The second book in the series (Invasive) does not follow the same cast of characters and drops most of the hacking premise. Because of that and the unrealistic way this story was handled, I will not continue in this series.
Recommendation
Overall I would not recommend this book for any type of development reason. I also do not recommend it as a good cyber security story. That said, it is a decent sci-fi thriller with lots of action which was easy to read. So if you’re looking for a thriller to get your mind off of reality this may be a good one to pick up.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
[dsm_block_reveal_text block_reveal_text=”Recommended Reading for:” block_reveal_delay=”0.5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/dsm_block_reveal_text][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ title=”IT Curious Readers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”All IT Professionals” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Help Desk Technicians” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”System Administrators” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Network Administrators” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Software Developers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Security Analysts” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Security Engineers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Penetration Testers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CISOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CIOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CTOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CEOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating]
[/et_pb_row]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”My Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating title=”Amazon Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center”][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ title=”GoodReads Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center”][/dsm_star_rating]
[/et_pb_section]
That said, this story does show more diversity in the types of hackers and does capture some common personality tropes of those hackers. The premise of the main arc is grounded in reality but the author just takes it to crazy town.
The second book in the series (Invasive) does not follow the same cast of characters and drops most of the hacking premise. Because of that and the unrealistic way this story was handled, I will not continue in this series.
Recommendation
Overall I would not recommend this book for any type of development reason. I also do not recommend it as a good cyber security story. That said, it is a decent sci-fi thriller with lots of action which was easy to read. So if you’re looking for a thriller to get your mind off of reality this may be a good one to pick up.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
[dsm_block_reveal_text block_reveal_text=”Recommended Reading for:” block_reveal_delay=”0.5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/dsm_block_reveal_text][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ title=”IT Curious Readers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”All IT Professionals” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Help Desk Technicians” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”System Administrators” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Network Administrators” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Software Developers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Security Analysts” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Security Engineers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Penetration Testers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CISOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CIOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CTOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CEOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating]
[/et_pb_row]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”My Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating title=”Amazon Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center”][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ title=”GoodReads Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center”][/dsm_star_rating]
[/et_pb_section]
My Reaction
The beginning of the story is exactly what I’ve been asking for with real hackers doing real hacking things. For that, I really wanted to like the story but in the end I’m not satisfied with this book. The characters are not likeable or interesting. The story is very loose with realistic actions and hand waves a lot of science. There’s action for the sake of action and the personal development of characters is forced. This is not a story about hackers, it is a sci-fi that happened to have some hackers in it.
That said, this story does show more diversity in the types of hackers and does capture some common personality tropes of those hackers. The premise of the main arc is grounded in reality but the author just takes it to crazy town.
The second book in the series (Invasive) does not follow the same cast of characters and drops most of the hacking premise. Because of that and the unrealistic way this story was handled, I will not continue in this series.
Recommendation
Overall I would not recommend this book for any type of development reason. I also do not recommend it as a good cyber security story. That said, it is a decent sci-fi thriller with lots of action which was easy to read. So if you’re looking for a thriller to get your mind off of reality this may be a good one to pick up.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
[dsm_block_reveal_text block_reveal_text=”Recommended Reading for:” block_reveal_delay=”0.5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/dsm_block_reveal_text][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ title=”IT Curious Readers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”All IT Professionals” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Help Desk Technicians” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”System Administrators” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Network Administrators” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Software Developers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Security Analysts” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Security Engineers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”Penetration Testers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CISOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CIOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CTOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”CEOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating]
[/et_pb_row]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”2″ title=”My Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating title=”Amazon Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center”][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ title=”GoodReads Rating” stars_display_type=”block” stars_size=”30px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”26px” text_orientation=”center”][/dsm_star_rating]
[/et_pb_section]
From there the story becomes less believable, with the actions taken in the dark site losing its technical reality and becoming more of a “hacking is magic” story where characters can just make things happen. Midway through the story, all the hacking just stops and it becomes a quasi apocalyptic thriller involving out of control AI.
My Reaction
The beginning of the story is exactly what I’ve been asking for with real hackers doing real hacking things. For that, I really wanted to like the story but in the end I’m not satisfied with this book. The characters are not likeable or interesting. The story is very loose with realistic actions and hand waves a lot of science. There’s action for the sake of action and the personal development of characters is forced. This is not a story about hackers, it is a sci-fi that happened to have some hackers in it.
That said, this story does show more diversity in the types of hackers and does capture some common personality tropes of those hackers. The premise of the main arc is grounded in reality but the author just takes it to crazy town.
The second book in the series (Invasive) does not follow the same cast of characters and drops most of the hacking premise. Because of that and the unrealistic way this story was handled, I will not continue in this series.
Recommendation
Overall I would not recommend this book for any type of development reason. I also do not recommend it as a good cyber security story. That said, it is a decent sci-fi thriller with lots of action which was easy to read. So if you’re looking for a thriller to get your mind off of reality this may be a good one to pick up.
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Synopsis
Zeroes is a technothriller set in mid 2010’s that follows fiver hackers with different backgrounds. Two are more traditional skilled hackers while the other three have specialized niches: social engineering, scamming, and an old-school BBS admin. The story starts out relatively believable by following each of five hackers through their most recent crimes up to them getting caught by a 3 letter agency. They are then sent into a dark site to become gray hats for the government and for a team they call the “Zeroes”.
From there the story becomes less believable, with the actions taken in the dark site losing its technical reality and becoming more of a “hacking is magic” story where characters can just make things happen. Midway through the story, all the hacking just stops and it becomes a quasi apocalyptic thriller involving out of control AI.
My Reaction
The beginning of the story is exactly what I’ve been asking for with real hackers doing real hacking things. For that, I really wanted to like the story but in the end I’m not satisfied with this book. The characters are not likeable or interesting. The story is very loose with realistic actions and hand waves a lot of science. There’s action for the sake of action and the personal development of characters is forced. This is not a story about hackers, it is a sci-fi that happened to have some hackers in it.
That said, this story does show more diversity in the types of hackers and does capture some common personality tropes of those hackers. The premise of the main arc is grounded in reality but the author just takes it to crazy town.
The second book in the series (Invasive) does not follow the same cast of characters and drops most of the hacking premise. Because of that and the unrealistic way this story was handled, I will not continue in this series.
Recommendation
Overall I would not recommend this book for any type of development reason. I also do not recommend it as a good cyber security story. That said, it is a decent sci-fi thriller with lots of action which was easy to read. So if you’re looking for a thriller to get your mind off of reality this may be a good one to pick up.
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