In just three years, CEO Robbie Case has grown Core Communications from 30 people to over 5,000. Now a $20 billion company made legendary by its su...
read full description
reviews
Dec 09, 2009
Benjamin
rated it: 
Original review at INDenverTimes.
White collar criminals have gotten rather a short shrift in recent literature. With the exception of Don Delillo’s Cosmopolis and William Gibson’s recent work, few serious novelists have bothered delving into the lives of those new economy billionaires who make the new global economy hum – and who seem more than willing to gleefully destroy said economy in the name of their own insatiable greed. It’s almost as if these technology billionaires inhabit More...
White collar criminals have gotten rather a short shrift in recent literature. With the exception of Don Delillo’s Cosmopolis and William Gibson’s recent work, few serious novelists have bothered delving into the lives of those new economy billionaires who make the new global economy hum – and who seem more than willing to gleefully destroy said economy in the name of their own insatiable greed. It’s almost as if these technology billionaires inhabit More...
Jul 06, 2009
Gaby
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 18, 2009
Byrningbunny
rated it: 
I'm so lucky to be a member of the Library Thing Early Reviewer's Club. Occasionally I will receive free books in the mail, which is the best gift ever, and then I have the opportunity to review them. They actually want to know what I think!
So, I think this is a book worth reading. It's a book about morals, set in an ultra-modern world. If that makes it sound preachy or moralistic, let me clear that up. It's NOT. It's about a young man, responsible for his employees, and he finds More...
So, I think this is a book worth reading. It's a book about morals, set in an ultra-modern world. If that makes it sound preachy or moralistic, let me clear that up. It's NOT. It's about a young man, responsible for his employees, and he finds More...
Aug 09, 2009
Morris
rated it:
Core Communications is on top of the world. Their blue boxes are installed on mainframe computers all around the world. Corporations are scrambling to acquire this breakthrough technology. Years of long hours and hard work are beginning to pay off for the senior staff at Core. With their IPO behind them, they are striving to achieve grace so they can cash in on Core's success. There's only one problem. The blue boxes don't really work; the entire company is based on a lie.
CEO Robbie More...
CEO Robbie More...
May 10, 2011
Barb
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. It is a suspense-filled read that keeps you wondering what is going to happen to these people until the end. I have known people that have been involved in Ponzi schemes (both as the swindled and possibly the swindler), so I found the whole book seemed a bit melancholy. I was constantly wondering how this big secret that the CEO has is going to destroy the lives of the characters in the book. I also felt sympathy for the 'swindler' who doesn't seem to be the arrogant
More...
Jun 17, 2011
Tom
rated it:
An interesting story about being sucked into the vortex of a startup tech company built atop a foundation of lies, Shimmer is written in an expansive style which is sometimes difficult to follow, yet it certainly engages you.
Though implausible -- at times the technology involved is treated as if it were magic -- the strong suit of Shimmer is its characters, who are drawn believably (if sparely).
In a different book, the protagonist might be cast as a white collar criminal, y More...
Though implausible -- at times the technology involved is treated as if it were magic -- the strong suit of Shimmer is its characters, who are drawn believably (if sparely).
In a different book, the protagonist might be cast as a white collar criminal, y More...
Apr 22, 2009
Lynn
rated it:
debut novel about a 35-yr old who grew a small family business into a $20 billion worldwide technology company. The technology doesn't work, financials are built on a Ponzi scheme, and the house of cards looks like it is ready to fall. publish date: June 30, 2009.
This is a quick read, finished in about 3 days. I would have liked a little more character development in the beginning, instead of drawn out through the entire book. The dialogue is direct, sharp, and fast, just about w More...
This is a quick read, finished in about 3 days. I would have liked a little more character development in the beginning, instead of drawn out through the entire book. The dialogue is direct, sharp, and fast, just about w More...
Sep 04, 2009
drey
rated it:
Shimmer tells the story of Robbie Case, and his company, Core Communications. Built on a flawed technology, he nonetheless has managed to build Core into a multi-billion-dollar company in just three years. But the amount of hands-on manipulation that's required to keep Core going is starting to wear Robbie out. And if that isn't enough to stress about, Robbie also worries about what'll happen to his friends--the ones who were there in the beginning, the ones who're doing their darnedest to keep
More...
Sep 18, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
Robbie Case is the head of Core, a multi-million dollar company that he unwittingly founds with his cousin Trevor. Dealing in selling blue boxes full of high technology that greatly improves the speed and flow of information, he’s walking around with the secret that none of it works. Each sale and success story brings Core closer to collapse- which could happen at anytime- making Robbie Case a rich man, even as it bankrupts everyone around him who has worked for and believed in Core for the thre
More...
Jul 03, 2009
Kevin
rated it:
In essence what Barnes has attempted is to get inside the mind of high tech con man. What type of person does this sort of thing? What would it be like to be at the center of such a scheme? Robbie Case is his attempt at flushing this out; an answer in the form of a character.
I found Shimmer to be unlike almost any other book I have read. It was interesting and entertaining but there was something about it that didn’t quite click.
The book is a techno thriller in a sense More...
I found Shimmer to be unlike almost any other book I have read. It was interesting and entertaining but there was something about it that didn’t quite click.
The book is a techno thriller in a sense More...
Aug 12, 2009
Cheryl
rated it: 
Robbie Case is a multi-billionaire CEO, owner of the company Core Communications. He pretty much grew this company up from the ground. He went from thirty employees working for Core Communications to the company now employing around five thousand employees.
Core Communications specializes in information technology in the high-tech computer world. Their biggest seller is the Core Blue Boxes. These boxes help reduce the wait time to transfer date from one mainframe computer to another More...
Core Communications specializes in information technology in the high-tech computer world. Their biggest seller is the Core Blue Boxes. These boxes help reduce the wait time to transfer date from one mainframe computer to another More...
Apr 17, 2009
Ryan Mac
rated it:
I received this book in a giveaway from LibraryThing. It was very good. The plot revolves around Core Communications and Robbie Case, the CEO, and his attempt to keep the high-tech Ponzi scheme going. Great supporting characters, an interesting plot, snappy dialogue and a fast moving story. Great book!
Jun 18, 2011
Lisa
rated it: 
Didnt like it. Author didnt make sense at times. Some parts hard to follow and just simply a struggle to get through.
Jul 06, 2011
RJ
rated it:
Well, it's hard to believe a novel about corporate fraud in the tech industry could be a page turner, but honestly I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. Not run-of-the-mill typical thriller writing. Crisp and smart. The characters and settings seem surreal and fantastical at times, but then you realize this kind of thing goes on the world over. Timely, given the recent shenanigans on Wall Street.
Dec 11, 2011
Oct 03, 2011
Sep 16, 2011
Aug 15, 2011
Aug 14, 2011
Aug 10, 2011
Jun 27, 2011
