Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com
Sam Wilson is a hacker; perhaps one of the best in the world. He can hack into any computer system, no matter what type of security is used. Your information is definitely not safe from him. The government knows this; their solution - put Sam on their team.
Sam and his group of hackers work to keep "them" out of the United States Internet system. No one actually knows who "they" are, but they're out there and are constantly trying to get at classified information. One entity, known as Ursula, wants more than information. She wants total control of the human consciousness.
Sam and his cohorts won't let that happen.
Not unlike Cory Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER and FOR THE WIN, Falkner presents a scenario that deals with cyber-terrorism/espionage. If you aren't a techie, don't worry; context clues are a wonderful thing, and Falkner makes the story accessible to all readers. Much of what he discusses read like Sanskrit to me, but it didn't matter because the story itself was so engaging.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and am excited to see what the author has in store for us next!
Sam Wilson is a hacker; perhaps one of the best in the world. He can hack into any computer system, no matter what type of security is used. Your information is definitely not safe from him. The government knows this; their solution - put Sam on their team.
Sam and his group of hackers work to keep "them" out of the United States Internet system. No one actually knows who "they" are, but they're out there and are constantly trying to get at classified information. One entity, known as Ursula, wants more than information. She wants total control of the human consciousness.
Sam and his cohorts won't let that happen.
Not unlike Cory Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER and FOR THE WIN, Falkner presents a scenario that deals with cyber-terrorism/espionage. If you aren't a techie, don't worry; context clues are a wonderful thing, and Falkner makes the story accessible to all readers. Much of what he discusses read like Sanskrit to me, but it didn't matter because the story itself was so engaging.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and am excited to see what the author has in store for us next!
In the future United States, a savvy teen hacker named Sam breaks into the nations largest telecommunications office system to order himself a top-of-the-line neuro-headset and inadvertently causes a several-day meltdown of the USs network. Because of this, Sam is courted by a top government computer security organization to put his skills to good use. However, Sam and his coworkers do not anticipate a new threat that awaits them. As the world turns from traditional keyboard-and-mouse technology to the faster hands-free neuro-headset, the power of societys collective conscience may prove to be the most dangerous weapon ever accidentally created.
BRAIN JACK is an edge-of-your-seat cyberthriller stuffed full of technical jargon. It will definitely not appeal to everyone, particularly those who like their characters more developed and the storytelling tighter, but if youre interested in an absorbing, probably-too-smart-for-its-own-good thriller, then this is an interesting choice.
I of course like well-developed characters, but I can make exceptions when the author can convince me that he knows what hes talking about with the premiseeven if he doesnt. And Brian Falkner convinced me. I dont consider myself particularly technologically savvy, especially for the mechanics of computer hardware and the Internet, but I found myself enjoying the characters unending technical term-dropping. It sucked me right into a cyber-world that I knew very little about, and so I was sufficiently impressed by the terminology used to get into the story.
Where BRAIN JACK started unraveling for me was upon the introduction of the books main nemesis. I wont spoil it for interested readers, but the idea is conceivable if we stretch our imaginations a bit. However, the book then resorts to wince-inducing action-adventure elements to force the plot along. These include: a getaway vehicle, a remote hideaway, and the obligatory car-and-gun chase, among others. It turns out that I was more satisfied with the world-building than with the actual plot of this book.
In terms of quality, there are better books out there, but if youre looking into trying out a cyberthriller and are okay with the other flaws that Ive mentioned, then this will make for one hell of a ride.
BRAIN JACK is an edge-of-your-seat cyberthriller stuffed full of technical jargon. It will definitely not appeal to everyone, particularly those who like their characters more developed and the storytelling tighter, but if youre interested in an absorbing, probably-too-smart-for-its-own-good thriller, then this is an interesting choice.
I of course like well-developed characters, but I can make exceptions when the author can convince me that he knows what hes talking about with the premiseeven if he doesnt. And Brian Falkner convinced me. I dont consider myself particularly technologically savvy, especially for the mechanics of computer hardware and the Internet, but I found myself enjoying the characters unending technical term-dropping. It sucked me right into a cyber-world that I knew very little about, and so I was sufficiently impressed by the terminology used to get into the story.
Where BRAIN JACK started unraveling for me was upon the introduction of the books main nemesis. I wont spoil it for interested readers, but the idea is conceivable if we stretch our imaginations a bit. However, the book then resorts to wince-inducing action-adventure elements to force the plot along. These include: a getaway vehicle, a remote hideaway, and the obligatory car-and-gun chase, among others. It turns out that I was more satisfied with the world-building than with the actual plot of this book.
In terms of quality, there are better books out there, but if youre looking into trying out a cyberthriller and are okay with the other flaws that Ive mentioned, then this will make for one hell of a ride.
