AuthorsBookshop.com: The Developers

Katie Richardson, Buzz Magazine, Champaign, Ill.:

... it doesn't take a super sci-fi buff to see the potential implications of an Internet superpower and the American government operating out of people's homes hand in hand. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Imagine having a serious love jones while trying to begin a new chapter in the world of technology.

With the recent Internet chatter that has been surfacing about larger, more powerful Internet companies the book's message appears to be eerily relevant. This is a must for anyone who really dug 1984 or Brave New World but also likes to surf the Net from time to time, preferably with the idea in the back of your head that Big Brother could be watching.

Paul Kopasz, Louisville Eccentric Observer:

"The Developers" is a startlingly original and somewhat curious debut novel. The earnestness of the writer, the diversity of the characters, the originality of the presentation and the clarity and understatement of the prose combine to make it one of the most surprising releases of 2005. Woods' first book gives reason to expect some kind of masterpiece somewhere down the road.

Randy Smith, Destinations Bookstore, New Albany, Ind.:

"The Developers" is a frank and honest, and truly humorous window into the creative economy. The characters we meet in Woods' novel are the prototypes for the engines of our future. Whether it is the author's imagination or reality, I'm sold. These are people I'd like to know. Or at least people I'd like to have working for me.

Richard Simmons, Hollywood, Calif.:

Thank you for your kind words and sense of humor. You are a gifted man!

Tim Korb, Asst. Dept. Head of Computer Sciences, Purdue University:

I finished the book a couple weeks ago while I was on vacation. Great fun! It definitely picked up after I talked to you last time. The last third is a real page-turner as I kept trying to see how you were going to pull it all together! "The Developers" is an exciting tale set inside the software development industry and does much to expose the human side of computer science.

Gaby Arevalo, The Retriever Weekly, Baltimore:

The book touches on some interesting issues, particularly when the developers are contacted by the U.S. government about developing a national "Super Information Portal" that would force internet users not only to connect to the internet via government networks, but to willingly have their internet usage tracked by the government. In short, the developers have to wrestle with the possibility that the technology that they invented will be used by the government to keep tabs on virtually every person living in the United States. Though this is a work of a fiction, it brings up the question: how accessible is private information, and is government control over something as open as the Internet plausible? With the recent changes on websites such as Facebook, one can literally obtain a mass of information on a person in seconds.

Rebecca Coudret, Courier & Press, Evansville, Ind.:

... a novel about a little bit of everything - in the mode of 'Seinfeld,' with a helping of 'Dilbert' on the side.

Joyce DeBroux, Reader's Book Emporium, Rocky Mount, N.C.:

If you liked 1984 or Brave New World, you will love The Developers. It's a novel about a team of geeks who are trying to build a web for a Michigan town that will give total access of everyone's home to the government. The paranoia of Big Brother watching is prevalent throughout the book and makes for a suspenseful read. Woods gives us all something to think about in an age of technology, terrorism, and invasion of privacy.

Triumphantly Jenny, Queens, N.Y.:

Basically I really liked this book. Like, I missed my stop on the subway when reading it. I thought there was some trail off at the end, and it could use another edit, but especially for something self-published it was great. It was incredibly funny and reminded me of "microserfs" by doug coupland and "Company" by Max Barry. I highly recommend it to anyone who has worked in a techie office.

I would clarify, I think, because I liked the characters so much, any ending would have sucked, you know? Because it's an ending!

John Walsh, BookPleasures.com:

Ben Woods lucidly and quite pleasantly describes some of the issues surrounding the establishment of a new company in the internet age. He clearly understands plotting and structure and can put together a story with a good rhythm and pace. I look forward to reading further installments from Malorett or from wherever his imagination sets to work next.