Net Impact

Exciting

After the prologue, you probably will not want to stop. Dramatic, compelling, informative, characterized the book for me, and I think that someone will surely make a movie out of it. When finished, be sure and read the afterward.

Randall Martin

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Realistic spy thriller for the modern age

Net Impact by Donald J. Bingle is not your dad's spy novel. This is a modern spy thriller about a realistic agent working for a shadow company, The Subsidiary, affiliated with several different sovereign nations. The details are crisp and main character is a fully drawn man with an exciting career in espionage, but a terrible life at home, as he rarely sees his wife and son, who are becoming more and more upset with his always gone lifestyle. His marriage is in serious trouble as he is sent on a mission to New Zealand to stop the transfer of unmanned drone plans and goes from there as our he uncovers the truth about a very diabolical plot apropos for our modern internet age.

The most fascinating thing about the novel is the inclusion of the fictional virtual world of Reality 2 Be, think Second Life, where a lot of secret and illegal activity happens-which is not fiction. I had no idea, but in the virtual worlds of the internet money is transferred, criminals conduct clandestine meetings, and rebels and terrorists get together right under the nose of the world governments who have no idea of how to monitor and police the virtual worlds. Sure, we've seen spies infiltrate the lairs of the bad guys, but I hadn't seen one infiltrate a virtual world before, and it was cool to see how the plot brought the virtual and real world together in a very fascinating twist.

The strength of the book is the accurate main character, who is so good at what he does, but not in a sort of silly James Bond way. This is more of a Jason Bourne crossed with that cool uncle of yours who was a lineman in football, then army ranger, and a cop before he became a private consultant. He's a realistic spy, who uses his keen intellect and pragmatic philosophy to get the job done-and he's known for causing mass destruction, but he gets the mission accomplished no matter what. Sure, there are a few gunfights, fires, computer hacking moments, and big explosions, but OMG, the ending is pretty amazing and I didn't see that one coming. I'm pretty certain no spy has ever used what this guy used to accomplish the mission at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as Bingle's other novels, Forced Conversion and Greensword. His short fiction has always entertained me as well, and I look forward to his next project.

Net Impact is a short, punchy, realistic spy thriller for the modern age, and once you read this, you'll never look at the internet the same way again.


Paul Genesse, author and editor

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Amazing Thriller Drawn from Virtual and Real Reality

The phrase "Can't put down this book" is overused, but that is what in fact happened, although it was my E-Reader I couldn't put down while author Don Bingle's Net Impact was on the screen. First, it is important to point out that Mr. Bingle, in crafting Net Impact, has used his noted black-belt-level expertise in the gaming world as well as factual research of well-known structures, such as Denver International Airport, to create a superlative blend of virtual reality and real reality, with separate story lines that come together seamlessly by the end of the novel. This research and expertise above all else demonstrate Mr. Bingle's respect for himself as a writer, as well as for the reader. The end result is a novel in which I found myself wanting to find out what happens next from chapter to chapter, and page to page. Main charzcter, Dick Thornby, goes beyond the cliche'd super spy. He's good at what he does, to be sure, but he has real world concerns and limits, with consequences, for not only himself but for his family. Good versus evil also lands in an interesting gray area and Thornby knows this, having to deal with some evil tasks he must pull off for the sake of the overall good. Driving this all is a story in which we care about the characters even in a plot-driven spy thriller, a plot that itself holds its share of twists and turns even as the action moves dynamically forward.

There is plenty of summer left, and Net Impact is a must-read for summer thriller reading lists. And it shouldn't be a stranger when cold weather arrives again too. Net Impact certainly ought to impress all those interested in Gaming as well as virtual world action. But for those who are steeped in neither, and I am steeped in neither, Net Impact will work for you as well, and fascinate you in just how well reality and virtual reality can combine together to create, as a bottom line, a story that you will care about along with the thrills.

As a final note, Mr. Bingle's acknowledgments section contains a nifty explanation of some of his research - so if you go snooping around Denver International Airport, please don't say Mr. Bingle didn't warn you!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Net Impact by Don Bingle is a fast-paced spy thriller with a gee

Net Impact by Don Bingle is a fast-paced spy thriller with a geeky twist. Dick Thornby is a spy for the Subsidiary, a secret multi-national agency whose mission is to stop worldwide threats to humanity. Dick's been with the Subsidiary for years, and as a result his marriage has crumbled, his son is a stranger, and he can destroy the Dunedin port without blinking an eye. When he stumbles upon a massive conspiracy that includes the Chinese government, an underground facility, and an online game called Reality 2 Be, he knows he has to be on top of his game to save everything he holds dear.

Net Impact is like the movies True Lies and Mission Impossible meets Ready Player One with a dash of Vince Flynn's books thrown in for seasoning. While it does start off a bit slow--we're given a lot of information at the beginning--once the action starts it rocks and rolls until the end. There's death, mayhem, humor, technology, gaming, and intrigue all rolled up into one satisfying read. If you're looking for something to keep you up late on Wednesday night, Bingle's book should do the trick.

I greatly enjoyed this action-packed thriller. Having been a U.S

I greatly enjoyed this action-packed thriller. Having been a U.S. Army paratrooper, police officer, and Federal law enforcement agent, I was impressed with the realism. Dick Thornby is the perfect protagonist, but written as a real person- not a movie version of a super spy. Action and plot twists were terrific. Overall writing was stellar. a timely subject with cyber crime being the latest rage among terrorists and criminals. Don Bingle has a real winner here. I want to see more of Dick Thornby.
Tom Weber

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