Like Dave Eggers's The Circle (a good pairing for Shafer's novel, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is another scary take on where the world of big data is taking us. Shafer has a great sense of place that gives the novel a real sense of movement as he takes his characters around the globe: Myanmar feels very much like Myanmar, Portland like Portland, etc. With one exception, the events in this novel seem possible--even probable, and people are fleshed out and realistic. Leila, Leo and Mark are rendered with great depth and sensitivity. Their flaws and their strengths are so finely melded that even at their most likable, I think "this person is a jerk," and at their least likable, I think, "give this person a break." In this regard, I think Shafer really achieves more than Eggers, though I suppose one could argue that Eggers's shallow characterizations simply reflect the shallow world his characters inhabit. The one exception in WTF would be "The Test" through which characters join the fight (a sort of Occupy the Cloud??) against big data corruption. The really nice achievement of the novel, though, is just that: you need only suspend your disbelief over one conceit, and the rest of the plot, settings and characters are strongly grounded in the world around us--the world that is going to hell in a handbasket, but which still gives so many things to celebrate. WTF indeed. October 2014 Excellent, incisive, and very funny writing... in the service of a story that starts out fine -- compelling and delightfully paranoid -- but gets shakier and wonkier as it rattles along. In the last act, right when this book should be at its most gripping, the plot seems to jump the rails entirely, and the ending may leave you muttering the title acronym. Still, there's a lot here to enjoy, and I will definitely pick up Shafer's next effort.
What do You think about Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2014)?
Good read. Slow to start. Didn't like the cliffhanger ending after all that invested time.
—ELL
A confused pointless mess. Mildly entertaining at times
—Maurice
Very fun book - spies and plots and secret hideouts.
—KatyBeth
Very good book with a slightly anticlimactic ending.
—shar2sweet
