The Cattle [Hardcover]

Greg M Sarwa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2005

Shortly after implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005, the United States National Identification System is created and an intense period of information gathering is begun. Detailed personal data about all U.S. residents is stored in a registered, highly secured database controlled by an enigmatic government agency. The governmental grip tightens with new laws requiring standardized state documents that comply with federal guidelines. And this is only the beginning. Following exhaustive and flawless testing of the fledgling National Identification System, the government forces the issue of microprocessor implants for verification purposes. Every person in the United States of America will be implanted with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchip to authenticate identity and store personal information. Yet, one question remains unanswered: Is identity verification the only reason for signifying everyone with the Mark of the Beast? The evening before the National Identification System officially becomes a reality, during the last control tests of the system, something goes wrong: Someone accidentally discovers the real purpose of the implants. A secret agenda, hidden behind the ""identity verification"" cover, is exposed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" .. thriller will keep readers engrossed ... right from the word go, filling them with suspense and ... anticipation ..." -- BookWire

Finalist for Science Fiction Book of the Year -- ForeWord Magazine

About the Author

A native of Chrzanow, Poland, Greg Sarwa is the son of hard working Polish parents. After graduating from high school, he entered the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy College in Krakow Poland to pursue a Geology degree. While still in college, he married his childhood sweetheart and shortly after, they immigrated to the United States in a search of a new beginning and to start a new life. After many different jobs, Greg realized that his biggest passion was writing. His observations of the surrounding world and of human nature have nourished him for this writing journey, where not to his surprise his fictitious ideas become reality. With his wife and two daughters, he resides in Northbrook, Illinois.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ampol Publishing Inc (June 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976620219
• ISBN-13: 978-0976620211
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,735,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An electrifying, 21st-century science fiction thriller, December 17, 2005

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cattle (Hardcover)

The Cattle is a fast-moving, tightly-packed science fiction nightmare grown from the seeds of modern-day events. Greg M. Sarwa takes the idea of a national identification card one step further - to a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchip crammed full of personal information and injected under the skin of the hand. Everyone in America - including foreign visitors - will be required by law to receive such an implant, and - surprisingly - there's almost unanimous approval for the new law in both Congress and among the American people. It is, after all, only to be used for means of identity verification. Or is it? In the murky depths of the federal government, a much bolder agenda is put into play around these harmless little microchips, and no one outside the inner cabal is the wiser. No one, that is, until a computer programmer, in the wrong place at the wrong time, sees more than he should during the final tests and indirectly leads an intrepid reporter on the pathway to the hidden truth behind the implants (if, that is, he can survive long enough to discover that well-hidden truth).

The mysterious death of a young computer programmer at O'Hare Airport on the eve of the implementation of the new National Identify System exposes a weakness in the government conspiracy, and the local office of Homeland Security is unable to respond immediately to the events surrounding it. By the time their guys arrive, a videotape of the dead man's final moments has left the building in the hands of a cop, and a very damaging computer disk has seemingly disappeared into thin air. The video tape finds its way into the hands of Jacob Reed, a prominent reporter for a national news network - who, ironically, had just completed a big story about the many benefits of the new national identification law. Unsure what to make of the tape initially, he knows he has something big in his lap, as the tape has left a bloody trail on its way to him. With the help of a hacker friend and a young immigrant woman from Poland who finds herself mixed up in the whole nefarious business for no reason other than incredibly bad luck, Reed begins to put together the pieces as he comes ever closer to getting his hands on the tell-all computer disk that Homeland Security agents are desperately trying to find reclaim.

Amazingly enough, The Cattle never devolves into a political diatribe or take on religious overtones - and that's pretty darn refreshing for a book with "Mark of the Beast" overtones and an insidious government conspiracy at the heart of things. It also hides its kernel of truth until close to the very end, keeping the level of suspense up and growing with each passing chapter. As for the ending, it doesn't follow the standard formula of what you would expect, and that makes it all the more effective.

You won't be bored, as the story moves much too fast to ever stall. Personally, I would have liked to see some pauses along the way to better appraise the main characters (on both sides of the conflict) and reflect on the implications of events. The plot is built on fast-moving twists and turns that take place over the course of one long night, though, and that does much to prescribe the pace at which events are revealed. The science fiction genre has a long tradition of "it can't happen here" novels, and The Cattle is firmly in that tradition - although I do consider the premise of the book rather far-fetched. Still, it's an electrifying read you'll have a hard time putting down.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful, December 8, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cattle (Hardcover)

When computer-ace Brian Warburton goes in to work unexpectedly, he finds the government computers he works with are up to something very strange, and this discovery costs him his life. But, before he dies, Brian succeeds in smuggling proof of what the government is up to out of the building. When the computer information falls into the hands of journalist Jacob Reed, it's up to Jacob to unravel just what is happening and why. But, will he live long to warn the people?

I must admit that this little book caught me quite by surprise. Although it is connected to the End Times/Mark of the Beast genre, it is not straitjacketed by it. That is to say that though there is a passing "666" reference, you do not have to believe in such things to enjoy the book. Instead, the book is an enthralling tale of a government project that can make its citizens safer, and also a good deal less free.

Overall, I found this to be a suspenseful story, watching the main characters unravel the mystery and try to escape the embrace of the government. I really enjoyed the story, and think that it is a great cautionary tale. As American patriot Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who are willing to trade freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security."

I deeply enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to everyone!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying, if sometimes clunky tale, December 20, 2005

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cattle (Hardcover)

Programmer Brian Warbutton is doing his job, helping with last-minute tests for the next major element in the war on terror--an ID chip to be implanted in everyone in America when an electrical glitch sends him into unauthorized territory. He quickly makes a copy of what's happening on-screen, but his body self-destructs and he barely is able to plant his CD in a passing travel bag when he dies.

Reporter Jacob Reed has just finished the story of his life--an indepth analysis of the new RFID (radio frequency ID) system explaining all of the safeguards built into it when he gets a frantic call from a cop-friend. The friend has seen something unexpected and needs to get it off his chest. Since Jacob's date stood him up, he doesn't mind too much--but when his friend hands over a video and then dies, Jacob knows he's onto something dangerous--something that might make his career, if it doesn't get him killed first. Running faster and faster to stay ahead of the federal agents pursuing him, Jacob brings in another friend to help analyze the video, then tracks down the young woman whose travel bag holds the CD.

In a time when the American government is violating privacy laws in the name of the anti-terrorism war, author Greg M. Sarwa's look at a reasonable next step in that war is welcome. Government protestations that what they do is harmless and intended for the greater good are welcome, but when they can't be tested and proved, they may not be enough. Unfortunately, Sarwa's writing is not quite up to the story he attempts. Clunky sentences and dialogue, and overly detailed descriptions and talking-out weaken the impact of a fast-paced and exciting story.

THE CATTLE has a faint fundamentalist take--readers may get a kick out of how Sarwa works the '666' mark of the beast into his story--but the story is really about governments and their willingness to take away rights when they can rather than about any particular religious faith. Overall, Sarwa delivers a satisfying story.