dotwav

dotwav #1

by Mike A. Lancaster

Fifteen-year-old Ani Lee is a skilled hacker researching a strange .wav file that she’s downloaded when it behaves as no file ever should.

Joe Dyson is a seventeen-year-old American transplant recruited into secret teen division of the British intelligence service who’s looking into the disappearance of a friend caught up in an underground music scene that might be more than it appears.

When Ani and Joe’s investigations intertwine, they discover that the .wav file and the music are linked—someone’s embedding the file into tracks to create a mind-controlled teen army.

But who’s behind it? And why? And how do you stop a sound?

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Action

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2016

Reviews

[Macarena Yannelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro comienza siendo como una especie de thiller muy copado sobre un archivo de audio que unos hackers le roban a unos políticos de UK y se convierte en una cosa extraña de espionaje, ciencia ficción y es tan bizarro que me gusto mucho jajaja
Reseña completa proximamente

[Jamie (Books and Ladders)]

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

DNF @ 18%

So this one started off pretty strong and the premise was really interesting but I just wasn't feeling it. It's been a little off for me since we met Joe because I don't buy that there is a "teen" division to the police and they would give him that much freedom to question people, etc. I almost feel this would be better as a crossover novel with a teenage hacker and an adult cop trying to solve the case together (or like the teen making it harder for the cop to solve the case) just because I don't buy Joe in his role. This novel should be something I'm really into and I'm just sorta blah about it.

Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My original Dotwav audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Now here’s the first book I’ve ever heard which has struck me as a good recommendation for fans of Anthony Horowitz’ ‘Alex Rider’ series (That series was one of the literary highlights of my teen years). As long as you can suspend your disbelief long enough to believe that the British MOD is hiring teenagers to act as spies, this book really works.

In this story, teenagers begin behaving oddly after listening to a new style of music. No-one’s quite sure where the music’s coming from or how to stop it, until the universe brings 15-year-old Ani and 17-year-old Joe together to save the day. They’re both from very different backgrounds and have unique skills, but between them and their friends, they have everything they need to solve this problem.

This book is fast paced and action packed, just what you’d expect from a teen spy novel – but apart from this and the delightfully cheesy dialogue, nothing else is as you’d expect.  I can’t really give much away on this one as it was a big surprise to me and that’s what I enjoyed the most of the story: not being able to figure out what was going to happen next.

Will M. Watt is a talented narrator who manages to pull off a range of different voices and accents, he held my attention for the full 10 hours. His youthful sounding voice makes him the perfect choice for a YA novel, making him much more accessible to teen listeners.

This story picks up on more contemporary sci-fi issues, like hacking and the relationship between the things that people enjoy and how it could be used to control them. I found this very thought provoking and a fascinating angle to take on this book.

I would highly recommend this audiobook for teen listeners with a keen interest in sci-fi and technology – it’s a hell of a ride!

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Massive plot spoiler: There was a show a couple of years ago on CBS called Threshold. It did the same premise, but way better (and was cancelled way too soon).

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Sky Pony Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.


Ani is hacker that receives a .wav file that doesn't act like any file she has ever seen. As she begins looking into it leads her places she didn't thing it would. When she takes it to friends they haven't seen it before, and when her uncle looks at he can't hear anything at all, which makes her think that it is geared towards kids and she worries about what that could mean.


Joe is working for a British intelligence division when his friend disappears and when he begins to look into things it leads him to underground music and Ani. Soon they realize that the .wav makes teens become mind controlled and someone is using them for something bad.


Will they be able to stop it before it's too late? Or will they fall victim to it?


This was an interesting and different science fiction for me, I don't often read ones dealing with computers. Plus I haven't seen a .wav file in years, Do they even still use them? I guess they do since Mike wrote a book about it. I want to say that I loved this, but I didn't. It was good and for the most part I enjoyed, but it lost me in a couple of places.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out pretty good--it dives right into the action and we have two teenage MC who are interesting and unique and fit right into a sci-fi story.

Unfortunately, the story just gets more and more convoluted--and more and more outlandish--by the end. Now, don't get me wrong--I love me some crazy, out-of-the-norm sci-fi. But in order for me to really enjoy that sci-fi, there also has to be enough actual science and explanation to make things seem that there'a a SLIVER or possibility it could happen. Or there has to be enough non-stop action to make me not care...and this had neither. The ending in particular got to be way more "Saturday morning Power Ranger cartoon" than sophisticated sci-fi thriller. I found myself laughing instead of feeling anticipation, which is definitely not a good thing.

Overall some cool sci-fi elements (computer hacking, fun gadgets, brain implants, aliens), but jumbled together in a way I just didn't enjoy.

[saskia♡ (taylor’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Mike Lancaster did a great job at creating interesting and engaging characters. the plot was also very creative and gripping.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was totally not expecting the story to go the way it did! Loved it once the two characters connected. Highly recommend for fans of EC Myers!

[Aidan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the worst book I have read in a long time. (Minimal spoilers ahead but you shouldn't read this book anyways) Maybe the fact the nice comments on the cover are about other books Mike Lancaster has written and do not mention dotwav would give it away. But I read it anyways and the entire book is a sub par science fiction novel that not only is cheesy but illogical in some areas. I started off and I through it was looking good, then... all downhill from there. Joe does not seem cool and smart but comes off as a horrible attempt by the author to be those things. YETI is literally not even smart as an intelligence agency, in fact they attract so much attention during the story I feel like making them top secret is dumb. Why they have kids for agents really doesn't make any sense when you think about it. Joe having a computer in his brain is the worst idea ever for a story and makes you realize how poorly planned this book is. Joe has an outlet in the back of his head covered by a "flap" that somehow nobody ever sees. All it is a solution for Lancaster to make Joe the coolest cat in the neighborhood because WHY NOT! I only gave this 2 stars because the idea behind the story is great and Ani has a good backstory and is a likable character.

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as Human.4, a book that has stayed with me for years. That being said, I liked the concept of this book: it was fresh, interesting, and a great gender-neutral read (I think boys and girls would like it). I liked the main characters, especially Joe--he was a badass, and that's always a cool trait for characters in my opinion. I liked that this passed the Bechdel test between Ani and Gretchen and also had no love story at all. Having a male and female lead, that was a pretty big feat in YA lit. It dragged a little in parts and took me longer to read than I expected as a result, but overall I liked it.

[Kristy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really subpar sci fi mystery book. I couldn't decide if the author wanted to write an action book, a spy novel, a mystery, a sci fi book or a long winded ode to sci fi culture. It was hard to follow, frustrating and dull at times and nonsensical in others. Really not well put together and not one I will ever recommend to anyone. Could really use those hours of my life back.

[Kiersten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I knew where this was going and then it got really wild. Full review to come!

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing. Extraordinary. I don't know the words. It is my best book ever read by far. You will probably never read any book like this. It's thrilling and you'll just have to read and see.

[Luanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an intriguing premise that never was never really developed. The author took the plot to strange and almost bizarre places. The ending was ridiculous.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

When teen hacker Ani Lee is sent a .wav sound file from another hacker friend, she suddenly finds herself being chased by men in suits carrying guns. She escapes to her sound engineer uncle's where they play the file and Ani experiences something bad and weird. The sound file is dangerous. She knows that, but just how dangerous and where did it come from?
Joe Dyson is reeling from his roommate and spy partner's death in their last op for YETI that went horribly wrong. Joe doesn't know if he can keep doing this teen spy thing for the Brits, but Abernathy has called in him to investigate what has happened to his former friend from boarding school. Lenny Palgrave was Joe's first friend at the boarding school, and a genuinely nice, smart guy. So to hear that he's gone missing, and those who saw him last are describing someone the opposite of the Lenny Joe knew has Joe willing to get on the investigative trail again. Could his disappearance have something to do with his father's up and coming position in British politics? Or does it have more to do with the new X-Core music scene Lenny evidently became a fan of?

This has a little bit of a slow start, but once you get into it, it is a teen spy story investigating peculiar changes in personality of other teens and an odd sound file. The mystery is well done. Joe and Ani are both teens with their own issues they are battling, but still have good heads on their shoulders and are very fun spies to watch match wits with the bad guys. Ani's back story of her mom so damaged from the horrors she saw in the Vietnam war is tragic, but helps you understand how Ani got to be so strong and mature for her age. The scifi element was done well, and I love that it explores how we often anthropomorphize what aliens would look like (a pet peeve is how so often in scifi alien life forms are all so similar). Hand this to readers who love teen spy stories.

Notes on content: Just a couple minor swears in American English, one strong swear in British English. No sexual content. Ani's backstory involves her coming home to her mom having a psychotic breakdown and self-harming, which is a bit bloody and very vividly described. Mind control for nefarious purposes is central to the plot.

[DANIEL · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Dotwav is a very good book. It is about to kids who are hackers and one of them hacks and audio file, but it is different. As the book goes on it turns into an action filled adventure. This book was hard to get into for me, but soon it became more of a page turner. To me the characters were a little exaggerated, like they were doing things that kids their age in real life would not be doing or even know how to do. It kept me reading because I was always wanting to find out how the current problem in the book is going to be solved. I often found myself daydreaming or dozing off while reading this book. I think it had to potential to be a really exciting and moving book, but was way to descriptive and made it felt like you were reading in slow motion. It might have been to different of a book to what I am used to reading, at least with the style of writing. Overall though it was a decent story with two teens who discovered an audio file that mixes music and mind controlling soundwaves and they have to figure out how to stop the audio file and whatever other mysteries and secrets it has behind it. I will give this book a 3 out of 5 stars because of how I felt this book could have been better, but still had good content and plot.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dotwav by Mike A. Lancaster, 435 pgs. Sky Pony Press, 2016. $17.99

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Ani has a secret file that her online buddy shared with her before both he and Ani started being tracked down by men in suits. Joe is being brought back on a case for the secret agency he works for, struggling to let go of his last mission failure, to find a friend who has gone missing. To solve these mysteries, Ani and Joe will have to work together and suspend their beliefs of what is and is not impossible.

Ani and Joe’s story is a long one, but it didn’t drag. Lancaster did a great job of helping move the action along, even during the explaining parts of the story as the characters figured everything out. I enjoyed the premise of strange sounds acting in an unexpected way, but the unexpected end solution was disappointing to me because I wanted it to be more plausible.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the book was very fun to read. You go into the world of hackers who have to investigate a music called X-core. After Jack hacks into a government system and acquires a .wav file and then needs to hide it from the police, I wanted to keep reading to know what happens to him and if he gets in trouble. The most interesting part of the book is when Joe allows Ani to get into his car and go to the HQ. Mike Lancaster describes the HQ very well. I could imagine myself looking at all of this cool, futuristic technology. It was as if I was using the technology myself. When the HQ gets attacked, the story finally has some action. The boss has to find a way out of the building, whilst taking the workers and the technology. The reader keeps reading and wants to know how they escape and HQ back. Finally, the reader is relieved when they go to Gretchen's house and camp out there until their HQ is free again. The life of these people from another angle. When the reader discovers that Lennie's father is actually the bad guy, it gets very confusing. The problem is resolved by Ani shutting down the .Wav file. This was a great ending.

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dotwav, also known as .wav, is a format that stores audio. The format of this book stores both deeper things and nothing deeper. One finds .wavs in the modern era, just like this book. This book’s “dotwavs”, however, live in an exhilerating science-fiction modern world, involving intriguing dangers and technologies that could very well already exist. Joe Dyson (teen agent) and Ani Lee (teen hacker) cross paths, they work to unfold a baffling mystery that confounds our heroes at every turn - including the ending. This novel is better for more advanced readers, at it includes more complex wording and concepts. The book involves a obvious tint of bias involving sensitive topics, yet it contains amazing critical thinking, on the part of the characters. If anything, one should read this book to get a feel for its style, as the style of writing (and the dialogue) is that unlike most books I have read.
José C, age 15, San Francisco Regional Mensa

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG
Ani has a secret file that her online buddy shared with her before both he and Ani started being tracked down by men in suits. Joe is being brought back on a case for the secret agency he works for, struggling to let go of his last mission failure, to find a friend who has gone missing. To solve these mysteries, Ani and Joe will have to work together and suspend their beliefs of what is and is not impossible.
Ani and Joe’s story is a long one, but it didn’t drag. Lancaster did a great job of helping move the action along, even during the explaining parts of the story as the characters figured everything out. I enjoyed the premise of strange sounds acting in an unexpected way, but the unexpected end solution was disappointing to me because I wanted it to be more plausible.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com

[Carlye Krul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a book like dotwav.

I can't think of any other sci-fi book that is like this book. I love the characters and their reactions. I barely read books where there is a boy and girl working together who don't fall in love.

There are a few things that are left unexplained and hanging. Like when the 3 teenagers are talking in a prophetic way about the end of the world, nothing became of that. Even though we know why they are saying that, there's no real explanation. You'll know what I mean if you read the book.

Also, the climax is underwhelming. I was hyping myself up for some big climax where the protagonist's burst in, guns blazing. Instead, they pull a few wires and a helicopter comes and it's all over. Like I said, underwhelming.

But other than that, I loved this hidden gem of a book.

[maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

The ideas the author has are so creative and unique. I've never read anything likes this. A huge plus for me was the nerdy references that actually made sense (not just thrown in to add appeal). It was very refreshing to have a book that focused almost completely on the story and didn't have any stupid romances. Normally when the end of the world is coming, you don't worry so much about finding your next love (not a spoiler, just in a lot of si fi/dystopian novels). Also, the characters had good backstories. Not the typical "my mother died when I was five" crap that is in every YA book ever. The only criticism I have is that the book was so fast paced, that you hardly had time to connect with any of the characters. Other than that, it was great!

[Emily Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review. My sincerest apologies - I misplaced the book soon after receiving it (the chaos of moving houses!) and recently rediscovered it.

This was such an action-packed, genre-blending YA read and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised with how easily it hooked me in! The best way of describing Dotwav is by comparing it to other pop culture references as follows:
-Black Mirror (YA version)
-X-Files
-Spy Kids (YA version)
-War of the Worlds

Definitely a suitable read for teens and adults alike, especially if you're into the sci-fi/tech thriller genres.

[TheBookDragon'sReview · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Dyson is a teen agent who suffered the loss of his partner on his last mission. He's not been back since that is until a friend of his disappeared.

Ani Lee is a hacker with a heart of gold. A hacker friend of hers sends her a file. A file that has both hackers on the run.

How does a simple .wave file connect the two?

This story is a fun light quick read. The plot was interesting and I have always had a thing for teen spies. This is a good read for anyone that was into anything like Alex Rider. I am excited to read the next one!

[M.T. DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit like candy for me. I just enjoyed the taste without thinking too much about what I was eating. Some implausable turns, some giant leaps in logic that, if stared at too closely, may not quite work. But I was having too much fun to stop and do any real examining. Maybe closer to 3.5 stars, but I rounded up for the fun factor. Add in the two teen protagonists dealing with some real tough issues in their pasts, and this had me hooked.

[Bouchra Rebiai · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Nexus, I went on a spree adding similar books to my to-read list. This was mind-blowing. Even though the main characters are teenagers, I felt like they definitely were quite mature and understood the world a lot more like I understand it as an adult close to the big three-O.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. Characters you want to root for, interesting premise, fast-paced action. Dig it!

[Dewey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why it would be enjoyable for people who are into this sort of thing, but it wasn't for me.

[Debi · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA sci-fi fans should give this one a try, especially the ones who like technology!

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light reading

It had a decent story. The pace changed throughout often. A mixture of a lot of humanities favorite theories smashed together into one short story.