Review: An exposé of modern society through fact and fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2013
This is a complex and far-reaching book which draws on science, history, meme culture, covert technological developments, government surveillance and the capabilities of the human mind to paint a picture of an omniscient and unstoppable power capable of influencing human life at the most basic level."Glimpses of a Black Op" is essentially a theoretical case study, focusing on an Everyman's contact with the power known as the Department as well as individuals in the Department and otherwise in the surveillance business. That being said, it often feels as though the book's plot is no more than a vehicle to present the Department as a concept. Much of the book is spent in consideration of the technical ramifications of the Department's operations and its real-world plausibility, and the protagonist spends nearly all his time observing and being subjected to various malevolent influences with little to no change in the status quo or the pitch of the action.Taken from an academic standpoint, however, the book is definitely thorough and well-put-together, and it is realistic enough to shed some light on human society, particularly the darker/mistier parts that we might prefer to gloss over. I recommend this book to people who are prepared to think and to connect ideas across multiple fields relating to social existence.