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Paranoia
It may be hard for anyone who's endured the economic downturn in the computer industry and the ascendance of the DRM lawyers to see the romance of tech, but the computer business continues to be one of the most exciting and explosive corners of the zeitgeist. Fortunes are made and lost in days; products depend upon the synergy of the hackers and the marketeers; and everything turns on the information passed along in IMs, emails and whispers. This world is a rich backdrop for the new thriller by Joe Finder, the spy novelist who set his previous books in the world of the three-letter agencies and the military justice system. This time he's plumbing the depths of corporate politics and industrial espionage with his story of a company racing to deliver the next big Palm Pilot replacement.
The thriller is a reminder that electronic gizmos continue to be a tumultuous and exciting domain where creative people with whip-smart
minds can change the company's destiny. I suppose it would be possible to set a similar novel in, say, the auto industry, but it just wouldn't
have the same resonance. No engineer, designer, or bright employee is going to make much of a difference at Ford or General Motors. Much of
their future is dictated by the cost
of
medical
care
for the retired workers and the problems are not about cars qua cars. Producing great cars would be nice, but it's not the main challenge for
the companies. At least in Silicon Valley, there can be some direct link between action and reaction. Newton's law still holds.
The beginning of the book is an irresistable hook. Who wouldn't want to throw a party on the corporation's dime?
Many of the elements of Silicon Valley's mythology appear here. There's a boss who keeps stable of young, blonde administrative assistants around. There's another boss who works out of the same size cubicle as everyone else. Secret research labs to develop the next generation of gadgets are locked away in a perimeter guarded by other gadgets that scan eyeballs or examine fingerprints. All of the characters drive slick cars and worry about the quality of their real estate.
As the novel unfolds, Cassidy's allegiance and soul is pulled in a tug-of-war. Who deserves the information he's gathering? Is there right and wrong in corporate espionage? Which company deserves to win?
The novel is similar in tone and structure to John Grisham's The Firm or Michael Crichton's Disclosure, two other novels that mused about the nature of the modern workplace. Finder's characters are
richer and better drawn, at least than Grisham's earlier works. The search for the next gadget isn't really the point of Cassidy journey in
the labyrinth, it's just an excuse to work through the modern world of corporations and the way they organize people and their creations. The
book is not filled with the neo-Marxist questioning of the capitalist
system that comes from places like the Baffler , but there are
similar themes that echo in the cubicle bins.
This is, of course, because it's a thriller, not some postmodern master's
degree thesis. The twists are well-handled, the pacing is good, and the
ending may open the doors to debates. I spent some time wondering
whether it was the best ending on many different levels. That kind of
resolution is something that doesn't come from standard thrillers by
people like Tom Clancy or James Paterson. In those books, the author's
point of view is as solid and fixed as, say, those opinion shows on Fox
TV. Someone's always dying or trying to destroy America in those books
and stopping the murder or saving the country is the only possible resolution.
Finder's earlier books delved into the mirror world of espionage and
the realm of three-letter agencies. Moscow
Club focused on a coup and an assassination in Soviet Russia. Extraordinary Powers explored the
possibility that various spy agencies could tap clairvoyance and other
extra-sensory powers-- a premise that David
Moorhouse later confirmed was very real in his book, Psychic Warrior . The world of
covert assassination in Latin America took center stage in High Crimes.
The tone is also much lighter than Finder's early books, with their heavy body count. After watching the movie version of High Crimes, I kept wishing someone would write a nice comedy for Ashley Judd. She deserved it, after the blood and betrayal. This time, death isn't part
of the stakes, and this leaves Finder a bit more room to maneuver and
play people and allegiances off each other. Cutting down on the raw
danger gives him the freedom to build suspense with action and
character. The book is really a light-hearted romp through a
semi-mythical world where fortunes are huge, dreams are made real
through engineering, and everyone drives a slick car. I say "semi-mythical," because despite the downturn, there's still plenty of
money in some corners of technology. Will it always be there? Well,
that's not the point of this book.
It's worth commending Finder for his insight into the technology world.
His background is more in Russian literature and spy things, not in programming. Yet, the tech world he creates is as true to life in
Silicon Valley as books like Po Bronson's The First 10 Million is the Hardest
and Douglas Coupland's Microserfs. Technology is a wonderful domain for a novelist to work within, and we should be glad he came in from the cold to check it out.
Peter Wayner is the author of 13 thrilling technical books on topics like building secure databases ( Translucent Databases ), steganography ( Disappearing Cryptography ), and stopping cheating ( Policing Online Games ). You can purchase Paranoia from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
It all started one day when young Joe Bloe Linux user signed onto the web and started reading Slashdot... There was a news story on Microsoft and he just couldn't resist.................
-]Phreak Out[-
Can someone write a review of it so I know if it's worth reading?
The CB App. What's your 20?
Logan's Run meets McCarthyism meets Douglas Adams meets Kafka
I'm not playing unless its Logan's Run meets McCarthyism meets Douglas Adams meets Kafka meets Battle Star Galactica's fem bot
After reading that review I'm glued to my seat. No, really. Someone put glue on my seat and now I'm stuck. Help!
They now don't allow us to bring our phone-enables cell phones into the plant at all!
;)
They make phone-enabled phones now?! Where can I get one of these high tech gadgets?
-Ryan, with the unoriginal sig
So your fiancee knows what WEP is, and also knows that it slows down your network? Impressive!
Also, I have heard of the whole take picture in the locker room thing. I'm wondering how common it really is. I sure as hell wouldn't be taking pics of dudes in the locker room, and don't know any other guys that would either. I would assume the same holds for women. Though if you know of any women that would, I would appreciate an email address. =]
Personally, I think that camera phones are a joke. Even though I see the convenience factor, the picture quality is horrendous. Until that's fixed, I'll stick with my non-camera monochrome LCD.
Unfortunately for the competition, the millions of losses were theirs because the pictures were of the Pontiac Aztec.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
They make phone-enabled phones now?! Where can I get one of these high tech gadgets? ;)
Yes!! so now, instead of spending 30 agonizing minutes keying in "HLO HW R U?" you into those tiny lil buttons on the phone, you can just call them!
do() || do_not();
Adam Cassidy? Nicholas Wyatt? Sounds like a bad porn story already...
There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
most of us won't be able to afford it.
-- Lemmy
It used to be really pretty and sleek, but then someone snapped its picture and they had to redesign from scratch with a MAJOR deadline.
-9mm-
I have to protect the identity of my sources, but apparently, some studio wants to adapt this book for film, and I've received a leaked copy of the film's theme song.
Download MP3: "Paranoia Theme" by Naoki Maeda
Here's how West End Games promoted Paranoia:
SERVE THE COMPUTER. THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND!
The Computer wants you to be happy. If you are not happy, you may be used as reactor shielding.
The Computer is crazy. The Computer is happy. The Computer will help you to become happy. This will drive you crazy.
Being a citizen of Alpha Complex is fun. The Computer says so, and The Computer is your friend.
Rooting out traitors will make you happy. The Computer tells you so. Can you doubt The Computer?
Being a Troubleshooter is fun. The Computer tells you so. Of course, The Computer is right.
Troubleshooters get shot at, stabbed, incinerated, stapled, mangled, poisoned, blown to bits, and occasionally accidentally executed. This is so much fun that many Troubleshooters go crazy. You will be working with many Troubleshooters. All of them carry lasers.
Aren't you glad you have a laser too? Won't this be fun?
There are many traitors in Alpha Complex. There are many happy citizens in Alpha Complex. Most of the happy citizens are crazy. It is hard to say which are more dangerous - traitors or happy citizens. Watch out for both of them.
The life of a Troubleshooter is full of surprises.
Stay alert! Trust no one! Keep your laser handy!
I knew a few of the people at West End, and they were all certifiable. The world is a slightly more normal place because Paranoia is out of print, and that is indeed a shame.
Someone you trust is one of us.
I never could get into political non-fiction, but I'm really enjoying a political fiction series right now. It's about this bumbling guy, who's dad was president, and manages to get himself elected president as well, despite having no appreciable talent. The election article is really fantastic, but totally unbelievable. I mean, who would allow shady election results from a state run by the guy's brother? But it just gets better, he gets them involved in an oil war to distract the public from a failing economy and his overall failed attempt to catch a notorious criminal (there's also a subplot about how he's trying to avenge his dad). It's really funny, because he declares the war over too early... oh well, I'd better stop before I ruin the ending :)
What, me worry?
If this doesn't interest you, you must be a traitor. Please report yourself to the nearest incineration booth.
All hail the computer!
I don't know man, a cylon chick with a big red eye? Sounds like goatse.cx to me. Yech.
That's like saying 'the dinner you prepared was better than the saran-wrapped egg salad sandwhich I got at 7-11 for lunch'.
No, I'm New Here