The Dark Net (Paperback)

~ James Riordon (Author)
Key Phrases: couch creature, herring bucket, Freedom Club, Army of Darkness, Herman's Betty (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

At any given moment, 5% of the Internet is hidden from view - that's the Dark Net. It's a haven for criminals, spies, and nefarious hackers. For Max Caine it's also a death trap, where reality and the virtual world collide. Join Max and Betty3.5, and their virtual penguin Linus, as they explore the darkest recesses of the Internet. This cyber thriller will take you on a wild ride into the not-too-distant future where conveniences from auto-piloted cars to wearable computers and biometric ATMs ensure that everyone is online, one way or another, every waking moment. But continual connection has a price. As Max discovers in his journeys through the Dark Net, you can log out any time you want, but you can never leave.

About the Author

James Riordon is a physicist and engineer who turned to freelance science journalism in 1997. In addition to writing science fiction novels inspired by cutting edge physics, he is currently the head of Media Relations for the American Physical Society -- the world's leading society of professional physicists.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Published by Lulu; 1st edition (September 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1430311266
• ISBN-13: 978-1430311263
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,938 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book is one I like to read, September 26, 2007

By	Martha Heil "Martica Jordon" (College Park, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not many real science fiction books are written anymore. The Dark Net isn't just your romance-clothed-in-shiny-steel-with-laser-guns book, or your Klingon-speaking-gotta-read-the-series science fiction novel. This is a _good book_. Remember Ender's Game? 1984? Fahrenheit 541? The Dark Net is that kind of book, one that you can read over and over again and find something new, something meaningful.

That's not to say The Dark Net is a serious treatise on the state of the world. But it's worth reading if you like to read.

Riordon has written an adventure in the internet, a science-based story, a pulp thriller that gives the reader something to think about.

The story winds through ordinary life, the virtual world-to-come, the isolated portions of the internet, and a weird farm in the Pennsylvania hills. (Actually, I could totally dig the Freedom Club if they weren't sofa king Ayn Rand about it.)

This book may never be on the syllabus of any Lit Crit classes (though I could write "The Significance of the Color Green in Riordon's The Dark Net" or "Penguins and Boats: Lost and Found in the Void of Riordon's The Dark Net"). But heck, that's probably what they said about Dickens too. Riordon's novel, originally published on a blog, is like Dickens' serialized newspaper novels, and the format of the life-as-it-happens writing method makes the story's plot a lot like real life. Max's end isn't obvious from the beginning. Sometimes he winds up in places he never could have anticipated. But I enjoyed being there with him (well, sometimes it was really sad.)

And that's what I like to see in a book. Shogun, Clan of the Cave Bear, Harry Potter: they're not literature or anything but they sure are great to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of The Dark Net, October 14, 2007

By	Kyle "Science Fiction Lover" (Eldersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This was really a great book. I like science fiction books a lot and this book was better than most. I would love to see a sequel or even a movie made of this book. I liked when Max went on the run from the internet people. If Mr. Riordon has written other books, I really would like to read them. I would recommend this book to other teens.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A serious literary critique., September 25, 2007

By	Katie McAlpine - See all my reviews

The Dark Net weaves its story through a virtual underworld, following the saga of Max, a programmer. His project was the experimental education of two virtual penguins, Linus and Minus, by reward and punishment respectively. When a student dies mysteriously, the hero, Max, is called upon to clean out his virtual office. Amid whispers of the legendary Doomsday virus, Max's discoveries lead him into the Dark Net, a virtual underworld of villainous people dealing in black market programs. A little-known group of Luddites who shun technology offer him shelter as he is drawn into the plans of the wicked and powerful.

I thoroughly enjoyed the imagination of the novel from the epileptic protagonist and the eroticized office assistants (created by grad students, of course) to the the virtual reality vision of the Web and the religious fervor of the Luddites. And the lively presence of the penguin Linus.

James stop reading ;-)

(this is the negative portion) Any of you Galaxy Quest fans? Remember that scene where Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver have to go through ridiculously dangerous contraptions to get to the Omega-13, and they point out that there's not a good reason for the booby-traps? Occasionally, I had that feeling about areas of the Dark Net. On the other hand, I have no idea what virus-makers get out of infecting my computer, so maybe it's completely reasonable that such dangers exist.

Other than that, I would have liked to hear more about the background of the Luddite group during the story rather than getting it all on the end. I think that the already interesting history could have been further developed and woven into earlier chapters.

James, you can read again.

But to end with something good -- the conclusion was excellent and completely blind-sided me (but then it made so much sense...).