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featurecreep's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the first 30-40% of the book. Then it took a less interesting turn. The bad guys were as cliche and the good guys were bright. It felt as if the first half of the book was written by someone brilliant with a great story in mind, and the second half was a bad Dan Brown clone. I look forward to Russinovich's next effort.
paul_gallagher's review against another edition
3.0
Better than most novels written with computer security as the thematic backdrop, Russinovich proves that coders can in fact turn a decent English phrase. The IT audience will appreciate the books technical accuracy and not enjoy the lolz that usually accompany Hollywood and author's attempts to portray what they *think* goes on inside technology.
My one reservation is that I found the plotting a little weak and not as tight as, say, a Clancy or Ludlum would do with the same material. Plot lines that seem to be developing nicely are prematurely concluded without tension or impact on the principle characters, and I found the rush to a final climax decidedly predictable. No more than you would expect from a decent airport lounge novel.
However, this was Russinovich's first novel, and there are (or will be soon) another two that follow the same characters but delve into different areas of security. I'll certainly be interested to check these out - Zero Day is a promising start for a new author, and I can well expect the level of writing craft in later books to be on the up and up.
My one reservation is that I found the plotting a little weak and not as tight as, say, a Clancy or Ludlum would do with the same material. Plot lines that seem to be developing nicely are prematurely concluded without tension or impact on the principle characters, and I found the rush to a final climax decidedly predictable. No more than you would expect from a decent airport lounge novel.
However, this was Russinovich's first novel, and there are (or will be soon) another two that follow the same characters but delve into different areas of security. I'll certainly be interested to check these out - Zero Day is a promising start for a new author, and I can well expect the level of writing craft in later books to be on the up and up.
dtcoutu's review against another edition
3.0
I found this an enjoyable enough read. The plot was interesting and the details around the computer security issues were well explained and flowed. Character interactions and development, however, often felt wooden and forced throughout the book.
tomasthanes's review against another edition
3.0
Tom Clancy and Daniel Suarez-like. A good read.
The conclusion was a bit disappointing. I thought that they should've issued a patch to not have September 11th happen at all (at 23:59 on 9/10, reset the date to 9/10; when you get to 23:59 on 9/10, jump to 9/12; yeah, your log files are all screwed up but better that than what happened in the book).
The conclusion was a bit disappointing. I thought that they should've issued a patch to not have September 11th happen at all (at 23:59 on 9/10, reset the date to 9/10; when you get to 23:59 on 9/10, jump to 9/12; yeah, your log files are all screwed up but better that than what happened in the book).
jdorminey's review against another edition
4.0
Good read. Really liked the technical aspects, and how they were brought out.
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
4.0
Started today March 4th., 2013.
Wanted to read Trojan Horse, but upon read the foreword, I realized that it was a sequel, so I bought this instantly and started it an hour later (that being after midnight, the next day).
No TOC, and it could have done with explanations or a short dictionary of leet-speak.
Great reading, page-turner! But for some reason not 5 stars, cannot really say why.
Will read Trojan Horse next.
Wanted to read Trojan Horse, but upon read the foreword, I realized that it was a sequel, so I bought this instantly and started it an hour later (that being after midnight, the next day).
No TOC, and it could have done with explanations or a short dictionary of leet-speak.
Great reading, page-turner! But for some reason not 5 stars, cannot really say why.
Will read Trojan Horse next.
marieeve1978's review against another edition
2.0
It is interesting to read about cybersecurity. Aime of The first scenes were suspenseful. However, I think it is not a good idea to listen to this book in audio form since the narrator reads every character when reading a snippet of encrypted code, for instance...
shelbyanoel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pinrar's review against another edition
Misogyny and flat characters. I can tolerate bad writing if the story is good, but this was so bad that I had to stop
jclermont's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I really liked the story. At times, some of the technical explanations were a bit labored, but I understand not everyone reading it has a background in IT. The biggest complaint I had was the abbreviated chat sessions between people on ICQ. I can't picture IT professionals typing this way on a full laptop keyboard. Those quibbles aside, it was a compelling story rooted within the realm of possibility.