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The Circle

As the title says, I'm currently listening to Dave Egger's "The Circle," on audio CD. I might have more to say about this book when I finish it but at the moment I can absolutely see how it got a go-ahead for production as a movie. There is something smack dab in the middle of everything about this novel. A way-too-good-to-be-true company pressing for the end to privacy. The snappy "Social Network" dialogue. The futurist optimism about technology and social media. The dystopian terror of the same. Afghanistan, health care, Syria, and kayaking. 

 Okay that last part is more about what's going on in my life, but still...

 After a summer reading some really heavy speculative literature, the nicest thing about "The Circle" is how it echoes the themes of other books I've read recently without ever losing its sense of charm. The characters in this book feel very real, very familiar in this hyperkinetic, chatty style that probably took an enormous amount of craft to make feel so effortlessly casual.

 One more bit of praise. I'm loving how this book - for all of its bright colors and snappy banter - expresses dread for the future more effectively than nearly anything I've read so far this year.
***

 Chapter 23 is now available for my espionage thriller, "Agent Shield and Spaceman." We're back with Frankie, dealing with the aftermath of his decision to climb into the pit with some very unpleasant serpents. I hope you enjoy the chapter; feel free to comment either on the blog or in web fiction online, which is hosting this web fiction.
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