For the second book, I chose Digital Fortress, a novel by the famous author Dan Brown.
The story starts when the NSA’s (National Security Agency) 3 million super code-breaking computer (TRANSLTR) encounters an unbreakable code called “Digital Fortress”. After the discovery of Digital Fortress, Commander Trevor Strathmore calls in Susan Fletcher, a brilliant woman that is their head cryptographer, to crack the code. However, the word “unbreakable” does not exist in cryptographers’ vast dictionary due to the Bergofsky Principle, and both Strathmore and Susan knows that more clearly than anyone else. The principle was a cornerstone of brute-force technology; it clearly stated that if a computer tried enough keys, it was mathematically guaranteed to find the right one – as long as you have enough computer power and time. They know that TRANSLTR will always find the right key, unless the computer doesn’t know when it’s broken the code. Unless the computer guesses the correct key but just keeps guessing because it doesn’t realize it found the right key.
As Strathmore and Susan searched for the source of Digital Fortress, they discovered that the code was written by Ensei Tankado, a former NSA cryptographer who was displeased with the NSA’a intrusion into people’s private communications. Tankado auctioned the code’s algorithm on his website and have his secret partner, North Dakota, to have a second copy to release it for free, in case someone wanted to eliminate Tankado. Abruptly, Tankado was soon discovered dead in Seville, Spain, of what appears to be a heart attack. Strathmore then sends David Becker, Susan’s fiancée, to Seville to recover Tankado’s ring that was thought to have the key to Digital Fortress. What David does not know is that there is an assassin following him killing everyone that heard about the ring and all traces. While David is racing against time and getting close to the ring, an astonishing truth was uncovered in NSA: a current cryptographer in NSA is North Dakota! Now Susan and Strathmore are facing a potential threat right in their own headquarter……
There are endless of new knowledge flowing into my brain when I was reading this novel. I learned about the first and basic codes and how to decode them. This book also gave me many insights on how a secret organization works and their ways of dealing with threats – stay unseen and quiet. What I enjoyed most about this novel is that I enjoyed learning how codes work. I am a person that likes math and I am also interested in codes and code-breaking. There is always a thrill of victory when I solve a problem or break a code. The theme of this story is about governments’ surveillance on electronic information of citizens, and maybe even civilians using these technologies to obtain information illegally.
The story uses a lot of literary devices, and one that is commonly used is foreshadowing and flashbacks. The novel started with short prologue telling Tankado’s death and his engraved golden ring. This foreshadowed that his death is important and that some unfortunate events might follow. The author also created great suspense throughout the story, which is one of the things that I really liked about. For flashbacks, it is used a lot when there was a need to explain what happened in the past. The flashbacks are well placed in the plot and it greatly improved my understanding of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the first part of the story and I want to read more in order to find out what happens in the end.