Musings of a reading addict

Keywords: Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Political Intrigue, Hong Kong, Surveillance Technology

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

Length: short medium long

Country: China

Synopsis

When Terry is promoted to VP of Engineering, he decides to quit rather than partake in his company’s capitalistic data mining practices to boost ad revenues. Determined to create a more ethical platform, he poaches his colleagues to build his own social media startup on the blockchain, promising user privacy and an ad-free experience.

Two years later, his blockchain has yet to launch, and Terry’s about to miss payroll for his team. He sank all his savings and maxed out his credit lines. Desperate to save his startup, he flies to Hong Kong to meet the only investor who throws him a lifeline. Little does he know that the too-good-to-be-true investor works for the Chinese government.

Review

I requested Blockchained on BookSirens almost on a whim. The premise immediately caught my attention: a startup founder receives funding from a mysterious Hong Kong investor, only to discover that he may have become entangled in something far larger—and far more dangerous—than he ever imagined.

What really sold me, however, was the setting: the story takes place in Hong Kong, and anyone who knows me knows that I am immediately drawn to books set in Asia. I was curious to see how the author would portray Hong Kong, the Chinese Communist Party, the startup world, and the intersection between technology, politics, and power.

There was just one small problem: I knew absolutely nothing about blockchain.

In fact, before reading this book, my understanding of the word “blockchain” could best be described as “a block with chains attached to it.” Technology is not my field, and while I appreciate what it has given us, I have never felt the need to dive into the technical side of things. As a result, I spent a significant portion of this book reading with ChatGPT open beside me, repeatedly prompting it to ”so if I were 5, how would you explain *insert topic*?”

Surprisingly, that ended up becoming part of the experience – and I had no idea what was to come.

The story follows Terry, a former employee of a major tech company who becomes increasingly disillusioned with the industry’s practices. He is not comfortable with the relentless pursuit of profit through data collection and any other means, shady or not, and eventually decides to leave behind the security of a prestigious job to create something better: a blockchain-based social network designed around transparency, privacy, and user ownership.

Predictably, his decision is not met with enthusiasm. His parents are horrified that he would abandon a stable, respected career to chase an uncertain dream. It is a conflict that will feel familiar to anyone who has ever tried to take a similar risk.

Searching for investors eventually brings Terry to Hong Kong, where he meets the two most intriguing figures in the novel: Mr. Chow and Mr. Li.

Mr. Chow not only agrees to fund the project—he offers eight million dollars instead of the three million Terry originally sought. Naturally, this generosity comes with conditions and before long it becomes apparent (not to Terry though) that this investment is not simply about launching a social media platform.

This is where the novel truly takes off.

One of the things I appreciated most about Blockchained is its pacing. I generally gravitate toward character-driven stories, but every now and then I want a novel that moves. Milo C. Kingston understands exactly how to keep a story in motion. New developments arrive at the right moment, plot twists feel earned, and there was never a point where I felt tempted to skim ahead.

Quite early on we are introduced to Kitty, who quickly proves to be far more than a supporting character. Through her perspective, we gradually uncover hidden agendas, political tensions, and the true scope of the project.

The novel expands from a startup story into something much larger, touching on Hong Kong’s political climate, the relationship between power and technology, censorship, social stability, and different views on what is and what makes a society.

At some point during my reading, I looked up the book and I saw it was marketed as „Science Fiction Thriller” (for those wondering, I almost never look at how a book is marketed, I always decide based on synopsis and author). Having read a large portion of the novel, I found myself wondering where exactly the science fiction was hiding. Then I reached that part.

*the plot thickens*

Without giving away spoilers, the science-fiction element arrives later than I expected, but when it does, it completely reframes the story. The reveal genuinely caught me off guard and transformed what had already been an engaging political and technological thriller into something far more ambitious.

What ultimately stayed with me were not the plot twists but the ideas.

One of the most memorable passages comes from Mr. Chow:

“Transparency and truth only work if the recipients of information are equipped to process the information. It can be dangerous in the hands of the uneducated.”

Whether one agrees with this statement or not, it raises fascinating questions. Is unlimited transparency always beneficial? How much information can people realistically process? Does ignorance sometimes create peace, even if it comes at the cost of truth?

These are not new questions. Humanity has wrestled with them for centuries and it still does. Not just that, but I think they feel particularly relevant today, when we are exposed to every crisis, tragedy, and controversy happening anywhere in the world within seconds.

Another line that stayed with me was:

“In a world of AI, truth is no longer relevant. It’s the narrative you choose.”

We are already living in an era where images, videos, voices, and entire identities can be fabricated. Social media has shown us how easily misinformation spreads and how readily people accept what confirms their biases. As AI becomes more sophisticated, distinguishing truth from fiction may become increasingly difficult (it already is if we just open Facebook: false accounts, false identities…. videos of cats dancing with bears being cheered upon… it’s wild).

Final thoughts

The novel explores these concerns in a way that feels less like SF and more like a plausible extension of the world we already live in.

Perhaps that is what impressed me most about Blockchained. Beneath the thriller plot and technological concepts lies a book that is deeply interested in politics, philosophy, human nature, and the future of information itself. It examines the tension between Western and Eastern political thought, the meaning of social harmony, and the difficult question of whether individual freedoms should ever be sacrificed for collective stability.

It is also worth mentioning that this is Milo C. Kingston’s debut novel. Kingston previously worked as an investment banker in Hong Kong and has experience founding a startup himself, and that firsthand knowledge gives the novel an authenticity that would be difficult to fake.

I am genuinely glad I requested this ARC. In recent years I have become much more selective about the review copies I accept, but this has been one of my most pleasant surprises. It is a fast-paced thriller, an accessible introduction to some fascinating technological ideas, and a thought-provoking exploration of truth, power, and the future we may be heading toward.

Hopefully it remains fiction.

But after reading it, I’m not entirely sure.

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Thank you to BookSirens for providing an ARC, and thank you to Milo C. Kingston for writing a debut novel that managed to entertain me, educate me, and leave me with far more questions than answers. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever comes next.