A rare insight into greed and incompetance

Would you listen to Flash Boys again? Why?

This book is a real horror story of how our financial systems are managed (or rather, mismanaged). Very illuminating and very well read.

What other book might you compare Flash Boys to, and why?

The Big Short by Michael Lewis is of a similar vein but relating to the mortgage industry rather than stocks and shares. Also very well read.

Any additional comments?

I thought the profanity was excessive but other than that, a very, very enjoyable book.

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2 people found this helpful

Complexity simplified!

Michael Lewis has an amazing ability to take very complex and boring subject and turn it into an engrossing story with twists, intrigue and interesting characters.

Like in The Big Short and Boomerang he exposes the 'mafia' who control our money and in doing so, at our expense, make themselves mind-bogglingly wealthy. You will be amazed, disgusted and angry in equal measure by the time you get to the end.

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Incredible

Great story, wonderfully told and narrated. Destroying everything we were taught about efficient markets. This is a must-read.

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brilliantly written

I love Michael Lewis books. He has a way of explaining the most complex intricate subjects in such a way that the average person on the street can understand them. This book is no exception. It is entertaining and educational throughout every chapter. Highly recommended.

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Very interesting book

Great true story well told, I never knew this was happening and that honest people exist

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The secrets of high speed trading revealed

Where does Flash Boys rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Michael Lewis never disappoints. I read his first - Liar's Poker - but listened to his second - The Big Short. He's an ideal writer for audio, given a good narrator, because his books are packed with characters and the stories, although not by any means fiction, always grip the reader or listener. Comparatively to recent audio, I 'd give it 8 out of ten

What did you like best about this story?

The ability to capture atmosphere - whether it's a construction gang laying a cable across the country, or a meeting of Wall Street big shots - you feel as though you are there. The cast of characters are equally vivid. And all the while you know you are listening to somehow important - in this case about high frequency traders and their impact on stock markets - learning something about the weird world of high finance.

What does Dylan Baker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He brings both the characters and the story to life. Some of the financial and software stuff might be a little tedious to read if you were tired. Listened to on audio it keeps your attention.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

To be honest - no. My strongest emotion was -'wow how did Michael Lewis get the idea, master all this complex detail, and turn it into a story as gripping as a thriller'..

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6 people found this helpful

awesome read

as a developer of trading algorithms, I can say that this book is well respected in my field. Lewis's talent at good story telling mixed with investigative journalism sheds light on the dubious methods of HF trading firms. a must read for anyone in the field. and I'd recommend it for anyone else as it's written in a way that I'd assume any one could understand.

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Facinating!

Compelling and clear account of a difficult subject. Reassuring reading. I learned tons.

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The Thieves of Time

This is an excellent book. It ought to be required reading. What goes on within the murky world of high finance is one of the genuine scandals of our time. The surreal world of the markets that now dominate our very lives is a genuinely depressing place. This is a book with a seemingly fairly dry subject but it explains in patient detail the appalling behaviour that is rife within and around our most respected financial institutions. Bankers have almost become a pantomime villain in recent years but this book outlines how market de-regulation and the automation of the stock markets has allowed people to literally steal billions from our economies in the most cynical and yes fraudulent of ways.

A lot of the subject matter does concern the mechanics of how unscrupulous people used technology and other tactics to subvert the markets. It follows a small number of people who try to make a difference. The explanations while sometimes detailed give a lot of clarity and explained to me for the first time just how important a microsecond really can be. A blink of an eye and you miss it!

Dylan Baker strikes an excellent tone throughout being able to carry the descriptive parts as well as the character driven sections.

This is a fascinating book, it's a book that will likely make you angry, but it's one you'll be glad that you read all the same.

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11 people found this helpful

How to rob your client in a microsecond

The rise of the machines or how to rob your client in a microsecond; another chapter of Wall Street amoral procedures and shenanigans. It seems to me that this people with the most privileged in our societies are the most greedy and morally corrupt. The one percenters are never satisfied with any number they achieve, because nothing has any real value to them, but out of this culture of greed a few men took a technological stand to create a neutral market and even plain of trade, instead of the usual and against all odds made a go of something that in Wall Street appears Quixotical, to make profit by selling a product at a fair price, not a manipulated price.
Incredibly interesting and worrisome book, that reads like a thriller but is probably a horrible truth.

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9 people found this helpful