At the recommendation of Jorge Segarra (Blog | Twitter), I got the book Daemon. Well, I actually got that about a year ago as a gift – but it was on my list of books to read because Jorge recommended it.
I have finally finished reading it and will be starting Freedom very shortly. I am glad I bought Freedom prior to finishing Daemon since the ending leaves to many open story lines. I really hate to finish a book on a cliff hanger and then have to wait for the next book.
While reading the book, you sit there and wonder if your servers are patched. You also wonder if the network has been properly secured against intrusion. But in the end, you accept that it doesn’t matter how secure the network is because the most successful way to hack a network is via social engineering.
Reading the book from an IT perspective, you understand that much of it is plausible. You also find yourself slobbering over some of the tech that is described. I really want some of those security systems, at least two AutoM8s, and an omnipresence stereo system (for lack of a better term). A Razorback would be interesting to own too. 
I really enjoyed the book. There was plenty of talk of databases, data security, and data breaches. There was also a nice mix of espionage, treason, and mystery. The plot seems to continue to twist and turn – which kept me involved. At many points, you are also greeted with cold hard reality with some of the decisions that must be made and with regards to how politics work.
Go get this book and read it. I’m off to read Freedom now. I find myself expecting a myriad of possible conclusions while hoping for a better conclusion.
