Eric BarnesBesprekingen

If I want to track the decline of society, and some small areas that are attempting to stop it, I'll turn on the news.

Set aside nine hours for this compelling PG near-future dystopian elegy for the dying city of North End. I ended up reading WAY past my bedtime as I simply could not put the book down. I won a hardback copy in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my voluntary review.

3.5 stars
The best thing about this book, is that it shows real possibilities of what's going to happen in this country in the next 10-15 years.
The worst thing about this book, is that most people who read it will think it's exaggerated. They'll keep on eating animals, though that's one of the biggest drivers of climate change. They'll keep on consuming, getting the latest iPhone, etc., Just like the predator class wants them to.

On page 85 of the hard cover, there's a funny description of the Catholic religious service. I was brought up catholic, until my parents realized what a brainwashing they had had.
"They stand on cue, all of them, rising without being asked, nodding without being asked, crossing their fingers over their chest, again without being asked. They begin to kneel now, the room filled with a low and wooden Rumble as padded kneelers are unfolded from underneath each pew, the parishioners lowering themselves onto those padded planks. A minute later, the kneelers are tucked away again, once more discreetly positioned underneath each visitor to this church.
The people sit. They stand again. They repeat a phrase, the same phrase, an answer, a response, all of them, young and old, child and parent, they know these motions and these words by heart, it's as if they've known them since before they were ever born."

There are despicable characters in this book, but one of the admirable characters is a doctor, who escaped from somewhere in Mexico, with his wife, the daughter of an executed drug lord. They live in a refugee camp, snugged up against the border wall in the United states, one of the smallest ones with only 100,000 population.
The refugee camps are run by drug cartels. There are tunnels Dug underneath the border wall, and ending in tents in the refugee camps. Through these tunnels, human trafficking, drugs, and arms are run. Still, life is safer in these refugee camps than it is in many other places in this country.
"in the morning, he sees patients in the front room of their tent. They are lined up to see him. He has a nurse who works with him. She was a scrub nurse working on transplants at one of the University hospitals. She is much overqualified for the job. The colds people have. The pains and vague discomfort.
Most of the illnesses here are a function of the sadness people feel. The worry that they won't ever get out of this camp. The depression that this is all their journey will possibly achieve.
This is his worry too. So few visas are now issued. So many more people cross the border, most caught and sent directly to these camps. Fear of the refugees grows steadily. Anger toward them. Resentment and distrust, and for many people it is simple hatred.
His cousin made it out of his camp. Legally. He lives far west now, in a city there. He tells the doctor about the hatred. He is an architect working as a cab driver and weekend bus boy. Unable to get any other job despite the Visa and work permit he was granted many years ago. 'They don't like us,' the doctor's Cousin says when they speak by phone. 'They see us all in the same light. We've come here to take, they think. Take money. Take jobs. offer nothing. Give nothing. I tell people I designed office buildings. Hospitals. A library. A museum. They look at me and laugh.' "

Here is a description in the book, that is taken from real life in our real world of today:
"the soot and smoke of diesel oil rising from the massive ships that sail the oceans.
Flotillas of plastic bottles, drawn together, miles across, and there's no plan, no intent, no will to clean this up.
Drift nets 50 ft deep and 50 mi long, left to float with the current, ghosts now, that haunt the ocean, collecting millions of animals not intentionally, not to eat, but by accident, enTangled animals, all of them left to die."

The author's description of animal agriculture, one of the leading causes of environmental destruction, and destruction of humans and animals alike, in its breathtaking cruelty:
"pig shit, massive pools of it held in ponds carved out of the dirt, shit slowly seeping into lakes and streams and groundwater, shit-borne bacteria spreading from hog farms to spinach farm to reservoirs to city drinking water.
The rainbow-colored sheen of oily pesticides, collecting now in the drainage ditches at the end of Furrows plowed into the fields.
Cattle sometimes butchered while they still stand, staggering but alive, workers too callous or disinterested or just too numb to care that the maul no longer kills the animal they stand before. Instead, the blood of that creature, bits of live flesh and functioning organs, it all runs into drains on the concrete floor, washed down, bypassing filters long since disconnected, entering the sewers, is it alive still when it finds its way to the nearby river?"

Before I go, I have to mention the other despicable character in this book, the woman who helps her company make money off disasters in the world. she likes to have sex with children, and the author includes disgusting, triggering descriptions of it.

I have to wonder if the author is a vegan? People often lament the change in the world, as it is destroyed, and they'll buy reusable straws, ignoring one of the most important things an individual could do to make a difference.

The author's book which follows this prequel is called the city where we once lived. I have this book on my want to read list, but saw that this book is the prequel, so that's why I read it.

I was in the mood for something apocalyptic. The unnamed city has been ravaged by climate change and chemical pollution. Animals are gone, plants don't grow. The people who remain are stunned and surviving as best they can. The narrator, also unnamed, is a reporter and photographer for the now abbreviated city paper. He explores different parts of the city, documenting its decline and the impending disaster of weakened levees nearby. In this way, he attempts to push away memories of his own tragic past.
Barnes' writing is beautifully spare and the story is almost relentlessly dreary, as you would expect of a poisoned world. There are also hopeful moments when people help each other and muster whatever shreds of dignity they have left to build something better. I would have appreciated more details of everyday life for these people, but that would have entailed the narrator interacting much more with those around him and he is intentionally solitary. So a different point of view maybe? But I did like it.½

Haunting

I've read a lot of apocalypse books, beginning many years ago in junior high school with Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon. In the last ten years I've acquired a collection of them, over 200 at last count. Many of them are older books that I simply didn't know about until I began looking for books in the genre. More current books present a dilemma, in that there are so many of them, not just stand alone books but series of 3, 5 or more, there are entire sub-genres like zombie apocalypse or supernatural-tinged apocalypse that don't interest me at all, and the sheer numbers make it all but impossible to tell a good book from something someone is cranking out in their basement, In short, there's a lot of crap out there, and I've become very careful about what I pay for . There are good books being written now, but they can get lost amid the trash. I bought this book because a "prequel" to it, Above the Ether, was offered as a $2 bargain ebook. That book was very deliberately paced, had many different characters and points of view, and didn't surprise me until the end. I felt it was good enough to take a chance on this book, so I bought a hardcover, which is still my preference. This book contains some of the same elements as the prequel, such as the deliberate pace, a sense of hopelessness, and vivid descriptions of the broken environment, but it has a single narrator--he's a writer and he writes stories and takes pictures for a small newspaper that's printed in what's left of his city. He has a past that haunts and wounds him, and that is slowly revealed, but it's his routine as a "reporter" that leads him out of his own prison and the prison of the city. It's a very quiet book, though there are violent things that happen. I was two months into Coronavisus quarantine when I read it, and somewhat alarmed by parallels between my current life and the narrators. Mostly I found him very sympathetic, tragic, and ultimately, the key to what happens to the city toward the end of the book. I don't want to spoil it, though it's hinted at in the blurbs on the dust jacket. If I have a negative criticism it would be that parts of the resolution are a little too giddy and seem exaggerated and abrupt, but the epilogue settles everything down again. The writing is spare and elegant, almost dreamlike, as the narrator, who doesn't like to speak out loud and doesn't always know when he has, finds his voice again. I think this is one of the best apocalypse books I've read in many years. It doesn't lecture about environmental issues it simply describes what has happened. and why. Highly recommended.½

Depressing, as these books tend to be, made more so by the near-anonymity of the characters, and for awhile that's all there is. Stick with it to the end, you'll be glad you did. No miracles here, just humans being human. This is listed as a prequel to The City Where We Once Lived. which is next up on my list.

This novel starts of slowly and doesn't pick up pace. The setting was developed very nicely, showing how depressing, bland and pointless - presumably the reflection of the live of the people in the North End, and the main character (narrator) in particular. The prose is beautiful, but there is very little action in this novel and the plot is weak. The narrator is a writer/reporter and we get to read about his observations of the North End and his personal issues. These however, come across as irrelevant, even though they are the stuff of nightmares. The author's concepts of how climate change and industrial flight affect a particular area is interesting, but it fades into the background. I would have liked to have seen this idea explored a little more. There IS light at the end of this dystopian novel. The concept of the scavangers and how the people in the North End choose to live, as well as the gardener are all interesting ideas. What the community chooses to do to survive, instead of devolving into chaos, is also rather different from the usual dystopian stories. I just wish this book wasn't so bland and that the narrator had a bit more personality.

A powerful novel about urban abandoment , government that doesn't care, people who choose to live there , what lengths those people will do to protect their home and how they work together to revive their city.
Wonderful characters and descriptions of the environment.
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.

Above the Ether by Eric Barnes is a highly recommended prequel to his climate change science fiction novel The City Where We Once Lived.

The stories of six sets of vastly different characters are told in short vignettes set in the climate changed world Barnes first created in The City Where We Once Lived. The weather patterns are unpredictable and violent, while the ground is poisoned, and the government is unable to provide any assistance. This novel covers the changes before, that led to the world he created. None of his characters are given names, rather they are named by a description. We follow the stories of: a father and his two children fleeing a tsunami in the Gulf; an investor making money betting on disasters; a couple punishing themselves over their sons addictions, while wildfires rage around them; a doctor and his wife living in a refugee camp for immigrants; a young man with a violent past and present is working at a carnival; and the manager of a fast food chain in a city of fierce winds. The different characters and their stories converge on the city which is half abandoned and the setting for The City Where We Once Lived.

The writing and the stories are presented in a dream-like, fragmented manner in a harsh apocalyptic setting. This is one of those novels that you will either commit to finishing or you will set it aside. While the characters are going through turmoil and unbelievable hardships, Barnes seems to purposefully keep his characters set apart, at a distance from the readers, as if they are just another small group of diverse people suffering. The writing simply tells their story while holding the reader at a distance - until the end. It is left up to the reader to decide if they will care or not - or if they feel this reality he has created will mirror our own world. It is definitely bleak and almost hopeless, as there is a glimmer of people coming together and helping each other at the end.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Arcade Publishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/06/above-ether.html

Above the Ether takes place the day after tomorrow, or so it seems. An earthquake in the gulf at the same time as a hurricane creates an epic wave that devours the gulf coast. Never-ending fires render communities unlivable. Drought devastates farmland. Dandelions and mollusks and nature in general seems to have run amok. Eric Barnes describes a dystopic future that is only a tick of the clock from our present, a future where the climate catastrophe we have done little to avoid arrives. And yet, Barnes does not use the word climate once. This is not a polemic, this is a story.

Above the Ether follows six narratives, a father and his kids fleeing the gulf, a husband and wife seeking their runaway son, a callous investor checking out the potential for disaster dividends, refugees finally getting their release from a border detention facility, carnival workers working their route, and a restaurant manager just doing his job as best he can. These disparate people move by happenstance and necessity toward an unnamed city where they converge in a crisis, finding hope in the midst of despair.

Nothing and no one has a name. People are described solely by the roles. Every location is unnamed, leaving it to us to situate it in our own cultural geography. So why is it so compelling? Why did I read this in one sitting, skipping dinner and reading to the end? I think we value what we work for.

I remember being taught to put a notecard over the bottom third of the text while I was studying, covering the serifs that make reading easier. My professor explained that if I was forced to engage and infer while I was reading, I would remember what I studied better. He also said in the end, I would learn to read faster. He was right. There is this idea in pedagogy that instilling a “desirable difficulty” in the work makes it easier to remember. The concept of desirable difficulty might not be related to writing, but I think it captures the magic of Above the Ether.

It is as though Barnes took the writing advice of “show, don’t tell” to its ultimate expression. He won’t even tell us who is who and in some chapter fragments, it can be hard to tell. But that effort makes us more engaged. So much is unexplained, we must bring ourselves into the reading process. We cannot just sit back and read. We have to think while we read.

We care about these people because we have worked to know them and their situation. We understand the catastrophe because we had to integrate our own experience. Add to that, the prose that is as simple as a hymn and as musical. There is poetry on these pages as well as great understanding of humanity and compassion for the human condition.

Above the Ether is painful in many ways, especially since this dystopia seems inevitable given our desire to consume the inheritance of the next seven generations all in one. It feels grounded in the reality of likely outcomes and human potential.

Above the Ether will be released June 11th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/06/02/9781628729986/

‘’Sometimes, at night, I would light houses on fire. But noone particularly cared.’’

I thoroughly enjoy the power that Dystopian Fiction has acquired of late. The vast majority of the books under this category are exemplary and even the few duds have something to offer. I cannot help but firmly believe that when all else fades, books can show us the way and through the influence of quality Literature we’ll come to hear the tolling bells a little more clearly. However, there are times when a book like this one terrifies me. And the reason is simple. There are stories that are highly relevant to our times. If we subtract the speculative factor, we’ll discover that the situations described can apply to any society in humanitarian, financial or social crisis. This is when the implications become brutally honest and the thoughts terrifyingly alarming. This is Barnes’ The City Where We Once Lived.

‘’Nothing grows here’’, I finally say. ‘’Nothing grows at all.’’

The time and place of our story aren’t clear. In fact, they’re irrelevant. The future doesn’t seem distant at all, the setting could be anywhere. The USA, the UK, Russia, Germany, it doesn’t matter. We know that a devastating climate change is currently at large. The weather has become a murderer. Tornadoes and violent storms cause thousands of fatalities on a daily basis. Trees are scarce, the soil is sterile. Nature has started taking revenge for all the rapes inflicted on her by the human race. And a man lies at the centre of the story, trying to find a way either to change the inevitable or simply to survive.

‘’If you wanted to be a part of the world, why would you be here?’’

The land has been divided into the North and the South End. The North End is a ghost territory, a place forgotten, neglected, a corner that the state would prefer vanquished. The government, along with the majority of the population, have moved South and only two thousand people have chosen to remain. Our main character is a journalist without a name, struggling to retain some traits of the world he knew using pen, paper and an old camera. His story is one of tragedy and loss as he tries to fight on and survive. He discovers that newcomers have started inhabiting the once abandoned sectors and, gradually, refugees from the South End arrive and the narrator’s will for personal survival becomes a fight to keep the North End alive and safe.

‘’They should know what was done to people like us. And they should never forget that either.’’

Along with the journalist, we meet a gardener, a minister, scavengers and a mysterious young woman with her son. Her presence is a source of light and hope, a glimpse of a possible future. Each character does his best to exorcise the demons as more issues begin to threaten whatever stability they have formed in their present lives. The fear of civil unrest is tense. Security tests fill the ghost city with the nightmarish sound of the air raid sirens. The South End is plagued by mass hysteria and in the North End teenagers are turned into thugs.

The writing is exceptional and the questions Barnes poses are hard. What do we accept as ‘’normal’’? What are the limits and boundaries we are willing to surpass and break in order to survive? To what extent can we grow accustomed to a form of life that actually resembles a prison? How do we react when apathy culminates in violence fueled by injustice and discrimination? Barnes is undoubtedly talented. The narration is strangely beautiful, in a style that I find hard to describe accurately. While I was reading, I had the feeling of a world covered in mists, its veil momentarily lifted to reveal glimpses of a life that once was or to give way to a harrowing spree of desperation. You have to dig deep into the layers of this story. Don’t expect ‘’action’’ in the traditional sense of the word, you won't find it here.

Yet, hope still remains after all the pain and anger. It’s just that there are certain wounds that are impossible for anyone to heal….

‘’Maybe they can make a new life. A new self. A new world in which all is different. All is better. But I’m not sure.’’

Many thanks to Arcade Publishing and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes is a highly recommended look at a dying city that is part dystopian and part premonition.

Our unnamed narrator is living in the North End of an unnamed city during an unnamed time. Many years ago the North End was abandoned and left to decay, while the population and resources went to the South End. There is a small population in the North End, a few thousand, spread out across many miles. They think that something in the ground is killing them because there are no mice or rats or cats or dogs or roaches. All the trees and plants are dead too. Extreme weather hits both North and South, but help is provided only for the South. Levees are breaking and flooding is increasing. The death of things is spreading.

The small population stays in the North End, for reasons of their own, amid the decay. Our narrator is staying in the city to escape his past. He is the writer for the local paper, the only writer, and he photographs and records the indicators of the ensuing decline that will eventually mark the end of the North End. He burns down abandoned houses at night to alleviate his inner pain. The city commission doesn't care about what happens to them and most want to force them out of the North End. The water and electricity have been left on (although they are constantly threatened to be turned off by the commission), which allows the small population to stay there with a degree of comfort. They have set up a community, of sorts, with garbage collection and corner shops, and live there quietly. Scavengers clear remaining buildings of raw materials.

There is also an increase of strangers coming to the North End. Some are simply trying to hide or escape the South and want to live quiet anonymous lives, but some are feckless teenagers, looking for trouble and violence. Soon, as it becomes clear that the people living in the North End must respond in some way to the strangers. The questions are: What is a community? What is your capacity for violence? What is your capacity for compassion? What is the right response?

The City Where We Once Lived is extremely well written and Barnes keeps the same heavy tone throughout the novel. It is a slow moving, relentlessly desolate, bleak novel that offers little impetus to keep following our unnamed narrator who seems captive to a existence full of depression and despondency. The second half of the book is better than the first, but the first sets the dreary, hopeless, aimless tone to the novel and captures the idea of living in a decaying no-man's-land with other unnamed survivors in a loosely organized community of sorts. The second half, although still much in keeping with the tone of the first part, does have a bit more plot to it and continues to reach a conclusion that offers a slight, meager sliver of something close to hope. It also gives us some insight into our unnamed narrator and why he felt the need to distance himself from society. (This was a hard one for me to rate. perhaps a 4.5 but...)

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Arcade Publishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/03/the-city-where-we-once-lived.html½

I received this book through a GoodReads giveaway. Thanks so much to those that made it possible.

This book absolutely floored me. The writing style is totally fresh, not only with the way the chapters were divided but in the storytelling as well. The characters in this novel felt painfully real resonated with me in an unprecedented way. The closest comparison I can draw is to Harmony Korine's films like Julien Donkey-Boy and Gummo. Although not a perfect connnexion, those films and this book offer you a disparate reality that somehow feels just as real, or more so, than your own.

As others have mentioned, the title of the book is somewhat ironical in juxtaposition with the events that transpire over the course of it. However, it is easy to find the beauty that exists not only in Barnes' prose but also in the intricacy and fragility of the characters in the story.

This is insanely powerful and ranks high among the bildungsromane that I've read.

I got up to page 52 of this book before I reached my "can't take this any longer" threshold, so I'm unable to reflect upon the storyline, but am more than happy to elaborate upon my DNF (did not finish) reasons below:

Something Pretty, Something Beautiful carefully details and juxtaposes the dark, wild antics of one group of friends's teenage years with the responsibility that comes with the adult world. Centered around the leader, Will Wilson, and the consequences that ripple out from childhood decisions, this book is descriptive but ambiguous, and reads like an extended vignette.

Stylistically, a novel-length vignette may sound attractive, but in this book, it's my biggest point of criticism. Eric Barnes tries terribly hard to sound poetic, but his sentence structure and word choices are off-key, and the pace of the storytelling is too sluggishly set. It took a lot of effort me to get just to page 52 (about one-fifths through) because I would find myself rereading certain sentences to try and process them.

The comprehensive effect is even worse; the awkward, choppy sentences paired with slow-moving scenes just make the book unreadable. What little I got out of the characters, I didn't like because they weren't very humanly portrayed—too flat, too uncertain—and the story was near impossible to follow because the mechanics of the writing just didn't keep my attention. The narrative and plot are constantly unclear, making it a confusing effort for me, which is why I eventually had to put it down.

Pros: Attractive cover and title

Cons: Even the synopsis is so incredibly vague that I don't know what the story is supposed to be about...?? // Writing style is superfluous and choppy // Poorly structured; setting, time, and perspective are never specified // Characters, or the narrator, for that matter, are superficially portrayed and hard to relate to // I couldn't even get through half of the book

Verdict: With ambitious attempts to be stylish in prose, but ending up more stylized and long-winded than anything, Something Pretty, Something Beautiful is a difficult, plodding novel I simply couldn't get into. It's pretty rare for me not to be able to finish a book, but the poor composition and uncertain storyline were too disorienting and floaty for me, and not in a good way (this is no Gabriel García Márquez, mind you). I tried hard to like Eric Barnes's sophomore novel because of its weighty, sinister undertone, but unfortunately gave up after 52 pages.

Rating: 1 out of 10 hearts (1 star): Could not finish and have nothing positive to say; use this book to see if your pens still have ink, and keep it far, far away from me.

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, OutPost19 and TLC!).

This is a gritty coming of age book, that pulls no punches with the content. My main problem with this book is that it changes the point of view with each chapter. You travel back and forth in time constenley. I think the book would be better served if the story were told in order. It took me awhile to get into the story, but I am glad I finished the book. The second half does flow better and I did enjoy the ending.

In Tacoma, a circle of friends finds their leader in Will Wilson. Together, they drink, they get high, they take girls to the woods-but Will Wilson keeps pushing toward darker extremes. As the descent gets steeper, there is a way out: another friend's fishing boat off the coast of Alaska. There is life after Tacoma. But the choice has to be made, and some friendships feel more than inevitable. SOMETHING PRETTY, SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL is the new novel from Eric Barnes, author of SHIMMER.

From The Book Wheel:

Thanks to TLC Book Tours I have stumbled upon another book that I enjoyed but wouldn’t have picked up on my own. Perhaps “enjoyed” isn’t the right word, though. Something Pretty Something Beautiful by Eric Barnes is not a fun and happy story and, to be honest, I had a hard time getting into it. The structure of the book is such that it was difficult to know what “time period” I was in, but once I figured out the basic plot it was much easier to follow.

Spanning several years, the book follows Brian Porter, a blue-collar kid from Tacoma. As is common with teenagers, Brian befriends a group of boys that drink, smoke, and get into trouble. Their ringleader, Will Wilson, is one of those kids that you know is trouble but can’t resist his magnetic pull.


Somewhat balancing out Will, however, is Kyle. One of Brian’s childhood best friends, Kyle exerts a more positive influence, but much like the cartoon devil and angel pulling you in different directions, Brian is caught between two versions of himself.

Something Pretty Something Beautiful delves below the surface of everyday life and into the minds and actions of teenage boys in a working class neighborhood where every family has their demons. A fascinatingly dark read, the author did a great job creating a three-dimensional world that I was transported to.

For the full review, click here.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a suspense-filled read that keeps you wondering what is going to happen to these people until the end. I have known people that have been involved in Ponzi schemes (both as the swindled and possibly the swindler), so I found the whole book seemed a bit melancholy. I was constantly wondering how this big secret that the CEO has is going to destroy the lives of the characters in the book. I also felt sympathy for the 'swindler' who doesn't seem to be the arrogant greedy bastard you expect him to be. LOL[return]I would agree with some of the other reviews that you can either take this book as a great fast read, or dive into the characters deeper.[return]I will definitely be picking this one up again for a reread at some point!

An interesting story about being sucked into the vortex of a startup tech company built atop a foundation of lies, Shimmer is written in an expansive style which is sometimes difficult to follow, yet it certainly engages you.

Though implausible -- at times the technology involved is treated as if it were magic -- the strong suit of Shimmer is its characters, who are drawn believably (if sparely).

In a different book, the protagonist might be cast as a white collar criminal, yet here Barnes renders him in a sympathetic light.

The pressure builds throughout the book, and while the ending feels a tiny bit Hollywood, I'd certainly read another Eric Barnes novel.

Good stuff from a real writer.

I confess that I covertly read this on my phone when I was supposed to be paying attention. It is also the first book I've read on a phone.

Shimmer has reasonably smooth writing and the plot progresses at a good pace. The tone is pleasant despite the protagonist's stress. It is essentially a black box novel in which the box is never opened for the reader; instead, a certain amount of deus ex machina resolves the conflict.

I loved this book - it was a page turner from the start! It was hard to decide whether or not Robbie Case was the bad guy or a victim of a run-away train and I still don't know.
The story is told by alternating between the 3rd & 1st person of Robbie - it took a few tries to get the feel for changes but I think that it added to the attachment that you get for this guy. The plot was well thought out and developed (I'm not a techie, but managed to follow the gist of the business that Robbie was juggling) but the driving force of the novel are the characters. They are all integral to his being able to keep all of his proverbial balls in the air and their dedication to Robbie - more than his company - is interesting and I only wish that I could have learned more about them.
I'm definitely looking forward to Eric's next book!!

Once I started this book, I couldn't stop. It was fast-paced, plausible, and suspenseful. The only thing that bothered me a bit with this one were some slight technical inaccuracies that, while they didn't interfere with the story, will likely be picked up by a computer geeky audience.

I would definitely pick up another book by this author to read his work again!

I must admit that I am still a bit unsure of Shimmer. It seems to be mostly a story about con artists, the details of their scheme and how it went from rags to riches and back to rags again. It's an interesting story but I had a hard time staying with it to the end. I'm glad I did but I am still a bit confused.
The main character, Robbie Case, seems to be a man with good intentions gone bad. (typical, huh?) Shimmer is the story of his fall both career wise and mentally. It's actually an interesting look at a Ponzi scheme and is incentive to stay as far away from one as possible.
I believe this to be quite a good book, well written and interesting. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

This book really gains a lot from its timeliness--but I'm not sure of what other value it has beyond the nuanced and interesting look it provides at the world of the ponzi scheme. I'll admit the characters are well drawn, the prose very readable (if too typically newspaper like for me...probably a consequence of Eric Barnes' career as a newspaperman), and the plot quickly set up and quickly interesting. If you want a good beach read for dwindling beach season, or are interested in thole ponzi-world, I'd suggest it. You won't be disappointed, at any rate. If you're someone like me who prefers a different sort of fiction--the more philosophical or contemplative, more stylistic--a page turner's not going to suffice. I fall into the latter category, which is not to impinge on the book at all, but rather to say that it's not quite my [insert cliche here].½

Shimmer
Author: Eric Barnes
ISBN: 978-1-932961-67-6, Pages: 288, $25.95, Publication Date: June 30, 2009, Hardcover, Fiction, Published by Unbridled Books Denver, Colorado

Eric Barnes has a smash debut novel hitting upon a subject that is clearly newsworthy. Shimmer is based upon one of the oldest money-making plots known as “The Ponzi Scheme.” Barnes was formerly a COO of his own “big business” and he envisioned this devious method as being able to happen again.

Barnes has written a riveting story of the ‘rich and famous’ and a high-tech computer hardware company which has gained twenty-billion dollars in three years. Thirty-five- year-old Robbie Case is CEO of Core Communications in New York City and plans to walk away with millions while willing to let his five thousand employees lose everything. He lives with a dreadful secret based upon lies and fraud. He wonders daily how he will sustain his company. Robbie works night and day! He sleeps in his office to make sure his employees never find out the truth by gaining access to his secret maneuvers. While living on the edge everyday, Robbie and his arrogant cousin Trevor, both recognize the company will collapse one day soon, “All will go dead, they just don’t know when.”
Robbie creates a “shadow network” called Shimmer which no one but him can log onto. No one but him can even touch Shimmer. This machine keeps Core Communications alive. Most interesting is the company has a fascinating SWAT team which is always watching. While Case stays up all night to find ways to dodge them, SWAT relentlessly checks, reviews, and investigates Core, as these members are vested millionaires who share an interest in the corporation.

This novel has a cast of unforgettable characters who keep you engrossed from the beginning with their antics. They are young, bright, hard-working individuals who look to Robbie’s vision and leadership, but cannot understand how the company works.
Confusion abounds in Core when financial wizards begin to question the “numbers”. There is something wrong with the numbers which is always baffling.
Although this may be a fictional book, it is familiar in light of the Bernie Madoff scandal and shows intentional bilking of investors. This should be a warning to all people; be vigilant where you place your money and never take someone else’s word.

Be prepared - you will not leave this corporate thriller idle; it is a shocking look at evil-doing and will keep you intrigued at every page. Shimmer would make a compelling movie. Movie stars may rush to play the roles as depicted by Barnes! This book is highly recommended.