This is the worst book I've read in a long, long time. Even if you ignore the reductive, idiotic politics of it, the writing is artless and childish. The author is clearly aiming for comparisons to Stephen King but can only ape some of King's most obvious tics, clearly understanding nothing about why and in what capacity they can be effective. Suspension of disbelief is made impossible by several glaring factual inaccuracies and errors. The pacing is all over the place, not in a fun roller-coaster kind of way but in a way that makes it seem like the book was written in a stream-of-consciousness style: no thought seems to have been given in advance to the best way to build and release tension. Things just happen for a while and then they stop happening. I saw a positive review of this book compare it favorably to American Rapture and just, no. That book is lyrical and subtle and draws you in with its compelling, flawed characters. This book is a collection of terrible things done by, and happening to, cyphers. I could not possibly recommend it less.