Very interesting book on multiple fronts.

First, the story - it can be summed up in a simple quote "qui custodiet ipsos custodes". What if all the might and data-access of the state cyber security mechanisms are given to zealous few who think they are the righteous ones, ones that are the only capable to see and disseminate huge amount of data, point to nation's enemies and basically control the entire state and everyone within it. Nobody else, just them. This is basically story of a power-corrupts sort told by presenting the acting intelligence chief's fall into abyss of absolutism.

Second, the characters - as always Eisler's action men are people with whole lot of mental baggage. Here we see the Manus, deaf assassin having his entire world crushed when he finds out that his actions weren't always for a good cause, quite the opposite. To some this can sound weird but theme of a warrior losing his ground because his beliefs and faith have proven to be in conflict with his superiors is something that is present in literature for a long, long time.

Third, story again - and this brings us to the point of maltreatment of true devotees who work on their posts with all vigor and zeal of people serving the true cause. And then they come across a deviation, and of course they report it only to be smitten down by the very authority they serve - only because they have questioned that very same authority. If one is so easy to discard the very people that truly believe in the cause how can one expect anybody to be loyal?

I like the comments how far-fetched the story is. I will just say that almost all of the technological advancements first finds purpose in security services and then (years, years after) these same things enters the mass production. So claiming some things do not exists because you never heard of it (or anyone around you, including "experts") is very silly indeed.

And one of the points at the end is very very good - new acting intelligence chief says to our protagonists that no matter what happened service is state service and they are much much better alternative to corporate services. And I have to agree, because in private hands dangers multiply to crazy level because private enterprises will not be responsible to anyone.

Recommended to thriller fans. ( )

One of my favorite authors .... I enjoyed this book a lot. Great pace, characters, it has everything. ( )

A quality political thriller, with some violence but not too graphic. The NSA Director has developed a powerful program to spy on citizens, and is determined to insure that nobody jeopardizes it. Think of Samaritan for those of you who watch NBC's Person of Interest. He sends out his two enforcers after anyone threatening to disclose the existence of the program. His assistant begins to suspect duplicity, and one of the goons is sent to keep an eye on her, but becomes emotionally involved. A little cliche, but I liked that Eisler used hearing impairment as a theme, creating a bond between the characters and introducing some humanity in the novel. ( )

Theme: A; Character development: C

At the center, The God’s Eye View is about balancing the government’s need to monitor its citizens in order to deter terrorism and the rights of the individual to privacy. There are, of course, any number of these balancing acts in our daily lives – in medical research, in the use of military power, in the use of force in policing, and so on. But the monitoring vs. privacy tug-of-war will continue to gain momentum as time goes on due to the meteoric rise of surveillance technology. It is, quite simply, a theme for the times and for the future, and for that reason alone, The God’s Eye View is a worthwhile read.

Of course, the author has the government, in the form of NSA Director Theodore Anders, so far beyond the point of equilibrium in this balancing act, there is never any question of government vs. individual. It’s more a question of which individuals will live and which will die in Director Anders’ quest to keep his last technological marvel out of the public’s gaze. Pitted against Anders is Evelyn Gallagher, the developer and primary analyst on NSA’s camera and facial recognition network, just one small cog in the overall NSA surveillance machine. And with strict compartmentalization of information, Evie has no way to know just what she is up against.

The story is very well written, producing a fair amount of adrenaline in my bloodstream that served no purpose other than keeping me awake to the wee hours. There were a couple of ideas that were somewhat overworked, e.g., Evie is a divorced, working mother who would do almost anything to protect her son. But overall, the flow of the story was good. For those who are squeamish, the violence is somewhat graphic, although consistent with the plot. By comparison, the sex was also somewhat explicit, but I’m not sure what the grope-by-grope description did to further the story; it seemed out of place and serving no purpose beyond checking another box in a commercial success formula.

My primary concern with the book, however, was in the development of the characters. Every author uses stereotypes as a crutch. Readers immediately recognize the boring accountant or the timid librarian. But usually, that method is reserved for secondary characters when depth is unnecessary, saving the author a lot of stress on the wrists. But in The God’s Eye View, it felt as if there were few characters that were not primarily stereotypes. It ended up feeling like a world inhabited by caricatures, rather than people. But even so, that limitation did not outweigh a well-written plot and a timely theme.

Overall, The God’s Eye View is a solid read, significant because over time, technology-driven surveillance has the potential to give the government absolute power over the populace. And we all know that if power tends to corrupt, what absolute power will do. ( )

This was a really interesting book, with a lot of characters that are now embedded in my brain. There are some very evil people presented here. Delgado is one of the most sadistic killers I have read in awhile, and Manus is one of the most sympathetic killers. I was definitely rooting for Manus and Evie. The ending was in some ways satisfying, and in others not so much. I was left with the feeling that although the players may change, the game of government remains the same.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley ( )