James Patterson's new book, Target- Alex Cross, came out in November of 2018. I picked up the book and read, and I was taken by surprise when I got to chapters 42 and 43. James Patterson mentions Bitcoin by name. The implications could be huge for the crypto-space.
James Patterson is one the best selling writers of all time and has legions of fans. He has sold more than 300 million copies of his books, and the first person to sell 1 million e-books. Patterson has an income $95 million per year, with a net worth of $700 million.
One thing is evident about James Patterson. He's huge, and has a lot of influence to millions of fans. In his new novel those fans have been exposed to Bitcoin. Even if a quarter of his fans have their curiosity sparked, and researches Bitcoin, and only a quarter of those fans actually invest their time and money into the space, it could bring thousands of new members to the crypto community.
Book Overview
TARGET: Alex Cross
The president of the United States leader has died. The vice president takes office and a plot to overthrow the government is put in motion, and the Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representative, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and US senator are assassinated.
Alex Cross is thrust into the investigation with his wife Bree Stone, the chief of DC detectives. Cross works with the FBI and The Secret Service in a race to find the shooter.
Briefing
In his book, Patterson mentions Bitcoin and the Crypto exchange Kraken in association with Victorious e-sport tournament, and the winner of the tournament will receive 3 million US Dollars in Bitcoin.
In chapter 43 Alex Cross (main character) asked, "Why Bitcoin?" He gets a reply from Victorious Gaming's security director, "my bosses thinks it's edgy."
In chapter 85 (the direct quote straight from the book), one of the four assassins demands payment of Bitcoin from the person who ordered the assassination, "Three Point five, six zeroes."
In Chapter 94, a FBI Cyber-crimes expert tracks three million dollars passing through off shores bank accounts, and discovers the three million dollars was transferred into a crypto exchange, Kraken.
Direct quote ~ "The money went to an account on Kraken. It's an exchange for Cryptocurrencies in... Singapore."
"Can you hack the account?" Mahoney demanded.
"He cringed a little. "That will take time. Those crypto-exchanges have hired the best in the world to build their security systems."
"Can you call up the Kraken Exchange home page?" I said.
"What are you thinking Cross?" Carstensen asked.
"Forget following the money," I said. "Let's play follow the Bitcoin.
Note: Kraken is a US-based Cryptocurrency exchange operating in US, EU, Canada, and Japan.
In Chapter 96, 103, and 104, the assassins have been caught and Alex Cross followed the Bitcoin back to the Victorious e-sport tournament and discovered the owners of the Victorious e-sport and a US Senator had arranged the assassinations. The owners of Victories wanted the US Senator to become president, so he would authorize a bill to legalize nation wide betting, wagering, and gambling on e-sports. The founders would have made billions and billions of dollars.
Direct quote from chapter 104 ~ "And now imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when you could bet on e-sports, all digitally, potentially from any computer in the world. And every smartphone. And every tablet. And all of the betting is occurring via hard-to-trace Bitcoin."
Conclusion
Patterson spins a somewhat negative view on Bitcoin and the crypto-space, suggesting it could be used to pay assassins by computer nerds wanting to take over the world. No matter the type of money, there will be people using the money for crimes. Fiat money is a perfect example. Most people do not spend their money on crimes, but a few do, and it will be the same with Cryptocurrencies, but that doesn't mean Cryptocurrencies and the blockchain are bad. No. The blockchain revolution is changing the world, and those people in it now, while the space is still young will pay off in the long run. The blockchain isn't going away. It's a world changer. It may take another ten to fifteen years or maybe longer, but its here to stay.
I asked myself why did James Patterson spin a negative view on Bitcoin? Obviously Patterson had research Bitcoin and knew a little about the way Bitcoin work, knowing it was hard-to-trace, but traceable. So, why the negative view? Simple. James Patterson is a world class novelist, and Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies in general have that mysterious vibe. The word crypto itself conjures up images of secrecy and mystery. Point I'm trying to make is, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies make great plot devices to back motif in a story. So, as a writer of fiction I can see where he is coming from. He is creating a story and Cryptocurrencies give him a perfect plot device to deploy motif.
As a writer, I understand James Patterson motif, and I can't knock the guy. He does his job well. To me this is huge. People like James Patterson hold a lot of influence. He may have put a negative view on Cryptocurrencies, but the bigger picture is he introduced Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies, and the exchange, Kraken, to millions of readers, and that is huge. When famous writers like James Patterson write about Cryptocurrencies in their novels, that tells me the word is spreading. The good news it out. The blockchain and Cryptocurrencies are alive and thriving. It just a matter of time before more world class novelist mention Cryptocurrencies in their novels. It's growing. The more people who hear of Bitcoin the better.
Finale Thoughts
Steemit is blessed with many gifted writers. Some of these writers will go on to become world class novelist, and the rest of us will continue to write. It is our job to spread the news through our stories. I urge writers to use Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies as plot devices. Name exchanges. Name other Cryptocurrencies. Use your power of the pen to spread the word. Everyone on Steemit is here because we believe in the technology and its potential to change the world. It is our job to write and introduce people to the wonders of Cryptocurrencies.
In conclusion, it is our duty as a community to spread the word, so more people will hear of the wonders that are being created through the blockchain, and perhaps someone like James Patterson will mention Steemit in a book. Spread the good news. Blockchain is here to stay. And Bitcoin just like Steemit could, should, and is changing the world.
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@shanedustin
@shanedustin
Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42286254-target
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson
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That's a fantastic idea! Not that I'm a world-class author, but any story read by a few people and introducing such ideas is better than reaching out to no-one. I need to think of something now :) I don't normally allow much reality to infest my stories, preferring vibrant fantasy worlds where magic flows and bastardised versions of the middle ages are the norm... but... HMMMMMM!!
Thank You for the comment. I plan on reading your new book sometime next week. That is awesome!
I read hundreds of books every year and Target by James Patterson is the first book I have read that mentions Bitcoin and the the crypto-space, and if more writers write about the crypto-space it could introduce new people to the space. Joining Steemit was one of the best things I did in 2018 by far, and I'd like more people to join Steem. It is a good place. I try to tell people about Steem and Bitcoin, but most people don't care, and don't want to take the time to learn about Steem or any other crypto.
I write a lot of fantasy and horror as well, and like you normally don't allow reality to infest my stories. But i do write a lot of science fiction, and science fiction is perfect for the crypto-space. I would love to read some good sci-fi stories involving cryptocurrencies as plot devices. It would help the crypto-space.
By the why you got talent, and you just may be world class.
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You knocked this one out of the park, my talented friend.
Great line and I just tweeted it.
How you quote here is by using the sideways carrot over the period. Easy peasy :)