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Thieves Emporium
Alternate cover edition for B00CWWWRK0
A novel of technology, economics, and death in the age of the surveillance state.
What price freedom when government knows all our secrets?
WELCOME TO THE NEW BADLANDS
Fawn got to the shelter too late for dinner, so she just wanted a safe place to sleep. But a dark stranger offered her more. A ticket to a new world, filled with opportunity. And danger.
Welcome, Fawn, to the New Badlands. A place beyond the reach of any government. Without laws or regulations of any kind.
Where everyone is free.
But no one is safe.
This is the story of a young mother's attempt to survive in the new digital underworld. Follow her as she becomes a pioneer, a smuggler, a spy, and a freedom-fighter while dodging forces that threaten to destroy the foundations of the modern nation-state.
The characters in this novel are fictional. The place is not. It's growing around you, like cracks in the armor of the new surveillance state.
Read about it now, while you still can.
Warning: Some parts of this work contain graphic depictions of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Use caution when distributing this work to anyone under the age of 18.
A novel of technology, economics, and death in the age of the surveillance state.
What price freedom when government knows all our secrets?
WELCOME TO THE NEW BADLANDS
Fawn got to the shelter too late for dinner, so she just wanted a safe place to sleep. But a dark stranger offered her more. A ticket to a new world, filled with opportunity. And danger.
Welcome, Fawn, to the New Badlands. A place beyond the reach of any government. Without laws or regulations of any kind.
Where everyone is free.
But no one is safe.
This is the story of a young mother's attempt to survive in the new digital underworld. Follow her as she becomes a pioneer, a smuggler, a spy, and a freedom-fighter while dodging forces that threaten to destroy the foundations of the modern nation-state.
The characters in this novel are fictional. The place is not. It's growing around you, like cracks in the armor of the new surveillance state.
Read about it now, while you still can.
Warning: Some parts of this work contain graphic depictions of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Use caution when distributing this work to anyone under the age of 18.
Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2013
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509 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 7, 2013
Definitely not for everyone, this adventure is fraught with technical terminology that while current and completely plausible, might send the average reader running for cover. An absolutely compelling premise that could in fact be operating in the landscape of America right now. Dancing Fawn, an abandoned woman with twin daughters to care for is doing the best she can. Selling herself to make sure her children are taken care of is a common last resort for women. But Fawn finds a way out. Come along for the ride if intelligent literature is what you're looking for.
April 7, 2014
Walking into a novel can be like a journey into the unknown. Thieves Emporium is like that. The title, and the first words spoke to me. I'm a mother, and also a single parent, with sole responsibility in all ways, forever, unless things change for the better. I enjoyed the opening of the novel, the characters, because of this: I could relate.
The novel, the words that followed, surprisingly connected random dots for me, of which there were many. The future world, which didn't seem so very distant anymore. The notion of limited natural resources, such as oil, gas, wood, water, combined with political and governmental inadequacies in serving people. Transparency in the dissemination of information and news, technology, and its program, and the idea of community and trust: Max Hernandez has the gift not only to speak to these current affairs, yet also to make them user-friendly.
The concept of user-friendly is one that is important to me. Throughout the novel, technology is a means, and is, at the same time, an end. There is little way in between. Max ensures the technologically challenged (like I am) the advantage of understanding the language. He explains in detail to the reader of any demographic, how technology can be your master, your slave, or your friend.
There is some violence in Thieves Emporium, just as there is even violence in the systems to which we belong. Thieves Emporium explores these in different aspects, from the personal, to the social, to the environmental. The story helps to help ourselves place us somewhere in there, into, maybe, an enhanced knowledge of who we are, where we are, and where are we going.
I would like to see into the future sometimes. Who would not? Just so that I could help myself put one foot in front of the other, hopefully in the right direction. For me, Thieves Emporium opens doors, asks questions, and even hints at answers.
What will happen in the lives of Fawn and her children tomorrow, is what I want to know. I have the feeling someone in the Emporium knows, someone from within the Thieves Emporium, where in spite of the dark ways of man which seems to run on corruption, untruths and greed, an underlying humanity can still reside. So, despite the shadow world of deception, there is an element of hope lingering in the counter-shadow world within Thieves Emporium. Definitely recommend!
The novel, the words that followed, surprisingly connected random dots for me, of which there were many. The future world, which didn't seem so very distant anymore. The notion of limited natural resources, such as oil, gas, wood, water, combined with political and governmental inadequacies in serving people. Transparency in the dissemination of information and news, technology, and its program, and the idea of community and trust: Max Hernandez has the gift not only to speak to these current affairs, yet also to make them user-friendly.
The concept of user-friendly is one that is important to me. Throughout the novel, technology is a means, and is, at the same time, an end. There is little way in between. Max ensures the technologically challenged (like I am) the advantage of understanding the language. He explains in detail to the reader of any demographic, how technology can be your master, your slave, or your friend.
There is some violence in Thieves Emporium, just as there is even violence in the systems to which we belong. Thieves Emporium explores these in different aspects, from the personal, to the social, to the environmental. The story helps to help ourselves place us somewhere in there, into, maybe, an enhanced knowledge of who we are, where we are, and where are we going.
I would like to see into the future sometimes. Who would not? Just so that I could help myself put one foot in front of the other, hopefully in the right direction. For me, Thieves Emporium opens doors, asks questions, and even hints at answers.
What will happen in the lives of Fawn and her children tomorrow, is what I want to know. I have the feeling someone in the Emporium knows, someone from within the Thieves Emporium, where in spite of the dark ways of man which seems to run on corruption, untruths and greed, an underlying humanity can still reside. So, despite the shadow world of deception, there is an element of hope lingering in the counter-shadow world within Thieves Emporium. Definitely recommend!
February 2, 2015
Thieves Emporium is a primer on the conflict between centralized, authoritarian political power structures and emergent distributed ones. It uses fiction as a vehicle to examine the ways modern technology has changed that conflict. If you are not interested in this subject or have already decided that hierarchies such as monolithic governments are the only way to solve humanities problems, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
The plot of this novel exists to lead the reader through an examination of the issues raised by this conflict. It is adequate to keep most people interested in the book, but, please, if a great plot is very important to you, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
The characters in this work exist to support the plot. They do this quite effectively, but they are not otherwise outstanding. If character development is critical for your enjoyment of a novel, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
However, if you are concerned that your nation and your world are being overwhelmed with problems that government/s are not able to solve and are wondering what alternatives may be available in the future, or might even exist right now, then this book is for you.
But it deals with economics. And politics. And technology. It requires that you think as you read it. If you are looking for a book that does not require thought, or one that will not challenge how you perceive the world, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
And, finally, if you are a lawyer who works for the government, or a Keynesian economist who works for a central bank, this probably applies to you:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!
Sam Spade
Publisher
Thieves Emporium
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
The plot of this novel exists to lead the reader through an examination of the issues raised by this conflict. It is adequate to keep most people interested in the book, but, please, if a great plot is very important to you, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
The characters in this work exist to support the plot. They do this quite effectively, but they are not otherwise outstanding. If character development is critical for your enjoyment of a novel, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
However, if you are concerned that your nation and your world are being overwhelmed with problems that government/s are not able to solve and are wondering what alternatives may be available in the future, or might even exist right now, then this book is for you.
But it deals with economics. And politics. And technology. It requires that you think as you read it. If you are looking for a book that does not require thought, or one that will not challenge how you perceive the world, then:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
And, finally, if you are a lawyer who works for the government, or a Keynesian economist who works for a central bank, this probably applies to you:
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!
Sam Spade
Publisher
Thieves Emporium
September 22, 2014
The bad: the writing and editing aren’t going to win any awards, dwelling a little too long on technical details that, while quite accurate, do not advance the characters or story at all. It suffers from contrived dialog throughout, which felt hammy in its attempt to advance the philosophical ideas. It now feels a bit dated as a future narrative for the post-Snowden, cryptocurrency present.
The good: it presents an interesting and plausible image of the near-future of America given its current trajectory. I give it an A for effort in its goal of presenting dry technological and philosophical concepts in story form.
The good: it presents an interesting and plausible image of the near-future of America given its current trajectory. I give it an A for effort in its goal of presenting dry technological and philosophical concepts in story form.
February 7, 2014
Atlas Shrugged brought into the digital age. Fast-paced, easy to read, but pretty technical. Overall, well worth the effort, especially if you are worried about the way the country is going.
December 19, 2017
I loved this book. After reading loads of techno-thrillers that get the technical details so wrong that I chip my teeth from cringing, it's refreshing to find one that does it right.
The book is about a fictional version of the Silk Road and includes an amalgam of i2p and Tor hidden services. There's a darknet where people to get work and share information while a dystopian government try to crack down on them.
I couldn't put the book down and I encourage even the non-technical to read it. It's not highly technical but what is in there is accurate and explained in easy to understand analogies.
The book is about a fictional version of the Silk Road and includes an amalgam of i2p and Tor hidden services. There's a darknet where people to get work and share information while a dystopian government try to crack down on them.
I couldn't put the book down and I encourage even the non-technical to read it. It's not highly technical but what is in there is accurate and explained in easy to understand analogies.
August 21, 2015
I picked this up as I'd heard it was a good source of information on hacking and internet encryption. On that level it's certainly a decent resource, the problem is that this information comes wrapped up in a burrito of hackneyed writing and woeful dialogue. Hernandez states at the outset of the novel that it's basically his manifesto, which is fine, but he should have just written a clear and thoroughly researched work of non-fiction rather than this sadly amateurish techno-thriller. It's rife with sexism and one-dimensional characters, and there are a ton of grammar and spelling errors.
If you're looking for entertaining fiction sprinkled with hacker tips, you'd be much better off checking out Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, and if you want more of an insight into the operations of hacker movements, I'd recommend We Are Anonymous.
If you're looking for entertaining fiction sprinkled with hacker tips, you'd be much better off checking out Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, and if you want more of an insight into the operations of hacker movements, I'd recommend We Are Anonymous.
September 14, 2014
Fresh, snappy near-future account of an underground struggle against the evil NWO/Big Brother-ish DHS/NSA/Fed coalition. Enough tech to be interesting without devolving into the limp prose that so permeates the genre. Might well deserve four stars but I'll upvote anything that sends me spiraling into a multi-hour Wikipedia binge.
January 11, 2014
Great read - was kind of like a more adult version of Cory Doctorow's Little brother / Homeland.
December 31, 2017
Absolutely fantastic, thought provoking and spell binding! Amazingly, I found this at a book exchange in Argentina, simply looking for something to read that was written in English. Imagine my surprise to read this story which I intuitively knew held so much truth and yet so few speak to. Not just a page turner of action and drama but an important work of literature. Although at times it can be disturbing, it is a story of triumph. A reminder of the necessity to keep aware and vigilant in the ongoing war between the light and the dark forces.
April 6, 2020
the adventure of a lady who turns to the black web as a mean for survival
July 19, 2014
near-future novel about the surveillance state and the importance of computer technology both for it, and for any possible resistance movement. it has everything going for a rousing action-adventure romp: government agents purportedly protecting us (when they are not incarcerating us), underground activists resisting the powers that be, shadowy men of power moving other characters behind the scenes, and a desperate mother trying to protect her children, who gets swept up in the battle between those forces. but i read it not as entertainment, as more of a call to action for anyone who realizes that we're already too close for comfort to this scenario becoming reality. and i am saying that not as a person eager to jump on the next conspiracy -- i scoff at most of those, and i am at times a little embarrassed how much i worry these days about whether my government is going off the rails. however, i AM truly worried more about the course the governments of the "5 eyes" have been taking than i am about terrorists or any kind of criminal, and this book speaks loud and clear about those fears.
the work is very well researched, and the author has attempted to explain concepts as user-friendly as possible without dumbing them down too much. i make my living with computers, and it was really nice to see somebody get it right, though i'm not sure whether the IT aspects are still too complicated for the lay person. on the other hand i knew very little about money and debt at the government level, and i did begin to understand what's really happening there, so i am hoping the same goes for people who don't really understand the power of computers.
the novel could have used a competent editor to make it a more cohesive, tighter whole. the writing has inconsistent narrative voice, odd jumps in time, confusion about who is who (especially towards the end). there are typos and some grammatical errors. but none of it made me want to close it in disgust at the lack of care. the worst of it is probably the oddly disjointed climax.
a bigger problem is that we really only get to know one of the characters, dancing fawn, the mother. the other characters are opaque, and i am left wondering at their motivations, especially in the case of of joshua weidemeyer. the children are mere props, this would work better for me if they actually had personalities. and the villains are uni-dimensional. i am not squeamish, but i could have probably done without the graphic rape scene that seemed almost written for rape-porn fans (i doubt that was intended).
i enjoyed the appendices and recommended books. the author clearly cares about the subject and the state of the world, and it shows. (though no, i will never read another book by ayn rand, *shudder*. "atlas shrugged" is required reading because understanding its philosophy is important, but objectivism is not my thing).
4 stars. the subject matter is of eminent importance, and if everyone read this book, thought about it, and acted accordingly, we'd be a whole lot safer from repressive governments, and -- close your eyes, randians -- the excesses of capitalism, in which the role of large corporations is becoming more and more instrumental in restricting our freedoms because they might endanger profit.
the work is very well researched, and the author has attempted to explain concepts as user-friendly as possible without dumbing them down too much. i make my living with computers, and it was really nice to see somebody get it right, though i'm not sure whether the IT aspects are still too complicated for the lay person. on the other hand i knew very little about money and debt at the government level, and i did begin to understand what's really happening there, so i am hoping the same goes for people who don't really understand the power of computers.
the novel could have used a competent editor to make it a more cohesive, tighter whole. the writing has inconsistent narrative voice, odd jumps in time, confusion about who is who (especially towards the end). there are typos and some grammatical errors. but none of it made me want to close it in disgust at the lack of care. the worst of it is probably the oddly disjointed climax.
a bigger problem is that we really only get to know one of the characters, dancing fawn, the mother. the other characters are opaque, and i am left wondering at their motivations, especially in the case of of joshua weidemeyer. the children are mere props, this would work better for me if they actually had personalities. and the villains are uni-dimensional. i am not squeamish, but i could have probably done without the graphic rape scene that seemed almost written for rape-porn fans (i doubt that was intended).
i enjoyed the appendices and recommended books. the author clearly cares about the subject and the state of the world, and it shows. (though no, i will never read another book by ayn rand, *shudder*. "atlas shrugged" is required reading because understanding its philosophy is important, but objectivism is not my thing).
4 stars. the subject matter is of eminent importance, and if everyone read this book, thought about it, and acted accordingly, we'd be a whole lot safer from repressive governments, and -- close your eyes, randians -- the excesses of capitalism, in which the role of large corporations is becoming more and more instrumental in restricting our freedoms because they might endanger profit.
October 12, 2014
l enjoyed this book quite a bit, most likely because it suggests that strong tech like cryptography & the nascent desire to 'decentralize everything' might actually work as a kind of "get out of jail free" card for our dystopian near-future. A book like this published *before* Wikileaks and the Snowden revelations would have been seen as goofy conspiracy minded rantings. Sorry to say, this book is much more factual than fictional!
One error in chapter 17 regarding the Constitution & the SCOTUS was acknowledged by the author and will be updated. If the reader is up-to-date on these themes, then the frequent digressions will seem overly burdensome to the story's pacing. Not everything has to be fully explained to the reader. For instance, William Gibson's books seem 'techy' but he isn't really a tech geek. It's about laying out the ideas in the story's context and no more. In this sense, there's a whiff of Ayn Randian style in the writing--which isn't necessarily inappropriate given the general state of affairs--but I think the book would be better with less overt explanatory passages regarding monetary policy and Internet architecture in order to focus more on the characters and story which at times are quite good and exciting. I 'get it' that the author seems to have a lot of detailed technical knowledge and wants to share it.
I give four stars in spite of what some might call 'lack of strong editing' because I'm also very concerned about these same topics and I think the author did a great job of laying them out in a fictional novel.
One error in chapter 17 regarding the Constitution & the SCOTUS was acknowledged by the author and will be updated. If the reader is up-to-date on these themes, then the frequent digressions will seem overly burdensome to the story's pacing. Not everything has to be fully explained to the reader. For instance, William Gibson's books seem 'techy' but he isn't really a tech geek. It's about laying out the ideas in the story's context and no more. In this sense, there's a whiff of Ayn Randian style in the writing--which isn't necessarily inappropriate given the general state of affairs--but I think the book would be better with less overt explanatory passages regarding monetary policy and Internet architecture in order to focus more on the characters and story which at times are quite good and exciting. I 'get it' that the author seems to have a lot of detailed technical knowledge and wants to share it.
I give four stars in spite of what some might call 'lack of strong editing' because I'm also very concerned about these same topics and I think the author did a great job of laying them out in a fictional novel.
October 2, 2014
Very interesting tale that passed the "smell test" to this networking programmer when it came to hiding one's identity and activity online, a totalitarian USA, and the sub-culture that sprang from this. Especially interesting in light of the revelations that came to light this year about the NSA. Warning: has one of the most disturbing passages of a violent attack I have run across. At the time I read it, is seemed to only be available as an ebook, and there were a few mistakes or awkwardness that a little editing could patch up. I believe that the author has been putting up frequent updates, so those problems may be fixed by now. Scanning through a few other reviews here mentions that is isn't for everyone, full of accurate but technical jargon.
August 23, 2016
Life is brutal and unfair for many. How they get by in the world in this techno thriller is a reality that is closer than you think. Thieves Emporium lets you step outside a conventional lifestyle and witness the struggle of a strong young mother fallen into a depraved lifestyle and her rise to independence and freedom due to circumstances in the world well beyond her control. The read is thought provoking but I would caution that it has some graphic violence making it difficult to recommend for the more sensitive soul. By tackling a difficult subject of surviving in the modern state Max makes a convincing case that for many life is a constant battle and struggle for dignity and survival. As life happens to you, you simply do what you have to do.
February 17, 2016
A must read for someone who wants to test their limits. I am not an anarchist, however . . . anarchy is the result when sheep decide not to lay down and die for the greater good. This book is about how totalitarianism can be 'tricked-out' with wise use of technology and very necessary protocols.
Key words: Big Government Crypto-Currency Privacy, survival, catastrophe, Property FEMA Camps, UN. In my own words . . . I would say Max's 'Thieves Emporium' is the uncontrolled in the controlled world of the UN's Agenda 21.
Key words: Big Government Crypto-Currency Privacy, survival, catastrophe, Property FEMA Camps, UN. In my own words . . . I would say Max's 'Thieves Emporium' is the uncontrolled in the controlled world of the UN's Agenda 21.
September 2, 2016
For some reason I had some expectations to this book, without really knowing much about it before I started. And I was not disappointed. Even though it's a bit conspiratorial, it doesn't appear to really leave reality behind. The book is fast paced and plenty of suspense. I learned a few things. The reader is also challenged to think. All in all, most ingredients for a book I can enjoy. If I am to criticize something, I didn't quite connect with the characters.
February 5, 2014
This is a great high tech adventure. It is current to our time and completely plausible. Beware though that it may scare you off the net.
The ideas in this book could be operating in US now.
An abandoned woman with children to raise is doing the best she can. She has no option but to turn to selling herself but has devised a way out through the Thieves Emporium. It's a hell of a good plot.
The ideas in this book could be operating in US now.
An abandoned woman with children to raise is doing the best she can. She has no option but to turn to selling herself but has devised a way out through the Thieves Emporium. It's a hell of a good plot.
June 5, 2015
The author has a 'further reading' section at the end prefaced by 'this is a book of ideas...' It is, and it's pretty interesting to go through some of the applications of technologies. The ideas are pretty interesting but covering those ideas in depth turns big sections of dialogue into stilted, one sided political discourse. The ideas and technologies are interesting, but the characters and plot suffer.
October 31, 2016
Loved it!
This novel is simply and powerfully brilliant. It brings the celebration of the outlaw and frontier living of Westerns into our modern age. There is so much yet to explore, and instead of dexterity with a pistol, the heroes of today will have skill with a keyboard. Also a terrific introduction for the reader to this new frontier we actually have in our real world. Viva la revolución!
Thank you Max Hernandez!!!!
This novel is simply and powerfully brilliant. It brings the celebration of the outlaw and frontier living of Westerns into our modern age. There is so much yet to explore, and instead of dexterity with a pistol, the heroes of today will have skill with a keyboard. Also a terrific introduction for the reader to this new frontier we actually have in our real world. Viva la revolución!
Thank you Max Hernandez!!!!
June 5, 2014
I usually read non fiction and books about my hobbies, but I stumbled upon this book and I am glad I did. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. I really liked how this book inspired me to research and give some thought to the topics that come up in the book. I really hope to see more from this Author.
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April 7, 2016pretty awesome. blew me away.
May 30, 2014
Awesome book. Makes you think. Just like Daniel Suarez's Dark Net, I want to join the Badlands, someone give me a doorbell address... Please!
September 11, 2016
Loved it. New age 1984.
October 3, 2015
WOW !! I was skeptical while buying but i got sold on it reading the sample. Very very entertaining plot. Read it one shot. Good read!
October 25, 2016
Really enjoyable read. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller and has a passing interest in finance, computer technology or politics.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews