The World Clicks

by K.M. Breakey

A powerful idea has descended on Lane Craig, a 30-year-old corporate gunslinger who dreams of greatness. Simple beyond belief, powerful beyond measure, the idea is persistent. Lane knows that if managed properly, a new electronic organism will emerge and transform the Internet and his life forever.

A geeky wizard of Web programming, Lane can't do it alone. Fortunately, suitable partners are nearby. Best pal Johnny is a glib slacker coasting pleasantly in life's fast lane. Long-time friend Thomas, he of the freaky high IQ, has grown surly in recent years. Downright awkward. What's he hiding? It is only the addition of hard-charging newcomer Gino that galvanizes the team's momentum.

Will the idea triumph? Will it derail in a tumult of testosterone and alcohol? A brave face cannot mask Lane's self-doubt and paranoia. Nor can new love interest, Cat, a striking beauty with a no-nonsense attitude.

But as the saying goes, even paranoid people have enemies. Especially when it comes to Internet riches.

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2012

About the author

K.M. Breakey was born in Toronto and educated at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. He spent 25 years in the Software Industry before turning full attention to writing in 2016, with the success of his 3rd novel, "Johnny and Jamaal." His works capture today’s distressing realities – the absurdity, the obliteration of freedoms, the flagrant and undisguised demonization of whites.

In his latest, "Britain on the Brink," we watch as modern-day Britons are defiled, humiliated, and reduced to second-class citizens. They are ruled by a hostile elite who seem intent on wiping them from the face of the Earth. However, when the protagonist is unexpectedly bestowed with the gift of time travel, he sees an opportunity to change the course of history. Before long, he’s keeping company with historical figures like Enoch Powell and visiting strange alternate worlds.

The idea was so compelling, so fraught with possibility, Mr. Breakey realized an entire series would be needed to properly tell the tale. Alas, the FWAITAS Series was born and it shall celebrate the beauty and charm of the West, and the singular magnificence of the Anglosphere. Western Man invented the modern world. He built the finest nations on the planet from scratch, and he did it everywhere he went. The war on him is the biggest story of our age, and we’re not supposed to notice or talk about it.

Mr. Breakey’s books offer a much-needed dose of optimism for a people whose spirit has been badly damaged, in many cases, destroyed. Perhaps the books can help trigger a survival instinct. The Brits and their cousins around the world must re-remember the greatness from which they’ve come. And in doing so, recognize that greatness is still within them.

Mr. Breakey has also published Shout the Battle Cry of Freedom; Fearless Men, But Few; and five other novels. To learn more, visit kmbreakey.com.

Reviews

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had thought of this idea. Pure genius!
Lane, a computer software developer, comes up with an idea that is one of the biggest things to ever hit the internet. Along with some friends of his, he sets off to launch the most amazing program. As his "baby" grows as fast as greased lightening, he also is romancing Cat, a woman that I found to be witty, smart and fun.
K. M. Breakey's story makes me wonder. Could it be made to work in real life? Shouldn't someone be doing it? The concept makes me think of Zuckerberg and Facebook only much better.
The dialogue between Lane and his buddies is funny and very true to life. I had many a laugh over the back and forth between them. I really liked the conversations between Lane and Cat. They seemed to almost feed off of each other. I was smiling a lot. Cat is my favorite character and someone I would wish to be like.
A few places were a bit slow. You get a crash course in computers, but it wasn't hard to follow and did not hurt my enjoyment of the book.
The World Clicks was such a great surprise. So much to this story and a very engaging read. The author has written a winner and I would read anything else he writes.
I urge you to read the book and see for yourself.

[Shefi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of software engineers, hockey fans, startup entrepreneurs, angel investors and social networking media experts. Everyone is young and mostly dumb and full of come. It's an interesting mix, and the original idea sounds a good one, even if an older person like me keeps asking, 'yes, but what is anyone actually PRODUCING??'

BUT... I wasn't thrilled. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, but basically, the pace is slow and there isn't enough tension. The good parts are the witty dialogue (although the "male bonding banter gets a little old fast), and... the witty dialogue. The author manages to create clearly delineated and interesting main characters (Johnny in particular), but overall, the book had a somewhat amateurish feel. Good, high-quality amateur, but... I kept waiting for some danger to appear. When it did (finally), it was disappointing - I actually started feeling sorry for the guy, and I wondered if there was going to be an interesting twist.

On a recommendation and the blurbs, I bought 4 of Breakey's books. This was the first one I read. Then I read "Johnny and Jamal", which is better. A lot better.

[Diana Coyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirty-year old Lane Craig is a software developer. Being as smart as he is, he realizes there’s so much more out there for him to still accomplish in his life and he hopes to one day stop the nine-to-five grind from the company he presently works for. He feels this way even more so when he thinks up an amazing idea for a website that’ll be so powerfully charged it’ll change how people look at the Internet forever.

When he approaches his two close friends, Johnny and Thomas, he explains what he has in mind. You see, his idea is to develop a website called TheWorldClicks.com which will be the Flagship site that will host varying affiliate sites off of it. Eventually, you’ll go to the main website and there you’ll find a button that all you have to do is click. As each click registers from around the world, a chain of events will start affecting the affiliate sites as well. For each click from a person, revenue will generate for Lane, his friends and anyone who has purchased one or more of the affiliate sites.

Although his concept is only in the beginning stages, his friends love the idea, so much so, they jump on board with him. After months of hard work on the main and affiliate sites, when the sites are finally unveiled, the guys can only hope that their ideas and effort have all paid off enough to become a global phenomenon.

The question remains does TheWorldClicks.com and its affiliates become the global successes that Lane has envisioned and hoped they would become?

I absolutely loved this storyline! The creative idea Mr. Breakey came up with was pure genius. Even though the background theory of only having to click a button on a website was a simple idea, the follow through concept that each click counted toward revenue earned was fantastic. I became so engrossed in this storyline from the very beginning and I came to realize that I was just as excited for this to work out as if it were a real project a team of software developers produced for the world. The characters were well-rounded individuals with all humanistic qualities about them. Everyone could relate to them on some level and it was so enjoyable going on the roller coaster ride alongside them as they experienced their ups and downs during the planning and execution of this massive project. One thing I want to highlight was how much I enjoyed Mr. Breakey’s voice throughout his story. As he loosely classifies this to be a “Dude Lit” book, I must commend him for writing it the way he did because it gave it a new flair in reading a male author’s writing. This novel will definitely stand out from the rest for its creative storyline and fresh voice. As an end note, the author has gone out of his way to even create a Glossary of Terms and Acronyms used throughout the book, along with a Cast of Characters List which can all be found at his companion website: www.TheWorldClicks.com. I highly recommend this book and I eagerly look forward to reading more from this very talented author!

Diana Coyle
Night Owl Reviews, Book Reviewer

[Susan Ashcraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lane Craig, software developer for a corporation, works Monday to Friday and has done for 8 years. After 8 years on the job, he no longer receives satisfaction from it. He has an idea, one he believes will be the newest, best thing since Facebook. He'll need some help from his friends to make this work.

Johnny Murphy, perennial wingman and Lane's best friend since grade 8, can sell anyone anything at anytime. He's in banking but has no real love for it. Lane needs Johnny's ability to sell anyone anything if he hopes to get his project off the ground.

Thomas Carter, a perpetual fixture in the trio, he is by far the smartest. He is awkward and tends toward the effeminate. No one knows for sure what his true sexual orientation is but they will find out eventually and in a way that no one had dreamed of.

Lane's idea is to get everyone to press 'The Button' on a web page. The button will be the only thing on the page. They will need to register the site and get others to register sites that link with theirs. The money will be in the advertising that will be on their site, the uniqueness of their site and the money received from other sites that they get a cut of the money for. In theory, they have a blockbuster moneymaker idea, but until it can be launched, which will take quite a bit of work to do it the right way, Lane needs to keep it quiet. He will need the help of his two friends and talks with them.

The 3 come together to make Lane's idea, The World Clicks, into a reality. They all believe in Lane's idea but someone has a big mouth and now there is another 'partner'. Granted the new person is a PR wiz and the group could use that to their advantage, but Lane worries that his idea will get out.

With one of the guys already opening his mouth about the idea, Lane worries that someone will take his idea and run with it before he gets a chance to start. Can he really trust his friends? Lane knows that Johnny's always had a big mouth, will he really be able to keep it closed?

With a cheap knockoff internet company stealing some of their thunder, blackmail by video recorder, a stranger named T. William, and the death of one of the players, this novel will keep you reading.

Touches of humor, a love of hockey (they're all diehard Canuckleheads even though Luongo is there best player and he's not doing that great), a well plotted storyline that takes you through the inception of Lane's idea, straight through to the launch and then the immediate aftermath and great characters who are very real, this is a very enjoyable book.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's important to mention the simple idea central to this book. A website where you just click a button. However times you want, endlessly in fact, with the only goal being monitoring growth. Seeing how far that number can increase. Add to that - topics, ideas, people, countries, sports that you can click to support and increase their numbers. Like fanlistings (is that still popular?) but without the people's names, just the numbers. Really simple, and really intriguing; the novel shapes the idea and fictionally portrays it in the real world. The author (definitely a techie) goes into some detail about how one could build a project like this: all the steps, the concerns, potential revenue, and potential growth. The technical jargon and the mathematical implications of such a growth model can be a little overwhelming at times to the uninitiated, but my mind could just glaze over those details and focus on the fact that this is a really cool scenario and interesting to see it being built from the ground up.

This idea then, is set in the lives of the three principle characters who are responsible for setting this website in motion. Lane, the creator and narrator of the book, Johnny, the charismatic social connector, and Thomas, boy genius who improves on the idea. The novel is rife with guy humor - that racy, insulting, and deprecating talk that guys indulge in when they are watching sports (in this case it's hockey) and drinking beers, which provides much needed levity to a novel that is pretty straightforward, no-nonsense tech talk. There is a sort of romance built-in with Lane and Cat, but it didn't really add to the story; it felt more obligatory to add emotional interest. And the hint of internet espionage is welcome, but it is over pretty quickly, and not a major enough part of the story to stand out. The three central characters thankfully are interesting and nuanced enough to engage the reader, and the side story about Thomas was a nice touch at a time when intolerance is still too prevalent. This novel is best for people interested in the creation of new internet ventures, and finding out more about the kind of people behind them.

[Frederick Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lane Craig is a Vancouver programmer with good friends and a great idea. A once-in-a-lifetime idea. A business idea that will change the world and make him and all his friends rich--at least he hopes so.

The story of these friends and their attempt to set the world on fire riveted my attention. The writing is superb, full of short, crisp sentences and raw, fraternity house wit. The characters are super smart, a little jaded, and self destructive in their appetites, but I liked them a lot because they are driven by this incredible idea.

Aside from the fine writing and the constant humorous repartee, I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of what I will generically call computer programming. From this book you will learn much about what goes into building a successful world-class website, from how to fight off bot attacks, to how to measure clicks and traffic, to the difference between lousy graphics and awesome graphics. If you get off on discussions of how websites are designed and constructed, you will love this book.

I enjoyed watching stresses build among the friends in this cast of characters, and trying to guess where cracks would appear and rupture friendships. I only give the book four stars because I was missing the great conflict and test that would have truly defined them. That being said, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

[Kate's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The World Clicks", by K.M. Breaky, is a novel about the power of the internet and game changing ideas. Lane Craig is a 30 year-old software engineer living and playing in Vancouver. He lives a fast paced lifestyle and parties with a circle of suave, brilliant and like-minded 30 year-olds.

He has an idea for the next breakout internet phenomenon. He enlists his circle of friends to help him bring it to fruition. There's Johhny the social butterfly who can charm anyone. Thomas is brilliant with his own ideas and a secret - he is only half "out of the closet". Cat is Lane's love interest and a marketing pro.

Will the idea become an internet sensation? Will it fizzle? Or will it get stolen along the way. Grab a copy and find out!

The novel was written in a fast pace/rapid fire manner which was in keeping with the nature of the book. The language was a bit on the crude side, but in keeping with what I imagine 30 something guys would probably use amongst themselves. I just put it out there for anyone who is put off by that.

The story was fascinating to me and really made me wish I knew more about software development. Who doesn't want to come up with the next big internet sensation??

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So my first thought on finIshing this was, "WAIT I HAVE TO DO THAT, IT'S BRILLIANT!" Then I realized implementing Lane's idea probably 1)was copyright infringement/intellectual property theft of some sort, and 2) involved a number of skills that I do not possess. Ah, well.

I have reviewed another book written by Breakey, The Creator Class, which I loved because it fell into my wheelhouse of "dystopian YA novels". I love TWC for exactly the opposite reason - adult concepts and conflicts are addressed in a classy fashion, but without sugarcoating any of it.

Lane, and his friends, are people that I feel like I would hang out with. Their interactions, banter, annoyances at one another, etc. all felt very organic, which helped draw me right into the story. Even in the face of their many conflicts (girls and business causing most of them), the friendship of Lane, Johnny and Thomas survives, which I approved of since I felt like a part of their little clan by the end and didn't want to see it break up. It's not often that I read adult "real world" fiction, but if more of it was like this, I would.

[Jeremy Poole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was good and the website idea great, but, the story itself was very shallow as were the characters.
The novel was full of descriptive pages that left me cold.
K.M. thanks for the book I learnt a lot obout this world, but not enough to make me like the book.