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. 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 na've 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.
