The idea that Internet memes could influence a dissatisfied populace to demonstrate, riot, and then overthrow their government is a powerful one. The idea that another government could use these to induce revolution is also interesting and plausible. You can see why totalitarian regimes resist the internet and social networking.

Williams explores all of these ideas in Deep State. I was a huge fan of the first book in this series, This Is Not A Game, because I loved how it blended physical and virtual reality in interesting ways. Williams takes this concept into the realm of international politics (with interesting parallels in this year's "Arab Spring" uprisings).

And Williams also ladles on the technogeek-iness, too. (**spoiler**) A plot device involves the ability for certain governments to selectively disable internet access, with devastating financial results. And our protagonists need to figure out how to sustain the revolution without the internet. If you've been in technology for 20 years, you'll recognize many of the techniques and terms that Williams resurrects.

So why three stars? Because the book starts slowly and ends abruptly. It just took too long to get rolling and I know from his previous works that Williams can engage us almost instantly. Not sure if the ending was Williams up against a deadline or sloppy editing, but Cinderella ("and they lived happily ever after") had a longer denouement. I think this could have been a stronger work, but I enjoyed the meat of it.