Is there a genre of fiction that robert harris has not mastered. The fear index could scarcely be more of the moment the times harris is a master of pace and entertainment, and the fear index is a thoroughly enjoyable book. Frustrated by a thankless research job at cerns large hadron collider. High tech finance and sophisticated computer programming combine in this terrifying and fiendishly smart new novel from robert harris.
Harris has fashioned in the fear index a thriller thats part kafka, part orwell, part darwin with just about all parts exciting and pertinent. Alex hoffmann stays out of the public spotlight, but within the secretive inner circles of the ultrarich he is a legend. Although he began his career in nonfiction, his fame rests upon his. The fear index is a 2011 novel by british author robert harris. It is set in a period of roughly 24 hours from the 6 may 2010the date of the british general election and the flash crash. However i dont feel that you need to dwell on the details too deeply just enough to get the drift. It follows the interactions of a group of employees at hoffmann investment technologies, a fictional hedge fund operating in geneva. The fear index was, for me, complicated as the world of high finance goes way over my head. The fear index, robert harriss thriller the new york. I enjoy books by robert harris and was delighted when the fear index was recently book of the month at my book group. Left bank developing adaptation of robert harris the. Generating billions of dollars, it is a system that thrives on panic and feeds on fear. It is set in a period of roughly 24 hours from the 6 may 2010the date of the british general. In the fear index, harris has something to say about the financialization of the economy, the growth of unregulated and unchecked hedge funds, and the dangers of handing off our economic decisions to.
The title of robert harris s new thriller, the fear index, comes from the volatility index, or vix also known as the fear index which measures expectations of violent swings. It is a novel that forces us to confront the question of what it means to be humanand it is robert harris s most spellbinding and audacious novel to date. The late michael crichton did this kind of story well. The fund is managed by vixal, hoffmanns machine learning algorithm, and. The fear index isbn 9780307957931 pdf epub robert harris. Robert harris talks to richard and judy about his book club title the fear index. Fiendishly smart and suspenseful, the fear index gives us a searing glimpse into an alltoorecognizable world of greed and panic.
In the fear index, robert harris does it fantastically. Robert harris is the author of twelve bestselling novels. Robert harris is the author of nine bestselling novels. His work has been translated into thirtyseven languages. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the fear index. Ths novel deals with the world of finance, at its worst.
The fear index could scarcely be more of the moment the times in the fear index, the latest thriller by robert harris, now heading for the christmas bestseller lists, a brainbox hedge fund manager with little in the way of interpersonal skills discovers that his computerdriven trading system has flown out of control and threatens to send the worlds stock markets into a tailspin. The fear index 9780091936969 by harris, robert and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. He is a former journalist and bbc television reporter. Alex hoffmann lives with his artist wife gabrielle in a mansion in geneva, switzerland.
The fear index includes riots against austerity measures in greece as one variable that vixal incorporates into its unfathomably vast calculations. Buy the fear index by robert harris online at alibris. The fear index is a frightening book, of course, as, with its title, it intends. Gerald bartell, san francisco chronicle the fear index, which unfolds over the course of a single day in switzerland, can be read as harris s response to the financial turmoil of the last few. Robert dennis harris born 7 march 1957 is an english novelist. The crown producer left bank is swapping the royal family for the world of hedge funds and artificial intelligence with its latest project an adaptation of robert harris the fear. Fatherland, enigma, archangel, pompeii, imperium, the ghost writer, conspirata, the fear index, an officer and a spy, dictator, conclave, and munich. Harris has an excellent sense of pace, and understands as much about fear in.
I would recommend the fear index, the new novel by robert harris that delves into the world of modern finance. Observer the fear index is an escapist thriller to rank with the best of them, and as a guide to what hedge funds actually do, it is surprisingly clear and instructive. The hero of the fear index is a brilliant physicist called dr alex hoffman. The fear index by robert harris 2012, hardcover, large type at the best online prices at ebay. Space odyssey, the swarmintelligence in crichtons prey, and now vixal in harris the fear index are all literary anticipations of this new creature, eagerly announced in kurzweils. Christopher reich, bestselling author of rules of betrayal like the best novels of this genre, it offers something to chew onand its entertaining. The official book trailer for the fear index by robert harris the no. It was what was known in the book trade as a fine copy, worth.
His name is carefully guarded from the general public but within. Several of his books have been adapted to film, most recently the ghost writer. The fear index, by robert harris the new york times. For more on the fear index visit the random house website. Baffling things are happening to alex hoffmann, cofounder of a wildly successfully hedge fund in geneva and the protagonist of robert harris s ingenious. Ive loved all robert harris s books so far, especially the amazing cicero trilogy. New york, ny new york, ny robert harris is a magician with narrative weaving the reader through intrigue, deception, digerati, relationships, suspense, murder, muggings and high finance. The fear index sees robert harris step away from the traditional political environment of the ghost and focus on where the real power lies. Several of his books have been adapted to film, most recently the ghost writer, directed by roman polanski. In the fear index, robert harris offers his take on the financial crisis that has engulfed the developed world. The fear index, by robert harris the washington post. The fear index could scarcely be more of the moment, the times harris is a master of pace and entertainment, and the fear index is a thoroughly enjoyable book. The fear index by robert harris books reading order. Robert harris is the author of thirteen bestselling novels.
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