<s>
Halting	B-Protocol
State	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
novel	O
by	O
Charles	O
Stross	O
,	O
published	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
on	O
2	O
October	O
2007	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
in	O
January	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stross	O
has	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
a	O
thriller	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
software	O
houses	O
that	O
write	O
multiplayer	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
to	O
Halting	B-Protocol
State	I-Protocol
entitled	O
Rule	O
34	O
(	O
previously	O
'	O
419	O
 '	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
mid-2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
then	O
learned	O
that	O
a	O
cybercrime	O
has	O
been	O
committed	O
in	O
the	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
Avalon	O
Four	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
discovered	O
that	O
the	O
entirety	O
of	O
the	O
European	O
network	B-General_Concept
backbone	I-General_Concept
—	O
including	O
its	O
root	O
keyservers	O
—	O
has	O
been	O
compromised	O
by	O
Chinese	O
hackers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halting	B-Protocol
State	I-Protocol
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Hugo	O
and	O
Locus	O
Awards	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
The	O
Guardian	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
tight	O
,	O
well-observed	O
thriller	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
found	O
the	O
second-person	O
narrative	O
distancing	O
.	O
</s>
