x dismiss this message
Did you know you can edit this page?
-
Sign Into Shelfari
-
Choose something to edit
-
Save your contributions
- Choose your cover
- Recommend this book
- Should I read this?
-
Amazon.com- Find on Amazon.com
- Find collectible copies at Abebooks
see page history
Description edit
Being a genius gets you noticed - not always in a good way. Matt Bugatti has cracked the Internet's most secure code. Chinese and American spies are vying to learn his secret. Unaware of their power struggle, Matt wants only to control his own destiny. While grappling with a pivotal decision,... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Matt Bugatti, a young mathemaics and computer programming genius, discovers the secret to decoding encrypted messages, opening up the entire Internet to covert surveillance. The National Security Agency and the Chinese secret agency Guoanbu both vie to control this technology. But Matt is... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Matt Bugatti: PhD, mathematics and computer programming genius. Born in Raleigh, NC, age 26.
- Jon Ames: Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Connectrix Corporation of Eau Claire, WI
- Gina Bianchi: Graphics Artist and Matt's girlfriend
- Xiao Weiguo "Alvin": Chairman and CEO of Mechanized Minds
- Josef Hofbauer: Chairman of Connectrix Corporation and former West German intelligence officer
- Wang Shutao: Operative of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, Guoanbu
- Anibal Gutierrez: Agent of the FBI
- Anson Polk: Matt's best friend and fellow Connectrix programmer
- Eric Reilly: Hardware team leader at Connectrix
- Kathy Darling: Software Team Leader at Connectrix
- Tan Yingqun: Chinese dissident living in exile in the U.S.
- Flora Bugatti: Matt's mother and proprietor of the restaurant Da Flora
Quotes edit
-
“Normal?” Jimmy replied, almost sneering. “What normal? This is fucking China. There’s no normal here.”
Jimmy Liu -
“Xiao Weiguo,” Tan said, “Do you think that by keeping this technology out of the hands of the Chinese that you preserve it for a more benevolent master?”
Tan Yingqun -
“Jon, you think Matt’s this cool, calculating wonder boy, but he’s got another side to him. His family is first generation Italian, very traditional, very old school. If it was just his mama putting the arm on him to get married and make babies he could handle it. But that’s not just what his mother wants. It’s what he wants. He goes on and on about his home life, or lack thereof, and how this place is eating him alive. His love life is the shits, so he throws himself into his work. Then he spends all his time at his keyboard instead of the Knights of Columbus mixer meeting a nice Italian girl. It’s a vicious circle.”
Anson Polk -
“Where did you come from? What world did you come from? Not my world. I live in a cave. I’m surrounded by walls made of rock. It’s pitch black except for a hazy glow coming from the hole I crawled through to get here. What are you doing here in the cave? Why aren’t you out in the light with the real people?”
Matt Bugatti
Setting & Locations edit
- Eau Claire, WI: Home to Connectrix Corporation, maker of sophisticated parallel computing systems
- Raleigh, NC: Matt's home town and the location of Flora's restaurant.
- Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: Gina's home and the location of the Mechanized Minds corporation
- Beijing, China: Location of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, Guoanbu
- Chengdu, China: Location of the Mechanized Minds factory in China
Organizations edit
- Connectrix Corporation: Matt's employer, maker of powerful computing systems
- Mechanized Minds Corporation: Alvin Xiao's company, maker of industrial computers
- National Security Agency (NSA): US secret agency, who commissioned Connectrix to build a system to decode encrypted messages
- Guojia Anquan Bu (Guoanbu): Chinese Ministry of State Security
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): U.S. Federal Agency
- Da Flora: Flora Bugatti's upscale restaurant
First Sentence edit
A thin beam of orange light broke through the twisted metal blinds and fell on the opposite wall, moving slowly downward as the sun rose.
Table of Contents edit
Chapter 1—The Programmer
Chapter 2—The Director
Chapter 3—The Entrepreneur
Chapter 4—The Agent
Chapter 5—The Conference
Chapter 6—The Accident
Chapter 7—The Operation
Chapter 8—The Girlfriend Experience
Chapter 9—The Board
Chapter 10—The Encounter
Chapter 11—The Arrangement
Chapter 12—The Liaison
Chapter 13—The Payment
Chapter 14—The Date
Chapter 15—The Outing
Chapter 16—The Favor
Chapter 17—The Ultimatum
Chapter 18—Guanxi
Chapter 19—The Breakthrough
Chapter 20—The Disclosure
Chapter 21—Curious
Chapter 22—The Scheme
Chapter 23—The Test
Chapter 24—Plan B
Chapter 25—The Reception
Chapter 26—Precautions
Chapter 27—Coincidence
Chapter 28—The Ruse
Chapter 29—The Drop
Chapter 30—The Contract
Chapter 31—Off the Grid
Chapter 32—The Cloud
Chapter 33—Suspicion of Espionage
Chapter 34—Compliments of the People
Chapter 35—Illegal Retention
Epilogue
Guide to Chinese Pronunciation
Themes & Symbolism edit
- The Forbidden City: Alvin tours the Forbidden City in Beijing with Wang Shutao. The city is a meaphor for China itself, seemingly endless, but with most of it hidden.
- Control over one's own destiny: Throughout the book, the characters are subjected to forces beyond their control. The common theme is the recognition by the characters that their fate is not in their own hands and the actions they take to regain the upper hand, often unwittingly playing into the hands of others.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Charles O'Donnell (Author)
Awards edit
- Park Best New Author (December 2012: General Writing)
We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.