indiereader review

New Review of “Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3”
Shrivers Kindle Cover

Shrivers Kindle Cover

Short but sweet review on Amazon:

5.0 out of 5 stars
Good series and a fun read.
May 7, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed all three of these books, but then I also mostly agree with the philosophy put forward in them. Still, the author has great imagination and has given me what I suspect will be many hours of contemplation and fantasy. Thanks.

Of the thousand or so copies out, only 12 people reviewed it, all five stars; Amazon erased three of those reviews that came in on one day, claiming their algorithm made them do it. Sigh! So if you’ve read them and haven’t reviewed, please go here and do so — even one-line reviews help a lot to make books more visible.

IndieReader All About the Book: “Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3”
Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3

Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3

The IndieReader people have a brief interview with me up on their site:

ALL ABOUT THE BOOK
Jeb Kinnison on “Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3″
By IR Staff

An entertaining look at a future where technology has freed humanity from poverty and war, yet faces real problems coping with its own violent nature.

Indie Reader Approved

Indie Reader Approved

What is the name of the book and when was it published?

Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3, published Nov. 24th, 2015

What’s the book’s first line? 


NASA astronaut Maddy Rahama picked up her flight bag and stood near the bulky boxed spacesuits she was bringing with her as the clock ticked down.

What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”. 


The student rebels from the first two books in the series have been governing humanity for a decade since they invented quantum gateways, and in trying to free everyone discovered their ideals are not up to the task. Humanity may not be ready for the freedom they have engineered. And then they discover blasted worlds and that a terrifying fleet of robotic destroyers are coming towards Earth. The uploaded older civilizations have sent the Shrivers out to eliminate competing life while washing their hands of direct responsibility. The young daughter of the rebel leaders must plead humanity’s case for survival while the alien fleet attacks Earth.

What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event? 


I was thinking about the discussions of loss of agency in recent science fiction for young people, with the current popularity of dystopias that make the future seem hopeless. I decided to write something more hopeful that recalls Heinlein, where young people using science and courage can change the world.

What’s the main reason someone should really read this book? 


It’s an entertaining look at a future where technology has freed humanity from poverty and war, yet humanity faces real problems coping with its own violent nature.

Shrivers: the Substrate Wars 3, on Amazon.

Kirkus Reviews “Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3”
Shrivers Kindle Cover

Shrivers Kindle Cover

It takes a long time to get one of the legacy review companies to review a book, so finally Kirkus has posted their review.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A third adventure in a sci-fi series follows idealistic rebels who can manipulate reality using quantum portals.

Ten years ago, college students Justin Smith, Steve Duong, and Samantha West led a revolution that invented quantum teleportation and used it to eliminate the Earth’s nuclear arsenal. Now, that same technology, which involves tapping “into the computational substrate that runs the Universe and determines how matter and energy appear to interact,” allows them to live on New Earth. This planet is just one of over 100 worlds humanity has settled throughout the galaxy. Thanks to less condensed populations, the watchful, artificially intelligent Guardians, and replicator programs that provide food, shelter, and clothing, “crime and hunger are almost unknown.” Trouble arises, however, when decimated alien civilizations begin appearing in galactic surveys. Because Justin, Steve, and their programmers can’t find any thriving alien races, they suspect that another intelligence is manipulating the substrate. When Eddie, an artificial intelligence, makes itself known to Kat, Justin and Samantha’s 10-year-old daughter, dire truths trickle in. A race called The First, which lives immortally within the substrate, decides which civilizations get to upload and join it. Determined to test humanity, The First now sends its Shrivers—an AI death squad—toward every planet that the revolutionaries helped settle. Kinnison (Nemo’s World, 2015, etc.) bursts wide the scope of his continuously rewarding series in this latest entry. As in the previous novels, he challenges his characters to evolve morally as well as technologically; when Justin and Steve appear secretive about the discoveries on an alien ship, NASA astronaut Maddy Rahama reminds them why they fought the United States when she says, “I thought you guys were going to be the most transparent government ever.” Keen sociological insights are crucial to the plot, as when Justin says, “Just because no one goes hungry, doesn’t mean people stop envying and hating.” The narrative, despite approaching war, proves riveting in the classic mold of Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein’s works, in which action never eclipses heart and intellect.

A novel about a galactic threat that offers an addictive barrage of lofty ideas infused with soul.

Pub Date: Nov. 25th, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9961833-2-1
Page count: 360pp
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24th, 2016

Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3

 

IndieReader Reviews “Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3”
Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3

Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3

First “professional” review in — rather short.

Humanity’s attempt to survive first contact with a civilization that reaches back to the early days of the universe in: SHRIVERS

By Jeb Kinnison

 star star star star star 

IR Verdict: Somehow both contemplative and exploding with action, SHRIVERS is an engrossing story that shines a light on humanity’s best and worst aspects as a fleet races to wipe them out.

“Instead of relying on outlandish technology or eccentric alien species, Kinnison has crafted a futuristic world that touches on philosophical, moral, and ethical ramifications of survival.”

Humanity has finally found peace among the stars thanks to quantum gateway technology, replicators, and powerful AIs. Before the dust can settle, the riddle of the Fermi Paradox is answered in the worst way possible. All advanced civilizations are uploaded to a virtual realm, or completely eradicated. And humanity is on the chopping block.

SHRIVERS is the third book in the Substrate Wars series. 10 years after Justin Smith and Steve Duong invented quantum gateway technology, humanity spread to other planets in an era of peace without want or violence. After exploring destroyed world after destroyed world, a race known as the Shrivers target humanity for extinction. With a deadline on the clock, Justin and Steve race to prepare for the Shrivers’ arrival. Meanwhile, an emissary from the civilization hidden in the virtual realm (known as the “Substrate”) contacts Justin’s daughter and prepares her to speak on humanity’s behalf to the tribunal that decides all advanced race’s fate.

In a refreshing entry in a science fiction series, SHRIVERS excels at examining humanity’s growth into the wilds of space. Instead of relying on outlandish technology or eccentric alien species, Kinnison has crafted a futuristic world that touches on philosophical, moral, and ethical ramifications of survival. Of course, the tech and aliens are nothing to sneeze at. The use of AIs known as Guardians to curb violent acts, instruct and educate, provide all necessities, and function as humanity’s allies is engaging and intriguing. SHRIVERS is a captivating entry in the series and a stellar piece of sci-fi.

Somehow both contemplative and exploding with action, SHRIVERS is an engrossing story that shines a light on humanity’s best and worst aspects as a fleet races to wipe them out.

~ IndieReader.

Shrivers: The Substrate Wars 3

 

“Red Queen”: IndieReader Review, 4.5 Stars

Red Queen: The Substrate Wars

By Jeb Kinnison

star star star star star

IR Verdict: RED QUEEN is a tempered look at politics and science in the near future. It is a coming of age novel where the characters reach out beyond the safety of their university to take back their right to self-determination.

 Jan 07, 2015

23784452

“The idea of freedom and the right to self-determination are explored throughout the book as the students seek a refuge from the ubiquitous spying from Homeland Security.”

IR Sticker IR ApprovedAs a new school year ramps up on campus, Justin Smith began another day at the Artificial Life lab running ALife simulations on human evolution. The lab was a sanctuary from the political divisiveness on campus and, for that matter, across the nation. A nuclear terrorist attack in New York City some years ago resulted in a government crackdown on dissent as well as a depressed economy where educational grants were drying up except for those labs who “cooperated” with the government. However, Justin’s lab was soon to transform itself from a sanctuary to the center of resistance to the government. This transformation came about when another graduate student, Steve Duong, was investigating an anomaly in his quantum computer research that led to a discovery of a computer program so powerful that it could be weaponized,  tilting the balance of power even further into the hands of an already repressive government. The race to keep this mega weapon out of government hands leads Justin, Steve and a small cadre of students to secure the weapon and fight for their freedom from a tyrannical Dept. of Homeland Security.

RED QUEEN is the first book in The Substrate Wars series. On the surface, it is a tale of insurrection against a government that believes that the ends justify the means. Where this plot diverges from other of this type is that the government is not a fascist state nor the result of a coup but a duly elected government that uses the terrorist attack to stifle dissent and maintain order according to their politically correct philosophy. The prologue begins with a quote from Robert Heinlein, “There is nothing in this world so permanent as a temporary emergency”. This quote from 1950 eerily foreshadows life in the United States in the immediate future where there is only one political party with true power. The idea of freedom and the right to self-determination are explored throughout the book as the students seek a refuge from the ubiquitous spying from Homeland Security. The plot occasionally bogs down when discussing the physics behind quantum computing. The author attempts to work through this with footnotes and an appendix with “notes” on politics and science that are somewhat long and a bit too academic for this type of story. These are only minor drawbacks to an engrossing book about life in the near future that is neither perfect nor dystopian.

RED QUEEN is a tempered look at politics and science in the near future. It is a coming of age novel where the characters reach out beyond the safety of their university to take back their right to self-determination.

~IndieReader.

– See more at: http://indiereader.com/2015/01/red-queen-substrate-wars/#sthash.82mzEoWj.dpuf