Subject: REVIEW: "Second Skin", Eric V. Lustbader

From: "Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor" <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 May 2000 21:42:22 -0400

Second Skin, Eric V. Lustbader
	  Copyright 2000 Robert M. Slade

It's been a while since I last reviewed one of Lustbader's books I'm not
sure why he has started to include technology in the mix, since he started
out with a fairly straight (you should pardon the expression)
sex-and-martial-arts-violence type of action thriller, and has now
imported a large fantasy element with the purported mystical roots behind
various eastern fighting schools.  I'm also surprised that Hollywood has
not yet discovered Lustbader and the Nicholas Linnear series: with the
addition of the computer stuff the later books now have a kind of "Bruce
Lee and Poltergeist meet The Matrix" feel.

The other reason that I am startled by the increasing centrality of
technology to the plots is that the author knows nothing about it at all.
The hero is supposed to: at one point he pulls an all-nighter to fix a
technical glitch that has eluded his large staff of computer wizards,
which doesn't say much for the wizards.  But, while the story turns on the
battle for CyberNet, the communications giant that is going to take over
Southeast Asia, Lustbader obviously has a serious misunderstanding of the
basics of networking.  The book, probably wisely, does not provide too
much detail, but what there is gives us plenty of ammunition.

Of seeming importance is the new "vid-byte" technology that allows for
video conferencing over the net and also over wireless links.  Now, of
course, a byte of video is just like any other byte, as the saying goes,
it's all just ones and zeroes.  Unless, of course, he is talking about
"vid-bites," being somehow analogous to sound-bites, but the limited
length thus implied doesn't seem to be congruent with the lengthy
conversations that take place.  In any case, the CDMA2000 standard appears
to be proposing short range speeds that are close to allowing full-feed
NTSC TV bandwidth, so the new "Kami" technology just isn't terribly
advanced.

CyberNet appears to be a version of the Internet, with mixed data, voice,
and video traffic but with higher bandwidth.  Of course, the Internet
protocols, and particularly the new IPv6, can be scaled to any amount of
bandwidth, so why a proprietary technology is needed is not too clear.
Nevertheless, the fact of the central "data" of this net, contained in
what is apparently one file, being stolen is vitally important.  Except
that it isn't.  Yes it is.  No it isn't.  The book can't make up its mind.
In any case, as many companies have found to their sorrow, proprietary
networking just does not seem to be able to compete with open standards.
After all, the purpose of a net is to allow communications, and if nobody
can connect to it, it isn't very useful.

This net also seems to be quite centralized.  While that works admirably
for Fedex, in this day and age it is a recipe for digital disaster.
Nevertheless, we have important plot elements relying on the interception
of communications which, in turn, would be dependent upon all packets
flowing through a central node.  We also have a system being sold to
businesses on the basis of privacy and confidentiality where nobody has
ever heard of encryption.  Oh, you have the central encryption algorithm?
Well, if you can crack it knowing only that, it isn't very good, is it?
But then, I suppose a proprietary algorithm would be more likely to
contain holes.  We also have a proposal to eavesdrop on everyone using a
multinational network from one central location.  This sounds more like
Usenet news than email.

Finally, direct from its smash hit in "White Ninja," Lustbader again
brings us the amazing, non-reproducing, operating without being invoked,
data-eating virus.

%A   Eric V. Lustbader
%C   1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY   10020
%D   1995
%G   0-671-70349-8
%I   Pocket Books
%O   212-373-8500 +1-212-698-7541 www.simonsays.com
%P   518 p.
%T   "Second Skin"

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