Hunting Gideon

by Jessica Draper

Tracking hackers and crackers for the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center looks like a vivid video game to an outsider, but the outcome of the play is deadly serious. Through her online feline avatar, Sekhmet, Sue Anne Jones stalks the V-Net, the ultimate virtual-reality interface, in pursuit of evil in all its online forms. Her partner, ex-cracker Loren Hunter, provides cynical commentary along with his expertise in the V-Net's shadier alleys. Their days of busting routine identity thieves and insidious corporate spies end when they get a new assignment: Hunt down a cyber-terrorist calling himself Gideon, who has infiltrated the financial system, rerouted supply lines, and murdered the supervisor of an automated factory. Now Gideon is sending taunting messages, quoting scripture, and warning Sue that she must join his crusade or suffer-along with the rest of the virtual world-when he takes total control of the V-Net. Written by the author of the Last Days adventure trilogy, Hunting Gideon is a near-future cyberpunk novel with an optimistic Mormon twist. Incorporating elements from the hard-boiled detective novel, film noir, and postmodernist prose, much of the novel's action takes place online in cyberspace, blurring the border between actual and virtual reality. Hunting Gideon sends Sue and Loren on a wild chase as they scramble to avert the ultimate online disaster.

184 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2007

Reviews

[Kathaleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sci-fi mystery drama. set in the “near future”. FBI vs bad guys on the “v-net” It’s a fun read. second book in the trilogy, it’s easier to read than the first book, I actually started with this one. Sue and Loren get into more scrapes in this book.

[Mike Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

My addiction to Second Life (SL), a real world 3D virtual world with a world-wide presence, dragged me through half of this book, and the increase in action in the second half (or at least the last quarter) speed me through the rest of the book. The book follows Sue Anne Jones of the FBI NIPC (computer crime division) and her partner Loren Hunter as they fight a cyber-terrorist by the name of Gideon in a world of super-monopolies and the V-Net. The V-Net is a 3D virtual reality interface that has replaced the earlier Internet.

Sue Anne Jones is a single Mormon (and the Mormon part really plays its part in this book, almost a character in its own right; book has “A Mormon cyberpunk novel” on the front cover), and Loren Hunter is an ex-cracker (for “cracker” read “hacker”) who was caught by Sue Anne and now works for the good guys (though he still mutters darkly about the injustice in the world). Sue Anne herself is constantly praying, and trying to get Loren to find his way into Mormonism. Loren is an orphan who, somewhere along the way, found himself under the control of Roman Catholics and can quote the bible but is not really sure if likes God. Both Sue Anne and Loren have certain deepness to their characterization in the book, but most of the other characters that pop up are mostly just names on a page. Gideon, the cyber-terrorist, is seen through the messages he sends after his attacks, and his messages he sends to Sue Anne. Gideon’s messages are filled with biblical quotations, and are about how there is evil in the world and he is working to fix it, and the specific messages to Sue Anne try to get her to join Gideon’s crusade.

The plot and the characterization of the main characters is solid enough, and the setting (at least the computer world most of these characters seem to prefer living in) seems to work. The description of the V-Net greatly reminds me of the present Second Life on many levels. Both have constant updates, are 3d environment, have avatars (while both have default avatars, SL does not require premium membership to customize your avatar), and the gathering places inside the system. One, the V-Net, is the Internet of its day, while Second Life desires to become the 3D Internet. Both are world-wide. Both are trying to spread themselves by having free basic access and software.

Coming from a deep long-term immersion in Second Life, I rather enjoyed the book. I am not sure if knowledge of Second Life would help or not, though. A tolerance for religion in fiction, and a certain amount of praying and attempt at conversion will be needed. I am not sure if the book is for everyone, but I found it to be enjoyable. A solid four out of 5 star work.

(the review can stand as is, though I found it personally interesting to myself when I realized that I had written this review way back in 2007. 8 months after starting my immersion into Second Life. And today, 2012, I haven't been in Second Life for a while now. I suppose it is good I read the book way back when.)

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I saw this described as a cyberpunk novel I immediately thought of William Gibson and was looking forward to something in the same vein. Instead, I found a book that was overly descriptive for the most part yet made the odd glancing comment that left me confused, and when we finally get to the virtual reality world it felt flat and unreal. The writing seemed forced and the dialogue was not glib or witty which I think it was trying to be.

I have not read a lot of science fiction and the only cyberpunk novels I've read have been Gibson's. Fantasy is more to my liking. I passed this book on to my brother-in-law who reads a lot more sf than I do and may appreciate this book more.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't get into it.
And there are NO CHAPTERS or ANY other break of any kind, which drove me nutty.

Not sure why this one didn't work for me. It sounded so good and is the kind of thing I usually like.

Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

(Copy received for review)

[Victoria Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never did finish this book. I tried numerous times but never got past the first 10 pages. I found the writing style hard to read and I couldn't suspend my disbelief to get into the novel in the first place.