The Lizard of Ozzzz, A New American Allegory

The Lizard of Ozzzz.com by Mary Lauren Karlton is part satire, part science fiction thriller set in Silicon Valley during the height of the dotcom boom. Richard Adhikari, publisher of Bay Area High-Tech describer the book as "...a must read at many levels: A clever satire; a feminist text; an expose of the corruption and venality in the halls of Silicon Valley corporations; a fast-paced adventure (think the Perils of Pauline in the late 20th Century); an advocate of a conspiracy theory; and Lord alone knows what else. We recommend it highly." The focal point of the story is a website: www.ozzzz.com-brainchild of techno-mogul Sam Thorne. Is ozzzz.com simply an innocuous children's educational website, or is there another agenda lurking behind the cyberspace curtain? Ask Caitlin Leary. Fresh out of MIT, Caitlin embarks on her new career at Ozzzz.com as Director of Technology where she unintentionally becomes embroiled in a plot that threatens the digital privacy of the website's young devotees. In this satiric tale of Silicon Valley, author Mary Karlton portrays the play of colliding egos, rampant greed and unabashed power politics during the heyday of the dotcom boom. Underlying the cutting humor is an examination of the profound issues around our vulnerability to electronic surveillance in the digital age.