The Manuscript: a technothriller written by someone who understands technology
Michael Stephan Fuchs's 2006 novel The Manuscript is just what a technothriller should be: taut, violent, smart, and very, very technical. There's plenty of "technothrillers" where the two key elements -- weapons and computers -- are treated as magic stage-props, able to do anything (or be confounded by anything) that moves the plot along. They're written by writers who confuse "programmers" with "network administrators" and think that 200 years from now, "mainframes" will be important and sexy (rather than ancient and useless).
In The Manuscript, an enormous cast of characters comprising many sysadmins, many gun-freaks, several combat veterans, spooks from a number of agencies, named and unnamed, ten zillion cops, a group of murderous avenging Taoists, and Sir Richard Francis Burton and a group of Andean holy men who have discovered the secret of the universe.
Fuchs does a remarkable job of staying within the confines of what technology actually does (both the guns and the computers) while still putting together an immensely entertaining book filled with likable, bloodthirtsy people doing incredible things while the whole world is on the line.
It's everything a technothriller should be. I don't care much about guns, but I do know an awful lot about computers. Fuchs manages to make the gun geeking every bit as interesting as the computer geeking, which is the definitive sign of really good geeking. Hell, he even makes the philosophy geeking as interesting as the computers (he's got a graduate degree in philosophy and Big Questions are the Maltese Falcon of this book).
Though the technology is out of date (the story revolves around shenanigans on Usenet's alt.* hierarchy), The Manuscript packs several kinds of punch -- it's as if The Da Vinci Code had been written by someone who wasn't an idiot.
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Sorry, but mainframes will just keep on getting sexier and sexier.
"it's as if The Da Vinci Code had been written by someone who wasn't an idiot. "
Oh, but it was, 14 years earlier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucalt%27s_Pendulum -- one of my favorite books.
Hey, what better place for shenanigans than Usenet, seeing as nobody sane goes there anymore ;)
Kudos to you, Mujadaddy!
@Mujadaddy - My thoughts exactly.
Haha Fan Club :P
Anyhow, when Baigent, et al, were out suing Dan Brown, someone smart said, "Yeah, but yours is a non-fiction book -- you can't sue!" I thought of poor, non-sue-happy Umberto Eco... He could own Dan Brown's kids if he wanted...
Brilliant last line :D
On the review, that is. Guess I'll have to read the book!
You're totally right about the "magic stage props" problem with technothrillers: often it's just brand names and proper names of objects doing the work of description, action, and plot advancement. Spot on, will be checking this one out.
DaVinci Code is just a poorly written pulp novel. I'm so glad that more people than I realize that.
I love finding well written and fun books and may look into this one, as soon as I have time.
Murderous avenging Taoists - I love it
I take no action, and my enemies die on their own.
alt.* is dead.
Love live comp.sys.cbm!
I have so many books I need to get. Most of them are your fault, Cory.
"Murderous avenging Taoists" is going to be my new expression of distaste.
"a group of murderous avenging Taoists"
O.K., you've piqued my interest.
"Sir Richard Francis Burton and a group of Andean holy men who have discovered the secret of the universe."
Sir Richard Francis Burton! That's it, I'm buying this right now.
Cory, incomparably great guy that he is, happened to link to the hardcover edition - which is both more expensive and, I think, pretty much out of stock (if not out of print) at this point. Here's the paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0230007430/downandoutint-20
Many thanks indeed,
Michael
(Erm, The Author)
#2 beat me to it... Foucalt's Pendulum is excellent.
I've had my reasonable 'suspension of disbelief' ruined several times in the last year or so (including by Dan Brown) when a character's cell phone rings while they are 5 or 10 floors underground! Man, I wish I had coverage that good!
Is there a sample of the writing available?
Mainframes will be VERY important in the future... it's just that we'll call them AIs.
It looks like it ran out of stock in Amazon, anyone knws where Ican find it? thanks
In response to Avram and Orima - a sample chapter, and links to a few other sellers, are available at:
http://www.the-manuscript.com/
Thanks very much for your kind interest.
Michael
It does make me cringe when authors clearly don't understand what they're writing about. The same applies on TV - look at 24 for example, or even more blatantly, CSI et al.
I'll have a read of the sample chapter.
Michael: The link on your website to the e-book verison "Macmillan E-Bookstore" is broken. I'd probably like to buy an e-book version if I buy it...
Yes, the Macmillan E-Bookstore seems to have gone bye-bye. I've asked my editor about its fate, but no response yet. So much for the future. Sorry!
Michael