Seventeen year old Marcus and his friends are in the wrong place at the wrong time during a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. They are held by the Department of Homeland Security for days before being released only to discover that their city has turned into surveillance society police state. They decide to resist in the only way they know how by taking on the DHS.
— Open Library
I basically read this book in two parts, the first was back when I started it in 2023. I read it up to a point and then dropped it as it seemed too doom-and-gloom, the protagonists were basically locked in a battle with a behemoth. They were in a battle that they could not at all come out unscathed from, if they can come out of it at all.
I picked it up again last week thinking that I had probably read a few starting chapters the last time. I had underestimated my previous effort, as I kept reading I kept realizing that these all were sections I had already read before. Turns out that I had read more than half-way through in my last session.
Having finished it, I can say that it is a pretty good book. Especially if you are trying to introduce the concepts of cryptography, network security and privacy to a younger audience. The book is written with a teen protagonist which would help them connect more with the hero.
There were some sections in the middle where things look extremely bad for our heroes. We do see what could happen to them if they get caught, we are given a glimpse of that earlier in the story. If someone, like me, didn't finish the story because things weren't looking good for the heroes then rest assured that things turn out good-ish for them in the end. The heroes (with some support) put up a very brave fight, they don't immediately get all that they want, but there is a silver lining to all those clouds.
If you are into any of science-fiction or software/tech or political activism then you would enjoy having read this.