Great for the China story
Of course, Y2K didn't happen as badly as shown in this novel. I still thought this was a good story, lots of action, and such. Something that still might come true is the US/China conflict shown near the Spratly Islands. China may not have used Y2K to move on the US, but weird things are happening nonetheless. I think Kelly's story may turn out prophetic in a non-Y2K way. Keep watching China.
HA!
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !
Defines a piece of history
I'm not at all surprised to see this book retaining its sales strength now that the big Y2K moment is history. It was published way back in 1998 before most of the world even knew what "Y2K" stood for. The author of this work of FICTION (many critics forget that it is, after all, a story) did a thorough job capturing the fears that eventually covered every form of media. No, Y2K did not turn out to be like this novel. But the year 1984 did not turn out to be like that novel either and we still respect it as a work of fiction containing important issues to consider. Both books are valuable in that they capture a piece of history, the collective fears of society, and they impart lessons that I consider valuable as government gets more powerful through technology that takes over more of our lives every year. This is the original Y2K novel and while all the nonfiction "prepare for doom" books are now firestarting material, this book should remain popular for years to come. Just imagine when your kids and grandkids ask one day what it was like when 1999 became 2000. What better way to show them the fears that some people had than to hand them a thrilling novel? It'll keep them reading (because it is a good story) and it will give them a history lesson.
Like Reading Gilligan's Book of Radiation Technology
Jason Kelly has written a novel about a topic he knows NOTHING about. No small wonder the book reads like science fiction (and BAD science fiction, at that). It is made up out of whole cloth, and all the "research" that supposedly went into it is undermined by the author's pre-determination to hype Y2K beyond all reason. I questioned Jason Kelly on a radio talk show after the San Fernando Valley sewage spill (which was caused by the turning off of the power at a municipal facility, and was inorrectly blamed on Y2K), and could not even get him to understand the fact that attributing that spill to Y2K made no sense---it wasn't as though they set the computer ahead to 1/1/2000 and something went wrong. They simply SHUT OFF THE POWER. In other words, in order for Y2K to cause such a spill, it would have to eliminate the power---and there was NO reason to believe that would happen.
If fictional writing (and pretty lame writing at that) which ignores facts in favor of hype and the author's determination to make money are what you're looking for - - - - you could STILL do better than this book. (I'd give zero stars, but it won't let me.)
Best book I've read to date
Right from the onset, I couldn't set this book down. What I liked most was how the part I found the most boring in the middle (the police, without giving away too much) turned out to provide the most thrilling moments at the end. I actually finished this book while on a flight to New York, and during part of that flight my legs were shaking. Yes, at the climax of the cop scene, I was shaking. This is an amzing attempt at a first novel with a great ending. Even though the plot may not allow for a great sequel, the ending was still classic...
(60 reviews)
