I enjoyed the reading. It went by like a breeze. I found the characters enjoyable and their stories acceptable. I found too many loose ends (Leila's family, Tessa and what not).

But the great disappointment was the lack of a threat, of an antagonist, of action between the good and bad guys. They were there somewhere in the background but not as a force to contend with.

Literally had no idea where this was going from start to finish. It felt like such a cop out ending too, since it was published in 2014 and there hasn’t been a follow-up since then. I wanted to like it because there was hope for the storyline but things just kind of happened and I felt like it didn’t really add to the plot…? Things got introduced and then nothing happened after. Also kinda hated Leo’s character “development”, which sucks since his story at the beginning kept me going compared to the other two

I decided to read this after seeing [a:Lev Grossman|142270|Lev Grossman|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1386343699p2/142270.jpg] recommend it here. While I enjoyed this slow burning, globetrotting conspiracy thriller that followed three captivating, well-written lead characters, I have to note three specific things that may or may not influence others' decisions to read it:

1. This book is to [a:Neal Stephenson|545|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1314902446p2/545.jpg] what methadone is to heroin. While I understand the comparisons that others have made, and see them myself -- especially with the tendencies towards maximalism -- this is just not on the same level as [b:Reamde|10552338|Reamde|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305993115s/10552338.jpg|15458989], Stephenson's most similar novel thematically.
2. About half way through the novel, certain science fiction elements were introduced that may strain the limits of plausibility to the reader

Spoiler

Specifically, the "eye test"

, especially considering the lack of any foreshadowing.
3. This novel either a) has the most abrupt and ambiguous ending of any book I've ever read, or b) is setting up for a sequel. Since I cannot find any information about a second book, I have to assume it is the former. I know this will be a deal breaker for some people, and didn't thrill me either, as it felt like the author wasn't committed enough to take his ideas to their ultimate conclusion.

I finished this book then immediately and coincidentally started watching 'Mr. Robot.' The two make a great pairing; both conspiracy driven plots in which what's real and imagined blurs.

This review is for the Audiobook

Confession - I selected this book thinking it was the one the Tina Fey movie was based on. Didn't take long to realize that I was wrong.

I read some blurb that compared this book to a Chuck Palahniuk book and well, now that I've finished it I've gotta say that's an insult to David Shafer. This book is much better than anything written by CP in the past...15 years.

Bernard Setaro Clark did an AMAZING job narrating this book. His range of different voices was astounding.

I've been a very bad netgalley-er. While I somehow managed to stop requesting books while in school, I also managed to only read like 5% of a non-school book a week. But the winter break is a month long and I am on a mission to read all my christmas gift books (new Terry Pratchett, [b:Sisters Red|6357708|Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings, #1)|Jackson Pearce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291052720s/6357708.jpg|6544454] and [b:The Empathy Exams: Essays|17934655|The Empathy Exams Essays|Leslie Jamison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405924561s/17934655.jpg|25142547] are some of the highlights) and the netgalley ones that I'm months overdue on. I'M SORRY I WILL DO BETTER. Starting now!!

So WTF is right for this book. I'm not a big fan. It's a globe-trotting Google SineCo conspiracy thriller? It's very unthrilling, because the action doesn't pick up until maybe 60%, revving up for real at 80%. There are three characters here: Leila, a tired NGO do-gooder who stumbles upon a hidden super-evil computer in Myanmar woodlands; Leo, a possibly insane but somewhat lovable trust-fund alkie/pot-head whose board-game tycoon parents' blazing death has scarred him perhaps for good, and his ex-best friend from college Mark, who is now a big fish in the self-help bullshit book world as well as the lap dog for the president of Google SineCo. They don't come together forever, but their stories had some compelling elements to them, in a slow-burn way. I love character study books, but this was not rewarding enough to warrant the uneven pacing, particularly the slow roll in the beginning. Especially Leila's time in Myanmar - super boring and kind of painful to read. She's struggling to give nursing scholarships to underprivileged women, which is a noble goal, but she has so many roadblocks that it's exhausting to read. No thanks.

Leo and Mark's parts were better, but it was pretty weird that every time either of them mentioned Leila, she was growing more and more attractive, ending with Leo thinking she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That was off-putting and boy-lit-y, so another minus there. The only relationship I cared about was the one between Mark and Leo, and just like everything else in the book, the thread didn't go far enough and I was dissatisfied. I don't mind the concept of the ending too much, but it felt so on-purpose that it ultimately soured for me. I saw the pieces of book that led critics to make all those over-the-top comparisons to other authors, but they were incredibly superficial and misleading. The writing was good, but it was more like comparing a really good imitation to a fresh-squeezed orange juice. It's fine on its own, but the comparison makes it laughable.

So... Bad pacing, unsatisfying anything, fine writing, and occasional humorous/clever situations. Plus good ideas for consideration in this day and age. But not that great in the end. Don't pick this up if you're looking for a conspiracy thriller. It's more for those that want a slow character-study book in which their journey culminates in a mildly interesting struggle with the big evil data mining corporation. Just don't think too hard about it.

-I got a free copy of the ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review-

Would have loved to see this end differently or at least get some type of satisfaction in knowing how Mark’s plan went. A lot of build up to no “true” ending. But maybe I should stop expecting books to be wrapped up in a bow? Great writing, fun introspection of characters. Would only recommend to certain people, though.

I started this book a year ago while I was travelling. I got 3/4 of the way into it and then got lost in all the detail and intrigue and put it down. I picked it up again a week ago and finished the rest.

To be honest, I wish I hadn't. Or I wish I had stopped before they got to the farm. It reminded me of that scene in Atlas Shrugged, where they get to the magical place and start a new world. It didn't sit right, it felt like a teenage kid's dreamworld.

To top it all off, the ending jilted me. I kept getting closer, thinking "how is he going to end it so quickly? There are barely any pages left", and that's exactly what happened. Maybe I'm supposed to find some peace in Mark having a existential realization while talking to his parents as he stands on a Zodiac, but I wanted more resolution than 'my number is the prime number of yours' and 'maybe we'll have a kid in Rome'.

Don't get me wrong: the detail was beautiful in the book: I could smell the sweat off Leila, feel the drunken sickening stupor of Mark, and feel as hopeful as Leo when he described his theoretical conspiracy not-so-bullshit. But this wasn't a story where I loved the characters and didn't care about the plot. The whole thing was a slow build to some kind of resounding ending: I learned more about them, wanted them to succeed, but in the end, I was just left feeling like the windows were slammed on my fingertips.