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The Great Firewall
ORSON WELLES WITH A LAPTOP--that’s how Wired magazine describes high-flying software developer Daniel Skye. But Daniel’s on the verge of bankruptcy and divorce, obsessed with the best idea he’s ever an interactive movie/game hybrid for tablet computers that will forever change the way we see entertainment--that is, if it doesn’t ruin its creator first.He flees to Shanghai, where Pierre, an old photojournalist friend, knows people with money. But Pierre has his own agenda, helping a clandestine group of Chinese protesters. On the eve of a global conference on carbon emissions, they’re desperate to publicize the human cost of Shanghai’s real estate explosion and expose the corrupt officials and murderous property developers who are driving it. As Daniel searches the back alleys of Shanghai for pictures of a disappearing city, he is drawn ever deeper into a world of violence, arson, and killing. In the end, he will have to choose. How much is he willing to sacrifice for the best idea he’ll ever have?Fast-paced and multi-layered, The Great Firewall is a thriller for the twenty-first century, capturing the jagged intersections of technology and humanity in the most exciting city in the world.
- GenresThriller
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2011
66 people want to read
About the author
Michael C. Boxall
5 books24 followersMichael C. Boxall was born in England and studied English and American literature at Warwick University, after which he became a trainee editor with a documentary film company in London. When he won the Eisaku Sato Foundation prize for a paper on Japanese-European relations he was invited to Japan and subsequently became a journalist. After winning the United Nations University Prize for writing on the impact of new media he studied communications in graduate school at the University of Washington. An internship at Harper’s confirmed his interest in magazines and he later returned to Tokyo as editor of Intersect, an English-language monthly about Japan. As well as writing for print he has worked in multimedia and Star Sites, about the significance of archaeoastronomy in five different cultures, was named educational CD of the month by Newsweek Interactive. In 2003 he was one of two joint winners of the $25,000 Lupton New Voices in Literature award for a proposal for a non-fiction book entitled Driven by Desire: Sex and the Spread of New Media. He has also won prizes for short fiction. The Great Firewall will be followed by a second China-related thriller, Final Cut.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 15, 2012
One of my guilty pleasures is reading a good spy novel, and this certainly was one. I don’t like the raw language or graphic violence common to the genre, but I love the suspense and thrill of the good guys risking everything, trying to triumph over the bad guys and to help the oppressed.
I was drawn into Daniel’s world in spite of myself as it is raw and gritty. Daniel is obsessed with getting what he needs for the interactive game he is creating to the point that it seems his fantasy world is more real to him then what is happening around him. His desperate efforts to halt his financial ruin and get the money he needs to keep his dream and marriage alive lead him to Pierre and the political turmoil in Shanghai.
His game is about the White Russians in Shanghai in the 1920s, and he is moved by their plight as “the penniless in the capital of ostentatious wealth”. He speaks sympathetically of the distrust, desperation, ruthlessness, and intimidation that made up their lives. It takes a lot to shake him out of this virtual world to see the parallels in today’s Shanghai, living in a culture of “corruption on steroids” and brutal elimination of any opposition to the Chinese regime.
As Daniel is drawn, against his will and sense of self-preservation, into the world of the underdogs and protesters, the author vividly captures their paranoia and his fear. Daniel reluctantly becomes more and more involved in letting the world know what is going on behind the marvelous skyscrapers and seeming prosperity of Shanghai and China itself, and he soon finds his own life reflecting the trauma experienced by the lead character in his game. The action is intense and doesn’t let up, like the hurricane descending on his pregnant wife.
This is not a “feel-good” novel. It is very dark and frighteningly oppressive. It is always painful to look at injustice and abuse—to have our blinders removed like Daniel did. Yet, I kept reading, becoming more and more engrossed in the suspenseful story, unable to put it down, as Daniel and others face their own moments of truth, deciding where to draw the line between integrity and compromise, personal gain and sacrifice for others.
The book is erudite and thought-provoking, Like Daniel, the reader will be haunted by images of wanton cruelty and power-wielding. However, there is a joy and satisfaction in seeing ordinary people rise to the occasion and act heroically. I highly recommend the novel for fans of spy and action thrillers.
The book was given to me by the author, but the thoughts are solely my own.
I was drawn into Daniel’s world in spite of myself as it is raw and gritty. Daniel is obsessed with getting what he needs for the interactive game he is creating to the point that it seems his fantasy world is more real to him then what is happening around him. His desperate efforts to halt his financial ruin and get the money he needs to keep his dream and marriage alive lead him to Pierre and the political turmoil in Shanghai.
His game is about the White Russians in Shanghai in the 1920s, and he is moved by their plight as “the penniless in the capital of ostentatious wealth”. He speaks sympathetically of the distrust, desperation, ruthlessness, and intimidation that made up their lives. It takes a lot to shake him out of this virtual world to see the parallels in today’s Shanghai, living in a culture of “corruption on steroids” and brutal elimination of any opposition to the Chinese regime.
As Daniel is drawn, against his will and sense of self-preservation, into the world of the underdogs and protesters, the author vividly captures their paranoia and his fear. Daniel reluctantly becomes more and more involved in letting the world know what is going on behind the marvelous skyscrapers and seeming prosperity of Shanghai and China itself, and he soon finds his own life reflecting the trauma experienced by the lead character in his game. The action is intense and doesn’t let up, like the hurricane descending on his pregnant wife.
This is not a “feel-good” novel. It is very dark and frighteningly oppressive. It is always painful to look at injustice and abuse—to have our blinders removed like Daniel did. Yet, I kept reading, becoming more and more engrossed in the suspenseful story, unable to put it down, as Daniel and others face their own moments of truth, deciding where to draw the line between integrity and compromise, personal gain and sacrifice for others.
The book is erudite and thought-provoking, Like Daniel, the reader will be haunted by images of wanton cruelty and power-wielding. However, there is a joy and satisfaction in seeing ordinary people rise to the occasion and act heroically. I highly recommend the novel for fans of spy and action thrillers.
The book was given to me by the author, but the thoughts are solely my own.
July 12, 2012
BEC'S REVIEW
While not normally a book I would pick up at the bookstore or the library I surprisingly enjoyed reading the Great Firewall. Despite being outside my normal interests I was held captive by the plot and how Daniel’s quest for creditors for his project led him into the dangerous world of Shanghai politics and, to a degree, espionage. This book has a way of hooking its tendrils in you and not letting go, with each subplot making you want to continue reading to discover the outcome. Will Sophie be safe from the hurricane? Will Daniel get the money he needs? And just how will all the journalistic spying play out?
The characters in The Great Firewall themselves were interesting. You have Daniel, who is just a tad too obsessed with his project and desperate to get the money needed. Then there’s Pierre, who gives the appearance of being a bit of a playboy photographer and yet is somehow risking everything to assist in getting out news of the events in Shanghai. Along with these characters are a few side characters who also add to the plot in interesting ways.
And yet despite enjoying it there were times when I felt either there was something missing or that the many subplots were creating a story that was far more complicated than it needed to be. Add to this the fact that this book is the first in a series, leaving some loose ends at the finish and you get a book that falls just short of the perfect 5 stars, but one that is still very much worth the read.
While not normally a book I would pick up at the bookstore or the library I surprisingly enjoyed reading the Great Firewall. Despite being outside my normal interests I was held captive by the plot and how Daniel’s quest for creditors for his project led him into the dangerous world of Shanghai politics and, to a degree, espionage. This book has a way of hooking its tendrils in you and not letting go, with each subplot making you want to continue reading to discover the outcome. Will Sophie be safe from the hurricane? Will Daniel get the money he needs? And just how will all the journalistic spying play out?
The characters in The Great Firewall themselves were interesting. You have Daniel, who is just a tad too obsessed with his project and desperate to get the money needed. Then there’s Pierre, who gives the appearance of being a bit of a playboy photographer and yet is somehow risking everything to assist in getting out news of the events in Shanghai. Along with these characters are a few side characters who also add to the plot in interesting ways.
And yet despite enjoying it there were times when I felt either there was something missing or that the many subplots were creating a story that was far more complicated than it needed to be. Add to this the fact that this book is the first in a series, leaving some loose ends at the finish and you get a book that falls just short of the perfect 5 stars, but one that is still very much worth the read.
May 7, 2012
I applied to a giveaway to receive this book but did not win. Later on I did obtain a copy of this book from the author. I am giving this book a 4 star rating, even though it is bordering on 5 stars. The only reason that I am only giving it 4 stars, is because of the current event references that are given in the story, I do not think that they will be as memorable in a few years time. For example in the book there are references to Hurricane Katrina, Skype, and Twitter. I mention these things because I remember reading a book set just a few years ago that mentioned AOL messenger and had to laugh at how out of date the reference was.
Beyond that the story was great and that the characters felt real not just one dimensional. With the way The Great Firewall ended I feel that there could be a possible second book, which I would definitely read.
Beyond that the story was great and that the characters felt real not just one dimensional. With the way The Great Firewall ended I feel that there could be a possible second book, which I would definitely read.
June 19, 2012
A fast paced adventure! I enjoyed this book immensely, filled with surprising twists, right up until the end! It appeared as though Daniel's character developed and matured throughout the story, I felt myself hoping he would realize where his priorities should be, up until the end! The fictional view of political intrigue, the 'secrets' buried by a nation, and the cover-ups portrayed, left me wondering if there could be some underlying truth buried within the story itself! The sacrifices Daniel was willing to make, giving up everything to see his dream become reality, makes one wonder what really goes on behind the production of the 'great' movies! I love a book that leaves me thinking, a great read! Thank you Michael C. Boxall for the free e-book, thank you Goodreads for the opportunity to have contact with authors and the good fortune to read the works published!
February 14, 2012
¿No les encanta cuando leyendo un libro, además de entretenerse, aprenden un montón de cosas de las que no tenían idea? Eso es lo que me pasó con el último libro de Michael Boxall. China aparece en los medios todo el tiempo; es imposible no saber aunque sea algo de la historia y el presente del país. Pero es con libros como el de Boxall que uno puede acercarse al funcionamiento interno de una sociedad, descubrir facetas menos exploradas de una ciudad como Shanghai –tanto en el pasado como en la actualidad– o hacer que hechos y eventos se vuelvan tangibles a través de personajes memorables. Muy recomendado.
July 24, 2012
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into the story. I found it to be a little choppy at times switching abruptly from one perspective to another. I made to the end but just barely.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews