01-01-00 [Hardcover]

R. J. Pineiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999

On December 11, 1999 computers around the globe freeze for 20 seconds. Susan Garnett, chief of the FBI's high-tech crimes unit, scours Washington's systems for a virus that could have triggered the shutdown. But her search yields only indecipherable code and the next day the freeze happens again. For 19 seconds. Someone with the world's technology at their fingertips is counting down to the new millenium. But why?

As 01-01-00 approaches, Melissa descends into the jungles of Central America, tracing the virus signal to its point of origin-the ruins of an ancient Mayan city. As nuclear crisis and disease spiral out of control worldwide, Melissa's search turns into a race against time. Because if she can't figure out what the virus's hidden code means before January 1st, the planet may face a power of apocalyptic proportions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twenty days remain until the year 2000 and the activation of the infamous Y2K bug. Suddenly, an incredibly complex, global computer virus begins a countdown to the millennium, shutting down machines for the number of seconds equal to the number of days left until January 1, 2000. Add a mix of torturing terrorists and ancient prophesies, and what you get is Pineiro's (Breakthrough) enticing new novel, almost guaranteed to add more paranoia to the lives of the paranoid, yet, finally, to offer hope as well. Susan Garnett, chief of the FBI's high-tech crimes unit, whose family was recently killed in a hacker-induced car accident, is about to commit suicide. She is yanked back into the thick of life by the virus, which turns out to be linked to an extraterrestrial/Mayan mystery. Taking a cosmic approach to setting, the novel's omniscient narrator puts the Y2K countdown in perspective before zooming in on Susan, the expert Mayan archeologist who helps her, a SETI team whose search for alien life may be over and the terrorists who want to control the virus for their own ends. There is little chance of readers getting lost in the science of the book, as every aspect of it is explained, often using one character's ignorance to allow another to explain something. Paced at a steady rhythm, the narrative oscillates between the technical and the poetic. The proximity of the future predicted may shorten the shelf life of this work, but the paranoia and superstition surrounding the advent of Y2K should give it a vigorous, if brief, run. Agent, Matt Bialer at William Morris. (June) FYI: The marketing campaign for Pineiro's novel will tie in with the licensing program for Ken Walker's trademarked "01-01-00."
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A computer virus points to an ancient Mayan prophecy that may come true in the year 2000. There will be a tie-in with a huge merchandising campaign for numerous products featuring the trademarked 01-01-00.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312870582
• ISBN-13: 978-0312870584
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,890,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars internet hacker drama doesn't flail, December 19, 1999

By 

Anna Billstrom "banane71" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 01-01-00 (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed the code in the book, the matrices and the puzzles. I was really interested in the Mayan cultural history and found the connection to be invigorating to a topic that might get bogged down in digerati details. The jungle warfare, the astrphysics, and the main character's handling of mourning and loss was all very perceptive parts. It was definitely a romp, but I wasn't disappointed - I ended up reading it straight through - a definite page-turner. At one point the computer scientist heroine turns to her arhcheologist boyfriend and says that she appreciates the perspective that he gives her - I felt this to be a good encapsulation of the entire project. RJ really crosses the boundaries between sciences and humanities to pull in general themes and it was not a flailing attempt at all. Good read!

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh Please!, January 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 01-01-00 (Mass Market Paperback)

I was intrigued by the description of this book. It sounded like it had such possibilities that I just HAD to try it. However, I felt the author was just trying to impress us with his computer knowledge. I do have a working knowledge of computers (hence my interest) but, geez. How in the world do you expect your average Joe Blow to understand this?

Sorry. I passed on the remaining 1/4 of the book. It wasn't worth my time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing -- don't waste your money, February 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 01-01-00 (Hardcover)

Piniero starts out with some interesting ideas, but fails to create a book with a coherent plot, or believeable characters. His run-on sentences, uni-dimensional characters, and many inaccuracies make the book hard to read. Descriptions of Mayan culture (particularly its calendar)are novel for most readers, but better described on several web sites. The mix of computer hacking, archeology, Russian spies, the FBI, and radio astonomers is not coherent. The graphic violence does not move the plot along. The inaccuracies and improbable events are so bad, they are actually humerous. I got tired of reading in the middle of the book, whereas the author seemed to get tired and just stopped writing at the end.