Customer Reviews

The Egg Code

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Many books have been written about the internet age, but few of them have provided both such contemplative and informed views as Mike Heppner's brilliant debut novel, The Egg Code.

From the minutiae of technical detail - i.e. TCP/IP, T1 lines, routers, etc. - which make this a valuable read for anyone merely interested in how the internet works, to the references to culture both pop and classical, this novel carries the reader on a psychological journey through the minds of characters so flawed and thus so human that we cannot help but sympathize with them - whether they be insanely ambitious mothers or Richard Nixon.

Despite the non-chronological story, Heppner manages to masterfully link characters and incorporate details so that the book reads with continuity. At once suspenseful and pensive, The Egg Code viciously slashes through the illusions of fact and truth - both in print and on the internet. And it may be this that truly makes Heppner's debut so brilliant - this is not merely a novel about the internet - this dares to examine the continuity of deception in human nature and the vast ability that people have to deceive themselves. In juxtaposing characters that on the surface seem almost diametrically opposite from each other, Heppner manages to bring our attention to their fundamental similarities, letting us see in them our most basic human flaws.

The Egg Code is a very satirical work, and yet should not be taken as a mere mockery of Midwestern America today. It is a much richer and deeper look into society as a whole, and into the evolution and corruption of the information dissemination process, from the earliest days of print to our current world of instant internet. Mike Heppner has truly created a modern masterpiece here, and it can only be hoped that his future works will be as stunning.

At first glance, this would appear to be a sci-fi novel with a familar plot: someone is controlling the internet, or the internet has become conscious and is controlling itself, or something like that.

But after getting past the first chapter, it's obvious there is a lot more depth here. This book is about its characters. The (convoluted) plot is merely the backdrop.

The action is out-of-sequence and as such it is a very challenging book to read (although well worth the effort). The glue that keeps it all together is how much we care about, despise, laugh at, and cheer the Motivational Speaker, Earnest Salesman, Pushy Mother, Our Hero, and the Supporting Cast.

WARNING: This book requires an investment of time and energy. It's worth it. Even when you get confused by what's going on at any given moment, you can simply savor Heppner's snappy, funny, and engaging writing. "The Egg Code" is very long, but there are no wasted words.

Well, ok, not *everything,* but a great chunk of information on the internet is purposely erroneous. Why? This book explores the history of printing and the spread of information, up to the computer age... including what happens when the information being spread is bad information.

Mike Heppner is a really cool person, and this book is witty and funny. Buy it. Read it. Reccomend it to other people.

how did heppner publish this mess of ideas and words? unreadable. possibly the worst book i have ever read. ever. ick.

I would reccommend this book to no one. I found it hard to follow and boring. The characters instilled no feelings in me, except for apathy, at best. An interesting idea gone boring.