Roland
Hughes’s Preface in his book “Infinite Exposure” begins with “This
book is a work of fiction. It uses many historical events, news
articles, and company names to build a time line necessary for
projection forward. Without using many of these actual names and
quotes,
it would be difficult to build the sense of realism that gives
credibility to the outcome. There is no slander or malice
intended. Indeed this
book is intended to be a wakeup call for both an industry and a
country.” (p.7) Reading through the book, I found Hughes’s writing
to
indeed be very close to reality. The occurrences in the book mimic
existing situations in the world and the resulting consequences
are not
desirable by any means.
The basic premise of Hughes’s book is how developing data centers
and sending IT jobs overseas is detrimental to the future of the
world. The result of this cost-cutting measure is the biggest
al-Qaeda attack in history, and nuclear war. As anyone who has
ever called
for technical support on a computer or other product knows,
overseas centers are a current and prevalent fact of life. I could
go on for
pages and pages about what I think about overseas support centers
but this is not the place for that. However, Hughes’s fictional
account of what the resulting effects of this money-saving action
could be is a frighteningly realistic possibility.
On the title page it is stated that, “The book is meant to be a
warning of what very well may happen if policies, laws, and
business
directions are not changed quickly.” I think that this book would
be a relevant read to anyone who has ever pondered what the
effects of
sending jobs offshore may be and to those that have fears about
the future of the world. Hughes does a great job of presenting a
detailed account of just how everything may unfortunately play
out. The writing is interesting and will definitely get the
reader’s attention
and open their eyes to changes that need to be made. For those
that are up-to-date on current events, the scenarios presented in
the
book will hit all too close to home. Hopefully the events that
occur in the fictional “Infinite Exposure” will not become a
reality in the not-
too-distant future.
Brown
Levine
Independent Professional Book Reviewers
Posted April 30, 2009, 12:57 PM EST: In Infinite Exposure,
author Roland Hughes portrays the global activities of a variety
of less than savory groups. These activities culminate in a
perfect storm of terror against the world banking system.
Combining historical facts and philosophical theory, this work
of fiction offers frightening scenarios for the future of the
global community. The story opens with the capture of Nedim, an
al-Qaeda operative who becomes a valuable asset to a group whose
mission is to collect members of the terrorist group. Nedim
believes himself to be a "good Muslim" even though he does not
buy completely into all of the tenets of his religion (e.g.
martyrdom or the seven virgins promise). This character lays the
groundwork for a story that has a number of interconnected plots
played out by an ensemble of personalities with complicated
personal and professional lives. While Nedim is adjusting to
life under surveillance, he secretly informs one of his al-Qaeda
cohorts, John, of his situation. Reacting quickly, John acquires
a new identity and relocates to India where he stumbles upon an
opportunity at an American bank's off-shore data center where
"roughly one-third of the world's money supply" would soon be
passing through the system. On another level of the multiple
sub-plots, human organs are being harvested and sold to the
wealthy and desperate on the black market. Hughes has done
extensive research in putting this book together. It is steeped
in history and political theory while also rife with unusual and
flawed characters who have familiar and often disheartening
traits. The author skillfully incorporates his research into the
book without overshadowing the plot. This is a long story, but
it commands the reader's attention and will appeal to history
and political buffs. It may also attract conspiracy theorists.
Infinite Exposure is an insightful and powerful look at
terrorism and the vulnerability of a post-911 world. I highly
recommend it.
You can imagine a suitcase exploding in the middle of Times
Square, slaughtering hundreds of tourists and commuters in its
wake. We have seen the aftermath of a suicide bomber who makes
a violent statement at a crowded marketplace in Baghdad. But,
how many of us have contemplated the possibility of a
terrorist plot that does not involve a single missile or IED?
In his compelling novel Infinite Exposure, Roland Hughes
challenges his readers to look at a world in which technology,
economics, and old-fashioned greed merge to spark the
Armageddon in a way that, although perhaps much different than
most of us have imagined, seems all too plausible.
At the heart of the plot in Infinite Exposure is the desire by
Kent Braxton, a business school graduate eager to move up the
management ranks of First Global Bank, to find some
cost-cutting measures for his company and therefore earn the
promotion and larger salary that he craves. His solution,
marketed to him by Big Four Consulting, is to consolidate all
of the bank’s data centers to one location in India. Now,
one-third of the world’s money supply will be traveling
through a place in which the workers receive little training
and are subject to minimal security checks, and where al Qaeda
can easily infiltrate. The consequences of this naïve and
ill-informed decision result in a run on money and resources
that is catastrophic.
Hughes lends substantial credibility to his work through the
ease with which he employs the language of computer systems
and data networks in his writing. As someone who admittedly is
not well-versed in these fields, I found my literary comfort
level stretched when reading the technical details in Infinite
Exposure. However, I also realized that I was reading the work
of someone who approached the dire situation he lays out in
his book with the expertise to know that the scenario is not
necessarily restricted to the world of fiction. While I may
not have understood every reference to backup media and
terminal emulators, I became convinced of the warning that
Hughes sends us in the pages of his novel.
Beyond detailing the technological manipulations that take
place on a global scale, Infinite Exposure puts forth
questions of ethics and international policy that should
result in its readers looking at the stories on the 24-hour
news networks from a different perspective. How is the drive
to relocate our businesses to offshore sites in order to
increase the profit margin opening the doors for terrorists to
infiltrate our financial systems? What happens when we allow
corporate greed to take precedence over sound and informed
decision-making? What are the consequences of partnering with
strange bedfellows, such as Nazis who want to harvest the
organs of captured terrorists, when a shared enemy is being
hunted?
As someone who always has been drawn to novels with a basis in
history or actual world events, I was naturally curious about
the premise put forth by Roland Hughes in Infinite Exposure.
It did not take long for his masterful writing and chilling
use of realistic scenarios and personalities to engage me
fully in the storyline. While not a book that you can curl up
in a chair and read in one Sunday afternoon sitting, Infinite
Exposure will drive you forward through each new chapter as
the simmering tension developed by Hughes slowly mounts with
sophisticated craftsmanship. I strongly encourage everyone to
read Infinite Exposure by Roland Hughes and then decide if our
collective fear over national security threat levels has
overlooked a more dangerous attack than any of us have
imagined.
