Clay Jannon, late web-master of the recently
defunct NewBagel Company, is pounding the streets of San Francisco in search of
new employment when he spots a sign in the window of a bookshop: “Help Wanted,
Late Shift, Specific Requirements, Good Benefits”.
Inside it is dark, cavernous with shelving
stacks disappearing into the gloom above and beyond. Behind the desk is an old
man, thin, grey but with sparkling blue eyes, Mr Penumbra himself. The
interview, conducted immediately, is short and unconventional and sees him
installed on the night shift (10 till 2).
Purchasers are few and far between, and
stocks for sale are limited to a few bookcases front of house; but there are a
select band of ‘members’ who borrow volumes from the ‘waybacklist’ housed on
those vertiginous shelves. Other than being punctual for his solo shift there
are two other golden requirements: he must not read any of the books, and he
must record all transactions in detail – including the customers’ physical
appearance and state of mind.
All very strange, but it pays the rent on a
flat-share, and with plenty of time on his hands overnight, he passes it
working on a couple of techie projects: a computerised 3D model of the
bookstore to enable ‘data visualisation’ and a small scale hyper-targeted
advertising application to snare any potential customer passing by. The latter,
completed first, lures in a young woman via her smartphone. She is unimpressed
with the bookstore but clocks the 3D model on his laptop and takes a
professional interest.
The relationship develops, both personally
(she is cute) and professionally (she is a Google programmer) and when they
apply cutting edge techniques and geeky networks to the mystery of the
waybacklist and its users, things get interesting. A secret society is
unearthed and powerful reactionary forces are unleashed.
But it is not too heavy or scary, more light
and frothy. Clay’s friends, joined in the enterprise, are bright, witty young
things showing a frighteningly comprehensive (real or fictional) knowledge of
IT and a belief that all problems are solvable. The older generation pitch in
with some OK - ‘old knowledge’ – wisdom, but this is a book that looks forward
not back.
It is written for the young but can still be
enjoyed by an oldie like me.
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