This one was an okay for me. Readable, but not truly my style. Would try the author again, though.

Factor Man

by Matt Ginsberg



As an established book reviewer, I receive a lot of what are known in the industry as ARCS. These are advanced reader copies, essentially novels that are on their way to being produced for the masses and are soft-launching with readers and reviewers and critics. The hope is that through these outlets, publishers, authors, and publicists can help the books they are championing to gain momentum and exposure with reviews and social media blasts.

I receive a lot of these books. A LOT. Nearly half of my monthly book haul is comprised of ARC novels, either by my own design due to the relationships I have with certain publishers and publicists that allow me to pick and choose what I’d like to read in advance, or when the powers-at-be reach out to me due to the reputation I have in the industry as someone who takes their reviewing very seriously. I try to give each book I read it’s proper due diligence. I research the author and their history with writing, their other books, and their fan base. I read the book and spend days allowing it to sink in while also allowing myself plenty of time for reflection. There are some books that I finish that I end up not really enjoying, and most of the time I feel bad about that because I know how hard authors and editors work. I want to like every book I read but that’s just not possible. But sometimes I get lucky and I don’t just like the book . . .

. . . I LOVE IT.

When Factor Man was initially sent to me, I cringed both inwardly and outwardly. Some titles get sent to me without my request in the sender’s hope that I will read and review at my discretion, and this was one of them. I value the time that publicists and publishers take when sending out an ARC; it’s time consuming and it also costs money, and so I really try to read as many of them as I can so that I can provide an accurate and honest review – for platforms like GoodReads and Instagram – in return. Readers around the world flock to these sorts of websites and apps in search of their next best read, and there are so many amazing novels that get lost in the endless amount of books listed. Reviews help an author more than almost anything else, so I really do my best to pay attention to the books sent my way.

Factor Man. The synopsis had a whole lot of math words in it and I was instantly turned off. I liked the graphics on the front, but the idea of reading a novel surrounded by the dense fog of math . . . could I do it? Would I even understand it? I’ll admit something I’m not exactly proud of – I have failed a lot of math classes. It took me three tries to get through remedial math in college. Three. I barely skated by that third time and it was 90% due to my teacher being a completely awesome person who met me at Panera Bread once a week to tutor me in her spare time and I completely dominated that class, asking questions about literally very single problem and studying every spare minute I had at home. I got a B in that class, and I earned that B. So yes, I count with my fingers. I can’t calculate sales prices with percentages. I can’t tally numbers without checking it 17 times. In short, I am a math dummy.

I tend to shy away from books that have computer-based plots or anything too science-y. The Martian? The single most boring book I have ever read, and it made me feel incredibly stupid when my husband raved about the math and the science involved. What are the odds that a creatively-minded-writer-and-lover-of-words would marry an engineer-nerd who builds BitCoin mines in his spare time? I have no idea, because I suck at math.

So not only did Factor Man rely heavily on math and science and computers for its plot, but it . . . no, that was enough to make me cringe. Cringe hard. And then load up on cold-brew coffee and double-fudge brownies before diving in.

Anyway, back to the actual novel. Factor Man is written by Matt Ginsberg. On the back of the book, next to a photo of an attractive older man is the first sentence of his bio – “Matt Ginsberg got a PhD in astrophysics from Oxford when he was 24.” Again, cringe. Not because the guy doesn’t sound cool, but because he sounds TOO cool – like ACTUALLY too cool for school. I began to assume that this novel would have gigantic words thrown in with a convoluted science plot, and probably some misogynistic tendencies (believe it or not, the latter is extremely prevalent in a lot of male-written work, especially when it’s tech or science-fiction based).

But alas, I was so very wrong.

The plot was instead, fast moving, engaging, and full of tiny and delicious morsels of carefully crafted humor plucked straight from a hot oven and served piping hot. The characters were relatable: the villain was wonderfully cruel and eerily confident (the only thing missing from this person was a delightfully high-pitched cackle), the journalist was a bit bumbling and adorably nerdy, and the math and science? It wasn’t a big deal at all. I got through it just fine. Ginsberg has a way of explaining mathematics and science that pulls the reader/listener in and keeps them rapt. It’s an art. It made me actually want to *gasp* learn more about math.

(did I really just say that?)

William Burkett is a journalist of the very basic variety. He writes political and statistical articles for a nondescript website that doesn’t get too much traction, but he’s a hard worker. He believes in what he writes and what he researches. Nothing gets by him without an immense supply of due diligence, and he is always eager for the next chapter in which he can submit to his call of journalistic integrity. Clark Kent has nothing on William Burkett, except perhaps a red cape and a phonebooth. And laser vision.

When Burkett is approached via email by a person who calls themselves Factor Man, he is intrigued. So-called Factor Man claims to have discovered a long-believed mythical slice of code commonly referred to as God’s Algorithm. This code is supposedly the answer to every question ever put forth; it can render each and every computer program completely perfect and devoid of bugs or quirks. It can solve any problem, any puzzle, any mathematical entanglement. It is essentially a cure for the modern world that we live in – an answer to lives that are so completely wrapped up in technology – from our mobile phones to our vehicles, to traffic lights and hospital equipment, God’s Algorithm can master them all and essentially, make the world a better place.

The owner of such technology can either be hailed a God or a Devil. There will be no more unbreakable codes, the possibility of anything being actually protected while this technology is in existence is next to nil. It’s a dangerous business, and Factor Man has reached out to Burkett to help chronicle his story and the progression of the program’s deliverance and also – to help garner Factor Man a bit of legitimacy.

First, Factor Man must prove himself to the public. He sets up a website where he claims he will factor any numbers sent in to the site (that fit the parameters he has set, of course). Factor Man will increase the bit of the numbers to be factored incrementally, beginning with 64-bit numbers and ending, in three years, with 255-bit numbers. It is his hope that in these few years, not only will the public come to understand that he is serious about the technology he claims to have, but also certain governments and companies that rely on privacy technology can find another way to protect their data.

When that time is up, an auction will take place, and at the end of that auction one bidder will be granted the license for the technology, allowing it to become their own exclusive code for one year. After that one year, the technology will additionally be provided to the government of the United States. And after that, it will be released to the general public – and Factor Man will identify himself (consequentially throwing a huge, ticket-only blow-out bash that he hopes Iron Man will attend). He promises that any attempt to hinder this process or alter the plan set forth will be met with dire consequences that will damage the perpetrator both domestically and publicly (and he means it; don’t cross this guy). And of course, William Burkett will be there for the ride of a lifetime, the sole journalist with direct access (of a sort) to the man everyone is talking about.

With great power, of course, come great responsibility. Through Factor Man’s point-of-view, readers will see that he has literally thought of everything; his family, his friends, his environment, his country. The best part about his character is his tangible humanity – there is literally zero ego with the man who has invented God’s Algorithm. He just wants to take his kids to Disney World.

The story pushes and pulls like the tide as readers follow along with Factor Man, the journalist Burkett, and a Chinese operative set upon a mission to eliminated Factor Man at any costs. Fast-paced and thrilling, the novel comes to a stunning crescendo at Factor Man’s coming out party, where all will be revealed and perhaps, all will be lost.

Factor Man is the first novel by Matt Ginsberg, a former Stanford professor and an expert in the field of artificial intelligence. A crossword aficionado and a published playwright, Ginsberg hit the ball out of the park with his literary debut. The writing was smooth and easy, engaging and whimsical. It felt like stepping into the workshop of Tony Stark or the laboratory of Ray Palmer and having a chair drawn up for you, with a glass of whiskey offered so you can sit and have a good visit.

I have to give the novel 5 out of 5 stars, which is something I don’t do *too* often. It was SO fun. I loved it and then immediately passed it on to my husband, who loved it as well. I recommend it to nearly everyone, going so low as ages 13+. The writing has such an easy flow that nearly anyone can follow along with ease, and the plot is devoid of any bad language or sexual exploits. It’s a great, clean thriller complete with one heck of a hero.

Now hear this: My mathematics skills are limited to basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - and even then, there's an even chance I won't get it right. Change the problem to apples vs. oranges or trains passing in the night, and well, you might as well be speaking ancient Greek. So it was with more than a little trepidation that I started this book, written by a guy with (gasp!) a Ph.D. in astrophysics.

Oh what the heck, I said, I sailed through Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" without sinking - how bad could this one be? As it turns out, not bad at all; in fact, it was so engrossing that I took my Kindle to bed to finish the last chapter and epilogue (for the record, something I never, ever do). The final verdict? Wow!

The very creative and clever story focuses on "Factor Man," who claims to have resolved the "number factoring" that's used to encrypt information on the Internet and what's called "God's algorithm." Making available these heretofore impossible solutions, it is believed, will allow those who know the code to solve virtually any problem known to humankind (as of 2017, when initial announcement of availability was made). The benefits for business and industry, the government and the future of the entire world may well lie in the applications made possible by this discovery simply because the implications and applications are unlimited - and, needless to say, highly coveted.

That is, if he's right. And if he is, the man who has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until "FMCOP" (Factor Man Coming Out Party) stands to become the wealthiest human on the planet. So first, he's got to convince key people that he can do what he says he can. Assuming the answer is yes, his intent is to sell the code to the highest bidder - with some very interesting exceptions - then give it to the U.S. government and, ultimately, to anyone who wants it, free of charge. Initially, he reveals his plan to "New York Times" reporter William Burkett, explaining that he will factor increasingly higher numbers as evidence that his claims are for real; at a certain point, the numbers will reach the level currently considered unfactorable by experts. Factor Man will accept submissions at his blog at his discretion (the names of those whose suggestions are accepted are in and of themselves pretty doggone cool).

But of course, there's many a slip between cup and lip. The Chinese, who have been prohibited from bidding, are, shall we say, not happy. The only good Factor Man, they decide, is a dead Factor Man. But there's that pesky "anonymous" thing; before they can eliminate him, they must identify him. Meanwhile in the United States, the FBI has become quite interested in identifying him as well; they don't want to kill him, of course, but once they learn the Chinese are after him, they pull out all the stops to ensure that they find him first.

Sp the chase is on; and holy camoly, what a chase it is! Please note that as a mostly retired journalist who is on the whole proud of her spelling ability, I regrettably admit to not being sure how to spell "camoly." I've found it written as "comoly" and "cannoli" (the latter as in the popular Italian dessert), but I'll go with Urbanthesaurus.org's version above. In any event, what struck me most about this book is that I can't imagine what kind of mind could conjure up such a clever, well-thought-out plot - especially one that involves a subject that under normal circumstances is like a foreign language to me. It was amazing, thrilling, educational and, in spots, downright chuckle-producing. But most important to me besides loving it, math-challenged me "got" it. Many thanks to the author, who provided a review copy to me (via NetGalley). I second what I said in the second paragraph above: Wow!

The person calling himself Factor Man reached out to only a handful of people, the first of which was the reporter William Burkett. He has "God's algorhythm," a program able to solve complex problems of any type and break down internet encryption keys. As this is being publicly done and there's a countdown to releasing the program to the world, the FBI tries to figure out who he is to protect him while Chinese agents try to kill him.

Matt Ginsberg is a brilliant man, having degrees in physics and astrophysics, and has done political commentary as well as computer programming. All of that experience really shows. Burkett, our entry into the world of mathematics and the encryption technology at the heart of this novel, knows nothing about any of this. Most of the readers won't, either. As a reporter, Burkett can easy reach out to experts able to break down the concepts into language that is more easily understood for the lay person (the reader in this case) and point out exactly why this program is as high stakes as it is. There are sprinklings of real world names and events, enough to tie the novel to our present and immediate future and keep it interesting.

The characters, even the nameless Factor Man, are all sympathetic and feel real. Janet Liu, the Chinese intelligence agent trying to track him down, even comes across fairly well. We understand everyone's emotions and can see the larger picture because of the shifting viewpoints. The tension builds because the reader knows what the characters don't, making the novel more of a technological/political thriller as it goes on. This is a really engrossing novel, and was a real pleasure to read.

It's been a long time since I last started reading a book in the early afternoon and finished it before bedtime. Talk about a page turner…

This is a novel for nerds! As nerds go, I guess I qualify. I'm not a computer scientist or programmer, but it did spend two decades as an IT support specialist. I might not know all the ins and outs of 128-bit encryption, but I was able to simply absorb quite a bit. Did you read THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO? That started out as a pretty dry recounting of what could have been the end of an economy journalist's career. Me? I read it and was ready to stop reading at less than 20 pages. Am I glad I didn't.

At the start, mention is made of a blog at 'factorman0.blogspot.com' which, of course, as a nerd myself, I had to verify. Yes, there is a pretty plain vanilla page at that web address. There are no posts, only a link to "About Me" with a Factorman link. Slick, but not too slick.

If you have ever heard the line "I don't read fiction," you will understand that overall it is a pretty ignorant thing to say. Although, fiction is, by definition, the product of someone's imagination, it is ludicrous to believe that imagination isn't fueled by fact. I read both fiction and non-fiction, and it is my experience that fiction often contains more clear-cut fact than any humanities textbook ever in use. Let's take history as an example. I know that I learned more American history from John Jakes eight-book series, The Kent Family Chronicles (the first book was called THE BASTARD), than I ever learned in school. Why do I say that? Simple. I absorbed and retained far more from the historical fiction than I ever did trying to memorize dates and their associated people and places. I always like to acknowledge research done by a fiction writer because it is that research that makes the story both plausible and interesting. A little research goes a long way on the road to suspending disbelief.

Spoiler alert (no, not about the book), I write my reviews while I am reading the book. Something hits me and I stop reading and write a line or two so I won't forget it. I'm almost 80% of my way through the book, and it is just un-put-downable. This is quite possibly the best book I've read, so far, this year. That is saying a lot since most of the books have been great in their own way.

FACTOR MAN is ultimately about the age old question, because I can, should I? Technology is a tool that can be exploited for both good and evil. This was the same issue faced by nuclear physicists working on the bomb or clean energy. This is the question cloning asks, should we, or shouldn't we. It is also one of the most finely crafted thrillers I have ever read. Have you read THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER? This is better! Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes? There is enough puzzle and mystery to confound even him. There is a sprinkling of humor throughout that helps to break up some of the worst tension. You know who is a master of that technique? Stephen King, that's who. I know that I'm putting Matt Ginsberg into that class of authors we call the greats on the basis of a single book, but I think his voice, which is truly his own voice, ranks up there with the best of the best.

I could continue to pile on superlatives, but I think you understand already that this is a must read book. It will open your eyes to the world of online commerce, and espionage, and to one man's dream of making the world a better place for everyone..

I couldn't put down.

Statistical journalist William Burkett becomes entangled with the mysterious figure Factor Man who claims to find the the the ultimate computer known as "God's Algorithm".Add in the U.S and Chinese governments who are rushing to stop Factor Man, the growing public fear and uncertainty and the four other individuals Factor Man asks for help and things get complicated.

I'll admit that I'm not mathematically or technologically minded but I had little trouble following the happens of this book.Told in alternating first person with Burkett as the main narrator this book reads as a nonfiction/memoir style book.The aforementioned math and technology elements are explained in though but easy to understand detail for those that are less mathematically minded.

I highly recommend this book for everyone including those who are usually drawn to Technothriller/suspense type books.This is a fully fleshed out and tightly woven story that is a joy to read.

this book was amazingly writen I loved it very much and highly recommend this book and author.

This book uses a very esoteric subject to present a thriller that includes investigative procedural, assassins, the dark side of human nature and a cast of interesting and likeable characters. Despite having an advanced degree in theoretical physics, I admit to not fully understanding the basic premise of the factorman formula. However that did not interfere with my ability to enjoy the book. It had continuing suspense and captured my interest throughout.

As a reviewer, I get more requests for reviews than I can accept. Occasionally a publisher/publicist will send me a physical copy, which I think is cool. When Factor Man showed up I was immediately drawn to the cover art. I couldn’t remember requesting this title so I looked it up on Goodreads. To my surprise, no one had it on their radar/to read list and I immediately added it to mine.
Factor Man has a great plot with equally great storytelling. It was interesting and completely engrossing, and I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked in to the math and science, and went full on nerd. Factor Man claims he can break the 256-bit encryption, say what! Ok, now you have my attention. He starts with a relatively small number, say 4 digits, and adds a number every few days until he reaches his goal of 256. The implications of this level of computer code would change everything. The discussion as to if this can be done, who is behind it, and how the hell he is going to pull it off is all suspenseful. Anyone who is a math or science nerd, or a computer geek, like myself, is going to enjoy this book.
The characters, of which there are many, are all very well created and fleshed out. I connected with and really enjoy our protagonist. Also, the many other characters surrounding Factor Man, were very well done and easy to connect with. For a book so deeply rooted in science and math it was a great read and thriller. Combine this with Factor Man being a debut novel for Matt Ginsberg, it makes it more impressive and it is now on my recommended read list.