by Paul Jerimy | Apr 2, 2021 | Book Reviews
Synopsis
Rise of the Locusts by Mark Goodwin is the first novel in his Cyber Armageddon series. The series follows a SOC Supervisor at a financial institute from the discovery of a breach through to the shutdown of critical infrastructure in the United States.
The first half of the book focuses on the main protagonist dealing with a breach that acts a lot like ransomware. The technical details used, the setting, and the initial actions were all very realistic and well done. The story is very interesting and hits on a lot of real situations.
After it is determined that a major shutdown of all financial services is going to happen, the protagonist decides to head for the hills with her family. The remainder of the story focuses more on surviving the initial wave of a crisis but keeps referring back to how the ransomware attack is devastating the country.
My Reaction
The main protagonist is interesting in the first novel. She suffers from anxiety and is an introvert. This is used in an interesting way until she is suddenly very confident towards the end. Overall though, I do like her as a character although the rest of the characters fall a bit flat.
The author is a Christian writer with a heavy conservative bias, but that didn’t seem to creep in much. Every once and awhile there is a weird comment or reference, but I just blew past them. Each chapter opens with a Bible verse, but I’ve seen that done before in other stories as a literary device rather than to put things in a religious context. I think the latter is what the author was going for, but its easy enough to ignore if you are not religious. There is a sudden chapter long Christian sermon/rant towards the end of the novel that is a bit jarring, but I don’t think the whole book should be tossed because of it.
That said, I did read the sequel novel “Feast of the Locusts” and the author dials the political and religious topics up to 11. He does not address any cyber security related topics except the occasional reference to why things are still so bad. It is a very jarring contrast to the first novel and feels like a betrayal if you didn’t know the author was a Christian novel writer.
Recommendation
I recommend this novel to cyber security professionals looking for a realistic portrayal of an attack and a family’s reaction to that attack, especially if you like readying about “prepper” tactics. There is enough technical information for cyber security professionals while still being readable for lay persons. If you are easily offended by conservative or religious concept, then perhaps you can pass on this one.
As for the sequels, I only recommend those books for religious people looking for a good Christian thriller. The sequels do not have any noteworthy cyber security topics, but instead focus on prepper communities.
[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=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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=”3″ 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”][/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”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”1″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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]
by Paul Jerimy | Mar 5, 2021 | Book Reviews
Synopsis
The Gam3 is a 3 book series by the young author Cosimo Yap. The series follows the literary RPG style which blends the conventions of role-playing video games with a science fiction novel. In this style, the main protagonist is interacting with an RPG game and we’re along for the ride.
My Reaction
The reason this series popped up in my recommended cyber security reading is that the main protagonist takes “Hacker” as his playable class in the game. While this “hacking” is more like the video game version than the real life version, it progressively drives more and more of the plot as the series goes on. The hacking is more on the level of “I would like to activate my hack skill on this door”, but sometimes does go into a little more detail.
The story itself is very entertaining where an alien race uses a virtual reality video game environment to ensure galactic peace in the real world. Wars are waged in the game instead of in real life, protecting people but allowing different cultures to work out their conflicts in a meaningful way.
The main protagonist is a human who is new to the game. We follow him through his tutorials and watch him develop into a meaningful player in the game. Through the first book his hacking skills are not really addressed, but he starts to develop them as he goes.
Recommendation
I recommend this novel if you enjoy RPG video games, have an interest in cyber security, and want to have a story that is constrained by video game like rules. You will see a character develop with stat increases and everything. If you do not like RPGs or video games in general, this is not the genre for you. There is nothing to be learned from this book about real life hacking, but is a fun distraction.
[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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”1″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”1″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”1″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”1″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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=”1″ 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=”1″ 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=”1″ 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=”1″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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]
by Paul Jerimy | Jan 1, 2021 | Book Reviews
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.
[/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]
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.
[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]
[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]
by Paul Jerimy | Aug 7, 2020 | Book Reviews
Synopsis
The follow up to Invasion of Privacy, Taking up Serpents is another techno-thriller in Ian Sutherland’s Brody Taylor series. It continues the story of Brody, a white hat hacker this time following up on things that happen in the previous novel. Brody is on the hunt to stop a hacking organization that has threatened his life after his past escapades, and stumbles onto clues from a recently deceased friend. Again, Brody is off to solve a mystery while his girlfriend solves more physical crimes that ends up colliding with Brody.
My Reaction
This novel has a lot of the same great beats as the previous novel: realistic use of technology, insight into the life of professional hackers, and absurd drama to drive the story forward. The romance picks up a bit in this novel which is not exactly what I was hoping for. However, the novel balances that out by touching on more diverse topics such as computer forensics and malicious programming.
Recommendation
If you’re looking for a break from the real world stories that haunt our cyber lives, this is a great reprieve. Even if you are not a techy, there is not a lot that would be considered technobabble, but enough to make the well initiated happy.
[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 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating title=”Security Engineers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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=”4″ 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=”3″ 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]
[dsm_star_rating 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]
by Paul Jerimy | May 1, 2020 | Book Reviews
Synopsis
Invasion of Privacy is Ian Sutherland’s first full novel and a follow up to the short story Social Engineer. While reading Social Engineer is not necessary before picking up Invasion of Privacy, it follows the same protagonist for whom the series is named – Brody Taylor. Brody is a white-hat hacker that does penetration testing for companies in a style that is reminiscent of Kevin Mitnik’s stories from The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion.
Th story follows Brody as he accepts a challenge on an online hacker forum that leads into the more tactile criminal world. Brody works with police to solve murders while working against a more nefarious enemy online
My Reaction
This novel is a lot of fun. The events and elements in the story are very realistic and plausible – albeit highly dramatized. Taylor Brody is a believable character using real tactics to help in a criminal investigation. Ian Sutherland takes the time to draw a great picture of a paranoid hacker who takes extra precautions to keep his digital trail clean. I really enjoyed the story and hope Ian Sutherland continues to produce more.
Recommendation
I recommend this novel to people with an interest in “hacking” who want a realistic story. The tactics used are described in enough detail to entice more experienced IT professionals without getting so bogged down in jargon that a casual reader would get distracted.
That said, there’s not a lot to learn from the fictional story except possibly a look into a worse case scenario. But its a great break from the more serious histories of cyber warfare.
[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 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_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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=”4″ 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=”4″ 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 title=”Software Developers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating title=”Security Analysts” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating title=”Security Engineers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating title=”Penetration Testers” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating title=”CISOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating title=”CIOs” stars_size=”22px” stars_gap=”-2px” stars_color=”#CC7700″ show_number=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800|||||||” header_text_color=”#D6D6D6″ rating_number_text_color=”#CC7700″ rating_number_font_size=”13px”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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]
[dsm_star_rating 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]
by Paul Jerimy | Mar 2, 2020 | Book Reviews
My Reaction
For IT and cyber security professionals, CyberStorm is a decent read that is just techy enough to relate to, but not techy enough to remind you of your day job.
Matthew Mather does a good job creating a scenario that is believable. Although I do not think this scenario could play out in reality, the effects do seem realistic. The perspective of a mildly tech-saavy group of family and friends stuck in a cyber war makes for an interesting analysis of what people might do in such a situation.
Mather does not go into great detail on the actual cyber attacks or what people are doing to recover. However he does go into what real people might do if our precious internet fails us. A highlight was when one of the characters creates a metropolitan area network in order to share information. In the event of a cyber attack that takes our or severely degrades our access to the internet, creating our own smaller internet is very viable and this novel explores how that could be useful.
Another highlight is how information doesn’t quite flow without technology. The people in the story don’t know what is happening and end up filling in the blanks with some preconceptions and rumors. This ends up paying off quite well in the end.
One thing that I found quite jarring was that around halfway through the novel, chapters started ending with suspense that promised action in the next chapter. However, the next chapter would fast forward a few hours and tell what happened rather than show it. This wasn’t a consistent theme throughout the book, but it happened quite a few times in a single act making that section feel unsatisfying.
Recommendation
Overall, I was a little let down by how little this book utilized technology and cyber war concepts. However, the story was captivating with the sprinkling of technology and cyber security “what ifs”. After reading many reviews I understand that this book would not be popular if it were more technically complicated. I still enjoyed the read and liked most of the characters. I would recommend this book to my fellow IT professionals, but I won’t oversell it.
[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=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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”][/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”][/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]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ rating=”4″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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]
by Paul Jerimy | Feb 2, 2020 | Book Reviews
Synopsis
Chasm Waxing has an excellent premise and a covers a great variety of topics. For cyber security and/or IT professionals, this book really employs a lot of concepts that you will appreciate. For the not so tech savvy, B. Michaels offers great explanations of hard concepts. It does not require a doctorate in computer science to follow the plot, but having one will surely make this book a more interesting read.
The first act offered great – albeit dramatized – insight into cyber security, emerging technologies, and start up strategies. It is not action packed, but it is mentally and emotionally engaging.
The second act is a dramatic and welcome change in pace that feels a bit like a new story, but weaves all the concepts of the first act together into real tension. The character roles are well defined, the antagonist emerges, and the stakes are made clear.
The third act returns to the same voice as the first act with a lot of learning and exposition about the implications of technology. It mostly sets the stage for the second book with a lot of cliffhangers in the final chapter.
My Reaction
If you are looking for a real cyber thriller that uses real technology in a deep and accurate way, this is the book for you. Even if you don’t know what AES, strong AI, or a start-up accelerator is, you will enjoy this story and hopefully learn a little about these topics.
However, this book desperately needed more editing or proofreading to catch grammar mistakes and real-word spelling errors. The last line in the first paragraph had a real-word spelling error, which put me on guard for the rest of the story. They are few and far between in the first half of the book, but start getting rather frequent and distracting in the last quarter. I have highlighted and noted some, but I got a bit tired of doing so after awhile.
The use of quotation marks was a bit maddening and I often had no idea who was talking or if anyone was talking. In some places the wrong names were used which required a few extra readings to work out if that person suddenly joined the conversation or if it was a writing mistake. In other places, sentences had no punctuation at the end.
The redactions were interesting the first 2-3 times, but after a few chapters they really detracted from the story. At one point, two whole pages were redacted and I was left not knowing what was happening. However I don’t think anything critical to the plot was in those redactions.
The book spent a good amount of time building up to a sequel. Its been 4 years since this story was published and there’s no sign that a sequel is in the works. For what its worth, I hope the sequel pans out as I would love to continue this story.
Recommendation
This book was a fun read from a cybersecurity perspective. I have not yet found another novel that integrates so much newer technologies and cyber processes into a story line. I would recommend this book to readers who aren’t as picky about editing mistakes as I am, and who like to read techno-thrillers. There’s not a significant amount to learn in this novel, however the part about the accelerator was quite new to me.
[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=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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”][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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”][/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”][/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]
[dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ rating=”4″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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]
by Paul Jerimy | Jan 7, 2019 | Book Reviews
MY Reaction
Ian Sutherland’s Social Engineer is a great short read that reminds me of Kevin Mitnick’s memoirs about his early hacking shenanigans. While I’m not a short story / novella kind of guy, I wanted to read this before hitting the rest of the Brody Taylor books. That said, I enjoyed this novella. It got my interest quickly and was very descriptive for such a short story.
The “hacking” ideas were well executed and realistic. Obviously they’re a little dramatized and the protagonist was lucky here and there, but that’s the point of a story. I found it easy to root for the protagonist and found him to be a good avatar for what I imagine a professional pentester might be.
I’m glad the romantic threads had a point, since I wasn’t really looking for that from a techno thriller. There was a soft bit of ethical dilemma in there in the form of anti animal cruelty, but it definitely felt like a part of a story and not grand standing.
Recommendation
I highly recommend this novel and the subsequent sequels to security professionals as a nice bit of wish fulfilling but realistic fantasy. It is also written in a way that I suspect not IT people can really enjoy. I would be very interested to hear what professional pentesters think.
[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 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”3″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”||||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating 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″ header_font=”|800|||||||” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating][dsm_star_rating rating=”4″ 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=”3″ 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=”4″ 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” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/dsm_star_rating]
[dsm_star_rating 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” hover_enabled=”0″ rating=”4″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/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]
