ERCB: First $20 Million Is Always The Hardest

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Vital Statistics

Title	The First $20 Million Is Always The Hardest
Author	Po Bronson
Publisher	Random House New York, New York http://www.randomhouse.com/
Copyright	1997
ISBN	0-679-45699-6
Pages	291
Price	$23.00

Molding Moguls

The First $20 Million Is Always The Hardest is social commentary encapsulated in a humorous novel about computer nerds and their quest for The Next Big Thing. In this respect, it follows in the footsteps of Douglas Coupland's Microserfs, although it is not (thanks be to Knuth!) cluttered up with Couplandesque visual gimmicks and junk typography. Knowing that Bronson writes for Wired, and having watched with disappointment as Wired went steadily downhill since its first issue, I must admit that I bought this book mostly with the idea that it would be shallow, pretentious, and deserving of a severe bashing. I was way wrong!

Bronson's novel is entertaining and highly readable, but the most impressive thing about it is the way the author fearlessly plays out the story smack-dab in the center of today's feverishly evolving software and hardware scene. Most novels about computers take place in the future or an alternate universe, or (like Coupland's and Crichton's) they gloss over the details to the point where the technology doesn't really matter. The First $20 Million, on the other hand, is set firmly in the real-time Silicon Valley and revolves around an Intel CPU clone much like Cyrix's and a software invention much like Java. Yet the machinery of the plot never makes the technically-savvy reader gnash his or her teeth with gross blunders or distortions. This is a remarkable accomplishment!

To say more would be to spoil the twists and turns of the tale. You'll enjoy this book.

-- Ray Duncan (duncan@cerf.net)

Quick Rating

Readability
Originality
Organization
Accuracy
Consistency
Depth
Timeliness
Editing
Design
Overall Value

Explanation of ERCB rating scale: No stars = unacceptable, 1 Star = marginal, 2 Stars = average, 3 Stars = above average, 4 Stars = exceptional.