.jpg) First edition (US) | |
| Author | Charles Stross |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Orbit (UK),Ace (US) |
Publication date | 2 October 2007 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom & United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 368 |
| ISBN | 0-441-01498-4 |
| OCLC | 123232449 |
| 823/.92 22 | |
| LC Class | PR6119.T79 H36 2007 |
| Followed by | Rule 34 |
Halting State is a novel byCharles Stross, published in the United States on 2 October 2007 and in the United Kingdom in January 2008.[1] Stross has said that it is "athriller set in the software houses that writemultiplayer games".[2] The plot centres on a bank robbery in a virtual world.[3] It features speculative technologies, including Specs and virtual server networks over mobile phones. The book is on its second printing in the United States.[4] The novel was nominated for both theHugo and Locus Awards in 2008.[5]
The main story is split between three main protagonists, Sue, Elaine, and Jack, whose sections are always in thesecond person, with italicised thoughts infirst person during each character's respective chapter. Each chapter is followed in sequentialtrilogies (Sue, Elaine, Jack) for the duration of the novel. This pattern excepts only theprologue andepilogue of the novel, which both containfaux email to supporting characters.
A sequel toHalting State entitledRule 34 (previously '419'[6]) was released in mid-2011.[7]
The plot opens with afaux email addressed to Nigel MacDonald, listing a job offer. It is later learned that this email is for a work-at-home programmer position at Hayek Associates PLC.
It is then learned that acybercrime has been committed in themassively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Avalon Four. A robbery of several thousand euros worth of "prestige items" occurs in the game's central bank, led by a band of orcs and a "dragon for fire support." It is later noticed that this seemingly simple incident has deep implications – both financial (Hayek stock price) and logistical (compromisedcryptographic keys), which sets the stage for the latter half of the novel.
The main story is then divided between police chapters as Sue, investigation sections as Elaine, and programmer and gamer geek sections as Jack. Initially separate storylines, the three inevitably join forces to combat a much larger conspiracy that hinges on international espionage andcounterterrorism. These initial segments track the bank robbery and mystery man, Nigel MacDonald, who is revealed as ashadow identity created from Jack Reed's credentials as a programmer and gamer.
Eventually, it is discovered that the entirety of the Europeannetwork backbone—including itsroot keyservers—has been compromised by Chinesehackers. It is more or less at this point that the wool is removed from the reader's eyes that "it's no longer a game," while Jack and Elaine develop a romance between action segments.
Using the game Spooks as asock puppet for real espionage missions, Jack and Elaine are sent to uncover the identity of a mole inside Hayek Associates, which is subsequently revealed to be a front for the government. The mole is said to have leaked cryptographic keys to "Team Red", or Chinese interests, through ablacknet. For contrast, the European protagonists are called simply, "Team Blue".
It is at this point that the stage is set for the final confrontation. Using Nigel's shadow identity as bait for Team Red's mole, Elaine and Jack successfully expose and capture Marcus Hackman, who is revealed to be the mole and main antagonist. It is then revealed that Hackman had staged the whole thing to use strategicput options to earn €26 million when his own company, Hayek Associates, took the fall for the initial robbery sequence.
Jack is shot twice in the chest during this exchange, but is seen recovering in a hospital bed by the end of the book.
The novel closes with an email addressed to Hackman that resembles a419 scam from a Nigerian banker, implying that is where he hid the money.
Halting State was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 2008,[5] andThe Guardian called it a "tight, well-observed thriller", but found thesecond-person narrative distancing.[8]