“Imagine… You have a virus on your computer. It’s tracking everything you do and sending that information to the Collective. It can’t be detected by any virus scan or blocked by any firewall. If you have a microphone, they are listening. If you have a webcam, they are watching you. But they aren’t just watching. Flashes of light from your monitor are communicating with your subconscious. You are being brainwashed.

Dr. John Peterson discovers the virus and embarks on a mind altering search for the origins of the infection driving his patients mad. He discovers the Collective, and they discover him. A battle rages between the Nemesis virus and the ArchAngel network with the fate of mankind in the balance. Will man succumb to Nemesis and become drones of the Collective or rise as billions of individual archangels to light the world with freedom? One man, one woman, and a network of hackers hold the key.”

Such is the story of Maxwell Cynn’s The Collective and anyone who loves a thriller- especially with a cyber edge- will enjoy  The Collective. I especially enjoyed the underground counter culture of Arch Angel as they battle the Nemisis virus.

As I was reading, I kept getting flashes of the film “A Beautiful Mind” and if you’ve seen the movie and read this book, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

The only criticism I have of the book is that I wanted MORE. Just when I was completely sucked into the story and couldn’t wait to see what happened next, it started coming to a close.  But that’s the sign of something good- you just want there to be more and more pages to turn.  I want to check out Cynn’s other work, Cybrgrrl, too.