Smasher (The Silicon Valley Mysteries)
Smasher (The Silicon Valley Mysteries)
- ISBN13: 9780738718743
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“Carries the reader triumphantly from one climax to the next. Taut, tight, suspenseful.”–Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT and THE PARIS VENDETTA
“SMASHER swings seamlessly from the cutthroat maneuverings of Silicon Valley to the equally competitive world of particle physics, and yet Raffel never forgets that this is a story about people. A smart, humane, compelling read.”
–Marcus Sakey, award-winning author of THE BLADE ITSELF, AT THE CITY’S EDGE, and GOOD PEOPLE
“Take a taut roller-coaster ride behind Silicon Valley’s doors. Hold on and prepare to stay up all night.”
–Cara Black, bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc series
Smash and Grab
As Accelenet CEO Ian Mi
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Alternate physics history doesn’t work here,
I really enjoyed the previous novel by this author, Dot.Dead and was looking forward to Smasher. Some of the same good elements are here, the author’s suave humor, his intimate familiarity with some aspects of the tech world in SV, the warmth of the family interactions. Overall, though, I didn’t experience any of the suspense that carried the story so well in Dot.Dead. The sub-plot in Smasher that employed a fictional history of the postulation and discovery of subatomic quarks actually ruined the novel for me, for the following two reasons:
1) On the one hand, the plot attempts to immerse the reader in the real-life present-day world of silicon valley – with many observations about actual people, companies and events that are related to the valley. So then incorporating an alternate history of a major piece of modern physics had the effect of continuously jarring me awake from the fictional narrative of the story. I think this would be true for anyone who is aware of the actual history and science of quarks and the Standard Model and the real physicists who formulated these ideas, such as Murray Gell-Mann who received a Nobel for his work. This author did not choose to make up alternate histories for HP, Apple, or other aspects of the history of computers and networking, so choosing to distort the history of physics seemed all the more bizarre. Would readers be okay if the sub-plot involved a totally different history of Apple computer without Steve Jobs in the picture? I doubt it, so why pick on physics this way – it’s a disservice to an amazing discovery and the real people who made it.
2) the alternate physics sub-story portrays a female physicist whose work does not get the credit it deserves – this came across as preachy PC lecturing – the kiss of death for good story-telling. A real theoretician who did not receive a Nobel for his contribution to quarks, but some feel should have, George Zweig, was a man, not a woman. The author admits in the acknowledgment that the fictionalized physics story is the ‘novelist’s prerogative’ and he further reminds us of the injustices done to a real-world scientist in a different field, Rosalind Franklin, who should have shared the Nobel for her contributions to understanding the double helix structure of DNA. Yes, that’s a damn shame, but it’s also a totally different story. In Smasher, Isobel Marter comes across as an icon, not a real person, so that also weakens whatever dramatic element her character might contribute to the plot.
My only other quips with the novel (and these apply a little bit to Dot.Dead, but a lot less so) a) I wish the allusions to Silicon Velley lore were presented more integrally into the story – a lot of times our narrator starts to sound like a Fodor Travel Guide in referring to famous places or events, or the culture of the deal. Readers know this stuff already. b) I know the hero is supposed to be in his mid-to-late thirties, but he often comes across as much older in his behavior and outlook. Yeah he jogs and texts on his iPhone, but he talks about his achy back like a much older guy, and worries about cholesterol levels. He also refers to the pirated CDs of Grateful Dead concerts – someone didn’t do their homework. The Dead encouraged fans to record and disseminate all their concerts and copies were widely exchanged and copied among Dead Heads.
Anyway, the boardroom discussions are always fun in these novels. I hope he comes up with a stronger plot for the next mystery in the series.
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|Strong, parallel plot lines and sharp characterization in equal measure,
It has been far too long since Keith Raffel has graced us with his presence on the bookshelves. But his latest effort makes the wait worthwhile. Raffel, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, knows the topography well and demonstrates it in this fast-paced, one-sit read. SMASHER, the follow-up to DOT DEAD, marks the return of Ian Michaels, the brilliant if reluctant CEO of Accelenet, a cutting-edge IT company.
Raffel’s primary talent is his ability to make that which is complex interesting to the ordinary mind. In SMASHER, he sets two plot lines along razor-sharp paths. One involves a potential takeover of Accelenet by Ricky Frankson, the fabulously successful CEO of the powerful Torii Networks. Frankson wants total control of Accelenet and is lowballing Michaels on the price while inexorably bringing market forces to bear to force the sale. Michaels has no particular love for the company he heads, having been more or less forced into the helm position by the disappearance of his predecessor and former friend. But he nonetheless feels an obligation to Accelenet’s employees and stockholders to get desperately needed capital for the company while maintaining control. The result — a war fought without white weaponry — is an exciting one due to Raffel’s ability to describe what is occurring in the boardroom and on the cell phones in terms that do not require a master’s degree in business administration.
At the same time, Michaels is given an intriguing assignment by his mother. Her sister and Michael’s aunt was Isobel Marter, the first woman in Stanford University’s physics department and, as it turns out, a largely unheralded member of the research team responsible for the discovery of quarks. When Stanford names a particle physics lab after Marter, it sparks a conversation between Michaels and his mother, which, in turn, leads Michaels into an investigation of his own.
His digging is initially stonewalled by Dr. William Z. Tompkins, an eccentric physicist who was part of the original research team that won the Nobel Prize for the discovery. Tompkins did not get along with Marter and has a vested interest in seeing that the historical record is not disturbed. Michaels, notwithstanding the pressure of Frankson’s continuing efforts to buy Accelenet, discovers that Marter’s contribution to the research was far greater than the historical record would otherwise indicate. Those (including this reviewer) whose knowledge of physics is limited to a rudimentary understanding of gravity are treated during the course of the narration to a basic, understandable and enjoyable explanation of the makeup of atoms as Michaels slowly comes to the realization that an historical wrong, among others, has been committed.
When an unexpected tragedy strikes, Michaels finds his attention further diverted not only from his mother’s request but also from his defense of Accelenet. Someone appears to be after him and his beloved wife, Rowena. Is the tragedy the result of happenstance? Perhaps the threat is related to Rowena’s work as a deputy District Attorney. Could it be one of Frankson’s minions trying to persuade him into relinquishing his company? Or is Michaels being warned off his investigation? Michaels must discover the who and the why behind the tragic incident as Rowena’s life — and, perhaps, his own — hangs in the balance.
Keith Raffel is a master storyteller, bringing strong, parallel plot lines and sharp characterization in equal measure to the printed page while fulfilling and surpassing the promise of his debut work. Let us hope that we do not have to wait quite so long for his next offering.
— Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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|Raffel’s back!,
I was a big fan of Raffel’s first book — Dot Dead. Smasher has the same protagonist — Ian Michaels. Not only is the mystery a good read, but I enjoyed learning about physics (amazing, but true!) and also about Silicon Valley business. Smasher is a clever play on words — referring both to what happens to atoms and also to the smash and grab takeover strategies used in Silicon Valley. Add to that a very sweet love story between a married couple (amazing but true!) and what you have is an experience both entertaining and educational. This was the perfect book to take on vacation. Too bad I can read books faster than Raffel can write them.
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