Version Zero
- Downloads：2045
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-23 07:19:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：David Yoon
- ISBN：0593190351
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
April Engels
，
This is one of Yoon's finest！。 Version Zero is exciting， exhilarating， thrilling and perfectly crafted to make you think twice about the internet。 I love the way this book speaks to the social media generation and gives the reader the back view of what goes on behinds the scenes of giant tech companies that's out to make a quick buck based on the information we post， upload， and agree to online everyday。 Readers would thoroughly enjoy this fast past， whirlwind， thriller and above all how user fr This is one of Yoon's finest！。 Version Zero is exciting， exhilarating， thrilling and perfectly crafted to make you think twice about the internet。 I love the way this book speaks to the social media generation and gives the reader the back view of what goes on behinds the scenes of giant tech companies that's out to make a quick buck based on the information we post， upload， and agree to online everyday。 Readers would thoroughly enjoy this fast past， whirlwind， thriller and above all how user friendly it is to get lost in this book！！！ 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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A satiric dystopian sci-fi thriller？ Yep。 Max finds himself out on the street when he questions the ethics of what Wren， a sort of super-Facebook， plans to do with all the data its sucked out of its unsuspecting users across the globe。 So of course， he teams up with his friend Akiko and her boyfriend Shane to stop it by creating Version Zero， which is meant to return the world to the way it was before the internet。 Or so they hope。 They really didn't think this through， btw。 Then Pilot Markham， A satiric dystopian sci-fi thriller？ Yep。 Max finds himself out on the street when he questions the ethics of what Wren， a sort of super-Facebook， plans to do with all the data its sucked out of its unsuspecting users across the globe。 So of course， he teams up with his friend Akiko and her boyfriend Shane to stop it by creating Version Zero， which is meant to return the world to the way it was before the internet。 Or so they hope。 They really didn't think this through， btw。 Then Pilot Markham， a wealthy and strange man， joins in but he's got his own agenda （no spoilers）。 Max has been crushing on Akiko for years but that longing is a minor plot point in a novel that careens around into a race against the bad guys。 You， like me， might find yourself trying to pin down who is who in the real world -give up and take it as a warning call about how we've surrendered our privacy to big tech。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 An interesting and well written read。 。。。more
Joefel
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review coming soon！
Lee-ann
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Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review。 Wow， this book is pretty scary if you have any sort of technological device。 The Big 5 companies that are talked about in this book are very thinly veiled versions of tech companies that are used every day and the data mining project that is discussed I'm sure has been discussed in virtual board rooms。 How to get more user data， to get more clicks， to get a more complete idea of the person we are trying to sell to。 It's all about the b Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review。 Wow， this book is pretty scary if you have any sort of technological device。 The Big 5 companies that are talked about in this book are very thinly veiled versions of tech companies that are used every day and the data mining project that is discussed I'm sure has been discussed in virtual board rooms。 How to get more user data， to get more clicks， to get a more complete idea of the person we are trying to sell to。 It's all about the bottom line。 It's a very bleak book because it can be seen happening in a not so distant future。 I'm not certain this is entirely an adult book。 This has YA with adult appeal or adult with YA appeal， or even that blurred new adult classification possibility。 。。。more
Dedra ~ A Book Wanderer
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I was thrilled to be a winner of an e-galley for David Yoon’s latest adult debut， Version Zero。 I read his previous two young adult novels and adored them， so I didn’t really care what Version Zero was about。 However， I couldn’t help being drawn in by this timely Sci-Fi offering， intrigued by the premise but a little nervous about how close to reality it might venture。Version Zero has a somewhat slow build， but I was never bored。 I was interested in the characters， what role they would play in t I was thrilled to be a winner of an e-galley for David Yoon’s latest adult debut， Version Zero。 I read his previous two young adult novels and adored them， so I didn’t really care what Version Zero was about。 However， I couldn’t help being drawn in by this timely Sci-Fi offering， intrigued by the premise but a little nervous about how close to reality it might venture。Version Zero has a somewhat slow build， but I was never bored。 I was interested in the characters， what role they would play in the unfolding plot， and ultimately who would become the hero or the villain。The plot is not so very far from how reality feels right now—our dependence on social media， our addiction to likes， our FOMO or fear of missing out。 And if I hadn’t already deactivated my Facebook， this book might have pushed me past my hesitancy。 But while it felt close to reality， there was still enough of the feeling of fantasy to keep it from being too real。 If that makes sense… Plus， Yoon always infuses his novels with humor， which helps to make the stressful subjects more palatable。HOWEVER， I can’t help but fantasize that somewhere out there there’s a group of underground savvy techs trying to take down the big tech companies—or at least make them better。 Because while the products they promote aren’t necessarily bad， it’s the way they use our data that is。Anyway， back to the book。 Despite this one being promoted as an adult novel， it still very much read like a young adult novel to me。 The only difference was the age of the characters。 Several years out of college， they are working in Silicon Valley but have been friends since high school。The story may have built slowly， but I read the second half of the novel in one sitting， unable to put it down once the action started。 And wow， what an ending！ While there were some predictable moments， there were also action-packed surprises。 I can definitely see Version Zero getting adapted into a film with its setting in Silicon Valley， diverse cast， and topical storyline。 Yoon has firmly placed himself among the authors I consider to be refreshing and entertaining。 I’ll be excited to see what he does next！Thank you to G。 P。 Putnam’s Sons， Shelf Awareness， and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy。Check out my review at A Book Wanderer#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 （prompt #23 - A book with something broken on the cover） 。。。more
Carrie
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Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title。 Wow， this book completely eviscerated our culture and the ways we've sold ourselves to technology。 Though the companies and CEOs were fictionalized， it was easy to imagine the companies & technologies that inspired them in their place。 I loved the quirky writing style， and developed deep empathy for the main characters。 The ending was a bit outlandish， but I appreciate that the author didn't leave us hanging。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title。 Wow， this book completely eviscerated our culture and the ways we've sold ourselves to technology。 Though the companies and CEOs were fictionalized， it was easy to imagine the companies & technologies that inspired them in their place。 I loved the quirky writing style， and developed deep empathy for the main characters。 The ending was a bit outlandish， but I appreciate that the author didn't leave us hanging。 。。。more
Tony
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This really should have been really really good。 Instead， it is fine。 There are some great though experiments in there， but they fall flat。 There is this part at the end where Max worries that shutting off the internet will mean falling planes and crashing trains and dying people in hospitals， but then， he does it anyway。 This contradicts the discussion， which was really good， about what happens if an internet troll is outed AND the final “note to the world” where the main baddie is responsible This really should have been really really good。 Instead， it is fine。 There are some great though experiments in there， but they fall flat。 There is this part at the end where Max worries that shutting off the internet will mean falling planes and crashing trains and dying people in hospitals， but then， he does it anyway。 This contradicts the discussion， which was really good， about what happens if an internet troll is outed AND the final “note to the world” where the main baddie is responsible for killing six people。 Wait。 Wasn’t there a whole thing about planes and trains and hospitals？ What about all the places that were blown to smithereens？ Are we to thing NO people were there？ UG。 So many good ideas。 。。。more
minaal。reads
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What do you get when you inject Black Mirror with humour？ Answer: Verison Zero Version Zero begins when Max， our main protagonist， discovers some shady going ons at his social media company， Wren。 FYI Wren is in Version Zero what Facebook is in real life。 Because he is a good person， he begins to question things and we all know what happens when you begin to question the man at the top。 You get fired。With his two friends and a disenchanted tech guru， the team devise a plan that will shock the wo What do you get when you inject Black Mirror with humour？ Answer: Verison Zero Version Zero begins when Max， our main protagonist， discovers some shady going ons at his social media company， Wren。 FYI Wren is in Version Zero what Facebook is in real life。 Because he is a good person， he begins to question things and we all know what happens when you begin to question the man at the top。 You get fired。With his two friends and a disenchanted tech guru， the team devise a plan that will shock the world by stripping the internet to its basic form in order to get it back to its goodness。 However， things slowly start to unravel and disastrous consequences are very close by。I loved the premise of this book。 Someone trying to take down the digital world because it’s going too far？ Yes， please。 Sign me up。 All the time。 If you’re interested in: Consequences of the internet as it is today The internet gone wrong Black Mirror with humourA main character who comes from an immigrant background （hard working parents who have high hopes for their child）You’ll enjoy this one。 。。。more
Dawn
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There was a lot I enjoyed about "Version Zero" （most notably David Yoon's writing style）， but the plot and characters （too many to connect with any of them the way I wanted to） felt a little bit flat to me in places。 It's a great story， but I think it just wasn't for me。 My loss。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 There was a lot I enjoyed about "Version Zero" （most notably David Yoon's writing style）， but the plot and characters （too many to connect with any of them the way I wanted to） felt a little bit flat to me in places。 It's a great story， but I think it just wasn't for me。 My loss。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Sarah
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**review to come **
USOM
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（Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: use of the word "powow"Version Zero is a SF thriller that examines just what it will take to shock us。 Everyday users from a state of willful ignorance where we don't 'know' what rights we are signing away。 What starts out as an attempt to make us aware， quickly devolves into a means to break a system we may just be trapped within。 My favorite element of Version Zero has to be th （Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: use of the word "powow"Version Zero is a SF thriller that examines just what it will take to shock us。 Everyday users from a state of willful ignorance where we don't 'know' what rights we are signing away。 What starts out as an attempt to make us aware， quickly devolves into a means to break a system we may just be trapped within。 My favorite element of Version Zero has to be the ways Yoon makes us question our own app usage， our own social media。 It's easy to wonder if something like this happened， what would we do？With instances that feel inspired by real life， it made me wonder about the ways the internet can 'forget'。 To seemingly move beyond， with victims left alone and with no more 'shine' to their crimes。 Fast paced， Version Zero maintains a thrum of action。 But while there were interesting questions posed in Version Zero， events towards the ending pulled me away from the pacing of the story。 To the untrained eye， everything had seemed relatively reasonable - with degrees of alteration - but towards the end some events or conclusions seemed so far fetched that it soured my mood a bit。 。。。more
Chrys
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I really wish I could give this a higher rating， there was so much about it that I really loved - but unfortunately there were a few things that just didn't sit right with me。 The whole concept of bringing down the Internet， and more importantly the big businesses who take advantage of users， is something that we need to think more about。 We all accept all cookies， without really appreciating how much value the information we give up has。I didn't understand Pilot's usage of Mister and Miz， it fe I really wish I could give this a higher rating， there was so much about it that I really loved - but unfortunately there were a few things that just didn't sit right with me。 The whole concept of bringing down the Internet， and more importantly the big businesses who take advantage of users， is something that we need to think more about。 We all accept all cookies， without really appreciating how much value the information we give up has。I didn't understand Pilot's usage of Mister and Miz， it felt like there was a reason but it was never explained。 It was one of the many things that made me uncomfortable with him， which made the story less credible to me。 Also it felt very much like a teen novel even though it's supposedly for adults。Overall I would recommend it， but with a disclaimer。 。。。more
Karlito
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Uh。 So I definitely liked parts of the book。 Sometimes a lot。 The love triangle between the three main characters will strongly resonate with many nerdy boys who know what's it like to be in love with a smart， beautiful nerdy girl above their league。 I imagine this may be an overused trope in the modern YA or romance but since I don't read these genres I liked it。 It felt real and full of heart。 The descriptions of the high echelons of the tech world and the kind of conversations that are likely Uh。 So I definitely liked parts of the book。 Sometimes a lot。 The love triangle between the three main characters will strongly resonate with many nerdy boys who know what's it like to be in love with a smart， beautiful nerdy girl above their league。 I imagine this may be an overused trope in the modern YA or romance but since I don't read these genres I liked it。 It felt real and full of heart。 The descriptions of the high echelons of the tech world and the kind of conversations that are likely going on there were a blast。 It's always amusing to see the difference between the public faces of politicians， captains of the industry and other VIPs and their real personality - think House of Cards - and it's especially fun in this book。 As for the characters， one of the 2-star reviewers here rated them as "insufferable"。 I mean， they're not exactly on the level of Dickens or Austen but I liked them。 They're mostly archetypes， but fun and well rounded ones， plus Pilot Markham is pretty inscrutable and engaging throughout。 Now to the flaws。 Unfortunately Version Zero is quite political and not always in a subtle way。 In fact， most of it is VERY on the nose， complete with professorial explanations of what a "SJW" is， to name one。 I have no idea what's the author's social bubble of choice but I for one haven't heard anyone using that term unironically in many years now。 Also David Yoon is clearly a fan of a few popular narratives - unrestricted freedom of speech is bad， free markets are bad， politicians are industry puppets （but political regulation of the industry is a moral imperative？ Yeah， don't ask） - and he's not afraid to smack readers with them over and over again。 I imagine words like "nuance" and "shades of grey" are strictly banned in David Yoon's household。 Normally I'd say "I can't wait to see what this author is capable of in 10 years"。 But looking at his webpage he's not exactly a college student anymore。 Could've fooled me。 。。。more
Jessica Howard
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I struggled at first to figure out what was even happening in VERSION ZERO -- it's written in a very elliptical style。 It's my first David Yoon book。。。 maybe this is how he always writes？ Once I got a handle on his writing style （which was maybe *too* clever and parenthetical， but also poked fun at itself a bit， which I appreciate）; I thought it brought up some good questions about the internet / our devices / the privacy we willingly give away。Full review coming for Shelf Awareness。 I struggled at first to figure out what was even happening in VERSION ZERO -- it's written in a very elliptical style。 It's my first David Yoon book。。。 maybe this is how he always writes？ Once I got a handle on his writing style （which was maybe *too* clever and parenthetical， but also poked fun at itself a bit， which I appreciate）; I thought it brought up some good questions about the internet / our devices / the privacy we willingly give away。Full review coming for Shelf Awareness。 。。。more
Ben
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What do you do when social networks are taking over the world？ The dystopian ideas contained in Version Zero give some thought， but they are not family-friendly。Three Friends， Max， Akiko and Shane， are low-level workers at Wren， one of the most wide-spread of the main five social networks， networks that know all of the secrets of people， that offer them little in the way of protection， and when things go wrong， as they always do， will deny any responsibility。So， when Max discovers something abou What do you do when social networks are taking over the world？ The dystopian ideas contained in Version Zero give some thought， but they are not family-friendly。Three Friends， Max， Akiko and Shane， are low-level workers at Wren， one of the most wide-spread of the main five social networks， networks that know all of the secrets of people， that offer them little in the way of protection， and when things go wrong， as they always do， will deny any responsibility。So， when Max discovers something about Wren that is not in the terms and conditions of use， he sets up Version Zero， a ground-swell movement designed to return the world to a place before Social Networks， where people didn’t share their lives for fake likes， or know the intimate details of the lives of friends of friends。 As Max discovers， some people want things to remain as they are。However， their first forays into cyber-terrorism attract the attention of Pilot Markham， one of the five owners， who sees a rebellious plot that he can use to his advantage。 As their attempts， bankrolled by Markham， grow more and more daring， the gang realise that not everything is as it should be。 As first， their attempts gain momentum and support， they realise that not are their lives at risk， but so too are the lives of their families， particularly Max’s， although the millions that they are paid by Pilot Markham help to alleviate some of the problems。 One of the main plotlines in the novel is the death of Markham’s daughter， the victim of vicious online bullying， which no one stepped into control。 At the denouement of the book， where Markham organises a summit for the five leading Social network billionaires， the tone of the book changes， and the novel takes on a much darker tone。Although Max， Akiko and Shane escape to some form of life afterwards， their lives are altered， forever on the run， out of touch with the lives that they once had。 Although the social networks change and adapt， they still go on， the money men taking their cut from a deal that always seems to be unfairly weighted。 。。。more
Nannette Demmler
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ARC provided by Penguin Group via NetGalley for an honest reviewThis book and I got off to a bit of a rocky start， but once I was in and committed it ended up being absolutely brilliant。 I was so glad it worked out， because I really didn’t want to be disappointed by a book from this author。The rocky start was mostly due to the language， especially the slang， and somewhat the writing style。 It is a science fiction， and it took me a while to figure out that this was a slightly alternate world to t ARC provided by Penguin Group via NetGalley for an honest reviewThis book and I got off to a bit of a rocky start， but once I was in and committed it ended up being absolutely brilliant。 I was so glad it worked out， because I really didn’t want to be disappointed by a book from this author。The rocky start was mostly due to the language， especially the slang， and somewhat the writing style。 It is a science fiction， and it took me a while to figure out that this was a slightly alternate world to the one we currently live in。 There are lots of similarities， but there is slightly more advanced tech and the slang and dialogue is very different。 But once I had this all figured out， it really was a great look at how technology controls us and how that can be both good， but maybe mostly bad。I really liked our heroes。 Max is a not a perfect hero in any sense of the word， but once he realizes what is going on at his company， he knows that he must do something about it。 Most of the story is through his point of view， which was good。 It was hard to watch him being fired and then black balled from all tech companies just because he wanted his company to do the right thing。 Akido is also a very likable character。 She is extremely smart and is actually the one who does all of the hacking and coding， but Max is the one to make the overall plans。 They make a good team。 Akido’s boyfriend， Shane is more or less the moral support and a little bit of muscle。Pilot Markham was the reclusive tech baron that they end up teaming up with。 He was an interesting fellow。 Right from the start I didn’t totally trust him， which ended up being the right call。 He does do right for the team in the end though。 But I ended up not liking him for his methods， although he does have a sad backstory。Although the characters are well drawn and make you want to cheer for them， it is the story that really gets you in the end。 I loved how it started off as a sort of satire on the whole social media issue of collecting data and what they really do with it。 The story does a really nice job of summing up how there really is no such thing as privacy anymore。 But it also points out what people are willing to give up in order to keep their social media going。 You don’t want to miss out on anything right？I do have a couple of negatives on the whole book。 The ending， or basically the last third of the book， got a little bit weird and violent。 I sort of wasn’t expecting the story to go that way， and I’m not totally convinced that it should have。 I also got a bit tired of Max pining for Akido constantly。 There is an interesting twist on the love triangle here， in that Max is in love with his best friend who also happens to be his other best friend’s girlfriend。 As always the emotions and love issues are nicely done。This book is highly recommended and even though it is being marketed as an adult book， I think there is certainly going to be young adults who are also going to love it。 Especially if they are already fans of David Yoon’s other books。https://elnadesbookchat。com 。。。more
Elli （Kindig Blog）
，
Version Zero did not initially sell itself to me and I must admit I found the first 10 percent to be so bad that if I hadn’t been reading the book for NetGalley I would have put it down and never picked it back up again。 That said， I’m happy that I stuck with it as past the first 10 percent is a decent novel with a good deal to say on the dangers of how we use and are being used by the internet in modern day society。I think my main problem with the beginning of the book was that it involves a lo Version Zero did not initially sell itself to me and I must admit I found the first 10 percent to be so bad that if I hadn’t been reading the book for NetGalley I would have put it down and never picked it back up again。 That said， I’m happy that I stuck with it as past the first 10 percent is a decent novel with a good deal to say on the dangers of how we use and are being used by the internet in modern day society。I think my main problem with the beginning of the book was that it involves a lot of characters as we meet Max and his co-workers and bosses at Wren – a version of Facebook。 David Yoon seems to be very bad at describing people and so we get descriptions solely consisting of their race and job title， for example ‘Whiteman this’ or ‘Brown that’。 We are told multiple times， for example that Maurice is an African American security guard but nothing else about him。 This felt like a very lazy way of introducing characters and made me feel a bit uneasy。 There is also a point where a Latino character calls a white character the N word which I really think should be edited out prior to publication as it was completely unnecessary。 The lazy descriptions become a lot less problematic later in the book where there’s only 5 characters and they have been properly described and filled out。When I first started making notes as I read the book， I noted that it felt that Yoon was an older author who was attempting （and failing） to sound cool。 As someone in their 30s this felt really cringey even for me so I hate to think what a Gen Z would make of it！ There’s references to ‘Cool-boss Justin’ and sentences such as ‘he super much believed in that old tech cliché’ which was just painful to read。 Again， this began to balance out and was a lot better in the later stages of the book so perhaps the author needs to go back and make the two halves gel stylistically better together。There were also a few things that did not make sense and I feel that a good edit would have sorted these out。 ‘There was a low flissilating sound’ is said at one point – flissilating is not a word！ There’s also a few times where a character confusingly throws a fireball at the sea with his palms which I didn’t understand。I realise I haven’t perhaps sold the book very well but hiding within the bad writing is a good story。 Max， Akiko and Shane are really well described， and I felt like we really got to know them and their progression as characters as we went through the story。 I liked the jumps to discussion boards and news shows and this helped to keep the story fresh and well-paced。 A lot of the book relies heavily on very thinly veiled parallels to technology we have at the moment， however although some exposition is needed for fictional events， the book also explains concepts such as ‘hashtags’ and ‘emojis’ which felt very jarring and quite patronising。The book has a well-paced plot that really ramped up towards the end with a gory and action-packed climax。 I could see where events where going though and it did get a little predictable with the ‘shock’ reveal not having as hard an impact as it could have had。 There’s some really good points made by the author about how companies are using our data and how far they need to go before we snap and delete our accounts。Overall， Version Zero needs a much better edit to strengthen its beginning， but if you can keep going past the lazy writing， there’s a good story with an important point to be made。 Thank you to NetGalley & HQ stories for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for a （very） honest review。For more of my reviews check out www。kindig。co。uk 。。。more
MTPL Teens
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Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc！I really enjoyed Yoon's writing。 I think in another author's style the storyline could have gotten bogged down， but Yoon has a sparse sort of way of describing character emotions and setting descriptions that enable the reader to easily read between the lines to understand the larger （and there are many） concepts in the book。I got a little confused however， with this style of writing towards the end of the book， when the action really ramps up。 There are struggl Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc！I really enjoyed Yoon's writing。 I think in another author's style the storyline could have gotten bogged down， but Yoon has a sparse sort of way of describing character emotions and setting descriptions that enable the reader to easily read between the lines to understand the larger （and there are many） concepts in the book。I got a little confused however， with this style of writing towards the end of the book， when the action really ramps up。 There are struggles and fight scenes that are hard to picture， but overall I thought the ending wrapped up the way the story should have。 Not as one might want， （Brayden！！） but the way it should。 。。。more
Kelly Coffman
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3。5 ⭐️What are you willing to give away to stay connected on the internet？ Max， a tech guru was fired after he began questioning his company’s data information practices。 He and his friends， Akiko and Shane decide to “fix” the internet。 Pilot，a tech mogul with his own agenda offers to help Max and his friends with their plan。 I wanted to like this book， i really did。 The story was intriguing， the seedy and dark side of social media and data harvesting。 Maybe it’s my age， but the characters are a 3。5 ⭐️What are you willing to give away to stay connected on the internet？ Max， a tech guru was fired after he began questioning his company’s data information practices。 He and his friends， Akiko and Shane decide to “fix” the internet。 Pilot，a tech mogul with his own agenda offers to help Max and his friends with their plan。 I wanted to like this book， i really did。 The story was intriguing， the seedy and dark side of social media and data harvesting。 Maybe it’s my age， but the characters are annoying。 The writing was strong and well done， but the book began to seriously lag mid way through。 It picked backed up and ended well。 I do recommend this book， it just wasn’t a favorite for me。 。。。more
Maggie Lovitt
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David Yoon's Version Zero Fails to Impress （READ FULL REVIEW: https://yourmoneygeek。com/review-vers。。。）Have you ever read a book that so desperately wanted to be the next edgy thriller that everyone’s raving about， but it ended up feeling like that book you picked up at the airport on a layover because you forgot your phone charger and you needed something to do on the flight， but listening to screaming babies was better than reading it？ Unfortunately， Version Zero is that book， and because I do David Yoon's Version Zero Fails to Impress （READ FULL REVIEW: https://yourmoneygeek。com/review-vers。。。）Have you ever read a book that so desperately wanted to be the next edgy thriller that everyone’s raving about， but it ended up feeling like that book you picked up at the airport on a layover because you forgot your phone charger and you needed something to do on the flight， but listening to screaming babies was better than reading it？ Unfortunately， Version Zero is that book， and because I don’t believe in DNRs （did not read） I read through the whole depressingly unimpressive book。 Without a doubt， Version Zero will find an audience that will love every second of the journey， but I am certain that I am not that audience。 Yoon is highly regarded in the Young Adult sphere， but this book did not match the acclaim of his previous titles。 Which is disappointing because I was looking forward to diving into the “lightning fast and scorchingly observant” novel I was promised。 Most of the social media conscious and “observant” aspects of the novel are lost in the awkward syntax， insufferable characters， and the vague stereotypes that left me wondering how I was supposed to feel。 Some people may enjoy the abruptness of the storytelling， but I found it tedious at best and unbearable at its worst。 I， of course， have my own preferences when it comes to story structure and narrative styling — both of which were left untouched by Version Zero。 Some aspects of Version Zero did jive with me。 I enjoyed the formatting of internet conversations and found myself trying to click the links to quizzes that don’t actually exist。 These passages of the novel felt immersive and compelling but were easily overshadowed by the aspects that left me very tempted to break my self-imposed DNR vow。 I am curious to see what the widespread reaction is to the novel upon its release in May， as there were areas of the book that made me extremely uncomfortable to read and even more uncomfortable to address in this review。 The tech world is filled with racism and sexism and perhaps， part of the critique， is how normalized stereotypes are found in and accepted by society。 But for me， the book failed to convey its egregious stereotypes as critiques。 Version Zero is an amalgamation of The Circle， Black Mirror， and equal parts rage against the machine， without any of the memorable parts。 It leans heavily into the jaded Silicon Valley techie story， with hints of large social commentary about social media’s control on our lives， but it fails to move on the most interesting aspects of the story。 It’s set in a world that’s almost our own， but it’s littered with the worst parts of it。 I wanted to like David Yoon’s Version Zero， and I hope it finds the audience it deserves。 。。。more
Melysah Bunting
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Version Zero by David Yoon is a YA sci-fi thriller。 The big five social media companies are ruining， I mean， running the world。 In the Empty Age， all give their data freely to these social media companies。 These companies then use the data to exploit the masses。 Max has a plan， a few good friends， and one of the smartest and wealthiest guys in tech to help him take the internet down。 Can you take the internet down？Max works at Wren， which is like Facebook。 He was asked to work on a project on wa Version Zero by David Yoon is a YA sci-fi thriller。 The big five social media companies are ruining， I mean， running the world。 In the Empty Age， all give their data freely to these social media companies。 These companies then use the data to exploit the masses。 Max has a plan， a few good friends， and one of the smartest and wealthiest guys in tech to help him take the internet down。 Can you take the internet down？Max works at Wren， which is like Facebook。 He was asked to work on a project on ways to get more data from their users。 Max didn't feel comfortable with his newly assigned task。 That got Max thinking。 Pilot Markham， the once tech lord， has been in hiding for years。 He has a sketchy past but wants to make amends。 Pilot Markham learns of Max's task and wants to help。 Of course， Pilot has an agenda。 With the help of Max's best friends， Shane and Akiko， and Pilot's neighbor-friend， Brandon， the crew set out to take on the largest tech companies in the world。 There are hacks and a private conference in the mountains that isn't so private once it's live-streamed for the world to watch。 Chaos soon ensues as people start to delete their social media profiles and Pilot has a few tricks up his sleeve。。。 quite literally。 I am on the fence about this one。 I really liked the beginning of the book。 It read like a movie。 Towards the middle-end， it read more YA and I lost interest。 。。。more
David
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading Version Zero by David Yoon， courtesy of Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam。 For me， it was the perfect book at the perfect time - a timely， swiftly-paced， quick read with engaging characters and an intriguing （sadly， somewhat predictable） plot。Set in the near future， Max works at Wren， a very successful social media company， whose job is to create new and brilliant ways to trick users into giving up more （and more personal） data。 It is not something he is completely I thoroughly enjoyed reading Version Zero by David Yoon， courtesy of Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam。 For me， it was the perfect book at the perfect time - a timely， swiftly-paced， quick read with engaging characters and an intriguing （sadly， somewhat predictable） plot。Set in the near future， Max works at Wren， a very successful social media company， whose job is to create new and brilliant ways to trick users into giving up more （and more personal） data。 It is not something he is completely comfortable with， but it is a good job。 When Max discovers how the company plans on using the collected data from a new project he is working on， he is appalled， angered， and quits。Knowing he needs to do something about what he considers a betrayal of trust by the big social media companies， he gathers his hacker friends together and plans an online war to destroy them。 The stakes change when a reclusive billionaire and legendary computer wizard joins them。 Then。。。。 shhh。 Read the book for yourself。 I suspect you will enjoy every moment of it。 It will make a great HULU movie。 。。。more
Jessica Woodbury
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If THE CIRCLE was the internet novel that asked "What have we done？" then VERSION ZERO is the internet novel that asks， "How do we stop it？"The thing I enjoyed the most about this novel was that it kept on surprising me， especially when I thought I had it pinned down。 This is a particular pleasure of mine and I don't encounter it often。 （See also: THE HIKE by Drew Magary。） At first we start with a Silicon Valley satire， and then it seems like this is turning into a real hero's journey， there's a If THE CIRCLE was the internet novel that asked "What have we done？" then VERSION ZERO is the internet novel that asks， "How do we stop it？"The thing I enjoyed the most about this novel was that it kept on surprising me， especially when I thought I had it pinned down。 This is a particular pleasure of mine and I don't encounter it often。 （See also: THE HIKE by Drew Magary。） At first we start with a Silicon Valley satire， and then it seems like this is turning into a real hero's journey， there's also elements of a heist story， and the scrappy team of misfits。 Knowing that it's going to pivot is part of the fun。 （The book even tells you when it's doing it with its version-chapter structure。） The Big Bad is Big Tech but also the Bezos's and Zuckerberg's of the world （fictionalized here， of course） and also trolls and also maybe the entire internet。 Our protagonist， Max， starts out as a bit of an odd man out， son of undocumented Savadorean immigrants， who has risen through a Facebook-like company， Wren， through a combination of luck and skill to a relatively high position in Product。 But when he's brought into a new secret project， Max starts to question the ethics of it， and then the bigger questions of what Wren is for。 It's totally believable the way Max pivots from grateful and proud to be a part of Wren to hating everything it stands for， because all of us have the same ethical questions to deal with in nearly every decision we make。 When he decides to do something about it， that's when things get interesting。 Max is not a perfect hero， and he's not always exactly sure what it is that he wants to achieve， and that's exactly why this is such a great ride。 This book gets the world we live in， it gets the internet and the apps， and while sometimes it isn't the most subtle about it， the accuracy helps to make up for its occasional bluntness。 I particularly loved the way this book handled the now-familiar trope of the Smart Guy who is obsessed with/in love with the Smart Girl mashed up with the trope of the Guy Who's In Love With His Best Friend mashed up with the other trope of Guy Who's In Love With His Best Friend's Girlfriend。 All of these are things I've run into enough times to inwardly groan。 （See also: the biggest weakness of a book I otherwise love， ORYX AND CRAKE by Margaret Atwood。） At times I worried because otherwise the book was really interesting and I was worried this would sabotage it。 Happily it did not， even when it seems like it's about to。 I expect this kind of emotional intelligence from Yoon， whose YA novel FRANKLY IN LOVE is also really emotionally intelligent and about a young guy who doesn't always make smart decisions about girls。 Max is a little older and a little wiser， but not always。 It doesn't quite stick the landing 100% in this particular respect， but it was still a lot better than I expected going in。 It doesn't really stick the landing 100% in any respect， but when a book takes big swings the way this one does， I am willing to tolerate a not quite perfect finish。 And I suspect others will disagree and really love the ending， I just don't quite agree with the central premise it lands on so I'm not sure I was ever going to be totally behind it， but we agree to disagree and we're still friends。I devoured this in a day， and it was such a breath of fresh air to read a thriller that doesn't feel like any other thriller out there right now。 It would make a great movie， too。 （FYI it does get violent， and it includes depictions of slurs and other troll behavior。） 。。。more
Nancy L
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Max is a computer geek who goes to his boss after finding out that the Silicon Valley company he works for has a secret plan to sell private data to our government and others。 He is subsequently fired。 He then goes on a quest along with a couple of his childhood friends to inform people about the ways of the big internet companies。The group calls themselves Version Zero and are soon befriended by an internet tycoon who has spent the past three years as a recluse。 As their plans to right the wron Max is a computer geek who goes to his boss after finding out that the Silicon Valley company he works for has a secret plan to sell private data to our government and others。 He is subsequently fired。 He then goes on a quest along with a couple of his childhood friends to inform people about the ways of the big internet companies。The group calls themselves Version Zero and are soon befriended by an internet tycoon who has spent the past three years as a recluse。 As their plans to right the wrongs of the internet progress we learn more about Pilot and why he has been secluded for the past three years。 The abuses of the internet by the owners of apps and the users are unfortunately spot on。 It is creepy and scary what goes on in the name of progress but do we really want to go back to Version Zero and have no internet？ The book definitely makes you think about what you are willing to give up to have the internet the way we do and the control we give to the few who have the most control。 It is a good read， sometimes a little predictable but the end of the book took turns that I was not expecting， and in a violent way。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for honest review。 。。。more
Hillary
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Erudite and compelling， scathing and electric - plus I'm a sucker for a shiny cover。 Erudite and compelling， scathing and electric - plus I'm a sucker for a shiny cover。 。。。more
Susie
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So， from 9% straight through to the end。 I’d say I dug it！ And goddamn！ Did it throw a WTactualF right in the end？！？ Hell yes it did。 So， I went in thinking of the David Yoon who wrote Frankly in Love。 And what I got was， like， SO。 NOT。 THAT。 But I loved it。 The tech world is not something with which I have much familiarity， but I feel like a bit of a vet in the industry from having experienced this read！ There was just so much to get outta this story， too。 The surprise of Brayden， the sociopath So， from 9% straight through to the end。 I’d say I dug it！ And goddamn！ Did it throw a WTactualF right in the end？！？ Hell yes it did。 So， I went in thinking of the David Yoon who wrote Frankly in Love。 And what I got was， like， SO。 NOT。 THAT。 But I loved it。 The tech world is not something with which I have much familiarity， but I feel like a bit of a vet in the industry from having experienced this read！ There was just so much to get outta this story， too。 The surprise of Brayden， the sociopathy of some characters， the relationships between Max and Akiko， between Shane and Akiko， and between Max and Shane， probably best of all。 Oh。 And the tragedy of Pilot。 Wow。 What a book。 What a ride。 What a concept。 Damn。 Good shit， right here， as Shane would say。 💜💜💜💜💜📚 。。。more
Margaret Schoen
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This is a review of an ARC from Edelweiss。Max works at Wren， a social media company that's basically Facebook， coming up with new and brilliant ways to trick users into giving up more data。 When he learns that some of what Wren plans to do with that data is more nefarious than he thought， he rebels， teaming his best friend， coder and fellow Wren employee Akiko， and her boyfriend， pool cleaner Shane。 When the trio hooks up with reclusive tech billionaire Pilot Markham， things get more intense， an This is a review of an ARC from Edelweiss。Max works at Wren， a social media company that's basically Facebook， coming up with new and brilliant ways to trick users into giving up more data。 When he learns that some of what Wren plans to do with that data is more nefarious than he thought， he rebels， teaming his best friend， coder and fellow Wren employee Akiko， and her boyfriend， pool cleaner Shane。 When the trio hooks up with reclusive tech billionaire Pilot Markham， things get more intense， and more dangerous， very quickly。This basically seemed like a mashup of The Circle （though much less pedantic and more tightly written） and Die Hard 4 - especially the last third of the book， which takes a dramatic turn towards violence and mayhem。 Enjoyable and fast-paced， but nothing really new here。 Yoon does a nice job with creating a world not 100% like ours， and making that clear with slang and language quirks。 But plot turns were obvious chapters away， and the interpersonal conflict he brings by creating a love triangle didn't mesh well with the rest of the book， tonally。 。。。more
Coley
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Max works at Wren an integrated app very similar to one that starts with F and ends with K。 When the bigwigs ask Max to help with a top secret project （that involves getting more personal data from their users to sell to the highest bidder， Max offers a different approach and is canned。 His bestie （and secret love of his life） Akiko also works at Wren， in programming。 They， along with A’s boyfriend Shane come up with a hack to get Wren’s users to know what’s really going down on with the shady c Max works at Wren an integrated app very similar to one that starts with F and ends with K。 When the bigwigs ask Max to help with a top secret project （that involves getting more personal data from their users to sell to the highest bidder， Max offers a different approach and is canned。 His bestie （and secret love of his life） Akiko also works at Wren， in programming。 They， along with A’s boyfriend Shane come up with a hack to get Wren’s users to know what’s really going down on with the shady company。 And then the fun really begins when the group gets the attention of a very famous billionaire （former Wren-like company owner） who hasn’t been seen in 3 years。 Add in the quirky teenaged next door neighbor and we have a plot to take down the Big Five that rule the Internet’s。 （Think Insta， TikTok， FB， Twitter， SnapChat， etc）。 Ready Player One but way less fun and way more weird stuff happening。 I really tried to love this novel because I’m usually all “Damn the Man！！” But couldn’t get it up for the ending。 。。。more
zaheerah
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*I received a copy via the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review。 This in no way affected my opinion of the book。*After questioning his employers， data technician Max finds himself fired and blackballed across the industry。 Taking his insider knowledge， he gathers his friends in a daring plan to rip the curtains off the stage and make a stand。 When they receive a mysterious invitation from a reclusive tech legend and access to his technology， their plans go further than they cou *I received a copy via the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review。 This in no way affected my opinion of the book。*After questioning his employers， data technician Max finds himself fired and blackballed across the industry。 Taking his insider knowledge， he gathers his friends in a daring plan to rip the curtains off the stage and make a stand。 When they receive a mysterious invitation from a reclusive tech legend and access to his technology， their plans go further than they could ever expect。 But what is the cost and is it worth the risk for Max？I’ll apologise for this review in advance because like my reading experience， it was a jumbled up mess。 There were so many moments that were quite thrilling， but in the end， Version Zero was not the one for me。 Where do I begin？ I guess the setting and plot。 Version Zero takes place in reality similar to our， same significant events。 There are five major media companies; names are familiar enough that it doesn’t take much to know who represents which major corporation。 I have to admit I didn’t understand what was going on in the beginning。 Yoon introduces a pecking order that doesn’t seem to have any relevance to the book， a tidbit to make it seem more science fiction when the story could have quickly done without such information。 The story didn’t work for me。 Despite what appears to be an eventful plot from the synopsis， the story was messy and underwhelming。 Reboot the present。 Save the future。 Version Zero tried very hard to be a book about human life online， and how we’ve given up privacy in the age of digital information。 I was invested in the anger Max felt about these top percenter who hide from accountability on their platform， the hate that is a constant cycle that moves from site to site， taking innocent lives。 I feel like it wasn’t as nuanced as it could have been and fell victim to the simple “internet bad， the time before good，” debate。 I could have forgiven this book for its flaws if the characters were remotely interesting。 I wasn’t sure if the characters themselves knew what they were doing。 Max， our protagonist， is our down and out， data technician who is fired when he mentions how uncomfortable he is with Wren （think Facebook） and their plans to gain more of their user’s information。 There was a part of Max that I liked， the man who wanted to do good by his family， make something of himself。 Every time he spoke， I could not feel any passion for the other stuff he says。 The best way I could describe his voice is empty。 He recruits his best friends， Akiko， and her boyfriend， Shane， in his plans to reboot the internet。 It goes well， gaining the attention of Pilot Markham， a key figure in internet history， who disappeared off the face of the earth and wants to help in their fight。 He’s joined alongside teen Brayden and together forms their group。 I wish I knew what the hell was happening in this strange dynamic。 Max harboured a crush on Akiko， partakes in emotional cheating and Shane is just there to be pure muscle and be weird。 Pilot Markham was fascinating; to say the least， he’s responsible for most of the book’s thriller parts。 I don’t understand how Max was willing to accept him into his plan， considering what you learn about his background。 It just screamed red flags， and you would have thought Max would have picked up on it。 Brayden， this poor child， why was he even there？ Nothing meshed well， and everyone just contradicted each other in the worst way。 Overall， I wish I could saying something more positive that you could take away from this review。 I tried to give it a chance。 Max and his friends might have changed the world， but this project failed to spark any real interest in me。 。。。more
Elaine
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