The Cattle

by Greg M. Sarwa

Book Overview

Shortly after implementation of the "Real ID Act of 2005", the United States National Identification System is created and an intense period of information gathering is begun. Detailed personal data about all U.S. residents is stored in a registered, highly secured database controlled by an enigmatic government agency. The governmental grip tightens with new laws requiring standardized state documents that comply with federal guidelines. And this...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0615690122
• ISBN13: 9780615690124
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Ampol Publishing
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Scared the heck out of me

The War on Terror, launched immediately after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, has certainly had one unintended consequence: it has forced writers of contemporary thrillers to stay on their toes. You can't, for example, remain relevant if you're still writing a story about a smallpox plague unleashed on America's cities by Al-Qaeda sympathizers. That time came and went with the anthrax scare back in 2001 (if you still want to read a great fiction novel about terrorism and smallpox, however, check out Thomas Hopp's "The Jihad Virus".) Now the latest sensation revolves around invasion of privacy concerns, thanks in no small part to the NSA telephone records debacle. Our government is spying on you, American citizen! Well, not really--they're targeting terrorists despite all the blather to the contrary pumped out by the media. But that time may well come if the elites feel that their privileged position in our society is in danger. Then you'll likely see the most draconian measures enacted against both terrorists and "internal subversives," with the full backing of the national security organs, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Perhaps then what we see in Greg M. Sarwa's "The Cattle" will become a frightening reality. "The Cattle" takes the reader to a disturbing place, a place in which the American government has passed "The Real ID Act of 2005" in an effort to provide greater security for the populace. What's it mean? Simple: everyone in the country must receive a Radio Frequency Identification microchip in order to move around in society. The chip will store personal information and act as a fraud proof identity card. Neat. One hopes they have ironed out all the kinks or else a lot of those annoying beepers will go off at department stores and libraries around the country. Seriously, the idea sounds good on the surface, and the technology and agencies exist to implant and monitor the chips. What a minute--IMPLANT? Yep, that's the catch. The RFID chips are implanted in the user's skin. Hmmm. There is sure going to be a lot of talk about the mark of the devil and all that nonsense. Also on the menu for discussion should be concerns about invasion of privacy. Too late. In Sarwa's book, the act has already passed and the process is just hours away from full implementation. The fat lady has, sadly, already sung. It's all over except for the totalitarianism. The warning bells go off when a worker at O'Hare airport in Chicago accidentally stumbles over several highly classified government documents detailing some sinister goings on over at the Department of Homeland Security. He copies the files onto a CD and, before he perishes from a very convenient stroke, manages to stick the disc in the luggage of one Anna Tabor, a Polish immigrant just arriving in the United States. Also involved in the mix is Jacob Reed, a big shot reporter who learns about the odd event at the airport from a local cop. Soon, the cop dies in a similar way. Reed's in

An electrifying, 21st-century science fiction thriller

The Cattle is a fast-moving, tightly-packed science fiction nightmare grown from the seeds of modern-day events. Greg M. Sarwa takes the idea of a national identification card one step further - to a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchip crammed full of personal information and injected under the skin of the hand. Everyone in America - including foreign visitors - will be required by law to receive such an implant, and - surprisingly - there's almost unanimous approval for the new law in both Congress and among the American people. It is, after all, only to be used for means of identity verification. Or is it? In the murky depths of the federal government, a much bolder agenda is put into play around these harmless little microchips, and no one outside the inner cabal is the wiser. No one, that is, until a computer programmer, in the wrong place at the wrong time, sees more than he should during the final tests and indirectly leads an intrepid reporter on the pathway to the hidden truth behind the implants (if, that is, he can survive long enough to discover that well-hidden truth). The mysterious death of a young computer programmer at O'Hare Airport on the eve of the implementation of the new National Identify System exposes a weakness in the government conspiracy, and the local office of Homeland Security is unable to respond immediately to the events surrounding it. By the time their guys arrive, a videotape of the dead man's final moments has left the building in the hands of a cop, and a very damaging computer disk has seemingly disappeared into thin air. The video tape finds its way into the hands of Jacob Reed, a prominent reporter for a national news network - who, ironically, had just completed a big story about the many benefits of the new national identification law. Unsure what to make of the tape initially, he knows he has something big in his lap, as the tape has left a bloody trail on its way to him. With the help of a hacker friend and a young immigrant woman from Poland who finds herself mixed up in the whole nefarious business for no reason other than incredibly bad luck, Reed begins to put together the pieces as he comes ever closer to getting his hands on the tell-all computer disk that Homeland Security agents are desperately trying to find reclaim. Amazingly enough, The Cattle never devolves into a political diatribe or take on religious overtones - and that's pretty darn refreshing for a book with "Mark of the Beast" overtones and an insidious government conspiracy at the heart of things. It also hides its kernel of truth until close to the very end, keeping the level of suspense up and growing with each passing chapter. As for the ending, it doesn't follow the standard formula of what you would expect, and that makes it all the more effective. You won't be bored, as the story moves much too fast to ever stall. Personally, I would have liked to see some pauses along the way to better appraise

Suspenseful

When computer-ace Brian Warburton goes in to work unexpectedly, he finds the government computers he works with are up to something very strange, and this discovery costs him his life. But, before he dies, Brian succeeds in smuggling proof of what the government is up to out of the building. When the computer information falls into the hands of journalist Jacob Reed, it's up to Jacob to unravel just what is happening and why. But, will he live long to warn the people? I must admit that this little book caught me quite by surprise. Although it is connected to the End Times/Mark of the Beast genre, it is not straitjacketed by it. That is to say that though there is a passing "666" reference, you do not have to believe in such things to enjoy the book. Instead, the book is an enthralling tale of a government project that can make its citizens safer, and also a good deal less free. Overall, I found this to be a suspenseful story, watching the main characters unravel the mystery and try to escape the embrace of the government. I really enjoyed the story, and think that it is a great cautionary tale. As American patriot Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who are willing to trade freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security." I deeply enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to everyone!

A Very Intriguing Thriller!

"The Cattle" by Greg M. Sarwa, is a fast-paced story of a horrible government conspiracy and the people who discover and try to expose it before they are killed. Being a Chicago area native, I appreciated reading a book that takes place there. This story takes George Orwell's 1984 to a frightening level and behooves us all to keep an even closer eye on the governments of the world than we already do! It kept me intrigued throughout, is well written and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good political thriller! Michelle True (...)

A fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse...

Greg Sarwa's The Cattle is a chilling and incisive glimpse at one possible future facing America. Following a wave of fear and uncertainty brought about by continued terrorist attacks on US interests both at home and abroad, the American government reacts in a decisive, far-reaching effort to curtail acts of violence and end terrorist anonymity. However, in its haste to protect its citizens, the federal government unknowingly squanders the hard-won freedoms purchased with the blood of our forefathers. With international terrorism growing at an alarming rate, ample justification exists for the creation of a National Identification System (NIDS), an electronic guardian of unprecedented scope. The legislation enacted to protect Americans now threatens to irrevocably alter the American way of life, and only a select few are even aware of the dark agenda that takes shape under the guise of protecting our citizenry. Does this sound like fiction? Perhaps, but it isn't as improbable as one might think. Disturbingly enough, the technologies needed to make this system a reality are either available or under development today. But questions remain. Exactly where are the boundaries of such a system? By accident, Brian Warburton discovers the answer to this question and copies startling evidence of the system's capabilities on a computer disk. When his dead body is searched, the disk is nowhere to be found. What secrets have been uncovered? Clues to the disk's disappearance are contained on a security camera videotape that has also vanished. A trail of death follows both the tape and the disk in a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse. Can America be warned in time? Chicago TV news reporter, Jacob Reed, through an unusual sequence of events, finds himself thrust into the role of would-be-savior. He must unravel the mystery quickly, all the while staying one step ahead of his coldly efficient pursuers. As Jacob tries to ferret out the truth, others become caught up in a lethal race against time: Jacob's friend, Eric Lester, whose computer expertise proves indispensable; a Polish immigrant named Anna Tabor who finds herself entangled in a sinister intrigue; Jacob's "boss", Richard Leyland, also unwittingly drawn into the fray as the fate of America hangs in the balance. All in all, The Cattle is a cold splash in the face-a stark, sobering view of what might yet come to pass. It is a tale many will find as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Chicagoans will delight in the familiar settings, Americans will be enthralled by Jacob's common man heroics, and readers everywhere will pause to wonder, "Is this fiction or is this a prophecy?"