What. A. Ride. Peper’s Best Yet!
5 out of 5 stars
Unless 10 other truly unbelievably good books are written this year – Bandwidth will make my top books of 2018 without blinking an eye. I’m a fan of Peper’s work – but this is on another level. Sure, there are some of the same players (just a few callbacks to companies and places) but the world that Peper created is one I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Just like the first time I read Jurassic Park – I’ll never forget Isla Nublar (even without the movies) – Bandwidth is set in a world that you can tell Peper took some time to craft and get just right.
The story follows a lobbyist as he tries to figure out just where he belongs. An orphan raised by the system (orphanage after orphanage) he has something to prove to the world and wants to make a name for himself at his new firm where he was just named partner. But things are as they seem when he stumbles across room 412. He doesn’t know who did it or how they pulled it off – but he needs to figure it out. This launched Dag into a world that he couldn’t believe existed and will force him to challenge everything he holds dear.
Where to start – as I stated above – the world building in Bandwidth is top notch. It’s a perfect near-future world that felt chillingly real. I can’t even get into any of the details because it will take away from the way that Peper builds each place and each even up. From the issues around Southern California to the event that causes him to become orphaned – Peper paints a terrifyingly real future that felt more fact than fiction.
The feed and its use within Bandwidth is also something that I can tell that Peper spent some time figuring out. Its just one of those “of course that’s where it’ll go” moments – but the way it is written about makes it feel so realistic I found myself both glad it’s not here yet and missing it.
P.J. Ochlan does a perfect job narrating this and really getting into the Dag character. As Dag develops on the pages you can feel Ochlan’s version of him morph with him. It was truly a stellar performance by a great narrator. He really helped bring Peper’s words to life.
Without giving much more away – Bandwidth is Peper’s best work to date. Easily one of those novels I’ll have a hard time moving on from.
Book Description:
A rising star at a preeminent political lobbying firm, Dag Calhoun represents the world’s most powerful technology and energy executives. But when a close brush with death reveals that the influence he wields makes him a target, impossible cracks appear in his perfect, richly appointed life.
Like everyone else, Dag relies on his digital feed for everything – a feed that is as personal as it is pervasive, and may not be as private as it seems. As he struggles to make sense of the dark forces closing in on him, he discovers that activists are hijacking the feed to manipulate markets and governments. Going public would destroy everything he’s worked so hard to build, but it’s not just Dag’s life on the line—a shadow war is coming, one that will secure humanity’s future or doom the planet to climate catastrophe. Ultimately, Dag must decide the price he’s willing to pay to change the world.
Bandwidth by Eliot Peper
Narrator: P.J. Ochlan
Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
Series: The Analog Novels #1
Published by Brilliance Audio on May 1st 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Speculative Fiction, Technothriller
Pages: 266
Format: Audiobook
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Also by this author: Version 1.0 (Uncommon Stock #1), Power Play (Uncommon Stock #2), Exit Strategy (Uncommon Stock #3), Cumulus
Also in this series: Borderless, Breach
- No Rules of Engagement by Tracey Richardson (Narrated by Joana Garcia) - September 28, 2023
- Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan (Narrated Narrated by Lori Prince) - September 26, 2023
- New and Notable Audiobook Releases for the Week of September 23rd on Brian’s Book Blog - September 23, 2023
I’ve got this one to read soon.
After seeing this review I’m moving this series up to the top of my list!