Författarbild

Sam Boush

Författare till All Systems Down

1 verk 24 medlemmar 3 recensioner

Serier

Verk av Sam Boush

All Systems Down (2018) 24 exemplar

Taggad

Allmänna fakta

Det finns inga Allmänna fakta än om den här författaren. Du kan lägga till några.

Medlemmar

Recensioner

So let’s start with the actual review first. This book was a quick read and an enjoyable one. It was action packed and although it’s a thin book to start with, it makes the reading even quicker.

Those who love plot hooks where the world runs amok and hell breaks loose will love this book. It immediately starts in the first few chapters and sets the ball rolling. The background story as to how the world (or to be exact the USA) goes downhill is explained by having North Korean hackers finding a way to plant viruses into the web which pretty much breaks down society. It’s a good “what if” scenario and further chapters show how fast society just crumbles when things we rely on daily vanish before our eyes.

There’s a variety of characters in the book that are easy to follow. Each have their own share their own spot in the plot and eventually converge and meet together (albeit a bit coincidentally but well, they’d have to meet somewhere right?)

My favourites would have to be Brandon, Vailea , and Carmen. Although the survivors of the crisis have their own strengths, these three stood out for me the most. They’re likeable, and as mentioned before showed their strengths to survive to protect their loved ones (or avenge them in some cases)

Orion and Xandra would be my two least favorite ones. Orion because he was just so whiny, Xandra because although I know she’s supposed to be analytical and a computer whiz, her personality was blah and just downright unlikable. She has her uses but she’s not really someone I would ideally have tea with if I had a choice.

So overall, a really good plot, filled with action and fun to read. The ending does result in a cliffhanger but it was a really good one. I’d love to know what’s going to happen next. It does play out almost like a movie and it’s well done.

Now for the next part of my review. Why did I like this so much? Well considering I just moved to Portland, it got me recognizing street names, bridges (still haven’t memorized all of them yet) and asking my husband (who’s lived in Portland all his life) all sorts of questions (ie: “Where is ” in which he replies with a sigh and says: “Oh god you’re reading a book that’s set in Portland aren’t you?!?!?”) so because I’m familiar with the setting, it even made the reading experience twice as special.

I greatly enjoyed this one. I can’t wait for the second.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
sensitivemuse | 2 andra recensioner | Feb 27, 2018 |
Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/02/all-systems-down.html

In what looks like it may be the beginning of a series of books, Sam Boush has created a compelling story line that is a real page turner. All Systems Down is an unsettling read because it is very close to reality.

We are first aware that something extremely bad is happening when a military pilot and her copilot suddenly find themselves without a connection to their flight carrier. Then we are introduced to Brendan who is applying for a job online at a business and the computers go goofy. Little by little, the entire infrastructure of the country comes undone. By chapter 3 we know that the cyber attackers are North Koreans operating out of China. (This is the “too close to reality” part.) It takes the government a while longer to realize that there may be a physical attack as well as a cyber attack in the works. A government hacker named Xandra is sent to the Oregon coast to try to stop an anticipated invasion and to try to counter the cyber attack. All characters converge on the Oregon coastline. It is at this point that the action really takes off.

This novel is all plot, suspense, and thrills. If you are looking for action, this is the book for you. If you are seeking great character development or eloquent narrative, try something else. The characters are awkward and the narrative is sometimes strange and unreadable. The book's best feature is that several women serve as both heroes and villains. One of the more interesting characters is the villain, Sierra, who appears about half way through the novel. Another major character, the military pilot, is a woman named Kelly. Xandra, the hacker, is also interesting because of the lack of warmth she portrays as she executes acts of heroism.

When All Systems Down ends, the reader is reassured that there will be a sequel.
Kelly shivered, “The war isn’t over.”
“No,” Xandra said. “It isn’t.”
“We have children to worry about, “ Ireana said. “War or no war, we need to find someplace safe.”
“Is anywhere safe?” Annalore said.

As you can probably tell, I didn’t much like this book. I expressed as much to my husband, who was incredulous. “Why,” he said, “would you continue reading a book you didn’t like when you have hundreds of books on your shelf and Kindle?”

I do have to admit that I was put off a bit by the second sentence of the book when I caught a proofreading mistake. The t and the he of the word "the" were separated by a space (t he). Can't separate myself from my editing career, I guess. However, many of the reviewers on Goodreads loved the book so I plugged on. Finally, I was turning pages as fast as I could. One small detail that fascinated me was that when the gigantic cyber attack happened, cars that had a lot of computer chips in them wouldn’t start or were stalled in the middle of the road. Ah---that would be me in my Toyota Prius!

Besides it was cold and snowy outside and I was sitting in front of the fireplace. Might as well read on.

This is Sam Boush's first novel. We will look forward to more from him.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
medowney | 2 andra recensioner | Feb 8, 2018 |
This is the first book in this series. Which, I thought was a good showing for the first book. The further I got into the story, the more it picked up speed in action and intensity. Although, as much as there was intensity, it did not hold up fully for me. The issue for me were the characters. They did not engage me. Also, if I wanted to like them, I found most of them annoying. In fact, I felt bad for Brendan that he was stuck with some of the people.

My favorite parts involved the North Korean and Pak Han-Yong. This is because they were more engaging in their reactions and interactions with each other. The thought that what Pak Han-Yong unleashed on the Untied States is very scary for the simple reason that it could become a reality. The second half of the story is better. Overall, I liked this book and might read the next one.… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Cherylk | 2 andra recensioner | Feb 3, 2018 |

Statistik

Verk
1
Medlemmar
24
Popularitet
#522,742
Betyg
3.0
Recensioner
3
ISBN
2