Editorial Content for Attack Surface
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Reviewer (text)
Technology is truly amazing. With it, we can use cell phones that aren’t physically attached to anything, access the internet and converse instantly with people on the other side of the world. Used wisely, it’s an invaluable tool; in the wrong hands, it’s a formidable weapon.
Masha Maximow is a techno wiz who specializes in counterterrorism. She has been employed by several cybersecurity firms throughout the years. These companies work with government agencies to set up surveillance of civilians by keeping a particularly close eye on protestors and those who resist authority. Masha gets paid very good money to do her job and has been told that her skills are needed to keep our country safe.
"...a fascinating technothriller... Doctorow opened my eyes to [technology's] endless possibilities."
At first Masha believed that, but now things have changed. After seeing her protesting friends in Portland being targeted using software that she helped develop, she has been questioning her life. Is she really doing the right thing? Is she making the situation better? Circumstances force her to choose. No matter which way she goes, someone will get hurt. Will it be her?
ATTACK SURFACE is a fascinating technothriller. I thought I knew a fair amount about technology and how it can be used (and is being used) in our everyday lives, but author Cory Doctorow opened my eyes to its endless possibilities. Although I did not grasp all of the technical terms and lingo that he uses throughout the text, I understood enough to follow along with the storyline. The subject matter is certainly a timely one as part of the story deals with the protests in Portland, although naturally they are somewhat fictionalized here.
I look forward to exploring more of Doctorow’s work, as his impressive backlist for both adults and teens includes WALKAWAY, IN REAL LIFE, INFORMATION DOESN'T WANT TO BE FREE, LITTLE BROTHER and HOMELAND.
Teaser
In her day job as a counterterrorism wizard for a transnational cybersecurity firm, Masha Maximow made the hacks that allowed repressive regimes to spy on dissidents and manipulate their every move. The perks were fantastic, and the pay was obscene. Just for fun, and to piss off her masters, Masha sometimes used her mad skills to help those same troublemakers evade detection, if their cause was just. When her targets were strangers in faraway police states, it was easy to compartmentalize, to ignore the collateral damage of murder, rape and torture. But when it hits close to home, and the hacks and exploits she’s devised are directed at her friends and family, Masha realizes she has to choose. And whatever choice she makes, someone is going to get hurt.
Promo
In her day job as a counterterrorism wizard for a transnational cybersecurity firm, Masha Maximow made the hacks that allowed repressive regimes to spy on dissidents and manipulate their every move. The perks were fantastic, and the pay was obscene. Just for fun, and to piss off her masters, Masha sometimes used her mad skills to help those same troublemakers evade detection, if their cause was just. When her targets were strangers in faraway police states, it was easy to compartmentalize, to ignore the collateral damage of murder, rape and torture. But when it hits close to home, and the hacks and exploits she’s devised are directed at her friends and family, Masha realizes she has to choose. And whatever choice she makes, someone is going to get hurt.
About the Book
Cory Doctorow's ATTACK SURFACE is a stand-alone novel set in the world of New York Times bestsellers LITTLE BROTHER and HOMELAND.
Most days, Masha Maximow was sure she'd chosen the winning side.
In her day job as a counterterrorism wizard for an transnational cybersecurity firm, she made the hacks that allowed repressive regimes to spy on dissidents, and manipulate their every move. The perks were fantastic, and the pay was obscene.
Just for fun, and to piss off her masters, Masha sometimes used her mad skills to help those same troublemakers evade detection, if their cause was just. It was a dangerous game and a hell of a rush. But seriously self-destructive. And unsustainable.
When her targets were strangers in faraway police states, it was easy to compartmentalize, to ignore the collateral damage of murder, rape and torture. But when it hits close to home, and the hacks and exploits she’s devised are directed at her friends and family --- including boy wonder Marcus Yallow, her old crush and archrival, and his entourage of naïve idealists --- Masha realizes she has to choose.
And whatever choice she makes, someone is going to get hurt.
