BrainJack:

The Next War Starts in Cyberspace


by Brian Falkner

Walker Books. Science Fiction. Paperback rrp $18.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

Do you know anyone whose life revolves around computers? This book is for them. The Author’s note states: This is not intended as a manual for hackers. You could have fooled me. I was surfing through the network controller of an international telecommunications company and ducking when security spider tendrils probed too close. Hacking into the White House was really just part of the introduction.

Brian Falkner’s tale reads like a fast-paced movie. I felt the building shake and ducked splintering glass, then things got complicated. Distinguishing between the good and bad guys was a mind-bender in this cyber espionage thriller. Internet access for entire countries was shutdown at the flick of a code, but could wars really be caused (and run) by computers?

Although neuro-headsets are a device of the future, they open the way to enormous power and even greater fear in Brainjack. The idea of working hands-free (no more keyboard or mouse) is one thing, but directly connecting your brain to the internet would have side effects, wouldn’t it?

Brainjack is definitely for computer geeks and gamers, but even without understanding the computer lingo, I couldn’t put it down. Some parts freaked me out, but I still couldn’t stop reading. I bet the end takes you by surprise too.

http://www.brianfalkner.co.nz/