Recent review…
Conceptually, this is a big, bold idea that feels relevant in today’s modern world. It takes into account the many different facets of life that could be impacted by a technological terrorist attack – and the number is staggering. Incorporating Emily and Ben’s aquaponics farm is an effective way of indicating the desperation society feels as the world falls into the hands of hackers and subsequent chaos. There’s a real, authentic feeling of uncertainty. Hacking is a tough subject to capture cinematically, but this does a great job making it feel exciting and kinetic. It’s suspenseful in its anonymity – anyone could be behind an attack, responsible for depleting someone’s life savings and changing their world forever, or shutting off traffic lights and causing irreversible devastation. The prose maintains an intelligence regarding the more technical dialogue revolving around hacking, and it shapes conversations between characters like Mags and Brandon so they appear grounded and accurate in content. The twist that comes near the end of act three (i.e., Hayward tricks Mags into destroying Dyrette) successfully ups the stakes, and changing the atmosphere. It puts Hayward back on top, illuminating him as a super-villain not to be messed with, and allows the cliffhanger at the very end to really leave a significant impression.