The Cattle
Greg M. Sarwa
(Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
2006 Ampol Publishing
ISBN: 0976620200

During the last control test before the National Identification System in the USA becomes official, something goes horribly wrong.

The Real ID Act of 2005 starts an intense period of information harvesting in which detailed personal data about every US citizen is gathered & stored by an enigmatic government agency.

Tomorrow the process of implanting everyone in the US with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) microchip will start, & while not everyone is content to submit, Brian Warburton, a contented computer programmer, is about to have his life turned upside down when he follows a string of data which leads him to some disturbing possibilities.

Sr. Staff Reviewer D. H. Brown writes:

Let me be clear at the onset, this book is badly in need of an editor whose first language is English. However, even with that major flaw The Cattle has a premise that overcomes any & all shortcomings.

As a long time, avid reader chapter one was intensely off-putting, but, please get past it & read on because the ensuing tale will embed its hook into you & never let go, for a minute, until you've finished!

Being a technophile, I was enthralled by the way Greg Sarwa has gathered the disparate bits of readily & currently available technologies & crafted them into a single theme that is downright terrifying!

As an American, with a Libertarian point of view, & in general a very politically uncorrect fellow, I find the premise of The Cattle to be disturbing & prophetic. &, like most Americans, I'm very concerned with issues of privacy & personal liberties. I do know that the age in which we live is, in fact, one of terror: only a person who is deaf, dumb, blind & stupid can ignore that America was attacked on 9/11. & that we do have to protect our nation, our sovereignty, our borders & our citizens.

However, the time is now when we must make decisions about just how safe we want to be, & what we're willing to give up to gain a more comfortable level of security.

I highly recommend The Cattle to anyone who has pondered on these issues. As with all good science fiction, it may only be fiction, but the truths within it cannot be denied.

Even with the before-mentioned provisos, I'm still giving The Cattle Rebeccasreads' highest rating.
(05/21/06)

D. H. BROWN
A RebeccasReads.Com Reviewer -

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries. In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow. During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN). While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.
Visit him at: www.dhbrownbooks.com