Conquering the World With an MMO
In "Daemon", the new book by Daniel Suarez, a billionaire geek plans to take over the world after his death. And this time, it's actually plausible.
Ever since Hollywood cottoned onto the idea that computers were a "big thing," we have been inundated with truly nerve-grating visions of computers. From the "nearly" (TRON) to the "totally ludicrous" (Independence Day, Hackers, The 'Net), Hollywood seems incapable of treating computers or videogames with any kind of realism.
Perhaps that's what inspired Daniel Suarez [http://thedaemon.com/] to write a book that gamers could appreciate as being at least somewhat in the neighborhood of reality. The billionaire protagonist in "Daemon" plants a dormant virus hidden in his MMO that, at the point of his death, would go into action, bringing forth...well, you'll have to read it to find out.
As a writer though, he was lacking funds, publishers and an agent, but he did have a 'net connection. Every publisher thought it wasn't worth it, but he persisted, spreading the book across the web. The bloggers, techs and geeks lapped it up; but then it started getting rave reviews from outside as well, including one from, of all places, The White House.
Billy O'Brien, Director of Cybersecurity and Communications Policy at the White House called the book the "Greatest. Techno-thriller. Period." He went on to comment that "Experts have long feared the Internet doomsday scenario. Daemon is arguably more terrifying."
Here's hoping the folks at Blizzard don't read it and get any big ideas.
Source: USA Today [http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-01-05-daemon_N.htm?csp=34]
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Ever since Hollywood cottoned onto the idea that computers were a "big thing," we have been inundated with truly nerve-grating visions of computers. From the "nearly" (TRON) to the "totally ludicrous" (Independence Day, Hackers, The 'Net), Hollywood seems incapable of treating computers or videogames with any kind of realism.
Perhaps that's what inspired Daniel Suarez [http://thedaemon.com/] to write a book that gamers could appreciate as being at least somewhat in the neighborhood of reality. The billionaire protagonist in "Daemon" plants a dormant virus hidden in his MMO that, at the point of his death, would go into action, bringing forth...well, you'll have to read it to find out.
As a writer though, he was lacking funds, publishers and an agent, but he did have a 'net connection. Every publisher thought it wasn't worth it, but he persisted, spreading the book across the web. The bloggers, techs and geeks lapped it up; but then it started getting rave reviews from outside as well, including one from, of all places, The White House.
Billy O'Brien, Director of Cybersecurity and Communications Policy at the White House called the book the "Greatest. Techno-thriller. Period." He went on to comment that "Experts have long feared the Internet doomsday scenario. Daemon is arguably more terrifying."
Here's hoping the folks at Blizzard don't read it and get any big ideas.
Source: USA Today [http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-01-05-daemon_N.htm?csp=34]
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