The zenith angle
author Bruce Sterling writes cutting-edge speculative fiction firmly rooted in today's reality. Now in The Zenith Angle, he has created a timely thriller about an information-age security expert caught up in America's escalating war on terror.Infowar. Cybercombat. Digital security and techno-terror. It's how nations and networks secretly battle, now and into the future. And for Derek "Van" Vandeveer, pioneering computer wizard, a new cyberwarrior career begins on the fateful date of September 11, 2001.Happily married with a new baby, pulling down mind-blowing money as a VP of research and development for a booming Internet company, Van has been living extralarge. Then the devastating attacks on America change everything. And Van must decide if he's willing to use the talents that built his perfect world in order to defend it."It's our networks versus their death cult," says the government operative who recruits Van as the key member of an ultraelite federal computer-security team. In a matter of days, Van has traded his cushy life inside the dot-com bubble for the labyrinthine trenches of the Washington intelligence community--where rival agencies must grudgingly abandon decades of distrust and infighting to join forces against chilling new threats. Van's special genius is needed to make the country's defense systems hacker-proof.
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2012–2023years
64% recommend36% neutral
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What Hacker News says
- Hehe, see also: "the Zenith Angle" by Bruce Sterling (he did complete his book).
- I'm wary of labels such as "must read" - but a couple of books I'm glad I read:
"Dahlgren" by Samuel Delaney (and most everything else I've read by him as well).
"Earthsea" by Ursula LeGuin - and "Powers".
"Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson.
"Holy Fire" by Bruce Sterling (I also enjoyed Islands in the Net, Zenith Angle and Schismatrix).
"Foundation" trilogy + prequel by Isaac Asimov.
"Brave New World", Aldous Huxley.
"Deepness in the Sky" / "Fire Upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge.
"Something wicked this way comes" by Ray Bradbury.
And a couple of comics/visual novels:
"V for Vendetta" and "Watchmen" by Alan Moore (David Lloyd/ Tony Weare and Dave Gibbons / John Higgins).
Dave Sims: "Cerebus" (I don't think I've finished this yet, but the first ten volumes or so is.. Something else).
- You might find the fictional novel "Zenith Angle" by Bruce Sterling entertaining as well.
- Came here to make sure someone mentioned these. Might not qualify as great fiction imnho - but the technical detail more than makes up for it. And the books are entertaining.
I see people's mentioned Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon" - while I loved "diamond age" and like "snowcrash" - I much prefer Singh's "the codebook" on a similar theme. Thrilling non-fiction.
On the more fiction side, I enjoyed Bruce Sterling's "The Zenith Angle" a lot.
And second the recommendations for Mitnick's books - both the autobiography "ghost in the wires" and the more free form "made up examples" in "the art of deception" (like many of the stories in the stealing the network books, "inspired" by true events...).
Other than that there's of course: https://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/
(and to a lesser extent "homeland").
And others mentioned the non-fiction book detailing operation sun devil:
"THE HACKER CRACKDOWN Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier", Bruce Sterling
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/101
[ed: I think maybe "Rainbows End" by Vernor Vinge deserves a mention too. And maybe "speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon]
- He's autobiography on his time in the CIA, "See No Evil" is also interesting (and depressing).
edit: While we're on the subject of sci-fi and capitalism; I highly recommend Bruce Sterling's latest book, the Zenith Angle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Zenith-Angle-Bruce-Sterling/dp/034...
- Not, op, but..:
For something relatively new, and related to hn, I'd recommend Bruce Sterling's latest: "Zenith Angle". Although, that's not quite sci-fi, more just fiction.
All I've read of Stanislaw Lem I'd recommend (for some classic sci-fi), also Roadside Picnic (Strugatsky brothers) is very good.
Keeping with the theme of the other books listed above, I'd recommend Bruce Sterling's "Holy Fire", or maybe "Babel-17" by Samuel R. Delany (although I prefer his youth fantasy novel "Neveyona" which deals with some of the same themes). Also, you can't go wrong with his "The Einstein Intersection".
Finally, if you haven't read anything of Vernor Vinge, I have a look at "A Fire Upon the Deep".
Hm, I guess there are a few too many Nebula Award winners in there for the recommendations to be really useful... here's one more: "Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon.
Perhaps a bit haphazard, but maybe you'll find something you like there :-)
