by their lack of trust in one another and the government. Their suspicions about the government's motives increase when their individual missions, breaking into the computers of different companies, start to feel connected. Now the hackers need to figure out Typhon's true identity and motivation, preferably before Typhon is done using them. While the major revelations are easy to see coming, Wendig wields the tools of suspense and tension with skill. His large cast of characters is entertaining, the moments of horror are sharp and chilling, and the story races to a breathless conclusion. This is a promising opening to a new series for SF thriller fans. Agent: Stacia Decker, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Five hackers are picked up separately by government agent Hollis Copper and offered a one-time-only deal: work for the National Security Agency (NSA) or go to jail. The five have little in common-Aleena is an Arab Spring activist, DeAndre a clever thief, Chance a poser hacker, Wade an old-school conspiracy nut, and Reagan an online troll-but they are forced to work together when they are dropped at a secret location called the Lodge. Their individual missions to hack various companies seem connected, and they start putting together evidence that the government is using them to test a new computer called Typhon. As they near the truth, the hackers become a threat to the people who are trying to manipulate them. VERDICT This new novel from Wendig, whose Miriam Black books (Blackbird; Mockingbird) are coming to TV soon, is highly cinematic and should appeal to fans of technothrillers. The story line develops in less plausible directions as it leaves the lodge and the truth about Typhon comes out, but by then readers are probably along for the ride.-MM © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A group of co-opted hackers discovers a secret government experiment gone terribly wrong.Prolific sci-fi novelist and games enthusiast Wendig (Under the Empyrean Sky, 2013, etc.) whips up a Matrix-y bit of old-school cyberpunk updated to meet the frightening technology of the modern age. Government agent Hollis Copper is a tough old guy who's been seconded to the National Security Agency to round up a bunch of hackers for a secret project. [They're an odd bunch. Chance Dalton is an Anonymous poser who uses dark Web tactics to out evildoers. DeAndre Mitchell uses ATM skimmers to pay for his mom's house. Aleena Kattan uses her wicked code-breaking skills in the name of hacktivism in support of the Arab Spring. Reagan Stolper is a foulmouthed, ill-tempered troll who ruins lives in the name of "lulz." Finally, there's Wade Earthman, a Vietnam vet skilled in the dark arts of phishing and phreaking. They're promised clean records if they devote a year to the NSA's secret lodge, where pods of hackers work together to penetrate high-security networks. Things go awry when they're charged with disrupting Iran's nuclear program by co-opting an Iranian drone and accidentally discover a secret NSA program called Typhon and the disappearance of 13 prominent theorists. The "Zeroes" find themselves pawns in a conflict among their government captors, a renegade hacker called The Widow of Zheng, and Typhon, a sentient artificial intelligence which is growing in power and influence with every passing minute. "Because they have to be willing to accept us," it says. "Because sometimes the child has to touch the hot stove to learn why he shouldn't do it again. Because in chaos, there is opportunity." This is an ambitious, bleeding-edge piece of speculative fiction that combines hacker lore, wet-wired horror, and contemporary paranoia in a propulsive adventure that's bound to keep readers on their toes. An action-packed yet cerebral thriller that lives in that murky nexus between today and the future. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
