Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE CHINESE DOLL BY WILSON TUCKER
Friday, August 18, 2023
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN (?) BOOK: BEER! BEER! BEER!
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN (?) BOOK: BEER! BEER! BEER!: Beer! Beer! Beer! by Avram Davisdon (2021) Not really a forgotten book, more of a misplaced one, an unpublished novel found among David...
FFB Review: Nanoman: Perfect Courage by Jack Rice
From the massive archive...
It is September of the year 2085 as Nanoman:
Perfect Courage by Jack Rice begins. The United States of America no
longer exists as the country has politically fractured into far smaller
regions. What is left of the former USA calls itself the “United States of
Freedom” and controls a chunk of the northeast as well as a few other places.
It is a country where artificial intelligence rules everything thanks to the
ability to monitor everyone in their every thought, behavior, and action. They
do this through nanobots that are now infused into nearly everything.
It is a semblance of control craved by those in
charge desperate to keep whatever power or money they have. Climate change is
destroying countries just as fast as plagues, lack of food, and chemical storms
are destroying the people. Britain is nearly gone because of sea level rise as
are vast areas of the coastline of the North America. Africa is a wasteland
nearly depopulated of humans thanks to the climate issues as well as disease
and bioweapons. The world economy is essentially gone as governments created by
multinational corporations seek to control everything. These super corporations
rule various countries/regions as they are the government. There are some
people that by luck of a very bad draw or by deliberate action live far outside
the security zones making do as best they can since the power grid went down
decades earlier. No matter where you live, the very air itself is incredibly
dangerous requiring one to be fully covered from head to toe at all times when
outside.
For Dr. Asante Jefferson life isn’t exactly easy,
but he is aware that things could be worse. He gets around by way of his
powered wheelchair due to the permanent pain he deals with and other issues, He
is a government bureaucrat that is used to his life, such as it is, and though
aware of others potential suffering does not think too much about it as he goes
about his job. That job is as Assistant Secretary in the Ethics Enforcement
Division of the Department of Justice. Things could be much worse as he has a
job, a place to live, and confirmed status with his Official Citizen Card. Lose
that card and all is lost as one becomes an outcast living on the edges of
society. One’s status as an Official Citizen can be lost very easily as there
are far too many people for the resources available to the United States of
Freedom. Not that he is too worried about his own status as it isn’t as he is
some line worker somewhere that can be dismissed at the drop of the hat. Dr.
Asante Jefferson’s assignment this day is to go to Molecular Fabrications,
Inc., located in NUBethesda Security Zone One and investigate their compliance
regarding ongoing research regarding nanotechnology.
It should be fairly simple visit as this is an
informational meeting and very preliminary in his review. It becomes obvious
though by the sheer numbers of folks gathered to meet him after he rolls out of
his transport vehicle that others intend to slow down the process and make
their objections and influence clear. What was already a bad day due to his
pain and how he feels is not made any better by their interference. Once he
finally gets beyond all the boardroom talk with those assembled who think they
have the right to tell him how to do his job, he is escorted to the research
area by the lead scientist, Dr. Mali Phatipatanawong who is also not having a
good day. Her issues go far beyond the visit by Asante. Yet, as she warms to
her topic and interaction with Asante, it becomes clear that what MFI is
working on could very well change the future of all mankind on the planet. They
have made a technological leap that might result in the ability to stop the
effects of decades of bioweapons, viruses, and other things on citizens. It
just might be possible to walk outside and breathe freely despite the dangerous
substances in the environment all around. For Dr. Asante and numerous other
folks, this is a day when their lives will change forever.
Nanoman: Perfect Courage
by Jack Rice paints a picture of dystopian future that could easily happen if
things continue to go forward the way they have politically, environmentally,
and economically. This is a book that takes the constructs of today and
logically pushes those forward by several decades to shape the reality in this
book. At the same time, that technology that has brought incredible suffering
and death to this future world of ours might turn out to the savior for what is
left of mankind.
Part cautionary tale of a future gone mad and part
adventure style story Nanoman: Perfect Courage is not a simple
read where everything is black and white and predictable. A complicated and
very good book that offers a glimpse of what could happen while also giving
readers one heck of an action adventure style read.
Word file provided by the author in exchange for my
objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2023
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
MAKE MINE MYSTERY: The Dead Zone
MAKE MINE MYSTERY: The Dead Zone: by Janis Patterson We’ve all been there. We’re writing along happily on a book when suddenly - ZAP! - everything stops. It doesn’t matter if...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Hidden in Plain View, The Spectacular, Senile Squad
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Hidden in Plain View, The Spectacular,...: Reported by Rita Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Do...
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: A SCANDAL IN MONTREAL
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: A SCANDAL IN MONTREAL: "A Scandal in Montreal" by Edward D. Hoch (first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , February 2008; reprinted in T...
Short Story Wednesday Review: Mage, Maze, Demon (Veridical Dreams Book 3) by Charles Allen Gramlich
From the massively magnificent archive...
The unconventional title of Mage, Maze, Demon as well as the subtitle, A Barbarian Sent On A Mission Of No Return, pretty much tells it all. The barbarian goes by the name “Bryle” and is a warrior fleeing for his life as the read begins. A wildfire is chasing him and every other living creature in the forest. The fire is right behind him as he flees into a cave. A previously unseen doorway swings closed behind him protecting him from the fire.
That also means that his way out is now closed. He is forced to find another way out of the cave and begins to explore. That exploration leads him downward into the mountain and to an incredible cavern. A cavern populated by one person--- a sorcerer. A sorcerer that wants his help and will grant Bryle his freedom if he accomplishes his task. Much is to be done if Bryle is going to successful in Mage, Maze, Demon by Charles Allen Gramlich.
Beyond the obvious maze and a demon involving a mage (sorcerer) of the title, much is going on in this short fantasy tale by Charles Allen Gramlich. Bryle is a complicated character as it the tale itself with plenty of detail. Billed as the third entry in the Veridacal Dreams series inspired by the dream journals of Kyle J. Knapp, Mage, Maze, Demon follows the anthology, The Lizard’s Ardent Uniform and Other Stories as well as the fantasy novella, Treasure of Ice and Fire. Charles Allen Gramlich quickly pulls the reader into his tale firmly grounded in the sword and sorcery fare while throwing in a mystery element or two. The extensive details are what make this tale come alive for the reader. One hopes there will soon by another outing for Bryle.
The Amazon
Overlords state I picked this up on March 19, 2016. They do not tell me whether
my “purchase” came by way of a free read or using funds in my Amazon Associate
account. They still do not know everything and I do not either.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2016, 2023
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Locked Room Mystery & Impossible Crime Story in the 21st Century: A Brief Historic Overview of the First Twenty (Some) Years
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Locked Room Mystery & Impossible Crime Story i...: I perhaps should have waited with compiling and writing this brief history of the locked room mystery in 21st century, probably until 2025, ...
SleuthSayers: Of Trains and Life Without Walls by Hugh Lessig
SleuthSayers: Of Trains and Life Without Walls: I first encountered Hugh Lessig’s writing when he submitted “Last Exit Before Toll” to Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir , and I’ve worked with...
Monday, August 14, 2023
Little Big Crimes: Making the Bad Guys Nervous, by Joseph S. Walker
Little Big Crimes: Making the Bad Guys Nervous, by Joseph S. Walker: "Making the Bad Guys Nervous," by Joseph S. Walker, in Black Cat Weekly , #102. This is Walker's third appearance in my colu...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: Reviewed by Kristin Introvert A.J. Fikry runs Island Books out of a cottage on Alice Island. He started the bookstore with his late wife...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Murder Most Fowl: Bill Crider
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Murder Most Fowl: Bill Crider: Dan Rhodes is the sheriff of Blacklin County, Texas; he only has a small crew to work with, himself and his deputy and a couple of people in...
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