I didn't quite feel like this book kept me as engaged as most techie type books do. I enjoyed it, but I'm not nterest in reading anymore of the series.

I quite enjoyed this book. A fun and interesting storyline, it kept my interest without being too simplistic.

Bandwidth by Eliot Peper is a techno near-future thriller that moves quickly. It follows a very scary premise – life is now digital (your online feed is now in your brain and seen by your eyes) and everyone has access to it. This means it can be manipulated and shared without your consent.

It covers such themes as algorithm manipulation, political lobbying and climate change – all very topical and often controversial.

The character development played out well. You get to understand most of the characters quite deeply through flashbacks to their past, previous decisions and current dialogue, and this contributes positively to the novel, something not easily accomplished in a novel of this genre.

A couple of twists kept the storyline interesting, and kept you wondering who the good guys actually are.

While the chapters are short, it was a rather difficult read – lots of descriptions and many superfluous paragraphs. The constant detailed descriptions of actions and objects detracted from the overall tension of the story and the flow of the read.

#netgalley #bandwidth #eliotpeper #47north

This is pretty timely (tech-wise), but I didn't stay engaged throughout. Mr Peper has talent (and smarts), and tells a good tale. Somehow I didn't totally connect with it. But it was a good effort, and parts of it were excellent. Thanks for the interesting take on how AIs and other tech may play out in our future. 3.5 stars.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

Bandwidth masterfully combines speculative genres, pitting political thriller against climate change science fiction to create a compelling narrative that constantly keeps you on your toes. The character development is spot-on, showing us a protagonist with a difficult past whose career and life choices are coming back to haunt him. The novel surprised me at every turn with its web of intrigue and ever changing loyalties. It’s a wonderful read and I can’t wait to dive into the sequels.

The characters are full of life, lending realism to the narrative. Our protagonist, a highly lauded lobbyist for the good and corrupt, finds himself thrown into the middle of a conspiracy that could undermine the entire global system of data sharing. We see flashbacks to his past, transferring through foster homes, never finding love or human connection to ground him. Through the book’s events, he begins to grow, altering his mindset for the greater good instead of the greater profit. The cast of supporting characters are where the real intrigue lies. I’m amazed at the author’s ability to create so many complex characters. I got a sense of who they all were, deep down, which is a rare feat, especially given a novel that isn’t an enormous epic.

Climate change is a very real, very terrifying issue, and Peper shows us a future that could be not so distant without major changes. The villains in the story use it for profit and the heroes try to turn things around using methods that stray dangerously close to villainy. It’s a constant revolution of pure and questionable behaviors that fuel the drive of the book. Everything is just too interesting to reveal any more details.

Overall, Bandwidth is an exceptional piece of storytelling, laying the groundwork for a series that’s sure to entertain until the very end. I look forward to continuing on the journey of these characters.

Review to be published on 5/18: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/05/18/bandwidth-book-review

What. A. Ride. Peper’s Best Yet!

5 out of 5 stars
Unless 10 other truly unbelievably good books are written this year – Bandwidth will make my top books of 2018 without blinking an eye. I’m a fan of Peper’s work – but this is on another level. Sure, there are some of the same players (just a few callbacks to companies and places) but the world that Peper created is one I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Just like the first time I read Jurassic Park – I’ll never forget Isla Nublar (even without the movies) – Bandwidth is set in a world that you can tell Peper took some time to craft and get just right.

The story follows a lobbyist as he tries to figure out just where he belongs. An orphan raised by the system (orphanage after orphanage) he has something to prove to the world and wants to make a name for himself at his new firm where he was just named partner. But things are as they seem when he stumbles across room 412. He doesn’t know who did it or how they pulled it off – but he needs to figure it out. This launched Dag into a world that he couldn’t believe existed and will force him to challenge everything he holds dear.

Where to start – as I stated above – the world building in Bandwidth is top notch. It’s a perfect near-future world that felt chillingly real. I can’t even get into any of the details because it will take away from the way that Peper builds each place and each even up. From the issues around Southern California to the event that causes him to become orphaned – Peper paints a terrifyingly real future that felt more fact than fiction.

The feed and its use within Bandwidth is also something that I can tell that Peper spent some time figuring out. Its just one of those “of course that’s where it’ll go” moments – but the way it is written about makes it feel so realistic I found myself both glad it’s not here yet and missing it.

Without giving much more away – Bandwidth is Peper’s best work to date. Easily one of those novels I’ll have a hard time moving on from.

Right off the bat, author Eliot Peper thrust me into a life-and-death situation. Barely had time to get my feet on the ground and already I'd narrowly dodged a hail of bullets. Gave me insight for what lie down the road. Intense action to get this well-written narrative rolling. Heart thumping, my kind of opening scene. Knew I wouldn't fall asleep. As the storyline unfurled, I became intimately aware of the digital footprint we all leave in our daily wake. Our very souls are up for the taking. Startled to realize just how easily we could be manipulated through this digital kingdom we nonchalantly thrive in. Nowhere to hide. Twists and turns guided me down a vicious path of well-drawn characters to an ending I never saw coming.

Some of Dag Calhoun's roles as lobbyist frequently placed his life at serious risk. Just narrowly missed eating a bullet with his cup of coffee. Not a good way to end a meeting. The person he had chosen to meet with was not so fortunate. Often wondered if there could ever be enough compensation for that. He'd cornered the market as a razor chewing lobbyist. A hungry tiger expert at raising his clients goals above all else. A dream maker. He'd finally reached the pinnacle of the lobbyist game. The world, so it seemed was at his feet. Not for long. It was all about to change.

Dag had met a woman who had invited him over to her hotel room. A romantic rendezvous loomed in the immediate future. Just what he needed. When he arrived, the door had been left ajar. She was not there. Alone, he was stunned to find damning documentation and intimate pictures of his life, his work plastered all over the walls of the hotel room. Stunned, he'd been targeted and sabotaged. Beyond damage control. Enough evidence was there to bring him and his company crashing down. Who was this woman? The one that called herself Emily.

Dag needed to confront her. Had to find out her motivation behind the gut-wrenching hotel fiasco. His painstaking search led him to one of the remote San Juan Islands. When he secretly arrived there, she was not alone. Far from it. The island harbored a school for wayward youths. Those that needed saving. It also turned out that Emily was a polished political activist. An art that she'd taken to the highest level. Dag didn't know what he had gotten himself into. The hunter becomes the prey. In over his head from which there would be no escape.

Orchestrated over years, Dag's life had been literally hacked. His every thought, every emotion had been created by a team of skilled psychologists. He's been setup. Made him into the man he was. Thought he was. Like Legos. Built from the ground up. The very essence of his being, his mind, his thoughts had been constructed at the will of others. Unknowingly, Dag had become the Frankenstein of psychological conditioning. Brainwashed to another's way of thinking. My nerves frayed. Realization hit me like a 5 lb hammer across the skull. I'd realized the most frightening consequence of all. It's all so plausible. Just waiting to happen.

My thanks sent to NetGalley and 47North for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.