Factor Man
by Matt Ginsberg
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Pub Date Mar 20 2018 | Archive Date May 04 2018
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Description
William Burkett is a statistics-savvy journalist, but he isn't qualified to judge the extraordinary claims in an anonymous email he receives from "Factor Man." Is FM a crackpot, or has he discovered what computer scientists call "God's algorithm?" As FM solves increasingly complex math problems in a public countdown to the day his identity will be revealed, the momentous consequences of his apparent invention draw the attention of a Chinese assassin. Will Factor Man survive until his coming out party, or will his technology die with him.
Advance Praise
“Factor Man gives us a hero for our times: a tech genius with common sense and a commitment to social responsibility. An original, smart thriller that stretches your imagination and keeps you engaged to the end.”
—Amy Rogers, author of Petroplague
“A classy and clever thriller best read with your phone off and your brain on.”
—Mark Blackaby, author of You’ll Never Be Here Again
“A real page-turner, thanks to the characters, plot twists and humor.”
—Brian Finn, ex-president Credit Suisse
“A fantastic job of taking us on a ride…deep-thinking heroes and villains of a type all too rare in the genre.”
—Bart Massey, Associate Professor of Computer Science,
Portland State University
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780999757116 |
| PRICE | $9.25 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
David S, Reviewer
As a reviewer, I get more requests for reviews than I can accept. Occasionally a publisher/publicist will send me a physical copy, which I think is cool. When Factor Man showed up I was immediately drawn to the cover art. I couldn’t remember requesting this title so I looked it up on Goodreads. To my surprise, no one had it on their radar/to read list and I immediately added it to mine.
Factor Man has a great plot with equally great storytelling. It was interesting and completely engrossing, and I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked in to the math and science, and went full on nerd. Factor Man claims he can break the 256-bit encryption, say what! Ok, now you have my attention. He starts with a relatively small number, say 4 digits, and adds a number every few days until he reaches his goal of 256. The implications of this level of computer code would change everything. The discussion as to if this can be done, who is behind it, and how the hell he is going to pull it off is all suspenseful. Anyone who is a math or science nerd, or a computer geek, like myself, is going to enjoy this book.
The characters, of which there are many, are all very well created and fleshed out. I connected with and really enjoy our protagonist. Also, the many other characters surrounding Factor Man, were very well done and easy to connect with. For a book so deeply rooted in science and math it was a great read and thriller. Combine this with Factor Man being a debut novel for Matt Ginsberg, it makes it more impressive and it is now on my recommended read list.
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