$hitcoin

"The story is over the top, the debauchery excessively extreme, characters change from nerdy students to monsters, hard bitten business types become gullible fools, few seem to notice the coin doesn't seem to do anything. Yet through all of this, the story is so believable. It seems to veer between total misanthropy and faith in the essential goodness of humanity (excepting certain characters). Witness the relationship between journalist Graham and his wife Melina and their family, after overcoming a cruel immigration system. Graham remains rooted in his community and still socialises with school friends and family. He is one of the several finely drawn, relatable and likeable characters woven into the book's fabric. The book is written in bite size chunks and manageable chapters and is written in an efficient and direct literary style that's very effective in delivering the subject matter. It's compulsive reading. It's not for the faint-hearted, to the extent that there are authorial warnings prior to certain sections. I have rated a quite rare four stars.  There is a good chance that this book will be recognised as a work that encapsulates the period in which it was written and predicts the time to come." - David, Goodreads.

"Easily one of my favourite books I’ve read in 2020, $hitcoin is the kind of book that feels like it was written just for me. Wilks writes with the frenetic drug-fuelled energy of an Irvine Welsh, the cool alienation of a Beat Generation writer, the wonderfully sleazy atmosphere and cynicism of Ryu Murakami and Chuck Palahniuk, but with a more contemporary Millennial, tongue-in-cheek detachment and a British sense of gallows humour. For the most part, the pace whips along in parallel with the ever-increasing insanity of the titular $hitcoin’s rise and the people behind it, and I loved how the author weaves in recent real-world events and figures which leave you questioning which parts are real or not. In fact, I was amazed to find references to Covid-19 in the very first chapter, such is the way $hitcoin captures the zeitgeist of the last few years, and in general the book very much revels in its excess." - Dennis, Goodreads.

"This is a gritty, violent and disturbing story that shows how quickly innocence can be torn away by power and money and how easily both were gained during the crypto-currency explosion by people that were not ready for it and not able to handle it. There are moments that will turn your stomach but for some reason it all fits, possibly because of the many and recent revelations that have shown, and continue to show, what power and money can and has and continues to do to people." - Sam, Goodreads.

"Wide-ranging in subject matter and location, with an equally wide range of characters, this is an exhilarating ride through the murky world of cryptocurrencies. Now this is a world completely outside my knowledge and competence and I wouldn’t have expected to find it so riveting, but the author’s grasp of his subject plus the verve and skill with which he writes hooked me from the start and kept me absorbed right through to the end. It’s a tempestuous ride, for sure, centring as it does on three young men who see their way to fame and fortune through inventing and investing in cryptocurrencies. Following them on their quest we travel all over the world, from the Netherlands to El Salvador, China to Columbia and many other countries en route, becoming acquainted with all sorts of unsavoury characters as well as some decent ones. We watch with horrified fascination as Guus, one of the three, descends every deeper into obsession and madness as this sudden influx of untold wealth corrupts him. “Laws become suggestions when you have enough money” says the author and this is amply and quite shockingly demonstrated. The world of excess and lack of moral compass is offset with the introduction of some more ordinary characters, such as Graham, a journalist, and his family, a welcome relief after the wild caperings of the other protagonists. It’s a very well written book indeed, well-paced insightful, original and intelligent. I especially enjoyed the postmodern touches the author includes – some legal disclaimers, trigger warnings and a newspaper article that stops suddenly telling the reader to subscribe in order to continue. Things we’re all familiar with. The occasional literary reference also amused me – a riff on Ginsburg’s Howl certainly raised a smile. And thank goodness there is the occasional smile because overall this is a grim book. “Gritty” doesn’t really cover it. For me the explicit sex and violence went too far on occasion, but this is really my only quibble. Overall this is an excellent work of contemporary fiction by a very talented writer and I heartily recommend it." - Mandy, Goodreads.

"Reading this novel I was reminded of Hunter. S. Thompson, the gonzo journalism of excess and there is lots of it in this novel. The story of a group of Dutch frat boys and their journey to mega riches. Despite all the chaos there is a morality tale here also about the corruption of wealth and what it does to people. I have read other books by Haydn and this is his most ambitious. I like the way it moves from place to place although you need to concentrate as there is so much going on. Another comparison would be Trainspotting, it has the same manic energy. This is a thoroughly modern novel and possibly those who understand the world of cryptocurrency would get more from it as I had difficulty following the intricacies of bitcoin. If you like a manic edge to your reading then this is for you." - Thomas Harte, Goodreads.

"The book is a fast-paced romp through the insane world of cryptocurrency. It includes a few characters based on thinly disguised profiles of famous people involved in the cryptocurrency scene and a lot of insights about cultural dynamics, spanning several countries." - Peter O'Kelly, Goodreads.

"Whew - this book is a trip! It swings from absurd to filthy and disgusting to funny and also enlightening. I think this means it pretty much sums up the tech bros and cryptocurrency milieu.

The writing style does a great job of evoking the rush of information transfer that tech and crypto are all about. And the characters are clearly tech bro archetypes and honestly, they're ALL awful people. But - I kept reading because I wanted to know how (or if) they were going to be burned by their soulless actions. I'll let you find out if that happens or not." - Kevin L, Goodreads.

"An easy read, very well written and I enjoyed at least trying to understand the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain... definitely not my world! There are at least 3 main stories being told that eventually interconnect - 2 of them in a somewhat dark and semi depressing way but always interesting. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to be entertained while visiting the world of greed and getting too much too quickly!" - Kim, Goodreads.