Shutdown

YA-Fast paced and cutting edge, this novel grabs readers early on and presents a truly frightening scenario. In an effort to wrest the international technology lead from the U.S., a rogue faction within the Japanese Defense Agency has put a diabolical plan into action. Using disgruntled loner engineers as pawns, the Yamoto Ichizotu plants defects in U.S.-manufactured semiconductors. Two years later, the faulty products begin to break down and cause strategic computer systems to malfunction. A train crashes, killing hundreds; two planes collide and incinerate their passengers; and Detroit experiences a complete blackout. Enter the protagonist, FBI analyst Erika Conklin. Caught hacking into computer systems as she was graduating from Berkeley, she was given the opportunity to avoid federal prison by serving a six-year stint in the FBI, enabling the agency to combat technocriminals like herself more effectively. Her knowledge proves crucial to victory in this new technological battlefield. The appeal to young adults stems from the personalities of Erika and the government forces with which she works. No mere computer nerd, she can take care of herself, as a harrowing escapade with a rat demonstrates. Readers are taken along on a mission by a crack Navy SEAL team whose exploits, abilities, and bravery are compelling and illuminating. The explanations of system attacks, computer-virus operations, and technological exploits should appeal to teens who have grown up in a world that has become frighteningly technology dependent.
Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
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