Book picks similar to
Life is a Beautiful Thing, Book One by Harmon Cooper
sci-fi
science-fiction
cyberpunk
ebook
Ametsapolis Rising
Shaun Myandee - 2013
Advanced implanted technology provides the only means of survival in this harsh new world, and also a means of oppression and control unlike any other in human history.Jonas Evermount is born in the wilderness, but his discovery of his own incredible powers bring him to the attention of powerful forces within the shadowy Zorastran Order.Emmanuelle Rouseau is a prominent scientist conducting ground-breaking research into human augmentation and adaptation, research which threatens the ruling elite’s grip on the city.Zachary Montague has spent his life in the Zorastran Order, teaching its young students to harness powerful implants for decades, but is growing despondent and disillusioned with the suffering in the city at large.Together these three strangers will come to shape a revolution that will change the face of Ametsapolis forever.
Discovery
Dave Renol - 2012
As they begin to discover what new things they can do, they bring in three friends to help them experiment. When attempts to share these abilities meet early failure, frustration and impatience take over and one of the friends turns out to be not as reliable as they had thought. He decides the military should control these powers, and he doesn't care what that means for our couple.The Science of Psionics, Book 1: DiscoveryApprox. 50k words, 200 pages.
Cyberdrome
Joseph Rhea - 2008
Will he find it in time? Mathew Grey is a brilliant scientist who accidentally unleashed a man-made plague that ravaged America’s heartland, and now threatens the rest of the planet. Riddled with guilt and running out of time, he decides to use a dangerous technology to enter a computer-generated reality called Cyberdrome, hoping to unravel a mystery that could be the key to Earth’s survival.Alek Grey was an athlete whose career was cut short by a near-fatal accident. Now he is a software hacker with the unique ability to outsmart the best Artificial Intelligence programs of his day. When he is called in after one of his programs inadvertently attacks Cyberdrome, he is shocked to learn that both his father and ex-fiancée have become trapped inside the simulation, unable to be removed without risk of death. Alek knows of only one way to rescue the people he loves, but will he risk all of humanity to save them?
Frozen Pandemic: Apocalypse
Chris Berkness - 2019
If you would like an advanced copy of the sequel at no charge, please email me at CCB@Frozen-Pandemic.com. On July 12, 2017, an apocalyptic pandemic was unleashed after an iceberg, the size of Delaware, broke off from the Antarctica Peninsula. This exposed an ecosystem that had been hidden from the sun for over 120,000 years. Imbedded deep in the ice shelf was an object. The object was carrying a deadly virus that killed most of the world’s population. Only two hundred and fifty million survived. And those that did survive will be exposed to the virus in a matter of weeks. A group of strangers, bound by circumstance, embark on an epic journey to develop a vaccine that can save what is left of the human race. Along their 1,200-mile journey, the group must battle the elements, a fanatical group called Soldiers of Destiny, and time. Because the virus effects animals much differently than humans, it is not safe to be outdoors after sunset; it is imperative that the group find shelter each evening before nightfall. Will they reach the CDC headquarters in time to save humanity and will they discover the truth behind the mysterious object; the origin of the virus? Please visit https://frozen-pandemic.com/ to leave comments or suggestions.
A Drakenfall Christmas
Geralyn Corcillo - 2016
In an uncharacteristic turn, unflappable house manager Glynis Ferry seems to be getting her duster ruffled every time she catches sight of Shaun Fletcher, the new head groomsman. And Pippa Taylor, a whirling dervish of a domestic, works below stairs to make the magic happen for everyone else, but will there ever be enough magic left over for her? There will if most worthy valet Kafi Cholo has anything to say about it, as he tries to spin holiday magic every which way. But his best laid plans always seem to go awry, even with Maisy helping out as his faithful sidekick. But what about his grandest of schemes, set to take flight at the Drakenfall Christmas Ball? He's depending on guest Jamie Tovell, who's depending on guest Lea Sinclair. And even if everything goes off without a hitch, will the secret Maisy's been hiding from Mark all season pop up at the most inopportune moment to set everything asunder? It's a Drakenfall Christmas … topsy turvy, but generously sprinkled with laughter and lavishly frosted with romance.
Extracted
R.R. Haywood - 2017
But his good intentions turn catastrophic when an early test reveals something unexpected: the end of the world.A desperate plan is formed. Recruit three heroes, ordinary humans capable of extraordinary things, and change the future.Safa Patel is an elite police officer, on duty when Downing Street comes under terrorist attack. As armed men storm through the breach, she dispatches them all.'Mad' Harry Madden is a legend of the Second World War. Not only did he complete an impossible mission—to plant charges on a heavily defended submarine base—but he also escaped with his life.Ben Ryder is just an insurance investigator. But as a young man he witnessed a gang assaulting a woman and her child. He went to their rescue, and killed all five.Can these three heroes, extracted from their timelines at the point of death, save the world?
Connected
Simon Denman - 2012
Across the country, a university student, enjoying the unexpected attentions of an enigmatic seductress, is disturbed when his best friend falls to his death from the thirteenth floor of a neighbouring campus tower block.As each tries to unravel the mystery behind the apparent suicides, they are drawn into an obsessive search for a computer-generated fractal video sequence, with startling effects on human consciousness, and which might just pave the way for discovery of the ultimate Theory of Everything. However, they are not the only ones to have seen the potential of this mind-altering video, and soon find themselves in a desperate race against time with gangsters from the shadowy worlds of sex, drugs, cyber-crime, and massively multi-player on-line gaming.Science ContentAlthough, as the reviews testify, CONNECTED has been enjoyed by many with no background in computer science, Mandelbrot Fractal geometry, string theory, quantum physics or brain science, those with some interest or knowledge in these areas seem to have particularly enjoyed the book. One reason for this appears to be that most of these references are actually based on fact. Of course, some readers have preferred to skim these sections, and claim that this did not detract from the story. Others have appreciated the scientific detail and fidelity, and some have even thanked the author for explaining such things in a way that enabled them to learn something new.Philosophy, Science and ReligionAlthough CONNECTED is mostly enjoyed as a fast-paced mystery thriller, it is also, to a limited extent, about the inevitable conflict between science and religion. The two main male protagonists happen to be atheist, and some of the dialogue explores the different thoughts and attitudes concerning some of life’s deeper questions. These include the origins of the universe, the nature of consciousness, and whether there could be life after death. Again these philosophical references to faith and atheism are few, and mostly quite short, but all are crucial to the story.Setting and slangCONNECTED is a contemporary novel, set entirely in England. As the story unfolds through two converging plot threads, the action switches between a fictitious village in the Lake District, the University of Essex in Colchester (an old Roman town about 60 miles north-east of London), Bracknell (a newer suburban town some 40 miles west of London), and North London.Consequently, there is some British slang and occasional use of bad language (e.g. a few instances of the F-word etc.) in keeping with the age and background of the characters.Why Connected?Years ago, while the author was at university, a fellow student had a breakdown and was admitted to the local psychiatric hospital. A few, who knew him well, went to visit and reported that he’d subsequently lost the plot and was gabbling incomprehensibly of having found the answer to life, the universe and everything. While most people seemed consumed with sadness and pity at this, the author’s first thought was, “What if he really had discovered some universal truth?” Although never seriously believing that he had, it was on that day that the seed of an idea lodged in his young brain – a seed that years later would
Apocalypse
Kyle West - 2012
An invasion of monsters. A desperate fight for survival...Alex Keener has lived all of his sixteen years in Bunker 108. He's walked the same metal halls, seen the same faces, has followed the same rules. All that changes when a viral outbreak forces him to flee the safety of his bunker.Outside, he discovers a barren world twisted by the impact of the meteor Ragnarok thirty years ago. Alone, he must wander a brutal landscape, where every breath is a fight for survival. Monsters haunt the planet's surface, and nothing of the old world remains.Can Alex survive this hellish wasteland, or will he become its newest victim?
Sovereign
E.R. Arroyo - 2012
Seventeen-year-old Cori (aka Citizen 1206) only longs for wide open spaces and freedom. But Antius has no use for such things, just mindless drones to serve in a place with walls, fences, and laws. A lot of laws, which Cori constantly breaks. So she’s spent years plotting her escape, which is the only thing that will save her from the colony’s deranged leader, Nathan. She isn’t looking to be a hero, and she certainly isn’t looking to fall in love, but she just might do both.
Premonition
Leigh Walker - 2017
What she doesn't expect? To be thrust into an intense physical training program described as special, exclusive and worst of all--top-secret. She signed up for tuition assistance, not to be held in a secret government facility for boot camp... Welcome to The Division, the government agency that's so classified, most United States senators have never heard of it. The Division wants Riley bad, but she can't figure out why. Skeptical of what she's being told, Riley's determined to uncover the truth. Boot camp is intense, physically and mentally draining. The upside? One of her new teammates is the cutest boy ever. Watching Finn hit the gym wearing a tank top doesn't suck--although sometimes his brooding attitude does. But when training forces Riley to confront her tragic past, even Finn's big biceps aren't enough to make her want to stay... Beware: The Division isn't something you just walk away from. You better run. Riley realizes her capabilities and strengths are greater than she'd ever imagined. But she also learns she wasn't just chosen for this special program... She was made for it.
Zombie Fallout
Mark Tufo - 2010
With fears of contracting the H1N1 virus running rampant throughout the country, people lined up in droves to try an attain one of the coveted vaccines. What was not known, was the effect this largely untested, rushed to market, inoculation was to have on the unsuspecting throngs. Within days, feverish folk throughout the country, convulsed, collapsed and died, only to be re-born. With a taste for brains, blood and bodies, these modern day zombies scoured the lands for their next meal. Overnight the country became a killing ground for the hordes of zombies that ravaged the land.This is the story of Michael Talbot, his family and his friends. This is their story a band of ordinary people just trying to get by in these extra-ordinary times. When disaster strikes, Mike a self-proclaimed survivalist, does his best to ensure the safety and security of those he cares for.Book 1 of the Zombie Fall-Out Trilogy follows our lead character in his self-deprecating, sarcastic best. What he encounters along the way leads him down a long dark road always skirting on the edge of insanity. Can he keep his family safe? Can he discover the secret behind Tommy's powers? Can he save anyone from the zombie Queen - a zombie that seems by all accounts to have some sort of hold over the zombies and Mike himself? Encircled in a seemingly safe haven called Little Turtle, Mike and his family together with the remnants of a tattered community while not fighting each other, fight against a relentless, ruthless, unstoppable force. This last bastion of civilization has made its final stand. God help them all.
CyberStorm
Matthew Mather - 2013
As the world and cyberworlds come crashing down, bending perception and reality, a monster snowstorm cuts New York off from the world, becoming a wintry tomb where no one can be trusted, and nothing is what it seems...CyberStorm is a techno-thriller set in present-day New York City that will appeal to fans of Michael Chichton and Tom Clancy as well as devotees of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson. It is an exploration of the human condition as the cyberworld collides with our own, a compelling portrait of a possible future that is all too terrifyingly real.
Venom
Christian Cantrell - 2011
Gabriel Kane goes from a struggling architect to one of the most powerful men in the world; Armonía Solorsano -- a young Hispanic girl who grew up in a dilapidated suburban McMansion-turned-tenement -- invents one of the most important and influential pieces of technology in history; a non-profit organization goes from a charity to a decentralized domestic terrorist group; and the greatest democracy in the world finds itself falling into the ever-tightening grip of a dictator.As five people come together with the shared goal of changing the world, they discover that their approaches are fundamentally and irreconcilably at odds. Their partnership becomes a bitter political and high-tech rivalry from which only one of them can emerge.This novella by Christian Cantrell (about 16,000 words) portrays an intersection of politics and technology which is both extremely relevant, and frighteningly feasible.
Winter
Rod Rees - 2011
Created to prepare soldiers for the nightmarish reality of urban warfare, it is a virtual world locked in eternal civil war. Its thirty million digital inhabitants are ruled by duplicates of some of history's cruellest tyrants: Reinhard Heydrich, the architect of the Holocaust; Beria, Stalin's arch executioner; Torquemada, the pitiless Inquisitor General; Robespierre, the face of the Reign of Terror. But something has gone badly wrong inside the Demi-Monde, and the US President's daughter has become trapped in this terrible world. It falls to eighteen-year-old Ella Thomas to rescue her, yet once Ella has entered the Demi-Monde she finds that everything is not as it seems, that its cyber-walls are struggling to contain the evil within and that the Real World is in more danger than anyone realises.
The Stone Man
Luke Smitherd - 2012
until the Stone Man begins to walk, heading silently through the wall of the nearest building, flattening it and killing several people inside as a result.As efforts by the local police - and soon, the government - to halt the Stone Man's inexorable progress prove futile, only three questions are on the watching world's lips:Where has it come from, where is it going, and what does it want?Andy is determined to be the first person to answer those questions; after all, he was there when it arrived. Surely the headaches and visions he's experiencing are proof of a mental connection to The Stone Man? Clearly his dreams of champagne and notoriety are all about to be fulfilled once he uncovers the truth ... and the scoop of a lifetime.In a pursuit that carries him the length of the country and the breadth of the Atlantic, Andy uncovers the jagged pieces of an increasingly terrifying puzzle. As the number of lives lost in the wake of the Stone Man reaches grim figures, the terrible results of Andy's blind determination force him to confront the savagery of human nature.When irresistible forces aren't met by immovable objects, how far is too far? Andy must discover the answer - and find out who he really is - in the shadow of the Stone Man.