Book Review: ATTACK SURFACE by Cory Doctorow

ATTACK SURFACE by Cory Doctorow (Tor Books, October 2020) Hardcover, 384 pages. Little Brother #3. ISBN #1250757533 /9781250757531  

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

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.

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

While immersing myself in the lengthy first chapter, I was a bit confused by a possible contradiction when trying to discern what was the motivation of the main character and her conflict/challenge. Masha Maximow works as a counter-terrorism specialist for a global cybersecurity firm. 

The first chapter is chock-full of technical jargon that Doctorow does a good job of explaining in layman's terms. It's just a bit much to absorb. The story occurs in a near-future, possibly an alternate future, but it seems so timely and on the nose. I'm already disturbed by this and only 19% into the novel. 

However, by the time I reached page 32, I received a clear answer to what puzzled me. Here's the answer, right from the narration by Masha: "Having a day job where you help repressive regimes spy on their dissidents and a hobby where you help those dissidents evade detection is self-destructive."

This is a plot-heavy book with back-story mixed in that needs to be read without distractions. Doctorow relates how the technology tools that we use everyday can be used against us by governments for surveillance and suppression of dissident activities. It's part speculative fiction and part reality, both disturbing and frightening. We've come to depend upon the tech tools and smart apps so much that it's impossible for most persons to consider giving them up. 

Masha remains conflicted throughout most of the novel, which made it hard for me to connect with her until the last third of the novel where she finally makes a choice about which side to rally behind. Hopefully, it's not too late as her family and friends are threatened by the very things that she helped to propagate. There's a ray of optimism and hope by the end, and Doctorow even suggests some ways that can be used to protect your devices. 

About halfway through the novel, I gave up trying to understand how what the cybersecurity firms were utilizing worked, and just went with it. I’m not a subscriber of the various conspiracy theories out there, but this one stuck and still bothers me.  An important book, and one that is worth checking out.