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Attack Surface
608 pages
A high-octane, paranoid plunge into the moral gray areas of the modern surveillance state.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like plugging directly into the anxious, hyper-connected nervous system of the modern surveillance state. It is a propulsive, sweat-inducing technothriller that wraps you in a thick blanket of digital paranoia. The narrative moves at a breakneck pace, driven by a sharp, cynical voice that slowly cracks open to reveal a desperate yearning for redemption. You are plunged into a gritty, high-stakes world where the lines between right and wrong are blurred by obscene paychecks and cutting-edge code. The prose is unapologetically nerdy, translating complex cybersecurity concepts into visceral, heart-pounding action. It is a perfect fit for readers who love their near-future fiction laced with urgent political commentary, moral ambiguity, and the thrilling, terrifying realization that the dystopia we fear is already here.
- Mood
- paranoid
- tense
- gritty
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- cynical
- urgent
- didactic
- sharp
- political
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- moral complicity · surveillance capitalism · technological ethics · redemption · activism vs apathy
- The writing
- Sharp, fast-moving, and unapologetically technical, blending hacker jargon with urgent political commentary.
- The arc
- Moves from a state of cynical, compartmentalized detachment to a frantic, high-stakes awakening of conscience.
- Who it's for
- Cybersecurity enthusiasts and political junkies who crave near-future thrillers that grapple with the terrifying realities of digital privacy.
Content notes
- police brutality
- state-sanctioned violence
- surveillance paranoia
- references to torture
About the book
Cory Doctorow's *Attack Surface* is a standalone novel set in the world of New York Times bestsellers *Little Brother* and *Homeland*.
Most days, Masha Maximow was sure she'd chosen the winning side.
In her day job as a counterterrorism wizard for an transnational cybersecurity firm, she made the hacks that allowed repressive regimes to spy on dissidents, and manipulate their every move. The perks were fantastic, and the pay was obscene.
Just for fun, and to piss off her masters, Masha sometimes used her mad skills to help those same troublemakers evade detection, if their cause was just. It was a dangerous game and a hell of a rush. But seriously self-destructive. And unsustainable.
When her targets were strangers in faraway police states, it was easy to compartmentalize, to ignore the collateral damage of murder, rape, and torture. But when it hits close to home, and the hacks and exploits she’s devised are directed at her friends and family--including boy wonder Marcus Yallow, her old crush and archrival, and his entourage of naïve idealists--Masha realizes she has to choose.
And whatever choice she makes, someone is going to get hurt.
Description from Open Library.
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HomelandCory DoctorowA paranoid, pulse-pounding techno-thriller that channels the righteous anger of youth activism against a terrifyingly plausible surveillance state.
Little BrotherCory DoctorowA high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled crash course in digital rebellion and the fight for civil liberties.
InfomocracyMalka OlderA cerebral, high-stakes political thriller where data is the ultimate weapon and democracy is a fragile, hackable experiment.
Zero DayMark RussinovichA chillingly plausible, ticking-clock techno-thriller that will make you want to unplug every device you own.
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