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  • Dark Mirror

  • Edward Snowden and the Surveillance State
  • By: Barton Gellman
  • Narrated by: Barton Gellman
  • Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (55 ratings)
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Dark Mirror

By: Barton Gellman
Narrated by: Barton Gellman
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Dark Mirror is the ultimate inside account of the vast global surveillance network that now pervades all our lives. 

Barton Gellman’s informant called himself ‘Verax’ - the truth-teller. It was only later that Verax unmasked himself as Edward Snowden. But Gellman’s primary role in bringing Snowden’s revelations to light, for which he shared the Pulitzer Prize, is only the beginning of this gripping real-life spy story. Snowden unlocked the door: here Gellman describes what he found on the other side over the course of a years-long journey of investigation. It is also the story of his own escalating battle against unknown digital adversaries after he discovered his own name on a file in the leaked document trove and realised that he himself was under attack.

Through a gripping narrative of paranoia, clandestine operations and jaw-dropping revelations, Dark Mirror delineates in full for the first time the hidden superstructure that connects government espionage with Silicon Valley. Who is spying on us and why? Here are the answers.

©2020 Barton Gellman (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A remarkable, authentic and chilling exposé of a global conspiracy that reads like a first-rate conspiracy thriller: a book of gripping, compulsive and disturbing impact." (William Boyd)

What listeners say about Dark Mirror

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smoke and mirrors more like🤔

could have been great...but not based on anything real. substitute names, code names, waffling on about half stories. fell asleep a few times. I thought this was going to be more definitive, no wiser after listening, a lot of tech jargon for nerds as well. surveillance society my butt, found d it hard to give time or interest in this jumbled jargon. dissapointed throught it would have been great.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping Book - Awful Narration

This is the best book on this topic I have read. Gellman is more balanced in his reporting than the writings of Glenn Greenwald, the other reporter who had close access to Edward Snowden during this period. While Greenwald's account was frustratingly one sided, Gellman's version strikes a careful balance between giving platform to the revelations, and being critical of Snowden where appropriate.

This is an important work and I enjoyed it a lot more than both Greenwald's 'No Place to Hide' and Edward Snowden's autobiography.

But - while Bart Gellman is an outstanding reporter and writer, he is a horrendous narrator and the reading of this audiobook should have been left to a professional voice actor. The narration is ponderous, robotic and monotone. The whole thing sounds like it has been read by a computer, which frankly ruins the experience.

Every. Sentence sounds. Like. it's. Being spoken like. This.

I can recommend this book whole-heartedly, but sadly not the audio version. I will be returning it and picking up a print copy.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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An engrossing story

Never a dull moment. Confirmed many of my darkest imaginings.The narration was great. The book sped by as I traveled to Malaysia.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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click bait and boring

boring and focusing on insignificant details. Using Snowden as a click bait. The book is more one person's memoirs

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating

Loved this and learned a lot. Super-interesting, thrilling and enlightening. I particularly liked the way BG does not take credit all the time (unlike Greenwald) and admits a few mistakes along the way. He also reads the book superbly.

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wow

what a mind-blowing piece of work. spel bound from start to finish. couldn't recomend higher

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