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Guerrilla Internet
'How careful are you with what you say in a phone call? In a text message? Are you strict enough to never reveal personal information in an email, or on Facebook? Most people aren't.'
Charlie, a soon-to-be unemployed software tester struggling through remission from depression and anxiety, is about to discover just how lethal a weapon information can be in the wrong hands. When one of his colleagues is murdered for the sake of stealing his company's innocuous in-development phone app, his life is upended and shaken like one of James Bond's martinis. With the aid of Mel, a technologically illiterate but worldly-wise security guard, Charlie must conquer his inhibitions and venture outside his cloistered comfort zone in order to prevent a cyberterrorist conspiracy so devastating it threatens the very future of the internet itself...
A technological thriller set in modern times, Guerrilla Internet tackles the themes of privacy, security, and freedom of expression in the age of a constantly connected society. A tale of subterfuge and doublespeak, of plots within plots, where laws and morals clash to decide the meaning of freedom in an always-online world.
Charlie, a soon-to-be unemployed software tester struggling through remission from depression and anxiety, is about to discover just how lethal a weapon information can be in the wrong hands. When one of his colleagues is murdered for the sake of stealing his company's innocuous in-development phone app, his life is upended and shaken like one of James Bond's martinis. With the aid of Mel, a technologically illiterate but worldly-wise security guard, Charlie must conquer his inhibitions and venture outside his cloistered comfort zone in order to prevent a cyberterrorist conspiracy so devastating it threatens the very future of the internet itself...
A technological thriller set in modern times, Guerrilla Internet tackles the themes of privacy, security, and freedom of expression in the age of a constantly connected society. A tale of subterfuge and doublespeak, of plots within plots, where laws and morals clash to decide the meaning of freedom in an always-online world.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2014
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 14, 2014
Confession first - I know very little about what is lovingly referred to as "geek-speak" so I was lost when this book got brass-tacks technical. Just call me Mel. Outside of that, I really enjoyed Guerrilla Internet.
Charlie is a computer whiz kid, fresh from university in Australia and enjoying the surroundings of his first job while living on his own - for the most part. He's struggled in the past with severe anxiety and bouts of depression, but with medication and intensive counseling he's learning how to cope in a crowded and fast-moving world.
But then Charlie's carefully constructed world comes crashing down when he shows up for work to find a co-worker murdered in cold blood, the small company's server files all stolen or destroyed, and a chilling note from his boss informing him the company is ruined and he's closing up shop.
Then Mel shows up, a tough-as-nails woman posing as a detective in the investigation. Soon Charlie realizes Mel is not who she says and is merely a security specialist traveling the world trying to sort out what she sees as a global conspiracy. But Mel can't put her finger on exactly what the globe-trotting thieves want with all of the stolen servers.
That's where Charlie shines.
Charlie and Mel are in a race to puzzle the pieces back together before the nefarious plot is released. From Australia to Seattle and finally Japan, this unlikely pair must find the criminals - and save themselves along the way.
Charlie's internal struggle was very realistic. You sensed it keenly as he fought to stay in control among the crowds, as he self-talked his way back from the edge, and worked to discover confidence in his competence.
With Mel - I could sooooo relate to her cluelessness when faced with the gaming references and just technology in general. Felt like me around my son and his friends - HUH? Mel also faces her own demons through the story - a little abrupt on the turnaround from tough chick to the softer side, but very touching nonetheless. I especially liked the part where she goes to the church to "talk" to her deceased mother.
The writing is very vivid and plays well with the character of Charlie. A couple of references really spoke to his nature: "...fingers questing into his pocket to extract his phone" and my favorite "An alarm bell claxon tore Charlie from his wispy dreamland with all the tenderness of a blood-lusting T-Rex."
Point-of-view was decent for the most part with only a few snarls, but nothing terribly jarring. There was only one part toward the end where I questioned the flow and choice of scene placement. Charlie and Mel get on a plane from Seattle to Japan and then they've landed. The next chapter opens with a step back 24-hours earlier and we're back in Seattle with the bad guys. This felt like major whiplash to me. I think it would have flowed much better and kept in tune with pacing to have Mel and Charlie take-off from Seattle, scene break to the bad guys and their machinations, then break back to Charlie and Mel landing in Japan.
Then there were a few little things that bugged me. Maybe it was Charlie's youth and inexperience, but he seemed just a bit too naive to me to not figure out sooner that Mel wasn't initially who she said she was - meeting at McDonald's and then a hotel? Yes, he questioned it the first time, but that could be understandable simply because he was so discombobulated with what was going down concerning his job and co-worker. But after...? Mel's seemingly unlimited financial resources were eventually explained, but that stuck in my craw until then that a mere security guard who was the daughter of a mechanic could jet-set around the world with money being no object. Lastly, I had to suspend reality a bit concerning the time-frame it would take to apply for a visa to go somewhere out-of-country. Not a huge thing for a novel probably, but this question popped up for me every time they went somewhere new. Yes, I'm a pesky realist. :-)
There's not much in the way of action here, but for the most part - and considering the nature of the criminal activity - this didn't bother me, because the writing was so strong and descriptive I rarely got bored sitting in front of the computer with Charlie.
For a second release novel, Mr. Sayer I applaud you and offer up Guerrilla Internet four stars. It's probably not something my mother would enjoy (and there are flashes of rough language) and I struggled a bit to keep up with the "geek speak", but for the technologically savvy crowd - they'd love it.
Charlie is a computer whiz kid, fresh from university in Australia and enjoying the surroundings of his first job while living on his own - for the most part. He's struggled in the past with severe anxiety and bouts of depression, but with medication and intensive counseling he's learning how to cope in a crowded and fast-moving world.
But then Charlie's carefully constructed world comes crashing down when he shows up for work to find a co-worker murdered in cold blood, the small company's server files all stolen or destroyed, and a chilling note from his boss informing him the company is ruined and he's closing up shop.
Then Mel shows up, a tough-as-nails woman posing as a detective in the investigation. Soon Charlie realizes Mel is not who she says and is merely a security specialist traveling the world trying to sort out what she sees as a global conspiracy. But Mel can't put her finger on exactly what the globe-trotting thieves want with all of the stolen servers.
That's where Charlie shines.
Charlie and Mel are in a race to puzzle the pieces back together before the nefarious plot is released. From Australia to Seattle and finally Japan, this unlikely pair must find the criminals - and save themselves along the way.
Charlie's internal struggle was very realistic. You sensed it keenly as he fought to stay in control among the crowds, as he self-talked his way back from the edge, and worked to discover confidence in his competence.
With Mel - I could sooooo relate to her cluelessness when faced with the gaming references and just technology in general. Felt like me around my son and his friends - HUH? Mel also faces her own demons through the story - a little abrupt on the turnaround from tough chick to the softer side, but very touching nonetheless. I especially liked the part where she goes to the church to "talk" to her deceased mother.
The writing is very vivid and plays well with the character of Charlie. A couple of references really spoke to his nature: "...fingers questing into his pocket to extract his phone" and my favorite "An alarm bell claxon tore Charlie from his wispy dreamland with all the tenderness of a blood-lusting T-Rex."
Point-of-view was decent for the most part with only a few snarls, but nothing terribly jarring. There was only one part toward the end where I questioned the flow and choice of scene placement. Charlie and Mel get on a plane from Seattle to Japan and then they've landed. The next chapter opens with a step back 24-hours earlier and we're back in Seattle with the bad guys. This felt like major whiplash to me. I think it would have flowed much better and kept in tune with pacing to have Mel and Charlie take-off from Seattle, scene break to the bad guys and their machinations, then break back to Charlie and Mel landing in Japan.
Then there were a few little things that bugged me. Maybe it was Charlie's youth and inexperience, but he seemed just a bit too naive to me to not figure out sooner that Mel wasn't initially who she said she was - meeting at McDonald's and then a hotel? Yes, he questioned it the first time, but that could be understandable simply because he was so discombobulated with what was going down concerning his job and co-worker. But after...? Mel's seemingly unlimited financial resources were eventually explained, but that stuck in my craw until then that a mere security guard who was the daughter of a mechanic could jet-set around the world with money being no object. Lastly, I had to suspend reality a bit concerning the time-frame it would take to apply for a visa to go somewhere out-of-country. Not a huge thing for a novel probably, but this question popped up for me every time they went somewhere new. Yes, I'm a pesky realist. :-)
There's not much in the way of action here, but for the most part - and considering the nature of the criminal activity - this didn't bother me, because the writing was so strong and descriptive I rarely got bored sitting in front of the computer with Charlie.
For a second release novel, Mr. Sayer I applaud you and offer up Guerrilla Internet four stars. It's probably not something my mother would enjoy (and there are flashes of rough language) and I struggled a bit to keep up with the "geek speak", but for the technologically savvy crowd - they'd love it.
May 5, 2018
Watch your back - this book will snipe you!
Guerrilla Internet is a technological thriller, and will open your mind to new perspectives on privacy, security, information and freedom of self expression.
We are immediately thrown in to the clutches of an office murder where the mystery first begins. A security guard is shot dead in the middle of the night in Melbourne’s City office in the office of a company called mBition.
In the second chapter, we meet our protagonist, Charlie, who is running late for work and is soon to find out about the previous night's incident and the loss of his job. We find out about Charlie’s recent struggles with anxiety and depression, adding a layer of depth to his character and to the story, one that intrigued me from the start and kept me hauling through the complex guerrilla internet saga, in support for our underdog, to fight in this war for privacy.
My technological language is no where near as savvy and concise as author Mat Sayer’s, which the reader soon finds out, excuse the pun, is the hard drive of this novel. I had to chew the words between my teeth which does mean that I remained present in each part of the story. I found Sayer’s use of description and imagery, though sometimes overused, coated with a little black humour which gives way to clear thriller-esque imagery, meaningful and appropriate to the story’s plot and genre and kept me well entertained: “that only exacerbated the fury with which the tiny gremlins hammered at the inside of his skull”.
The challenge for a general audience is that the high use of tech-savvy language and references to technology can make the novel seem tedious at times. For those in my shoes, thank goodness for the character of Mel, Charlie’s American sidekick. Mat has utilised Mel’s character well at times during the novel, as a scapegoat for explaining more complex ideas about using technology and information as guerrilla techniques, which in my mind, resembles a matt of tangle electrical wires.
The novel comes to a clear climax when our bad guy, Big Boss, is finally located and we are enlightened by differing perspectives on privacy and the internet around the world. Big Boss is a layered character also, just enough to tease you in to an empathetic streak momentarily and make you question your own thoughts and opinion on privacy and the internet.
The pace of this novel moves as an American action movie may and I couldn’t help but compare to the movie Die Hard 4, in its themes of privacy and technology as well as a suffering and weak bad guy. I could easily see this novel being played out before me, in an action packed thriller.
The tone is intense thanks to the conciseness of the Sayer’s technological language and imagery. However, it is this intensity that keeps our adrenalin pumping, keeps us aware at all times, and present during Charlie’s ‘coming out of his shell’ adventure. We live through Charlie and his anxiety, being switched on the whole time, then rest exhausted when it is all over.
I travelled along with Charlie and Mel from Australia to America to Japan and China, following this thriller mystery, and it has left a few thoughts buzzing around my own mind.
One in particular being: if its not Big Brother, then who worse is watching?
Guerrilla Internet is a technological thriller, and will open your mind to new perspectives on privacy, security, information and freedom of self expression.
We are immediately thrown in to the clutches of an office murder where the mystery first begins. A security guard is shot dead in the middle of the night in Melbourne’s City office in the office of a company called mBition.
In the second chapter, we meet our protagonist, Charlie, who is running late for work and is soon to find out about the previous night's incident and the loss of his job. We find out about Charlie’s recent struggles with anxiety and depression, adding a layer of depth to his character and to the story, one that intrigued me from the start and kept me hauling through the complex guerrilla internet saga, in support for our underdog, to fight in this war for privacy.
My technological language is no where near as savvy and concise as author Mat Sayer’s, which the reader soon finds out, excuse the pun, is the hard drive of this novel. I had to chew the words between my teeth which does mean that I remained present in each part of the story. I found Sayer’s use of description and imagery, though sometimes overused, coated with a little black humour which gives way to clear thriller-esque imagery, meaningful and appropriate to the story’s plot and genre and kept me well entertained: “that only exacerbated the fury with which the tiny gremlins hammered at the inside of his skull”.
The challenge for a general audience is that the high use of tech-savvy language and references to technology can make the novel seem tedious at times. For those in my shoes, thank goodness for the character of Mel, Charlie’s American sidekick. Mat has utilised Mel’s character well at times during the novel, as a scapegoat for explaining more complex ideas about using technology and information as guerrilla techniques, which in my mind, resembles a matt of tangle electrical wires.
The novel comes to a clear climax when our bad guy, Big Boss, is finally located and we are enlightened by differing perspectives on privacy and the internet around the world. Big Boss is a layered character also, just enough to tease you in to an empathetic streak momentarily and make you question your own thoughts and opinion on privacy and the internet.
The pace of this novel moves as an American action movie may and I couldn’t help but compare to the movie Die Hard 4, in its themes of privacy and technology as well as a suffering and weak bad guy. I could easily see this novel being played out before me, in an action packed thriller.
The tone is intense thanks to the conciseness of the Sayer’s technological language and imagery. However, it is this intensity that keeps our adrenalin pumping, keeps us aware at all times, and present during Charlie’s ‘coming out of his shell’ adventure. We live through Charlie and his anxiety, being switched on the whole time, then rest exhausted when it is all over.
I travelled along with Charlie and Mel from Australia to America to Japan and China, following this thriller mystery, and it has left a few thoughts buzzing around my own mind.
One in particular being: if its not Big Brother, then who worse is watching?
July 22, 2014
Charlie was a software tester for mBition in Melbourne Australia and he was late for work. When he arrived he couldn’t get into the office. There were police barricades all around. The police took him in; told him about his co-worker’s murder; the destruction of the servers and theft of the drives; questioned him; and gave him a package from his boss. The package included a letter informing Charlie that the company would need close which meant he was now unemployed. Then another officer took charge of the matter and took Charlie for more questioning. But something didn’t feel right; was this person really with the police?
At one time Charlie had been debilitated by anxiety but he is recovering and fighting against its return. Mel (Melanie) had problems of her own. She was an American and had been a security guard for ProSect guarding Comcast headquarters on the evening they were robbed of a couple of high-end servers. While Charlie is strong in the IT field and ‘geek speak’, Mel is strong in security and in following her intuition about a ‘global conspiracy’ of sorts. The two fit together like two pieces of a puzzle each fulfilling the shortfall of the other as they work together to solve the crimes.
I thought the story was strong about security in our contemporary age of ‘gadgetry.’ Is the story believable? Maybe; maybe not — but it is fiction and good fiction. There was a little too much time spent on their air travel from Australia to America. Some detail was necessary to show more of Charlie’s fight with anxiety but it was a bit too much. It took away from the story focus. The ‘geek speak’ would have been over the top for most people, but that was resolved with Charlie needing to explain it to ‘ungeeky’ Mel. There were grammatical errors but they may be due to my copy which was an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and may not pose a problem in the purchased book. I rated Guerrilla Internet at 3.5 out of 5.
http://www.fictionzeal.com/guerrilla-...
At one time Charlie had been debilitated by anxiety but he is recovering and fighting against its return. Mel (Melanie) had problems of her own. She was an American and had been a security guard for ProSect guarding Comcast headquarters on the evening they were robbed of a couple of high-end servers. While Charlie is strong in the IT field and ‘geek speak’, Mel is strong in security and in following her intuition about a ‘global conspiracy’ of sorts. The two fit together like two pieces of a puzzle each fulfilling the shortfall of the other as they work together to solve the crimes.
I thought the story was strong about security in our contemporary age of ‘gadgetry.’ Is the story believable? Maybe; maybe not — but it is fiction and good fiction. There was a little too much time spent on their air travel from Australia to America. Some detail was necessary to show more of Charlie’s fight with anxiety but it was a bit too much. It took away from the story focus. The ‘geek speak’ would have been over the top for most people, but that was resolved with Charlie needing to explain it to ‘ungeeky’ Mel. There were grammatical errors but they may be due to my copy which was an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and may not pose a problem in the purchased book. I rated Guerrilla Internet at 3.5 out of 5.
http://www.fictionzeal.com/guerrilla-...
April 8, 2014
This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.
Disclosure: I was given my copy of this book by the author as a review copy.
International intrigue, murder, technology, all combined to create a great story about hackers and geeks.
This is the story of a software tester that finds himself out of a job. He must learn to cope outside of the job, by conquering his own fears. He will accomplish this with the help of a technologically challenged detective, Mel. As he struggles with these challenges, he discovers a crime so big and scary that it could destroy the world as he knows it.
I like the way the story unfolds. It does not attempt to make geeks heroes, yet allows them to shine in their own environment. It also should provide a warning to all of us using computers today. It does attempt to make those with less knowledge of technology feel okay without overwhelming them with details. Of course, some detail is necessary to the flow of the story. Some of the details might be difficult for the average person to understand, however, they should not detract from the enjoyment of reading this story.
If the goal of this story is to help people understand how easily their information can be found on the internet, it should succeed. Matt Sayer does a good job weaving the true possibilities of nothing private into a fictional thriller. He does this in a way that will alert the reader to the impossibility of maintaining privacy while using technology.
I would recommend this book to all of us using technology today. If you enjoy reading about technology today, or even using smartphones and computers, this is the book for you. I have obtained another of Matt Sayer's books to read.
Disclosure: I was given my copy of this book by the author as a review copy.
International intrigue, murder, technology, all combined to create a great story about hackers and geeks.
This is the story of a software tester that finds himself out of a job. He must learn to cope outside of the job, by conquering his own fears. He will accomplish this with the help of a technologically challenged detective, Mel. As he struggles with these challenges, he discovers a crime so big and scary that it could destroy the world as he knows it.
I like the way the story unfolds. It does not attempt to make geeks heroes, yet allows them to shine in their own environment. It also should provide a warning to all of us using computers today. It does attempt to make those with less knowledge of technology feel okay without overwhelming them with details. Of course, some detail is necessary to the flow of the story. Some of the details might be difficult for the average person to understand, however, they should not detract from the enjoyment of reading this story.
If the goal of this story is to help people understand how easily their information can be found on the internet, it should succeed. Matt Sayer does a good job weaving the true possibilities of nothing private into a fictional thriller. He does this in a way that will alert the reader to the impossibility of maintaining privacy while using technology.
I would recommend this book to all of us using technology today. If you enjoy reading about technology today, or even using smartphones and computers, this is the book for you. I have obtained another of Matt Sayer's books to read.
November 10, 2014
We received a free copy in return for an honest review
This is a book for people who enjoy character studies with a focus on the internal workings of an introvert. The plot very firmly slips into the background in favour of the internal monologue and thought processes of the main character. Unfortunately, a lot of said monologue was made up of clunky, overwrought descriptions that were very abstract and completely removed the focus from the point or thought at hand. The character development was primarily a collection of large blocks of heavy-handed info-dumps and glimpses into the characters’ pasts. All in all, this book is a very slow read that would work best as a character study rather than a thriller.
Full review available here
This is a book for people who enjoy character studies with a focus on the internal workings of an introvert. The plot very firmly slips into the background in favour of the internal monologue and thought processes of the main character. Unfortunately, a lot of said monologue was made up of clunky, overwrought descriptions that were very abstract and completely removed the focus from the point or thought at hand. The character development was primarily a collection of large blocks of heavy-handed info-dumps and glimpses into the characters’ pasts. All in all, this book is a very slow read that would work best as a character study rather than a thriller.
Full review available here
March 4, 2015
What happens when you place an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation? Murder! This novel blends technicality with murder. The characterization was good, and the detail was uncanny. I rate this book a four-star read.
August 10, 2014
This was fun, and seeing inside the mind of someone suffering such things was a very new experience to me. This author has definite potential and this is a solid, if occasionally strange, novel.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews