What do you think?
Haterz
A blackly comic crime novel about a one-man crusade to rid the internet of haters, flamers, trolls and vaguebookers... even if he has to kill to do it.
Is there someone online who really grates on you? That friend who's always bragging about their awesome life and endlessly sharing tired memes, and who just doesn't get jokes? Look at your Twitter feed: don't you get cross at the endless rage, the thoughtless bigotry and the pleading for celebrity retweets? Meet Dave, a street fundraiser and fan of cat pictures. He's decided that unfollowing just isn’t enough. He's determined to make the internet a nicer place, whatever it takes. When he killed his best friend's girlfriend, he wasn't planning on changing the world. She was just really annoying on Facebook. But someone saw, and made him an offer. Someone who knows what he's capable of, and wants to use him to take control of the darkness at the heart of the internet. And now the bodies – the comment trolls, the sexual predators, the obnoxious pop stars – are starting to mount up...
Is there someone online who really grates on you? That friend who's always bragging about their awesome life and endlessly sharing tired memes, and who just doesn't get jokes? Look at your Twitter feed: don't you get cross at the endless rage, the thoughtless bigotry and the pleading for celebrity retweets? Meet Dave, a street fundraiser and fan of cat pictures. He's decided that unfollowing just isn’t enough. He's determined to make the internet a nicer place, whatever it takes. When he killed his best friend's girlfriend, he wasn't planning on changing the world. She was just really annoying on Facebook. But someone saw, and made him an offer. Someone who knows what he's capable of, and wants to use him to take control of the darkness at the heart of the internet. And now the bodies – the comment trolls, the sexual predators, the obnoxious pop stars – are starting to mount up...
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 24, 2015
About the author
James Goss
234 books183 followersJames Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 27, 2015
Forget book boyfriends I think that I have a crush on this entire book. Living in the world that we live in, obviously a book about an average guy who goes around popping off annoying people on the internet would garner my fancy. This book is a little more complicated than that, and by the end of it a lot more complicated than that but you get the gist.
I loved Dave's character. He kind of reminded me of Dexter in a way...if Dexter was more naive, a bit of an asshole and loved cats. My only issue with this character however was that for an actor he sure knew a lot about engineering complicated kill plots. I mean I get that you can pretty much Google anything now a days, but it still strained my believably. However this whole novel is so crazy and amazing that perhaps straining my believably isn't the worst thing. This book is very dark so the occasional existence of pure incredibility helped lighten the mood.
Haterz has some pretty extreme scenes and monologues...at least in my sheltered opinion. I love this book to pieces, but I am also a little hesitant to recommend this to anyone who gets reasonably offended about things. So to try and fix this issue, below I have quoted one of the more taboo lines from the book, and if it doesn't raise your blood pressure I would say pick this up.
“ Why would you be a pedophile? Quite apart from it being inherently horrid, children are pretty unhygienic, you'd be bound to catch a cold. Also, children are appalling selfish, so they'd be terrible lovers.”
Admission: I can't lie, I almost put down this book because of the above quote, but I stuck with it and gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. I guess the moral is...don't judge a book by one fucked up train of thought?
Note: I was going to give this novel a 4/5, because while I really enjoyed most of it I felt that some bits were put in for shock factor rather than how they contributed to the story as a whole. Upon further thought, I feel that this book, despite my qualms garners a 5/5 because it tackles a relevant and serious issue. It's also pretty funny too.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy If not easily offended
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2015
Just finished reading this. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that the author is a friend of mine and gave me an advance copy. In the interest of even fuller disclosure, however, I should add that I’m not a very nice person and so would never give someone a good review out of friendship. If I didn’t like the book, I’d just tell him I’d been terribly busy, I’ve got such a backlog, looking forward to getting round to it, though, I’ve heard such good things.
However, in this case, I enjoyed the book very, very much. Immensely. Enormously. It is amazing. Beautifully written and almost literally unputdownable. It is also very, very funny. Apologies to all the people on the 11.40 from London to Winchester on Thursday night, I was the one hooting my head off. Don’t blame me, blame chapter seven. It is genuinely “laugh out loud” funny.
But it also has a serious point. It’s a savagely satirical and thought-provoking examination of the internet-saturated world we live in today. The novel’s plot, of internet irritants coming to well-deserved sticky ends, is a deliberate reminiscent of Theatre of Blood; it also reminded me of Jonathan Coe’s What A Carve Up!, it has a similar mixture of black comedy mixed with moral rage. It’s an important, zeitgeist-nailing book which deserves to be widely read and to make James extremely wealthy indeed.
If you’ve ever got angry at somebody on the internet, this novel is for you.
However, in this case, I enjoyed the book very, very much. Immensely. Enormously. It is amazing. Beautifully written and almost literally unputdownable. It is also very, very funny. Apologies to all the people on the 11.40 from London to Winchester on Thursday night, I was the one hooting my head off. Don’t blame me, blame chapter seven. It is genuinely “laugh out loud” funny.
But it also has a serious point. It’s a savagely satirical and thought-provoking examination of the internet-saturated world we live in today. The novel’s plot, of internet irritants coming to well-deserved sticky ends, is a deliberate reminiscent of Theatre of Blood; it also reminded me of Jonathan Coe’s What A Carve Up!, it has a similar mixture of black comedy mixed with moral rage. It’s an important, zeitgeist-nailing book which deserves to be widely read and to make James extremely wealthy indeed.
If you’ve ever got angry at somebody on the internet, this novel is for you.
February 20, 2015
Haterz is a crime novel for anyone, anywhere who has ever used the internet and found someone just a little bit irritating.
Dave is on a mission to remove those people from society, starting with his best friends girlfriend.
Danielle is the kind of internet presence that we all love to hate, tagging you in photos that you really didn't want shared online, commenting on the most ridiculous posts on facebook, posting her own ridiculous posts (you know the kind, that no one ever wants to read).
She must be stopped.
Although Dave swears that his first killing is accidental, we the readers see a slightly different side to his story.
Once realising that he has gotten away with his crime, Dave returns to the internet, in search of his next victim. He will argue that they deserved to be killed, that the world will be a better place without them.
He will also argue that he never set out to be a serial killer, and that after killing Danielle, he was contacted via the internet by somebody that not only wanted to congratulate his work, but also wanted to enlist his help in ridding the world of people like Danielle.
Dave is a very ordinary bloke, with a very extraordinary hobby of killing people, but he is strangely likeable.
Without giving too much away;
Haterz is a very dark comedy novel, that will leave questioning your own morality as you ask for more.
Dave is on a mission to remove those people from society, starting with his best friends girlfriend.
Danielle is the kind of internet presence that we all love to hate, tagging you in photos that you really didn't want shared online, commenting on the most ridiculous posts on facebook, posting her own ridiculous posts (you know the kind, that no one ever wants to read).
She must be stopped.
Although Dave swears that his first killing is accidental, we the readers see a slightly different side to his story.
Once realising that he has gotten away with his crime, Dave returns to the internet, in search of his next victim. He will argue that they deserved to be killed, that the world will be a better place without them.
He will also argue that he never set out to be a serial killer, and that after killing Danielle, he was contacted via the internet by somebody that not only wanted to congratulate his work, but also wanted to enlist his help in ridding the world of people like Danielle.
Dave is a very ordinary bloke, with a very extraordinary hobby of killing people, but he is strangely likeable.
Without giving too much away;
Haterz is a very dark comedy novel, that will leave questioning your own morality as you ask for more.
March 13, 2015
Goodness, but this is a rollicking good read! If you have a penchant for dark, homicidal humour - and who doesn't? - then this novel is assuredly for you!
Without wishing to attract the ire of the protagonist, the number of LOL moments in the story is ridiculous, almost embarrassingly so given I read this at the local pub! The style is light and breezy, often belying the the very clever use of language, and I could easily see this being torn through in one sitting. I find myself struggling to find a negative comment to make, which is highly unusual. If I were to compare the feel of the novel to another, and as a quick reaction, I'd say it is highly reminiscent of "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - which I consider very high praise! The whole premise is almost a drawn out reductio ad absurdum which makes it simultaneously borderline surreal yet eminently plausible. If you don't see yourself in the lead, then you've not spent enough time on the internet!
Read this book!
Without wishing to attract the ire of the protagonist, the number of LOL moments in the story is ridiculous, almost embarrassingly so given I read this at the local pub! The style is light and breezy, often belying the the very clever use of language, and I could easily see this being torn through in one sitting. I find myself struggling to find a negative comment to make, which is highly unusual. If I were to compare the feel of the novel to another, and as a quick reaction, I'd say it is highly reminiscent of "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - which I consider very high praise! The whole premise is almost a drawn out reductio ad absurdum which makes it simultaneously borderline surreal yet eminently plausible. If you don't see yourself in the lead, then you've not spent enough time on the internet!
Read this book!
January 15, 2015
I must say I found this book to be a big disappointment. I went into it expecting one thing and getting another. This has happened previously and has turned out well so getting a different book from what one was expecting is fine, this however just didn’t work for me. I requested the book on Netgalley because it sounds great and the cover is cool. I thought it would be more about cyber bullying and as I’ve got friends who’ve experienced this and its important topic that should be covered, I thought I’d give it a go. It is a dark crime novel so I thought it may be a bit edgy and it certainly was that, the main problem is the protagonist. I didn’t like him.
Told in the first person, he’s well a douche. Dave kills online annoyances. Beware trolls he’s out to get you. I was quite amused by this in particular the portion on the author who is a jerk and doesn’t take negative reviews well. As a book blogger this really perked me up but I ended up skimming that whole section because it didn’t capture my attention.
The beginning I found annoyingly sucked in by and yet I thought numerous times I should put it down. It’s like 50 shades of bad reading. You don’t want to read it and yet you’ve been sucked in and can’t put it down. It starts off with Dave killing his friends girlfriend but his describing these events grated on my nerves. As I was saying, as I was saying. Really this is how you get into the “juicy” bits? The book is badly in need of editing and I did get an unedited proof copy so I can’t say anything in that regard other than I do so hope its sliced and diced before publication because it needs it.
Some parts had me sucked in and were hilarious and I was mad to know what happened but often I wanted to stop but couldn’t resist continuing. Clearly the book has appealing parts but overall it was not a satisfying read. The protagonist is a nut job serial killer and you would think this would be interesting and yes some of it was but other parts I skimmed or skipped over completely. I didn’t find the ending satisfying either. Overall it was not a read I would recommend or would ever reread.
Told in the first person, he’s well a douche. Dave kills online annoyances. Beware trolls he’s out to get you. I was quite amused by this in particular the portion on the author who is a jerk and doesn’t take negative reviews well. As a book blogger this really perked me up but I ended up skimming that whole section because it didn’t capture my attention.
The beginning I found annoyingly sucked in by and yet I thought numerous times I should put it down. It’s like 50 shades of bad reading. You don’t want to read it and yet you’ve been sucked in and can’t put it down. It starts off with Dave killing his friends girlfriend but his describing these events grated on my nerves. As I was saying, as I was saying. Really this is how you get into the “juicy” bits? The book is badly in need of editing and I did get an unedited proof copy so I can’t say anything in that regard other than I do so hope its sliced and diced before publication because it needs it.
Some parts had me sucked in and were hilarious and I was mad to know what happened but often I wanted to stop but couldn’t resist continuing. Clearly the book has appealing parts but overall it was not a satisfying read. The protagonist is a nut job serial killer and you would think this would be interesting and yes some of it was but other parts I skimmed or skipped over completely. I didn’t find the ending satisfying either. Overall it was not a read I would recommend or would ever reread.
June 29, 2016
If there is any book which reflects the state of the social web today, this book is that proverbial it. Coming from his excellent novelization of Doctor Who's "The City of Death", James Goss hasn't lost his touch with Haterz, a black comedy that examines what happens when the Internet's platoons of hate drive a single part-time "chugger", Dave, to set out to cap those actors who make the web a miserable place for everyone else.
Dave's interest in taking out some of the major players in spreading that hate is rather ironic when considering the first person he kills merely annoyed him by blowing his Facebook feed up with constant updates, from games to "like" campaigns, and partly because she dates Dave's best friend, Guy, before she dies. However, with every assignment, he becomes more conscious about how rampant the vitriol spreads online--Harry Paperboy's death is one of the major examples along with HotToddy84's, among others. I enjoyed reading through Dave's spree because of this, listening him explain what the browser, web apps, and social networks hath wrought beyond his beloved LolCats.
I won't spoil it, but it's definitely bleak. Goss is very in touch with the modern, social web and the ending reinforces that even more so. Worth the read, especially if you can handle Dave ramblings, or just black comedy as a whole.
Dave's interest in taking out some of the major players in spreading that hate is rather ironic when considering the first person he kills merely annoyed him by blowing his Facebook feed up with constant updates, from games to "like" campaigns, and partly because she dates Dave's best friend, Guy, before she dies. However, with every assignment, he becomes more conscious about how rampant the vitriol spreads online--Harry Paperboy's death is one of the major examples along with HotToddy84's, among others. I enjoyed reading through Dave's spree because of this, listening him explain what the browser, web apps, and social networks hath wrought beyond his beloved LolCats.
I won't spoil it, but it's definitely bleak. Goss is very in touch with the modern, social web and the ending reinforces that even more so. Worth the read, especially if you can handle Dave ramblings, or just black comedy as a whole.
January 19, 2015
Was lucky enough to get to review this book for Starburst (both the magazine and the bookworm podcast). Each page is filled with delicious venom, I laughed long and hard throughout.
November 20, 2016
Started funny, and the idea is really original, or so I thought... but then I made a link with Fight Club structure, and lost all interest.
September 6, 2017
A fun premise. Good writing. A quick read.
January 1, 2018
Workmanlike, I’ll have forgotten this by tomorrow, but enjoyable while it lasted.
August 15, 2022
Enjoyable enough nonsense for the most part, but it lost me about 3/4 of the way through when it had its Fight Club moment. Tried too hard to be different, but props for trying.
March 22, 2015
James Goss is a clever man. He has taken all the annoying things that we see each day on the internet and drawn them together into a single story that is not remotely annoying. How does a collection of irritations not annoy the reader? Mainly by following a likeable lead character who kills the annoying people who abuse Social Media. And (here is the clever bit) he makes it seem like it is a perfectly reasonable course of action to undertake. Genius!
In Haterz we follow Dave. He is in a pub one evening when he gets cornered by Danielle, she is his best friend’s girlfriend. We learn that Dave his not Danielle’s greatest fan and he finds her inane Facebook updates a source of constant irritation. In short, Dave finds Danielle so irritating (both in person and online) that he decides to kill her – and he does. In the very first Chapter!
Reaching home, safe in the knowledge that Danielle’s death will be considered a tragic accident, Dave is horrified to receive an email from an unknown sender which reads: “We know what you’ve done. Killer”.
From this point on Dave is no longer master of his own destiny. He will be contacted by email and made aware of individuals who are exhibiting unacceptable online behaviour. Dave then has to address these problematic individuals and make them change their way – or silence them permanently. How he tackles each of these problems is clever, entertaining (for readers) and should probably leave any friends of James Goss slightly concerned as to how he may perceive their online behaviour.
Through the story Dave takes on the likes of Twitter trolls, media columnists, banks and high interest loan companies. He believes his actions are for the greater good and sometimes it is hard to disagree. I doubt that any reader will make it through the book without recognising some form of online interaction that they have previously encountered and found to be highly objectionable or that they have themselves been guilty of (in which case…BE AFRAID).
I cannot give away too many details as to why I enjoyed Haterz so much as this would risk robbing you of the delight of finding the great plot twists for yourself – spoilers and all that. What I can share is that this is a sharply written novel with a clever premise. It captures perfectly the failings of Social Media and pokes fun at the worst offenders. Once I started reading I wanted to keep going – the pacing was perfect, the victims were plentiful and there were laughs to be had along the way.
There are characters in the book which you will mentally picture as real life people – either because you have a Facebook friend that exhibits similar traits to the poor Danielle or because you think that the columnist is basically under a different name and you want to see if something nasty will happen.
Haterz is one of the rarer gems of crime fiction – a novel that delivers a good ‘murder’ story yet also keeps the humour front and foremost which helped to make it such good fun to read. Consider The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – a science fiction story but so deeply interlaced with the humour of Douglas Adams that it is frequently considered a comedy book rather than sci-fi. Goss does the same in Haterz: there are some dark and graphic scenes yet the tone is softened with a joke or wry observation and the perception of the whole book changes. Anyone that uses the internet should read this book. If a review score helps you to decide then I hope that 5 out of 5 should be persuasive.
In Haterz we follow Dave. He is in a pub one evening when he gets cornered by Danielle, she is his best friend’s girlfriend. We learn that Dave his not Danielle’s greatest fan and he finds her inane Facebook updates a source of constant irritation. In short, Dave finds Danielle so irritating (both in person and online) that he decides to kill her – and he does. In the very first Chapter!
Reaching home, safe in the knowledge that Danielle’s death will be considered a tragic accident, Dave is horrified to receive an email from an unknown sender which reads: “We know what you’ve done. Killer”.
From this point on Dave is no longer master of his own destiny. He will be contacted by email and made aware of individuals who are exhibiting unacceptable online behaviour. Dave then has to address these problematic individuals and make them change their way – or silence them permanently. How he tackles each of these problems is clever, entertaining (for readers) and should probably leave any friends of James Goss slightly concerned as to how he may perceive their online behaviour.
Through the story Dave takes on the likes of Twitter trolls, media columnists, banks and high interest loan companies. He believes his actions are for the greater good and sometimes it is hard to disagree. I doubt that any reader will make it through the book without recognising some form of online interaction that they have previously encountered and found to be highly objectionable or that they have themselves been guilty of (in which case…BE AFRAID).
I cannot give away too many details as to why I enjoyed Haterz so much as this would risk robbing you of the delight of finding the great plot twists for yourself – spoilers and all that. What I can share is that this is a sharply written novel with a clever premise. It captures perfectly the failings of Social Media and pokes fun at the worst offenders. Once I started reading I wanted to keep going – the pacing was perfect, the victims were plentiful and there were laughs to be had along the way.
There are characters in the book which you will mentally picture as real life people – either because you have a Facebook friend that exhibits similar traits to the poor Danielle or because you think that the columnist is basically under a different name and you want to see if something nasty will happen.
Haterz is one of the rarer gems of crime fiction – a novel that delivers a good ‘murder’ story yet also keeps the humour front and foremost which helped to make it such good fun to read. Consider The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – a science fiction story but so deeply interlaced with the humour of Douglas Adams that it is frequently considered a comedy book rather than sci-fi. Goss does the same in Haterz: there are some dark and graphic scenes yet the tone is softened with a joke or wry observation and the perception of the whole book changes. Anyone that uses the internet should read this book. If a review score helps you to decide then I hope that 5 out of 5 should be persuasive.
August 13, 2015
Review written for and published by Portland Book Review on September 14th:
Haterz is a fast and addicting crime read for the modern era. Dave is an average guy, a failed actor who makes ends meet by chugging on street corners – trying to get people to sign up for various charities – the kind of person often ignored. He’s fine with being invisible, prefers it actually, but what really has gotten under his skin are the multitude of irritating people on the Internet. Finally he’s had enough and snaps, murdering his best friend’s girlfriend – Danielle, she of the snide Facebook comments and constant bragging. It was surprisingly easy, except that someone saw him. Now Dave finds himself blackmailed into working as a killer for a mysterious organization whose goal appears to be to make the world a better place by knocking off people who cheat, lie, steal, or are just general jerks online. As time goes on Dave finds himself less trapped and more liberated, enjoying what he’s come to see as a public service. On the other hand, the sexual predators, comment trolls, and online con men that used to feel safe being cruel thanks to the buffer of the internet are starting to feel decidedly unsafe.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.
I’d always thought that was wrong and stupid. Time to prove it.”
Part of the reason Haterz is so much fun to read is how current and Internet savvy the story is. The book uses Facebook, Twitter, BuzzFeed, and various familiar Internet sites, acronyms, and terminology to illustrate its points. While some of the social media platforms and companies may have been fictional and created for the purpose of the book, they are all very familiar to anyone currently involved in the scene. All of Dave’s targets are stereotypes of people that most everyone is familiar with, and deep down hates just a little bit: the obnoxiously popular tween pop star with no discernable talent; that one friend on Facebook who can’t stop posting what they’re doing/eating/seeing every 25 seconds; the comment troll who’s entire existence seems to be involved in making other people feel bad. Hopefully readers won’t find themselves reflected in Dave’s various targets, but it’s likely that they will know someone who fits the bill.
On one hand Haterz is a fun fantasy romp through an “if only” killing spree, but it also is a reminder about how twofaced the Internet actually is. Yes, plenty of people have found the Internet a wonderful place, a support group of like-minded people who can share their passions, knowledge, and experiences with others (namely cats according to the suggested links on Facebook). However, this is also the same tool that allows others to lob death threats at creators of YouTube videos, and allows sexual predators unbridled access to children through seemingly safe chat rooms. Yes, the anonymity of the Internet is freeing, but it is also freeing to the baser, crueler natures of humanity due to the lack of repercussions for certain actions thanks to that same anonymity. Haterz is great story, and a wonderful reminder that people seen through the lens of the Internet can be horrible, but that not everyone is as bad in real life as they may appear online. For those that are… there may be a Dave out there with your number.
Haterz is a fast and addicting crime read for the modern era. Dave is an average guy, a failed actor who makes ends meet by chugging on street corners – trying to get people to sign up for various charities – the kind of person often ignored. He’s fine with being invisible, prefers it actually, but what really has gotten under his skin are the multitude of irritating people on the Internet. Finally he’s had enough and snaps, murdering his best friend’s girlfriend – Danielle, she of the snide Facebook comments and constant bragging. It was surprisingly easy, except that someone saw him. Now Dave finds himself blackmailed into working as a killer for a mysterious organization whose goal appears to be to make the world a better place by knocking off people who cheat, lie, steal, or are just general jerks online. As time goes on Dave finds himself less trapped and more liberated, enjoying what he’s come to see as a public service. On the other hand, the sexual predators, comment trolls, and online con men that used to feel safe being cruel thanks to the buffer of the internet are starting to feel decidedly unsafe.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.
I’d always thought that was wrong and stupid. Time to prove it.”
Part of the reason Haterz is so much fun to read is how current and Internet savvy the story is. The book uses Facebook, Twitter, BuzzFeed, and various familiar Internet sites, acronyms, and terminology to illustrate its points. While some of the social media platforms and companies may have been fictional and created for the purpose of the book, they are all very familiar to anyone currently involved in the scene. All of Dave’s targets are stereotypes of people that most everyone is familiar with, and deep down hates just a little bit: the obnoxiously popular tween pop star with no discernable talent; that one friend on Facebook who can’t stop posting what they’re doing/eating/seeing every 25 seconds; the comment troll who’s entire existence seems to be involved in making other people feel bad. Hopefully readers won’t find themselves reflected in Dave’s various targets, but it’s likely that they will know someone who fits the bill.
On one hand Haterz is a fun fantasy romp through an “if only” killing spree, but it also is a reminder about how twofaced the Internet actually is. Yes, plenty of people have found the Internet a wonderful place, a support group of like-minded people who can share their passions, knowledge, and experiences with others (namely cats according to the suggested links on Facebook). However, this is also the same tool that allows others to lob death threats at creators of YouTube videos, and allows sexual predators unbridled access to children through seemingly safe chat rooms. Yes, the anonymity of the Internet is freeing, but it is also freeing to the baser, crueler natures of humanity due to the lack of repercussions for certain actions thanks to that same anonymity. Haterz is great story, and a wonderful reminder that people seen through the lens of the Internet can be horrible, but that not everyone is as bad in real life as they may appear online. For those that are… there may be a Dave out there with your number.
July 24, 2016
So, this book was odd. Definitely not as odd as the one I read earlier that was narrated by a cow, but it still wasn't exactly conventional. It's a convoluted tale about a relatively normal cat-owning guy who gets subtly manipulated into killing people who are annoying on the internet, and/or a threat to the organisation behind the entire plot.
I picked it up from the library because I spend a lot of time online and also I recently finished editing a novel of mine about assassins, so you know, it's worth sussing out the comp titles and so on. I'll say this: Dave is a very different killer to my character Isabel, except perhaps for their cold-bloodedness. You would expect a first-time murderer to be all guilt and complexes, but he settles right into it. Which is... a little unexpected to read, but somewhat refreshing, because it means we avoid the clichés.
The way this book uses the internet is pretty clever and up-to-date -- definitely relatable, especially where cats are concerned. But I fear it'll very quickly become dated and cringey. As it was, it didn't quite chime with my own experiences, though still referencing internet phenomenons I'm familiar with (eg GamerGate). Even the title, while presumably ironic, nearly put me off because I didn't know how seriously to take it. I don't think this is a book that will particularly endure. For five years, maybe. Depends how long Facebook and Twitter continue working the way they currently do. But eventually it's going to become a relic.
Still, not every book has to be a timeless classic. This is a pretty prescient book about internet hate, although I have to say I'm a bit puzzled about what its message actually is -- don't hate because it leads to murder but it'll work out in the end? A little confused, perhaps. But there's plenty in here that's recognisable as having parallels in the real world, including fake book reviews and unsourced claims about celebrity failures: it doesn't take too many jumps to figure out which real-time figures inspired Goss. I felt in places a handful of real issues were brushed over through exaggeration, particularly where women and minorities were concerned, but this was more a case of tone than anything else.
As for the characters? Well, Dave was an odd one. A little hard to relate to, because of his somewhat emotionless approach to life and, yunno, casual murder. He has a cat, and the cat was somewhat delightful, but on the whole I didn't grow particularly attached to any of them and mostly kept reading for the various mysteries and questions that were raised. One of them was, I'm afraid, a confusing let-down -- I won't go into details because of spoilers, but I was hoping for drama and instead got literally nothing. If you've read the book, you'll know what I'm referring to. And that abrupt change was never really explained, to be honest.
Anyway. It was a pretty good read and kept me relatively gripped, but I think for someone with less tolerance for cold-blooded killers as narrator (I'm used to them) might find this difficult to enjoy. It's not especially violent or gory, but it's just kind of distasteful in places. The writing's pretty good but nothing phenomenal, you know? So yeah. Good, but not great.
There was a cat in it, though. I need to start a shelf for all my books with cats, so that I can keep track of them.
(I may end up cross-posting this review to my book blog.)
I picked it up from the library because I spend a lot of time online and also I recently finished editing a novel of mine about assassins, so you know, it's worth sussing out the comp titles and so on. I'll say this: Dave is a very different killer to my character Isabel, except perhaps for their cold-bloodedness. You would expect a first-time murderer to be all guilt and complexes, but he settles right into it. Which is... a little unexpected to read, but somewhat refreshing, because it means we avoid the clichés.
The way this book uses the internet is pretty clever and up-to-date -- definitely relatable, especially where cats are concerned. But I fear it'll very quickly become dated and cringey. As it was, it didn't quite chime with my own experiences, though still referencing internet phenomenons I'm familiar with (eg GamerGate). Even the title, while presumably ironic, nearly put me off because I didn't know how seriously to take it. I don't think this is a book that will particularly endure. For five years, maybe. Depends how long Facebook and Twitter continue working the way they currently do. But eventually it's going to become a relic.
Still, not every book has to be a timeless classic. This is a pretty prescient book about internet hate, although I have to say I'm a bit puzzled about what its message actually is -- don't hate because it leads to murder but it'll work out in the end? A little confused, perhaps. But there's plenty in here that's recognisable as having parallels in the real world, including fake book reviews and unsourced claims about celebrity failures: it doesn't take too many jumps to figure out which real-time figures inspired Goss. I felt in places a handful of real issues were brushed over through exaggeration, particularly where women and minorities were concerned, but this was more a case of tone than anything else.
As for the characters? Well, Dave was an odd one. A little hard to relate to, because of his somewhat emotionless approach to life and, yunno, casual murder. He has a cat, and the cat was somewhat delightful, but on the whole I didn't grow particularly attached to any of them and mostly kept reading for the various mysteries and questions that were raised. One of them was, I'm afraid, a confusing let-down -- I won't go into details because of spoilers, but I was hoping for drama and instead got literally nothing. If you've read the book, you'll know what I'm referring to. And that abrupt change was never really explained, to be honest.
Anyway. It was a pretty good read and kept me relatively gripped, but I think for someone with less tolerance for cold-blooded killers as narrator (I'm used to them) might find this difficult to enjoy. It's not especially violent or gory, but it's just kind of distasteful in places. The writing's pretty good but nothing phenomenal, you know? So yeah. Good, but not great.
There was a cat in it, though. I need to start a shelf for all my books with cats, so that I can keep track of them.
(I may end up cross-posting this review to my book blog.)
December 5, 2014
Despite the fact that I regularly say to myself “I’m going to have a week on Netgalley where I don’t request ANYTHING A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G, I invairably lose, because people keep adding such fascinating books! So when I spotted Haterz, I was intrigued. A novel where a guy goes and kills all the annoying people on Facebook and Twitter? YES PLEASE. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with social media because it’s all so pointless and I am well aware of that fact. It’s a way to lose time, procrastinate.
So I was really hoping that Haterz would be my kind of book and that it would be well written (bad writing can kill a book dead within a page, let me tell you) coming from a publisher I haven’t actually heard of. But I requested it, and I was accepted and after wondering what to read next and having a peek at my latest acquisitions, Haterz not only caught my eye, but absorbed me from page one and I didn’t look back, not once. (Except to check David wasn’t setting me up, or following me, or planning to kill me, obviously.)
IT’S A NOVEL ABOUT KILLING ANNOYING PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Not only that, but it’s not as if David woke up one day and thought “Hey, I’m going to kill my best friend’s girlfriend.” It was incidental! It wasn’t even planned! It was amazing. David didn’t debate it, didn’t back out, didn’t spend pages and pages going back and forth; once his mind was made up, that was it, poor Danielle wasn’t going to be in this life much longer. I love books that just get straight to the point. And Haterz did that so very, very well. Once David found a mark (or was pointed in the direction of the mark from the killuminati) he got the job done (mostly).
I also loved that David called the group that was helping him (for lack of a better word) the killuminati. Greatest name ever. I could just imagine a group of ninjas carefully picking targets, looking effortlessly cool. (Even if it wasn’t exactly how it all went down…)
The pace of the novel barely let up; we went from one mark to the next with little concern for the aftereffects. And there was weirdly no guilt from David (which makes me think he was a sociopath).
The kills themselves were amazing. Perhaps a tad too clever for someone who’s a “chugger”, but hey, like David said: Google can teach you anything, so why can’t it teach you to rig a bomb? I was just along for the ride, my worries over the reality firmly in the back seat because watching (or reading) David at work was just so much fun.
My only problem with the novel was the overly-complicated ending. It was all a bit too political and clever for my tastes. Although the last two sentences were genius, if only because they made me smile wryly.
Haterz is a fantastic novel for the times we live in, where social media is king and people can’t go a whole day without Tweeting or Facebooking or whatever. I loved David, I loved how methodical he was in offing all of his targets, and clever about it, too. It wasn’t just a case of showing up and stabbing someone. It was thought out, to avoid being noticed.
I really, really enjoyed the book from start to finish, it was cleverly written and perfectly executed. I want more! More, more, more! There’s something about being able to read about someone doing something you’d love to do – not that I would, but hypothetically, y’know? I swear I am not a sociopath…
So I was really hoping that Haterz would be my kind of book and that it would be well written (bad writing can kill a book dead within a page, let me tell you) coming from a publisher I haven’t actually heard of. But I requested it, and I was accepted and after wondering what to read next and having a peek at my latest acquisitions, Haterz not only caught my eye, but absorbed me from page one and I didn’t look back, not once. (Except to check David wasn’t setting me up, or following me, or planning to kill me, obviously.)
IT’S A NOVEL ABOUT KILLING ANNOYING PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Not only that, but it’s not as if David woke up one day and thought “Hey, I’m going to kill my best friend’s girlfriend.” It was incidental! It wasn’t even planned! It was amazing. David didn’t debate it, didn’t back out, didn’t spend pages and pages going back and forth; once his mind was made up, that was it, poor Danielle wasn’t going to be in this life much longer. I love books that just get straight to the point. And Haterz did that so very, very well. Once David found a mark (or was pointed in the direction of the mark from the killuminati) he got the job done (mostly).
I also loved that David called the group that was helping him (for lack of a better word) the killuminati. Greatest name ever. I could just imagine a group of ninjas carefully picking targets, looking effortlessly cool. (Even if it wasn’t exactly how it all went down…)
The pace of the novel barely let up; we went from one mark to the next with little concern for the aftereffects. And there was weirdly no guilt from David (which makes me think he was a sociopath).
The kills themselves were amazing. Perhaps a tad too clever for someone who’s a “chugger”, but hey, like David said: Google can teach you anything, so why can’t it teach you to rig a bomb? I was just along for the ride, my worries over the reality firmly in the back seat because watching (or reading) David at work was just so much fun.
My only problem with the novel was the overly-complicated ending. It was all a bit too political and clever for my tastes. Although the last two sentences were genius, if only because they made me smile wryly.
Haterz is a fantastic novel for the times we live in, where social media is king and people can’t go a whole day without Tweeting or Facebooking or whatever. I loved David, I loved how methodical he was in offing all of his targets, and clever about it, too. It wasn’t just a case of showing up and stabbing someone. It was thought out, to avoid being noticed.
I really, really enjoyed the book from start to finish, it was cleverly written and perfectly executed. I want more! More, more, more! There’s something about being able to read about someone doing something you’d love to do – not that I would, but hypothetically, y’know? I swear I am not a sociopath…
March 9, 2015
This review was first published on
.{ ink.eaters }.
.
When I started reading Haterz by James Goss, I wasn't entirely certain what to expect. Sure, the blurb had given me quite the good idea, but the book soon turned out to be something completely different than I had thought it would be.
Haterz was quick, fun, humorous and definitely made me think. I mean... don't even attempt to tell me you don't have at least one person amongst your facebook friends, whose status updates you constantly skip to read because you just know it will be full of complaining, whining, hating, and just... urgh!
We've all heard the phrase "haterz gonna hate"... but how far would you go to play internet vigilante?
Skip.
Ignore.
Block.
Delete.
Kill?!
Kill is exactly what David, the book's protagonist, goes for.
First on his list -not that there really is one- is his best friend's ever-so-annoying girlfriend. He wasn't planning to kill her, not exactly... it's more a spur of the moment kind of thing, really... but it turns out to be easy to kill her, and even easier to make it look like an accident.
She's gone, he doesn't get caught, that's it.
Or so you might think.
As soon as David gets home, he starts receiving messages from an anonymous source, which he decides to call the Killuminati - who, as their name suggests, want more of the kill, so they actually start to support and instruct David on his future murders. What started out as a mission to make the internet a better place, soon becomes something a lot more twisted. Before he knows it, they are the ones pulling the strings, and he turns from his own personal internet vigilante into a hired killer.
What I really liked about this book a lot, is how easy it is to read. What David calls his manifesto, is written like a blog - there is no sugarcoating, it's all rather colloquial, and overall a really enjoyable read. At times, it was really hard to put Haterz down, because it's easy to get caught up in the story - you just want to know what the Killuminati have in store next, who they are, what will happen, if David's morals with kick in, or if he'll get caught. And at times, you will start to wonder what the internet has done to our society - it has made it easy for anyone and everyone to hide behind a username and a meaningless icon... but is that always bad? And just who are the people on your facebook "friends"-list? Or the people you follow on Twitter, and those who follow you?
This is a great, fun read for anyone who has a somewhat twisted sense of humor, and anyone who'd vote for a cat to be president of the world.
*** I was generously provided with a review copy through NetGalley. ***
When I started reading Haterz by James Goss, I wasn't entirely certain what to expect. Sure, the blurb had given me quite the good idea, but the book soon turned out to be something completely different than I had thought it would be.
Haterz was quick, fun, humorous and definitely made me think. I mean... don't even attempt to tell me you don't have at least one person amongst your facebook friends, whose status updates you constantly skip to read because you just know it will be full of complaining, whining, hating, and just... urgh!
We've all heard the phrase "haterz gonna hate"... but how far would you go to play internet vigilante?
Skip.
Ignore.
Block.
Delete.
Kill?!
Kill is exactly what David, the book's protagonist, goes for.
First on his list -not that there really is one- is his best friend's ever-so-annoying girlfriend. He wasn't planning to kill her, not exactly... it's more a spur of the moment kind of thing, really... but it turns out to be easy to kill her, and even easier to make it look like an accident.
She's gone, he doesn't get caught, that's it.
Or so you might think.
As soon as David gets home, he starts receiving messages from an anonymous source, which he decides to call the Killuminati - who, as their name suggests, want more of the kill, so they actually start to support and instruct David on his future murders. What started out as a mission to make the internet a better place, soon becomes something a lot more twisted. Before he knows it, they are the ones pulling the strings, and he turns from his own personal internet vigilante into a hired killer.
What I really liked about this book a lot, is how easy it is to read. What David calls his manifesto, is written like a blog - there is no sugarcoating, it's all rather colloquial, and overall a really enjoyable read. At times, it was really hard to put Haterz down, because it's easy to get caught up in the story - you just want to know what the Killuminati have in store next, who they are, what will happen, if David's morals with kick in, or if he'll get caught. And at times, you will start to wonder what the internet has done to our society - it has made it easy for anyone and everyone to hide behind a username and a meaningless icon... but is that always bad? And just who are the people on your facebook "friends"-list? Or the people you follow on Twitter, and those who follow you?
This is a great, fun read for anyone who has a somewhat twisted sense of humor, and anyone who'd vote for a cat to be president of the world.
*** I was generously provided with a review copy through NetGalley. ***
August 1, 2015
Three stars might be too much, but there's no option for 2 1/2.
I picked this book up based on an interesting review I read of it. While I don't think the book was necessarily a bad one, I think it suffered due to timing. By that I mean, the time when I read it I was also reading a book that I didn't much like. The book I was reading had pop culture involved in it and I associate that very much with the internet these days. Since Haterz doesn't happen as a story without the internet it vaguely fell in line - and it wasn't a good line.
This book is British - both the author and the publishing company are UK based. I only mention it because reading it here in America the references to common things was a distraction. It's not a huge thing, but it was always there. Store names that I didn't recognize and occasional slang that I didn't get just kept popping up ( small example - "chugging" is not the same here in the states). IF you can get past that you can likely sink into the story and just go with it.
So, the story. Clever at first and then it just seemed to go on and on and on and on. Maybe I missed something. I struggled to get to the end. The main character was just not somebody I liked. He was average and wishy-washy. He was well written enough that I did picture his neighbors being interviewed after his arrest saying, "He seemed so normal...". I will admit the conspiracy (such as it was) did surprise me, but I wanted it to be... I'm honestly not sure what I wanted it to be. More? I pushed through because I wanted to know how it all ended. I didn't much care for the ending. (Spoiler?) It reminded me very much of the movie ending for Fast and Furious; yes, you're a criminal but you've got a hot sister so everything is ok.
I think there's a place for this book. There's a definite link to the times and there is a social commentary conversation to have based off this story. Maybe somebody I know will pick it up and we can chat about it. I believe it's got really good conversation starter stuff in it and that's a plus for any book.
I picked this book up based on an interesting review I read of it. While I don't think the book was necessarily a bad one, I think it suffered due to timing. By that I mean, the time when I read it I was also reading a book that I didn't much like. The book I was reading had pop culture involved in it and I associate that very much with the internet these days. Since Haterz doesn't happen as a story without the internet it vaguely fell in line - and it wasn't a good line.
This book is British - both the author and the publishing company are UK based. I only mention it because reading it here in America the references to common things was a distraction. It's not a huge thing, but it was always there. Store names that I didn't recognize and occasional slang that I didn't get just kept popping up ( small example - "chugging" is not the same here in the states). IF you can get past that you can likely sink into the story and just go with it.
So, the story. Clever at first and then it just seemed to go on and on and on and on. Maybe I missed something. I struggled to get to the end. The main character was just not somebody I liked. He was average and wishy-washy. He was well written enough that I did picture his neighbors being interviewed after his arrest saying, "He seemed so normal...". I will admit the conspiracy (such as it was) did surprise me, but I wanted it to be... I'm honestly not sure what I wanted it to be. More? I pushed through because I wanted to know how it all ended. I didn't much care for the ending. (Spoiler?) It reminded me very much of the movie ending for Fast and Furious; yes, you're a criminal but you've got a hot sister so everything is ok.
I think there's a place for this book. There's a definite link to the times and there is a social commentary conversation to have based off this story. Maybe somebody I know will pick it up and we can chat about it. I believe it's got really good conversation starter stuff in it and that's a plus for any book.
March 3, 2016
I think this is the book that Dave Eggers wanted to write when he started The Circle (though, to his credit, I think it would have come together better at the end). It's an interesting premise: Dave is a serial killer, who takes orders from a mysterious cabal (via MySpace chats) to pick off the most annoying people on the internet. You know that girl who's always making drama and Instagramming her lunch? He'll put an end to that, right quick.
I'm on the fence about it, honestly. There's wry discussion of all the worst people you meet on the web, from Nigerian scammers to the people who post incendiary stories/columns simply because hatred fuels pageviews, and Internet Points are the end-all, be-all. But for satire, it feels a little on the nose. It gets better when he branches out from the straight murdering into more creative punishments/correctives, but there's still a dark stain that spreads across every page detailing his thought processes and justifications.
It's essentially trying to take the language of the internet (LOLs when no one's laughing, death threats simply for having differing opinions [or two X chromosomes, in some cases]) and manifesting it. I'm successfully convinced the internet is a cesspool, but then I already thought that anyway. I would think it better that such hatred is confined to the laptop and the cell phone. We'd all much prefer it didn't exist, but isn't anonymous vitriol preferable to physical violence?
I think my biggest reservation comes from the fact that the whole thing starts because Dave's afraid he's going to be embarrassed on the internet. For all his vigilantism (and it's clear, by the end of the book, that's at very worst supposed to be an antihero, if not downright heroic), he's motivated by exactly the same forces that, in others, antagonize him: The power of popularity, the leadership by likes. Maybe it's a literary argument that he's a product of the internet, but it certainly seems odd for the problem to be the solution.
I'm on the fence about it, honestly. There's wry discussion of all the worst people you meet on the web, from Nigerian scammers to the people who post incendiary stories/columns simply because hatred fuels pageviews, and Internet Points are the end-all, be-all. But for satire, it feels a little on the nose. It gets better when he branches out from the straight murdering into more creative punishments/correctives, but there's still a dark stain that spreads across every page detailing his thought processes and justifications.
It's essentially trying to take the language of the internet (LOLs when no one's laughing, death threats simply for having differing opinions [or two X chromosomes, in some cases]) and manifesting it. I'm successfully convinced the internet is a cesspool, but then I already thought that anyway. I would think it better that such hatred is confined to the laptop and the cell phone. We'd all much prefer it didn't exist, but isn't anonymous vitriol preferable to physical violence?
I think my biggest reservation comes from the fact that the whole thing starts because Dave's afraid he's going to be embarrassed on the internet. For all his vigilantism (and it's clear, by the end of the book, that's at very worst supposed to be an antihero, if not downright heroic), he's motivated by exactly the same forces that, in others, antagonize him: The power of popularity, the leadership by likes. Maybe it's a literary argument that he's a product of the internet, but it certainly seems odd for the problem to be the solution.
April 25, 2015
I don't think I've laughed so much at a book before. From page one I knew I would fall in love with this book. Haterz really is something special.
In this blackly-comic crime novel, our narrator is Dave. He's one of those people that stop you in the street and try to get you signed up to pay £3 a month for cancer/kittens/abused kids. His life is nothing special, but it was more bearable before his best friend Guy met Danielle. Danielle has changed Guy, and she is one of the most annoying Facebook users you could possibly think of. Because of the internet you can't just unfriend or hide someone you'll run into again and again. So Dave resorted to something more extreme.
After Dave kills Danielle he keeps getting texts from an unknown person who knew what he did. He ignores them and tries to brush it off as a mistake, but Dave's life changes whether he likes it or not. He then realises he is a person that could make the internet a much nicer place.
Haterz is brilliant. Goss nails Dave's voice and makes him believable and even quite likeable. I found myself rooting for a murderer! The novel is utterly engaging and cleverly written with laugh-out-loud moments side by side with moments that would render you shocked and speechless and just ends up being mind-bogglingly brilliant. I think this is a very relevant book and most technology-literate people will connect with and enjoy. When reading it I definitely drew parallels between some of Goss's characters and events to people and scandals I have seen in the media(Goss totally nails what #Gamergate is about and the attitudes behind it).
This is already one of my 2015 favourites. If you enjoyed the Dexter series and Hello Kitty Must Die, then you'll possibly really enjoy reading this.
In this blackly-comic crime novel, our narrator is Dave. He's one of those people that stop you in the street and try to get you signed up to pay £3 a month for cancer/kittens/abused kids. His life is nothing special, but it was more bearable before his best friend Guy met Danielle. Danielle has changed Guy, and she is one of the most annoying Facebook users you could possibly think of. Because of the internet you can't just unfriend or hide someone you'll run into again and again. So Dave resorted to something more extreme.
After Dave kills Danielle he keeps getting texts from an unknown person who knew what he did. He ignores them and tries to brush it off as a mistake, but Dave's life changes whether he likes it or not. He then realises he is a person that could make the internet a much nicer place.
Haterz is brilliant. Goss nails Dave's voice and makes him believable and even quite likeable. I found myself rooting for a murderer! The novel is utterly engaging and cleverly written with laugh-out-loud moments side by side with moments that would render you shocked and speechless and just ends up being mind-bogglingly brilliant. I think this is a very relevant book and most technology-literate people will connect with and enjoy. When reading it I definitely drew parallels between some of Goss's characters and events to people and scandals I have seen in the media(Goss totally nails what #Gamergate is about and the attitudes behind it).
This is already one of my 2015 favourites. If you enjoyed the Dexter series and Hello Kitty Must Die, then you'll possibly really enjoy reading this.
March 26, 2015
This is a slightly tricky book to talk about. It is, as I've heard said around the internet watercooler, very much a product of our times -- specifically, RIGHT BLOODY NOW. It deals with internet drama, hate, trolling, and serial killers who want to do a bit of good in the world.
It borrows liberally from a variety of drama sources over the last few years, some of which I recognised and was a little uncomfortable with, given how close to the bone things went with almost direct quotations from twitter conversations I saw live being mingled with characters who, not to put too fine a point on it, are utter bastards. The characters aren't, I think, a direct representation of the people involved, but other than that brief foul taste in my mouth...
Haterz is funny. Really damn funny. Upliftingly so, contrasted with brief moments that are ultimately horrific. It not only plays with the zeitgeist, it pokes holes in our understanding of our modern social media life and our role in it. I'm not too sure about some of the late twists, but I enjoyed the hell out of the meat of the book. Plus? I attended the signing and got to meet the author's cat. Can't beat that, can you?
It borrows liberally from a variety of drama sources over the last few years, some of which I recognised and was a little uncomfortable with, given how close to the bone things went with almost direct quotations from twitter conversations I saw live being mingled with characters who, not to put too fine a point on it, are utter bastards. The characters aren't, I think, a direct representation of the people involved, but other than that brief foul taste in my mouth...
Haterz is funny. Really damn funny. Upliftingly so, contrasted with brief moments that are ultimately horrific. It not only plays with the zeitgeist, it pokes holes in our understanding of our modern social media life and our role in it. I'm not too sure about some of the late twists, but I enjoyed the hell out of the meat of the book. Plus? I attended the signing and got to meet the author's cat. Can't beat that, can you?
October 19, 2015
Is it enough to say that I never wanted this book to end? It was immensely entertaining and just so clever.
Everyone has that one, two, or even ten person(s) who manages to sour our cyber-world experience and there is nothing to do about it but scroll through it with a grunt and a shake of the head. Yes?
Alas, here we have Dave, who was simply trying to permanently deal with his own online annoyance stealthily ... only someone sees him and by conversing through Myspace, forces him to become a kind of superhero of sorts. So with blackmail hanging over his head, Dave takes on the task of making the Internet a more bearable place by offing his assigned targets in unsuspecting ways. Each chapter is a different person. He erects elaborate identities all while trying to navigate his personal life which include his favorite feline companion and his chugging job. Lets all applaud his efforts. (LOL)
I am going to dock one star as there were two problematic parts that made me gasp in disgust, as well as the ending falls slightly flat for me. But definitely go read this book if you like dark, smart humor; or are needing a quick read.
Final rating: 4/5
Everyone has that one, two, or even ten person(s) who manages to sour our cyber-world experience and there is nothing to do about it but scroll through it with a grunt and a shake of the head. Yes?
Alas, here we have Dave, who was simply trying to permanently deal with his own online annoyance stealthily ... only someone sees him and by conversing through Myspace, forces him to become a kind of superhero of sorts. So with blackmail hanging over his head, Dave takes on the task of making the Internet a more bearable place by offing his assigned targets in unsuspecting ways. Each chapter is a different person. He erects elaborate identities all while trying to navigate his personal life which include his favorite feline companion and his chugging job. Lets all applaud his efforts. (LOL)
I am going to dock one star as there were two problematic parts that made me gasp in disgust, as well as the ending falls slightly flat for me. But definitely go read this book if you like dark, smart humor; or are needing a quick read.
Final rating: 4/5
March 18, 2015
I have received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have never read a book like this one, ever. It's like Dexter for the internet age, a dark and somewhat disturbing tale of a man who does what we've all wanted to do at some point in out lives: take out the trolls, end the internet crap.
It's written almost in a serial form, in which the main character, Dave, sets out to complete tasks, each one almost its own separate story. It makes the novel easy to enjoy, as if one were watching a series of episodes of a fantastic television show.
I positively loved it. As strange as it was, I quickly got into the flow of the writing, into the head of Dave, even founded myself supporting him in his twisted venture. The ending was simply fantastic, a twist I could not have anticipated. I highly recommend this book to internet users everywhere.
See the in depth review: https://readcommendations.wordpress.c...
I have never read a book like this one, ever. It's like Dexter for the internet age, a dark and somewhat disturbing tale of a man who does what we've all wanted to do at some point in out lives: take out the trolls, end the internet crap.
It's written almost in a serial form, in which the main character, Dave, sets out to complete tasks, each one almost its own separate story. It makes the novel easy to enjoy, as if one were watching a series of episodes of a fantastic television show.
I positively loved it. As strange as it was, I quickly got into the flow of the writing, into the head of Dave, even founded myself supporting him in his twisted venture. The ending was simply fantastic, a twist I could not have anticipated. I highly recommend this book to internet users everywhere.
See the in depth review: https://readcommendations.wordpress.c...
February 6, 2015
The social commentary throughout Haterz is really on point, addressing some very contemporary issues around web communication and creating some very believable trolls to ensure the "lulz" come thick and fast for most of the book. The articles written by Jackie Aspley - seemingly a hybrid of Jan Moir & Katie Hopkins - were a particular highlight and I may have been on the verge of actually laughing out loud during the attempts of one character to talk his way out of a locked room with access to just a single website...
Unfortunately a long succession of humorous incidents didn't quite coalesce into a convincing plot and although I enjoyed the journey along the way, I was left with a number of fairly major reservations by the end. YMMV...
Unfortunately a long succession of humorous incidents didn't quite coalesce into a convincing plot and although I enjoyed the journey along the way, I was left with a number of fairly major reservations by the end. YMMV...
February 5, 2017
Chosen this actual real paper book with words after enjoying many of James Goss's audiobooks and plays... and I was not disappointed. A great black comedy that can make me feel a bit evil at times by sympathising for the narrator when they do terrible things.
October 30, 2015
(I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review)
I started this book not knowing what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised to find how entertaining this is!!
Dave is a street chugger and he's doing what no one else is doing - killing off the trolls and haterz online.
It's wonder how James Goss has managed to combine the various online trend into one story and it's so up-to-date and relevant.
Not sure if I exactly liked the ending, would have liked a bigger and better ending (felt it finished in a rush).
Overall, this was a surprisingly good read!
I started this book not knowing what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised to find how entertaining this is!!
Dave is a street chugger and he's doing what no one else is doing - killing off the trolls and haterz online.
It's wonder how James Goss has managed to combine the various online trend into one story and it's so up-to-date and relevant.
Not sure if I exactly liked the ending, would have liked a bigger and better ending (felt it finished in a rush).
Overall, this was a surprisingly good read!
August 25, 2014
I really, really want to read this book as i always enjoy the work of James Goss. It's available to 'reviewers' at the moment and it's taking all my will power not to declare myself a reviewer.
And now i have read it, and it is wonderful. Great understanding of how mass participation on the internet works. Great humour.
And now i have read it, and it is wonderful. Great understanding of how mass participation on the internet works. Great humour.
February 21, 2015
This was an interesting read, but not necessarily what I would consider great. We have those people that annoy us on the Internet that we would love to be able to tell how we feel....but not all of us would go to the extent of killing them like the main character of this book! I'll leave it at that. :)
February 5, 2016
I started this book at lunchtime & didn't stop reading it till I had finished it some 7hrs later, absolutely loved it. Dark humour with mischievous murder thrown in. One thing this book proves, do not live your life on Facebook or other social networks. I have read 22 books so far this year & this is by far and away my favourite so far.
September 27, 2015
An uncomfortable read as James Goss gets inside the mind and social media profile of me and everyone I now, as well as some fandom kerfuffles. Ending a tad convoluted, but a grand entertainment nonetheless.
There's even some mild hugo sporking. Nicey done.
There's even some mild hugo sporking. Nicey done.
May 24, 2016
This was a well written comedic satirical book which caught my interest from word one, however, personally, for me this book just dragged on a little too long and I had lost interest about two thirds in. I would like to read more of this author's work though as I really liked his style.
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