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Flame War: A Cyberthriller
Joshua Quittner , and Michelle Slatalla Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover  Encryption
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ASIN: 0688143660 |
Book Description
The U.S. Congress is poised to endorse a state-of-the-art encryption program that will allow the government unlimited access to all personal electronic communication. But a brilliant renegade codemaker is ready to counteract with his own program--a code that will guarantee privacy for every user. . .and to which the government will never hold the key.A new kind of war is about to erupt on the Internet--and recent law school graduate Harry Garnet unwittingly fires the first shot when he delivers a diskette that explodes with lethal force inside the computer of a mathematics professor, killing the man. Now, along with the slain mans brilliant daughter, Annie Ames, Harry sets out on a trail of a murderer; on a perilously twisted path that winds into the heart of an armed urban cyber-militia, and through astonishing secret networks and on-line fantasy worlds to a fatal crack in the governments encryption program. But time is running out for everyone. Because the Flame War will take no prisoners. . .and show no mercy.
Customer Reviews:
interesting tale.......1998-06-30
This 'Flame War' is only lukewarm.......1998-06-27
Protagonist Harry Garnet, law student-cum-caretaker, provides a style of narration that seems at first silly and flip, then gratingly cutesy. However, the dialogue in general is better than average. Another point in _Flame War_'s favor is its near-accurate depiction of MOOs and MU*s in general.
All things considered, though, you'd do well to wait this one out and hope for a more savvy treatment of the 'cyberthriller' premise.
The Nancy Drew of Cyber-thrillers.......1997-09-17
Slacker Harry newly graduated from law-school just meets the beautiful daughter of the scientist then he gets blown-up. The scientist dies in the explosion. With nothing else to do, he decides to solve the mystery of the scientists murder and win the girl. This leads him to a serial murderer and a plot involving a Clipper-like national encryption standard.
The best part of the story was the dialogue. It was hip, and flip. In addition, the author's had their tech straight. Although, I think the scientist's daughter did end-up going on-line in a pizza parlor without a phone connection (or a cell modem) at least once. I also doubt you can squeeze enough C4 inside a 3.5" floppy to create a weapon of mass destruction.
The problem I had was the story had been told before. There was nothing new in the way it was told. In addition, the characters did not have enough spin to escape cliché. Except for characters getting sliced-and-diced, I'll have to agree with the Kirkus review, that this book would appeal more to Young Adults.
Read this book, if you want to catch-up on the (now defunct) Clipper national encryption issue without getting technical..
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